Houston, We Have a Problem

Something I learned about anger (from Women's Conference–Kathryn Della Piana):

Think of someone you love. Now think of something he or she does over and over again that BUGS you. Imagine that person doing that thing. Have you ever heard yourself say, "I can't believe he did that!"? This response suggests shock. . . . 

Say, for example, your husband doesn't put his dishes in the sink. It happens maybe four times a week. Times that by the number of years you've been married, say ten years, so it's happened 2,080 times, and you're still surprised. Lesson: Do not attempt to solve a problem that you don't think should exist.

Mia's Moods

MINE!

OK. About McKenzie's cell phone. Rob thought it would be a good idea to call it a "family" phone instead of "McKenzie's" phone, not unlike a third "family" car should MK get use of one around her 16th birthday. Ownership would imply that no one else could use "McKenzie's" car and that Mia, Getty, etc. would all get their own cars at age 16. I'm imagining 8 cars at the house. So... we don't know exactly how a "family" phone works, because McKenzie's the only one who is old enough to have a phone. But the idea is that if Mia or Getty ever occasionally had a legitimate need for a phone when McKenzie didn't need it (NEVER), then they could have limited access to it. ANYwho, back to the subject—Mia. If you know Mia at all, you may have guessed that she makes a point to refer to the phone as "the FAMILY phone" twenty or thirty times a day with full-on Mia "attitude" to McKenzie's face with her hand stretched out in expectation. O how we love our Mia.

Soccer Vs. Dance

McKenzie is approaching her 9th grade year, which is considered to be "high school," (oh...my...gosh...) even though she will still attend middle school. Rob told her it's time to make a more serious commitment to either dance or soccer to compete at the high school level. A tough decision, but soccer won out. Try-outs for competition teams were this week and results should be posted tomorrow. She's hoping to make the premier team. The premier team is made up of players with the highest skill level in the competition league. She'll attend a university soccer camp in July and train for high school try-outs.

Update: McKenzie made the premier team! (Pictured with her try-out jersey.)

MK will continue with Taralee at M. Dance, but she won't compete in the spring. She's substitute teaching the Juniors in dance during the summer and a couple of parents have asked her if she would teach private lessons for their daughters in dance (Hannah, age 12; Lexi, age 12) and in gymnastics (Haley, age 7, and Taralee's daugher, Chloe, age 5). MK's also assisting with the Minis. Ideally, she'd like to keep up with dance, so she could have an awesome part-time job in college!

My Very Own Cellie

MK continues to recite all of the reasons why her life would be so much easier if only she had a CELL PHONE!

Her wish list of birthday gifts: CELL PHONE; iHome with an alarm clock; cinch Nike bag; a wave board; clothes from Hollister; basketball and regular shorts; "National Treasure II" movie; itunes, Target, mall, and Hollister gift cards; black and white peace-sign bandana; green peace-sign sweatshirt (to replace the stolen one); an aqua polka-dot bed quilt; the books "Hero" by Perry Moore and "Sweethearts" by Sarah Zarr; cash; and finally, a laptop. That's all.

Update: So, we got her a cell phone with a personalized phone number to boot. We picked her up from dance and blindfolded her. To say she was ecstatic would be an understatement. She did a happy cell phone dance (re-created above) in the AT&T store for the customers and sales people alike, although I'm sure she had no idea any people were in the store. Only cell phones. Beautiful, wonderful, life-changing cell phones. Several hours later she ran up and hugged me and said, "I can't believe you got me a CELL PHONE!" Mia said, "McKenzie was so excited when she got a cell phone that she took a picture of bananas."

"If you love somebody, set them free..."

Elle is a doll face. We all love her to death, especially Cam, who may actually smother her with his incessant kissing. When I'm able to pry him off of her face, he grabs her arm and kisses her hand over and over and over again. I tell him he can kiss my hand over and over again, but somehow my dishwater man hands just aren't the same.

Yum

In keeping with the Evans' baby tradition, Elle is a champion eater. She finishes a 6 oz. bottle as an appetizer, then moves to her main course, a bowl of oatmeal, and then tops it off with another bowlful of applesauce for dessert. Ya. Can't wait for the self-feeding to begin. I'll have so much free time!

Shifting Gears

So, I had a paradigm shift during a conversation (over a cut and color) with Susie that changed my definition of success regarding home life. Her twins got their calls to Geneva Switzerland (French) and the Baltic mission (Russian). She described the life she has with them now, and how it would soon be over. Teenagers are always coming and going. Five or six of Alex and Austin's friends call her "Mom." At least twice a week, her boys and their 6 to 15 friends make "Bazookies," baked cookie dough spread out in a pan topped with whatever ice cream and goodies the friends find or bring from home, and they all grab a spoon and eat out of the same dish. They're respectful and clean up after themselves for the most part. They all watch the Jazz play-offs on the big screen downstairs. The best part is she knows all of her boys' friends. She overhears conversations, and she knows what they're doing on a Thursday night, because they're there. She said she feels bad for the neighbor boys across the street. They are around the same age, but they are really studious and don't socialize much. If they look out their window on most nights, they see a bunch of cars at her house.

Success as I used to define it went like this: "clean, organized, orderly, controlled, buttoned up, tucked in, snuggled down..." you get the point. And it was all about family life. Success redefined: "fun, social, friendship, memories, hospitality..." Family life now includes friends as an integral part of our kids' development, experience, and happiness. I want a close family life, and I want my kids to have a great social life, especially in their teen years. I want to give our kids what I didn't have growing up (socially). I want them to feel like they are right in the thick of the high school fun times, not always missing out. And I don't want to miss out on their lives and friends and fun. I don't want to lose my kids at 15 or 16, because they're over at someone else's house. The cost will be late nights and less privacy and more commotion and noise, but my guess is it'll be well worth it.

So You Think You Can Dance?

M&M competed in Dance Nationals at UVSU in Provo a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, Friday's competition was booked until midnight the first day of registration, so MK and Mia couldn't compete their solos or their trio. Bummer! For Saturday's team competition, Maximum Dance won High Point Arena for their production number, "Lion King," and M&M's Senior Elite team won High Point Arena for Hip Hop. They also  took 3rd in Jazz and 3rd in Lyrical.

My birthday is only five months away!

Mia's birthday is October 8th, but her wish list is already in the making: pierced ears, a black bead necklace and earring set, peace-sign earrings, more earrings, Bath & Body Sparkling Peach body lotion, Moonlight Pomegranate body spray, Cinnamon Menthe lip gloss.... Can you get any girlier?

All Aboard the Potty Train!

Potty training success! With a couple of doses of PediaLax and a prescription for six months of stool softener, Cam's getting the job done! Special thanks go to Ryan, Soda, and Em for their inspiring performances!

Cam isn't the only one who's been constipated. One night while MK was babysitting the kids, Cy had a particularly memorable "struggle." MK did what she'd seen me do before in these situations—wrap Cy's legs around my middle and gently bounce him to keep him from holding it in. When McKenzie tried it, Cy kept yelling, "You're killing me!" 

Highlights in George

We took a long weekend vacation to St. George to visit the Wadsworth's and swim in their pool. Highlights: Jumpin' Jack's (bounce gym), Cam's blowout in his wetsuit, "Flawless" with Michael Caine and Demi Moore, the Crevice, Cy's meltdown at the Crevice, burgers at the wall-to-wall jam-packed "In and Out Burger," the Dillard's dress and jewelry sale, steals at the Children's Place outlet, helping a guy and his pregnant wife get back home to Missouri, and no vomit or potty accidents in the car!

Biggest Loser

Rob convinced the guys at Aspire to throw in $50 each as the prize for the first one to lose 25 pounds. Rob's strategy emphasizes exercise; whereas John, Chris, and Lance favor a strict diet. Time will tell who's thin and who is...not thin. 

This is me demonstrating the potential results Rob can achieve if he wants it bad enough....

The Battle of St. George

Notice how Cy doesn't have a shirt on? That's because he threw the biggest fit I've ever experienced by him just moments before this shot. Not that the fit lasted for only moments. Oh, no. Twenty-five minutes that seemed to me to be the better part of the day. What caused his crusade? He lost his tennis shoes at a distant park, so he had only flip flops for climbing. We arranged for him to borrow some Teva's. Apparently this was an act of war on our part. No WAY was he wearing someone else's shoes. He'd rather sit in the car in 92 degree weather and wait until the rest of us were done hiking. Well, as you know, that was not an option. In retrospect I could have just let him sprain his ankle wearing his flip flops, but I decided I'd rather sit on him and put the dang Teva's on him and get hiking! So we were locked in a battle of wills, which is something to avoid if at all possible (should have gone the flip flop route), and you know when you're in combat with your kids, you'd better not lose or your government will be overthrown, and you can say good-bye to your parental reign. So, back to the shirt. I figured with all his kicking and screaming in that hot weather that he was on the verge of dehydration, so we lost the shirt but kept the Teva's. I think through all of this, we have a healthy new respect for each other. I can better appreciate Cy's need for a good night's sleep. As for Cy, he knows who's in charge. Just look at his smug little face.  

That's Gonna Leave a Mark

So, we were lifting Cam up off the floor with a new toilet plunger and...ya.

I know what you're thinking—what were we doing lifting him up with a plunger? He's much too heavy; we should have used two.