Another funny conversation from the back seat

We were coming home from swimming when I heard this conversation from the back seat of the car:

Jordan: "It smells like mildew."

Christian: "You're mildew."

Jordan: "You're the thing that comes before mildew."

Christian: "Umm.....water?"

(At this point I cracked up. It felt good to laugh with them.) Then after a long pause...

Jordan: "No, wet dog."

Then we laughed some more. Good for Jordan, thinking of a good come back, although his timing was a little late. :)

My bigger boy

(Last year's photo.  New one coming soon)

My Jordan turned 9 years old yesterday.  I can't believe it!  He is becoming the most amazing kid!  He is my boy who LOVES to laugh.  He also has a talent for making others laugh and cheering them when they are sad.  Jordan has such a tender heart and is so sweet to younger children.  He is really good at taking care of others.

Jordan loves to be outside and active.  He always chooses something active for family outings.  For his birthday he got us all on ice skates having a blast despite the bruised knees.  Jordan has a natural talent in sports and the determination to practice and improve.  However, he is not too competitive that he forgets to have fun.

Jordan is a good friend.  He is loyal and really tries to be a good example.  He is always looking for a friend to play and explore the world around him.

We had fun with Jordan on his birthday.  This year was Jordan's year to choose something to do together as a family.  As I mentioned, he chose ice skating.  Then we came home for a kind of smorgasbord for dinner.   Each person in our family gets to choose their favorite foods for their birthday dinner.  Jordan chose waffles, bacon, raspberries, asparagus, and lemon pie.  At least it had something from each food group! :)  When he opened his presents, he was most excited about a Pokemon DS game and a new trick yoyo.  He is really getting good at "yoing".  As the boys went to bed, they laughed and laughed as Paul read from Jordan's journal that I kept for him when he was young detailing all the mischief he got into.  He hasn't changed in that aspect! :)  Check out some fun stories about Jordan here!

We love Jordan and we are so grateful that he is a part of our family. Our family wouldn't be the same without him.  Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

Jordan, future mechanical engineer!

Jordan recently had a simple machines fair at his school.  He worked really hard to design and build his machine.  He understood the usefulness of simple machines and demonstrated how they can be used.  And he did it all himself!  I am so proud of him!

Rat update

Well... True to the Bruderer family curse.  We are unlucky with rats too!  We have successful gone through some of those decorative goldfish, a lizard and 2 frogs.  Now we have to return the rats and try another pair.  We have determined that Shadow is too aggressive, may never be trained and is possibly crazy.  Sparkle was making progress, I could hold her and feed her out of my hand.  But, she is sick with a respiratory infection, possibly pneumonia.  And no, I haven't been kissing the rat.  So, we will be returning the rats and then going on Sat. with my nephew Trenton to let Jordan choose some new ones.  Wish us better luck with this next batch.  It just doesn't seem like our house is a very healthy place for animals!

Teachers and Student

Last night Paul and I stayed up late to finish my homework assignment that I forgot was due yesterday. I signed up for Jordan's "star of the week" week at back to school night the first week of school. Unfortunately, I forgot to write it on the calendar. My little boy tried to tell me when he got home from school but I was busy cleaning up my 8th potty training incident of the day. He tried to remind me as I frantically tried to throw dinner together because the aforementioned incident set me back a precious 20 minutes. He tried to tell us as we sang a primary song to which we couldn't remember the words as we fought the frustration of having 10 minutes before bedtime to pull off Family Home Evening. When we finally got to the family business portion of Family Night, he took his time to inform us that he was supposed to have a "cool" poster with tons of pictures and a treat. He should have had it yesterday but "that's okay, I can take it tomorrow". I was a humbled mother. He was forgiving, flexible, understanding, and positive. If that wasn't enough, he was trusting and showed confidence that I would mother up* to the task and not let him down. This was his chance to shine in front of his classmates and enjoy the spotlight. He had confidence that even though I had not lived up to my responsibilities, I would make everything right.

*Mother up: derived from the saying "man up" but referring to the expectations and responsibilities a mother must live up to. Though I've never been a man or been expected to "man up" I believe to "mother up" is more difficult with more lasting consequences. Think about it.

This morning, when Jordan saw the Rice Krispie treats Paul had made and the poster I made compete with stars I luckily happened to have on hand and poor quality photos printed on my printer at 10:30 pm, he exclaimed “This is so cool, thanks Mom!” My heart leaped with gratitude for my pack rat tendencies which vomit supplies at urgent moments.

And then my heart softened again with humility. As the kids all ran off to school, I flashed back to yesterday afternoon, when I ranted at my other child who had forgotten to turn in the homework that he had finally completed a week late. This was after countless (not so patient) reminders, and being grounded for 3 days. I mentally replayed the last strand of my patience slipping through my fingertips. As I reflected on all of the positive attributes Jordan had displayed with all of his 8 years of earthly experience, I found myself in awe of the spirit of Christ evident in my little boy. I was ashamed. As a mother I should be the example. I should be the one showing Christ-like love, mercy, patience, forgiveness. How can my child’s feeling of self worth and knowledge of his mother’s love, trust, and confidence compare with missing math worksheets? I am reminded of a better way to motivate. Unfortunately, in the frustration, exasperation, and anger of a moment I forget what I know.

The longer I have been a mother, the more I realize I have to learn and apply. There is so much my children can teach me. I hope I can be a good student in the short time I have them as teachers.

Our Handsome Jordan

Here are some recent pictures of Jordan. I love how photogenic he is! Doesn't he just have the most contagious smile?! And those sun-kissed freckles, I just have to kiss them too!

Jordan's Baptism

Here is our handsome Jordan. He was baptized on Saturday. What a wonderful day! We had so much support from family and friends. The service was so nice with Grandpa B giving a talk, the other kids singing "I am a Child of God" and everyone singing "Nephi's Courage" which is one of Jordan's favorite songs.

We are so blessed to have the priesthood in our family and Jordan was excited to have his dad baptize and confirm him. I got teary eyed of course seeing them walk down into the font and hear that beautiful prayer.

Afterwards, we had a whole house full of love, and joyful noise. Thanks to everyone who came and supported Jordan on his big day!

Jordan is such an amazing boy with so much love and enthusiasm for life. He keeps us smiling with his laughter and love. I call him my freckle faced boy and despite my efforts to count his freckles I am always distracted by his cute smile and laughing eyes. I have yet to find out how many freckles he has. Jordan is very smart with so much potential! He gets very good grades and enjoys school. He has real natural talent for sports and loves to shoot hoops and play catch. He also loves to wrestle with his dad whenever he gets the chance!

We love Jordan so much and he is such an important part of our family. We wouldn't be the same without him!

Jordan's Birthday

We had a fun birthday party for Jordan. He wanted a Star Wars party and thought it would be fun to play with water too! We had the Princess Leia relay where they had to carry a dripping cup over their heads to fill a bucket. In another relay they had to run to a specified spot, sit on a water balloon and then run back. We created the Jedi Trainer in which they had to go through a spraying obstacle course made out of PVC pipes. We turned a happy smiley faced piñata into the Death Star for them to destroy, and then had an epic Light saber fight with Light saber mades from pool noodles.
Although the weather did not cooperate, we still had a lot of fun. It was the one windy, rainy day in 2 weeks! Jordan later told me, with a huge grin on his face, that the weather didn't matter, it was still a REALLY fun party anyway. That's the part that I liked the best!

Super not-so-secret identities

Paul reminded me today of the super identities he gave the boys a few months ago. We still haven't determined whether these identities make them super heroes or super villians. Usually it depends on the state of our sense of humor. Christian is Captain Obvious and Jordan is his sidekick as Literal Boy!

The way we say things

Emma was watching an episode of one of our favorite cartoons, Backyardigans. The cute characters were singing a song that has the lyrics, "into the thick of it". Last night she was singing the song and insisted that, it was in fact, "into the fickle bit". When we asked her what it meant she said it means to go around in circles just like the song says. She still argues days later that the song says "into the fickle bit".

After Jordan watched Wall-E for the first time, he walked around saying Larrr-y. When we tried to correct him, he argued to the bitter end. When he began to read, he finally laughed and admitted that he had been saying it wrong all along.

The kids love to hear about themselves and the things they used to say when they were younger. I am glad I have worked to keep a journal for them while they are young. It has not always been easy or consistent but I have tried to record important and favorite things through the years. Inspiring them to write in it themselves as they get older is another challenge all together.

No idle curiosity here!

Through a couple of Jordan's recent comments I have realized that I am becoming a true veteran of motherhood. Notice I said "becoming", I don't believe I, or anyone for that matter can know or catch everything their children think or do. For further reference read here, here, or here for just a sample. If that doesn't do it for you, scroll down to "labels" in the side bar and click on "Kid stories".

The other day, while driving on the freeway, we noticed a motorcyclist passing us. Jordan piped up from the back seat and asked us, "Is it against the law for dwarves to ride motorcycles?" Paul and I looked at each other, puzzled, and laughing. Then it hit me. We have been having "discussions" lately why he cannot have a minibike. I guess he figured if he was too little to have one then maybe a dwarf would be too little to ride a motorcycle.

A few minutes later, he asked "Could a thorn from a rose bush pop one of the tires on this car?" Paul said no. About 30 seconds later I realized we need some elaboration and clarification. I said "But, a nail or any other sharp object will pop a tire, so don't start poking things into the tires or you will really be in trouble!" Paul gave me an appreciative glance and said, "Good catch! I thought he was just asking from idle curiosity."

Around here, there is no such thing as idle curiosity!

#4

The boys recently learned the subtle joy of refering to bathroom happenings as #1 and #2. Jordan had to use the restroom during dinner last night. Jordan came back to the dinner table and asked, "Did you know there is a #4?" He somehow skipped #3 and I didn't ask. The mere hint of the continuation of this descriptive conversation had me shouting, "No! And I don't want to know! Especially not during dinner!!" And, like every 6 year old who gets his mind wrapped around telling you something, he was determined to explain his reasoning. He continued talking as I shoved my fingers in my ears, and said, "no don't tell me". With a gleam in his eye, he said, "I don't have to tell you, I'll just show you". This sent me into a full blown panic causing me to squeeze my eyes shut, push my fingers so far into my ear canal it endangered my brain, and begin chanting la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! Needless to say, my childish response was understood by my intelligent 6 yr. old and I was spared any further references to the #4. Meanwhile, Paul was having trouble staying in his chair due to the gales of laughter!
Despite the fact that I still don't know what he was thinking and that I mentally refuse to dwell on the topic too long, I fear the #4 will inspire incoherent babbling for some time. Oh, the insanity (er um) joys of parenting boys!

How we got a Cherry 7-up stained ceiling

Jordan was about 2½ or 3 and in his throwing stage. Whenever he had something he shouldn't have, and we asked him for it, he would grin, throw it, and run. No matter how close we were to him, how we asked him, if we instructed him to put it in our hands, he always threw whatever it was.
One day he found a can of Cherry 7-up in the pantry. I, in my panicked state began to chase him around the house trying to get it from him, until I realized that the room temperature can was thoroughly being shaken. I approached him with my hands in the air, palms out so as not to threaten, and began to beg, plead, cajole, anything I could think of to get him to gently place it in my hand. No such luck! He gave a maniacal smile worthy of the best criminal holding a loaded weapon and then in true 007 style lobbed the can and escaped under the cover of a bomb and the panic it caused.
Over the last few years I have tried to wash the kitchen ceiling at least 3 or 4 times without success. We have finally painted over the splatter stains. As I write this I feel almost a sentimental sadness that they are gone. Almost....

Another Jordan story

I was reminded of a funny story that happened a couple of years ago. Paul and I were out of town, taking Emma with us, and my sister-in-law, Marilyn was babysitting the boys. I was talking to her on the phone when I heard some yelling in the background. Marilyn excused herself for a minute and when she returned she reported that Jordan had flushed a pair of Christian's underwear down the toilet! Marilyn was understandably flustered and wasn't sure what to do. I surprised myself by calmly asking if the toilet had clogged and when she told me it hadn't I shrugged and said, "Oh well, there's nothing we can do about it now." It was at that point that I realized #1 I was becoming a seasoned mother of boys, and #2 I deal with situations in a much calmer manner over the phone than in person!

It does my heart good...

Monday was one of those afternoons. The kids were out of school early, the weather was a little warmer, and mischief was high at our house. Jenna had been into and out of many things all day and decided that she didn't want to nap. As I was explaining to Emma and her friend why "we shouldn't hit someone over the head with a maraca" Jordan came racing down the stairs yelling that the toilet was clogged. I verified that it was not overflowing yet and so finished my conversation with the girls ("I only apologize to my sister..."), contained Jenna in her highchair with a snack because like any other toddler, she loves the bathroom, and went to investigate the source of the clog. A clogged toilet, reported by a six year old always makes me nervous about what I might find. This wasn't as bad as it has been in the past. It was clogged with half of the last roll of toilet paper in the house. When the story finally came out, our son had been trying to see how much of the water he could splash out of the toilet by throwing big wads into the bowl. When he attempted to flush, the toilet just couldn't handle the volume and filled within an inch of the rim. After I fished it out and got things running again I continued with my usual afternoon of begging, pleading, cajoling, and bribing the kids to finish homework, set the table, etc, etc.

We began Family Home Evening a little later than I hoped, as usual, but pressed forward nonetheless. Jordan was so excited to read his scripture and did it very well. He is becoming such a good reader. As I explained that we were all going to be secret service agents for the next two weeks, performing acts of service for our family, excitement rose and bubbled over. The kids were so excited they refused to get ready for bed until they had done some things for other members of the family. It is so fun to see them transform from bickering, teasing, annoying, siblings to loving, serving, kind friends. It does my heart good, especially after a hectic day, to see our family lovingly and willingly helping one another. As I looked at each of my sleeping children (some days that's when I love them best), I felt so grateful for all the things I get to experience as a parent. I was especially thankful that those good moments always overshadow the difficult ones.

Jordan is obsessed with speed!

It all began with cheetahs... Dogs used to be Jordan's favorite animal. Then he discovered that cheetahs are the fastest land animal and his allegiance changed. The only drawback is the fact that you can't have a cheetah for a pet! Of course with parents who are allergic to dogs, he can't have one of those either.
Recently, when asked what he wanted to be when he grows up, he said a jet pilot would be first choice, a race car driver is second choice, and someone who runs races would be third. In other words, anything that will let him get up some speed!


From 2006: A cheetah cake and a costume Mom had to make because they don't sell cheetah costumes for halloween.

Murphy's elves strike again!!

I can't believe how lucky we are (said through gritted teeth)! I thought everything was on track for my annual Ladies brunch that I host for my family. It's supposed to be tomorrow. Last night we were watching the season finale of the 2nd season of Lost (yes we are new addicts, and get to watch 4 episodes a week) with bated breath. We heard one of the sounds a parent dreads most... "cough, cough, bleah, Mommy" Yes, you guessed it, Christian threw up all over in his bed (the TOP bunk). My barf challenged husband stood in the doorway for moral support with his nose plugged, apologizing and promising to put on the clean sheets as soon as I got the mess cleaned up. I won't go into detail but suffice it to say a sticky dustpan was involved. Luckily, Christian is now old enough that for the other 4 times last night he was able to make it into a bowl and we just had to take turns emptying and rinsing. Then, this morning Jordan woke up saying he wasn't feeling well. As I wondered if it was just sympathy/don't feel like school today symptoms, he ran to the bathroom and...yep!
Now I have: 12 guests expecting a party, 11 toys strewn across the floor to step on, 10 ornaments to put back on the tree (Jenna), 9 times to refill cups of Gatorade which threaten my carpet, 8 floors to clean, 7 loads of stinky laundry, 6 presents to wrap, 5 slimy flushes and a toilet that needs to be cleaned, 4 kids at home while trying to clean for the party, 3 dozen cookies to make, 2 barfing boys, and 1 headache from too little sleep. My own friggin' version of 12 somethings for Christmas.
Where are those real elves when you need them? I think we have Murphy's elves at our house. No matter what we do, how we plan, something unforeseen always seems to happen. I even had to wipe off the inch thick layer of dust before I could put out my decorations. What's up with that? That's enough to kill any one's Christmas spirit despite my favorite Christmas music blaring in the background. In my world, I would have the elves come in and clean up the night before we are ready to decorate then I can have that Hallmark moment when my beautiful, clean, well behaved children smile and laugh gently as we lovingly place our decorations in the perfect spots.
But... until that happens I guess I had better pour some more Gatorade, sort the laundry, and find a clothes pin for my nose as I head off to clean the bathroom. As for my party? I will have to see if the barfing stops in a respectable amount of time to be able to Lysol everything before tomorrow.


P.S. For anyone concerned that the tone of this post is quite different than I usually write, be assured that I am fine and coping. I have used this as a way to blow off steam and try to find some humor while in the throes.

Our new family pictures!

We haven't had our family pictures taken for over 2 years so we decided it was about time! Paul's niece Lori took these pictures for us and I think she did a great job!

"They Forgot Thanksgiving"

I had a rather satisfying moment the other day as I walked through WalMart with the kids. As Jordan looked at all of the Christmas decorations that had been put up the day before Halloween, he shook his head and said, "They forgot all about Thanksgiving." This helped me to realize that the thankful lists we made, our thankful tree, and the many Family Home Evening Lessons about gratitude and Thanksgiving had touched them. I am glad I stayed strong in my refusal to put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving, no matter how tempting. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! However much there is to be grateful for at Christmas time, how many people we can serve, and how much thought we put into our gift giving, I want to maintain the importance of a day specifically dedicated to appreciating all the blessings God has given us. Just because the world does not commercialize Thanksgiving, I don't believe it has any less importance. I firmly believe that many problems of the world could be solved with a little more gratitude and less selfishness. If I can teach my children to count their blessings and feel true gratitude, I feel I will have given them a wonderful gift.

"May we be found among those who give our thanks to our Heavenly Father. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."
--Thomas S. Monson, "Finding Joy in the Journey", Ensign, Nov 2008, 84–87

Happy Thanksgiving

Halloween and Fall in full swing!

Here are some pictures from Halloween. They are usually so cute! Christian is a dementor (too bad his nose was itching!), Jordan was a Vampire (minus the teeth because he couldn't eat candy with them, would have been a plus in my mind), Emma is Cinderella (did you expect anything less?), and Jenna is our cute dalmation puppy.

The kids got so excited to jump in leaves they couldn't wait for the neighbors giant maple to drop so we raked up the few we had.