Artsy Fartsy FTW (For the win!)

Okay, so this morning I'm probably either racing to get my kids ready and off to their Grandma S's house or I'm already at my MRI to see what is going on. But while we are waiting I will update you on my weekend!

Quite a while ago my mom invited me to go with her to the Park City Arts festival. She has been going annually for over a decade! Up until this year she went with her mom, but due to some unfortunate events that is no longer possible, so she invited me.

We left on Friday and headed down to Salt Lake. While there we stopped to drop off some things to my Grandpa K and to visit :)

It was so good to see him! Even if he wouldn't let me get a picture of him doing "brain surgery" aka pretending to shove his pinky finger all the way up his nose while pulling a hilarious face. That stunt always brings back good memories of when I was little.... that and him "Growling"... such a ham! I love him so much and his sense of humor always has me laughing.

(He and my mom making a "pinky promise" about something.... hmmm my memory must be going!)

After visiting with "Grumpy" and going out to dinner with him we headed to our hotel for the night.

The next morning we headed up to Park City to attend the Arts Festival.. or the "Kimball Arts Festival" for those of you that are picky. :)

The art there is so cool! This rooster was part of a group of other motion sculptures... each of the heads would nodd in the wind. I loved how this ones body wasn't a solid color, but instead had texture to it.

Mom bought me a really fun hat that I'm totally going to wear to death:

My mom and I are of the opinion that these pictures we are standing in front of could totally be done by my machinist of a dad!

(See dad.... you could totally do those!)

I loved looking at all the different types of art! They sooooo make me want to try my hand at art again... even though I am sorely out of practice and would probably be disappointed in my lack of skill... even then, I want to learn how to weld at least!

I mean... how many cool things could I make!!!! Funfun! 

Okay, so maybe I'm a little ambitious... I admit... but aren't these things so cool to see? Turbo has asked me to play this one over and over again. :) Maybe I can convince Jer to let me build a shop out back? hmmmm maybe not, not enough space :( And then there's that whole... I don't know how to weld thing...

And yes, there was "normal" paintings there too... this one totally made me think of my boys! batman: check, Light saber: check, big wheel: check....

So fun!

"I love you MORE!"

When I was a child I remember always playfully arguing with my mom whenever she would tuck me in for the night.

She would come into my room in the evening when I was ready for bed, tuck the covers around me, kiss me and hug me, and with a wish of "sweet dreams" would leave the room. As she made sure the door was open wide (the way I liked it) on the way out she would say "I love you!"

"I love you more mom."

"You will never know how much I love you until you have children of your own! Sweet dreams kiddo..."

Then she would leave to go read or to finish last minute things before going to bed herself.

Sometimes we would tease each other about who loved the other more throughout the day:

"I love you mom!"

"I love you too April"

"I love you more!"

"I love YOU more."

"Nu-uh!"

Back and forth until in the end mom would say "Until you are a mother yourself, you will never know how much I love you!"

As the years past we had these kinds of playful conversations often. Through my teenage years, even up to when I was married.

Then I had a child of my own.

She was right (as she often is!). We no longer argue about who loves the other more... We both know who loves the other more. But since having my own children I know that my love for her has grown as well, due to knowing just how much she loves me.

As I go throughout my day, tidying up (lets face it, I don't like to clean), and making sure homework gets done, making sure the dishes are in the dishwasher, and being a mediator to my childrens arguments sometimes my daughter will say to me:

"I love you mom!"

"I love you too Missy."

"I love YOU moooore!"

To which I reply "You will never know how much I love you until you have children of your own!" And I hug her and squeeze her and watch as she goes to find her brothers to play with.

Why I'm So Warped or "I Hurt When You Hurt"

Overall my childhood was a pretty good one. I grew up in a good family with parents who loved me and did what they could for me. I might even say I was spoiled in many ways... Yes, my dear sisters, I admit it! I think most of it came from the fact that my parents were better off by the time I came around and was growing up than they were when my sisters were young. Anyways, to my point. I had a good childhood, but I had my challenges too. Just like every other kid, I guess.

When I was in early elementary I had issues with keeping up with my class, thank goodness I had a wonderful teacher who spotted it and was willing to help me as much as she could. She communicated well with my parents to help them understand what was going on and therefore, when we moved to another school right before my 5Th grade year my mom and dad knew what needed to be done and got the new school to work with me as well. By the time I entered junior high I was caught up and actually ahead in some subjects. Yay for good teachers!

That of course was not the sum total of my hardships. Some of those stay with me to this day, in the back of my mind making me question myself and others, but that is for another day.

You see, when I moved into our new home in the fifth grade I didn't have any friends (like most kids when they move to a new neighborhood and a new school). I of course did my best to make friends quickly so that I wouldn't feel so alone (which by the way is the worst feeling in the whole world in my book). The first kids I met were on the street I lived on. There was only one boy in my grade that lived on our street and you know how elementary school kids feel about the other gender. BLECH! So I made friends with kids younger than me. Two girls in particular. They were pretty fun to play with even if they were two years younger than me... I mean, beggars can't be choosers, eh? At least we had fun.

For a while.

Then one of them decided she didn't like me so much anymore, and when we had been playing happily for a while and the other girl came around she would tell me that she wanted to play with "Anna" alone. (yes I changed her name for those that may know her) Basically she dismissed me. I wasn't wanted around anymore so go home.

I didn't have any other friends yet.

Oh did that hurt.

I can't tell you how badly. There just aren't words to convey how cutting it is to feel unwanted.

My mom did her best to comfort me. She told me I didn't need them anyways. The thing was though... I did. I needed friends. After a while of trying to "just deal with it" and getting hurt over and over again I finally decided that what mom said was true. I didn't need them.

Granted this time in my life passed, I made new friends when school started and went on my merry way (so to speak).

I look back at that time and remember my mom telling me "I hurt when you hurt!" or "this hurts me too" ... as a kid I never really got that. I never really understood until recently.

Actually I never fully understood till this week.

Because this week, my son was excluded. Oh man, does that hurt. But you know what? When I told him "If they don't want to play with you, they aren't your friends. Can you find another friend to play with?"

Guess what?

HE DID.

Mom's Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor has, and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,Mom