My little brother

One of my favorite parts of living here is that people I love show up unexpectedly from time to time.  Yesterday Enoch called.  He was in Salt Lake for business meetings but had some time.  I said, "Come to dinner!"

But then it turned out I had invited him under false pretenses because:

Mark had voice lessons from 5:00-5:45

Adam and Mark were doing a service project in our neighborhood starting at 6:00

I was tutoring at 7:00

So first Enoch and Adam and I went to The Home Depot to pick up the log splitter Adam was renting for the project.  (Come over!  We'll do exciting things like go to The Home Depot!)

Then Enoch and I went to Kneaders and he bought me dinner.  (Come over!  You can buy me dinner!)

We did have a good time visiting and I enjoy one on one time with that kid.  We talked a bit about our kids and the ways certain of them puzzle us (we'll never tell which).  I was hugging him good-bye in the driveway when my little tutoring students pulled up with their dad.

Tutoring is one of my favorite things.  This was my first time tutoring in awhile and my first time with this brother and sister duo and they are adorable in every way.

The little girl, Jada, was reading a story about a girl who wished for a big brother.  I said, "Do you like having a big brother?"

She said, "Mostly."  Then she whispered, "But he does get a little bossy." (She didn't need to whisper because her brother was downstairs playing in the colossally messy lego room.)

I said, "Did you see my brother outside when you came to my house?  He's really big, but he's my little brother."

Her eyes got big and her mouth formed an O. "What?"she said.

"Yep," I said, "he's younger but he got big."

"Wow.  Yeah."

I sure love my big little brother.  He makes me feel like I lucked out.  (And not just because he buys me dinner.)

Emma's song

Saturday when we visited Emma she played a few songs she'd recently written (one in collaboration with her friend Emme--they said if they had a band, they'd just call it M).

Then later that night she sent another song she'd written.

She said, "I've just been in a song writing mood."

Like that's something that just happens?

Then she created an album cover for the song because she knows how.



Ever since she was a little girl, I swore there was talent just dripping out of her little fingers.

Adam and Thelma enter the 21st century

Yesterday I canceled our landline.  We were maybe some of the ten people in America to still have one.  Interestingly it was Adam, who's way more technologically savvy than I am, who dragged his feet on getting rid of it.

The only calls we ever received on it were from my mom, Marianne, and telemarketers.  A lot of telemarketers.

Adam finally got tired of hearing me complain (which is a sentence that could start any number of anecdotes) and I called to cancel.

What's next for me?  Will I stop calling audio books "books on tape"?

The upside is we love Provo

We have been beating a path between here and Provo.  Too many trips.

Thursday, we went and had dinner at Mother Cannon with our kids.

Friday, I met my parents for lunch and Braeden and I went to the Provo Temple together.

Also on Friday, Braeden decided to stay the weekend so he drove Loki here. (His friend/former mission companion stayed Saturday night too--I love filling the house up a little more from time to time.)

Saturday, Emma's ankle, which she had sprained, was hurting.  I wanted to take her ice packs and an ace bandage so we went again.

We decided to take Loki to her so she could come for Sunday dinner.

She decided not to come for Sunday dinner.

So we had to go to Provo Sunday night to return Braeden.  After dropping Braeden off we walked around campus a little.

How long has this been there?  Adam and I had never seen this sign on the side of campus behind the Maeser Building.

An alternative to the Big Scary Tree.  The one we used as a meeting spot back in the Pax Thelma (which is what we're calling the time Adam and I were at BYU) closer to the library is gone.  I'm glad there's another one for the next generation.

 

Autumn is my favorite season and BYU is one of my favorite places on earth and walking around campus holding hands with Adam it didn't feel like going to Provo too many times after all.

 

Grateful Friday

Six Things I'm Grateful for Today

1) Mother Cannon

(We got the name from Desi.)  Emma has extra money on her meal card so we all had dinner at the Cannon Center last night.  Even though it's vastly different than when Adam and Robbie and Erin and Rachel and I ate dinner every night together at the Cannon Center, the fond memories persist.  Love me some Mother Cannon.

2) College

I love that it is hard for our kids.  That's good for them.  Also, they are lit from within sometimes with excitement about this or that.  BYU is pretty much dripping with opportunities and I'm grateful every day they are able to go there.

3) Junior High Drama

Maybe I should say theater.  There's always drama in junior high.  Mark is doggedly working on his lines.  It's great for him to also have something hard to do in his life.  Also, he and Braeden and Emma are scheming Mark's costume for his upcoming Midsummer's Night Dream performance which will be set in the 50s.  There's possibly a baby blue suit involved.

4) Plants

Yesterday I moved plants around.  I brought some inside, I threw some away, I repotted some pothos which I'm constantly in a state of regenerating (I may have too many but I can't stop myself).  I repotted my outdoor geraniums and decided Emma's room with it's lovely amount of winter sunshine was a perfect home for them.

I can even wheel the wagon out if she ever deigns to stay here overnight.

5) The library

I get giddy sometimes when I go there.  I leave with my bag overflowing with books I may or may not read but that's the best part.  Yesterday I found a modern retelling of Emma by Alexander McCall Smith.  Jane Austen and Alexander McCall Smith?  Literary dream team.

6) Adam

The more time I spend with him, the more I like him.  This strikes me as a good thing when I'm married to the guy.  We discuss current events and our children and what's going on in our world.  He encourages me when I'm discouraged and I try to do the same.  I also read aloud to him from Alexander McCall Smith.

7) My parents

Today they'll be around so we're going to lunch and to the temple.  Proximity for the win.

You would think I'd blog about him more

He's our only kid home and I'm grateful for his dailiness.

Braeden is in and out of home quite a bit too.  The other day he was here and Adam and I were lecturing Mark because he was acting like a 14 year old.  Then he was sassy and Braeden laughed and choked (on the cereal he was eating) and was also shocked and a little horrified.

Later he told Mark to never ever talk to me like that again.

(It's nice when the 20 year old has your back.)

Mark though.  Despite the sass, I love that kid.

He's well on his way to being independent and grown up.  He takes care of business and is quick to hug me (when the sassiness has passed and we declare we are friends again).

So here's a little of what Mark's been up to:

While we were in Washington, D.C., Adam and Mark went on an adventure to Great Basin National Park.

Adam's report was that they talked the entire time.  Mark loves finances and accounting and loves to talk about it.  Also sports.  And cars.

Last night for his mutual activity they went to Top Golf which sounds pretty swanky.  It's a driving range but fancier.  Also I heard about the food.  Boys that age + food = it matters.  Mark's leader texted all the parents this picture:

Parents responded back with things like "So cool!" and "Wow!"  I had no idea who that guy was.  He looked a little like the guy from This is Us?  I texted the picture to Braeden and Emma for their opinion and Braeden said it looked like he was trying to mug Mark.  Emma thought he was trying to slip something in Mark's pocket.  Vanessa (who Emma must have shown the picture to) said at least Mark was The Chosen One.

So they didn't know who he was either.

Turns out the guy is Mitch Mathews.  He is a former BYU and NFL player.  Who knew?  All the other parents apparently.

Speaking of football, Adam looked up when the Seahawks were going to be playing on a Thursday.  He thought they'd go to Buffalo Wild Wings and watch the game because that is the kind of thing that makes Mark's heart sing.

He showed Mark the date of the game.  Adam said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Mark said, "Yeah, go to Arizona to watch the game?"

(Mark also loves Arizona.  And road trips.)

Adam explained that instead he had been thinking they would go to Buffalo Wild Wings.  You've got to hand it to Mark though.

The child dreams big.

The day Emma sang for the devotional and I (accidentally) got fancy photo skills

Emma had vaguely mentioned that she was singing in a devotional but I didn't know the exact date.  Luckily my mom called me to tell me (she'd seen on Facebook).

I alerted Nola (because Sara also hadn't told her mom).

Sheesh.  We're these girls' biggest fans so why are they so reluctant to show off?

I had my fingers poised over the keyboard so I could take a screenshot if I saw Emma.  Adam scoffed a little and said that we could always re-watch it.

I said, "No, this is the only chance ever.  If I don't take a picture now, that's it."

Adam didn't say anything.  

I think sometimes he is rolling his eyes on the inside but he hides it well.

I took this screen shot of Emma--I added the snazzy heart over her face, because I'm snazzy.

I love watching her sing.  She feels the music deeply and just sings her little heart out.

I took this picture off the BYU Women's Chorus Facebook page (which is the true hero in this story, next to my mom):

Happy talented pretty musical girls.  I love it.

The best picture I took was when I tried to take a screenshot of Sara so I could show Nola.

In the middle of my screenshot, the picture was changing from the girls singing to Sister Applonie directing.

And that, my dears, is me being accidentally fancy.