Slow Burn

Russ & I are awesome together. Compatible, happy, content. That's how we've gotten through 22 years of marriage so well together. We're missing just one thing.

Neither of us has the maintenance gene.

I think that I might have a tiny bit of maintenance in me, but he (bless his sweet heart) lacks it completely. It must be the flip side of being so easy going, and most of the time it's ok with me.

Except in the garage.

Last fall I revamped the chores in our home. Our new strategery is going well, except that I forgot to reassign some odds & ends that had been the responsibility of the older boys before. In the old system, one boy had the weekly responsibility of straightening up the garage, and the other boy had to blow it out every week. It worked pretty well. And now we've gone about 6-7 months without that being done. This is a problem.

For the last month or two, every time I've walked in or out through the garage I've noticed how messy it was. It's gotten worse and worse and worse. I could feel the need to clean the garage starting to build in me last week, but I had to finish the Easter sewing and there was no time. This week was full of appointments and errands. But today was perfect. The perfect conjunction of beautiful spring weather (finally!) and my now undeniable need to clean the garage.

I put the little kids to work, promising "Park City bucks" towards a planned activity on our trip this summer. They started pulling things out of the garage, and Russ took pity on us and came to help.

I had to run an errand, and by the time I got back half of the garage was cleaned out. I started working again and swept out and organized the other half.

It was really hard, grungy dusty work. Lots of sneezing involved.

But oh, so worth it!


My lovely friend Katie issued a challenge on her blog yesterday--

describe the present day with at least one sentence using each of your five senses and you end up with a cool poem...

Here's mine:

I hear birds singing in
the spring green trees
Smell dust as I
push the broom through the garage.
The taste of spring cleaning is sweet.

23 years and 4 months ago I walked into the boy's dorm next to mine at BYU on the first day after Christmas break and introduced myself to a quiet new boy who was watching Spanish TV.

23 years and 3 months ago the quiet new boy called me on the phone and asked me out on a date. I had no idea who he was (thank goodness for the BYU ward directories with pictures!) but as there had been a distinct famine in my dating land, I accepted anyway.

23 years ago the quiet new boy started asking me to marry him,

and 22 years ago today I did.

We have laughed for many years about our anniversaries. Our first anniversary was 4 months before Cindy Lynn was born & during my last week of finals at BYU. I was stressed.

Our second anniversary was spent with Cindy Lynn in the hospital, hoping that she wouldn't die. (She didn't.)

Our 6th anniversary I spent, after a lovely dinner, laying on the living room floor hoping not to vomit from extreme car-sickness.

I'm not sure we even remembered that we had an anniversary the year I was pregnant with the triplets.

Somehow, though, when the rest of the time together is so great it doesn't matter if that one day isn't perfect. Because so many other days are.

I had no idea that life could be this good.

Happy Anniversary Russ-- I love you!

Fun with Mom's Camera

I've been wondering for a while why it is that I take pictures. Maybe that's a topic for another post another day. Today I'm also wondering why my kids like to take pictures. They always have--all 6 of them. When one of the big kids was older they got for Christmas a disposable camera, and a promise of a new one every month. When the pictures were developed they were of things like the poster on the wall, the foot of the bed, or half of the window.

Thank goodness for digital.

I let one of the little kids use my good digital camera a few years ago, and it never worked quite right after that. When I ended up with a new one last year I resolved that no small hands would ever touch it. Good resolution. Bad follow through.

Every now and then one of the little kids will ask if they can use my camera. I reiterate the important details of not touching the lens and putting the strap around their neck and holding it carefully and not touching the lens. And then they go off to have great fun doing who knows what.

This last time it was Rachel who wanted to use it.

How can you refuse a face like that???




When I downloaded the pictures to my computer, I got pictures like this:



Jared on the couch; my messy desk; Russ making dinner; plates on the table. Is there a rhyme or reason to it? They never seem interested in seeing the pictures that they've taken; it's just the taking of them that is important...

Rachel discovers the video button on my camera.

Forever Grateful

Jenna and I had appointments at the orthodontist this morning. Since the orthodontist is on the same side of town as Kohls, Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Panera Bread we ran a lot of errands and had lunch together. It was a very long day for Jenna and she was a pretty good sport about it.

Towards the end of our errands she started fretting that even though she had gotten treats and had fun with me, she had missed out on whatever fun Rachel and Jared had been having while we were gone. I asked her if she ever wished that she was born by herself instead of being a triplet. She was quiet for a moment, and then said a long "Nooooo." And then added, "Once I did, when I was about 4. But not anymore."

When I found out I was pregnant with triplets I cried for a whole weekend. All I could see was the unraveling of my carefully controlled life. I felt like the embodiment of the expression "jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire" and I didn't want to experience the fire. After I was done crying I (of course) set to work researching triplets on the internet. I found a thriving triplet community online that provided enormous support to me while I was pregnant and in the first few years after my babies were born.

Without exception, the other parents of multiples all expressed the same sentiment — I wouldn't have it any other way.

I thought they were all insane.

But now, almost nine years later I stand with them. Awed to have been blessed with this miracle in my life...

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Guess Who Came to Dinner

Uncle Chuck, Uncle Mark, and my dad, John Watson

My dad and his brothers and sister spent last week at the Farm working in the yard and around the house. When my dad told me Friday morning that he was flying out of Raleigh Saturday morning early I suggested that it would be easier on his body (so thoughtful of me!) if he came and spent the night at my house Friday night, and only had a 1 hour drive (instead of 3) to the airport Saturday morning. I even offered to get out of bed super early and drive him to the airport myself. (Now that is real love!)

Late Friday afternoon he called to say that he was leaving the Farm and would be taking me up on my offer, and that he was bringing his older brother, my Uncle Chuck with him. It turned out that his youngest brother, my Uncle Mark, was the one doing the driving so he came too. They arrived and I fed them a late dinner and we sat and chatted. Uncle Mark had planned to get back on the road that night (to drive back to Utah) but I persuaded him that he could save money by staying and that I had plenty of beds available.

It was such a fun evening. We ate decadent chocolate pie (thanks Alisyn!) and talked and talked and talked. Did you know that there's a theory that FDR committed suicide? Neither did I, but once Uncle Mark hitchhiked with a man who's son had worked for the secret service and saw it. Fascinating! Do you think that Emma endured to the end? I don't know, but there were some strong and interesting opinions expressed. Why did Joseph Smith run for president? Now I know! Did you know that there's some question as to whether or not Barak Obama was born in the US? (Which would change his eligibility to be president.) I do now!

Whatever heaven is like, I hope it includes plenty of time to associate with the people we love...

Easter Greetings

Today was Jason's first day back to church since the surgery, and I brought him home after sacrament meeting. I'd planned to watch the first conference session when I got home, but first I saw a link to a new "Mormon Message" by Elder Holland. When I grow up I want to make beautiful videos like these... Enjoy!

Anyone Interested in a Game of Chest?

Jared is teaching Jenna how to play chest. She says that she'd rather play checkerds.