All relative

Sally showed me a penny this morning and said it looked really different than any other penny she had seen. I said, "It is just an old penny." Sally asked how old it was and I told her to find the year on the penny. She found "1956" on the penny and asked, "Were you alive then, Mom?" I said no and she then asked if Grandma and Grandpa were alive then. I told her they were and she wanted to know how old they were then. So I thought for a minute and told her that Grandpa would have been 10 and Grandma would have been 7 (I think that is right). Anyway, she looked at the penny and then looked at me and said, "Then this is a really, really, really, really, really, really old penny!" Sorry, Mom & Dad! I don't think the penny is that old! :) Too funny though!

Another Birthday

Today is Mandy's birthday. I actually remembered to call her--something I often forget to do on birthdays. We tend to group our birthdays together, but this will be it for June. It really is so great for me to think about just a few of the reasons I love each person in my family--they are all such amazing people. Just wait until October though--it will be one bday after another! :)

So a few reasons why I think Mandy is marvelous...

1. She is very adaptable. She never seems upset by changes or things she can't change.

2. SO easy to get along with. There were always sibling fights going on at our house, especially with 5 girls. But I can honestly say I don't ever remember being upset with Mandy about anything. I don't know if anyone could.

3. Mandy loves to read. So I love to talk to her about books she has read and things I have read. I love having a sister who enjoys so many of the same books--makes for lots of great conversations.

4. She is a peacemaker. We always called her that at our house, but I think she still is in her own family. She has to approach "keeping the peace" in a whole new way with Mick and her own kids, but she does it and does it well. Marrying Mick brought out the feisty in Mandy--we have all loved seeing that! :)

5. She is open to anything. She is one of those moms who actually considers all the crazy ideas her kids have and many times helps them figure out how to accomplish them. I too often just say no because the alternative would take too much effort--she inspires me to think differently. She talks about some of the things they do like they are no big deal, but they are a big deal!

6. Mandy owns her own power tools. AND she know how to use them! She has built some amazing furniture--YES--I said furniture! How cool is that?!

7. Mandy can laugh at almost anything. She has a knack for not taking things too seriously for too long. I think she will live long and happily because of this wonderful trait.

8. I love that she says what she thinks. She is always nice about it, but you know where you stand with Mandy and I love that.

9. Mandy is so creative. She will see something she likes and she will figure out how to make it herself or paint it herself. I have copied so many of her "designs" and she is happy to help me. I swear every time I see a picture of her house, something else is under construction.

10. I said I would say this about all my sisters, but only because it is absolutely true. She is a wonderful mom. Mandy really LISTENS to her kids. She is patient with them and helps them find solutions. She is calm and so understanding. I am always so impressed when I watch her handle "situations" that always happen.

I love you, Mac! I miss you so much. Hope you had a great day.

P.S. Happy Anniversary, John & Karlee! :)

Missing: Front Tooth

Sally's tooth was dangling. I finally convinced her to let me get it out last night. She was thrilled when it was all over and didn't hurt at all. But so cute, she said about 5 minutes after with tears in her eyes, "Mom, I'm going to miss that tooth." I asked why and she responded, "Cause that is my first front tooth I lost." I guess she had become very "attached" to it--ha ha! I just hope the new one coming in stays put forever! :)

A week late

Last Thursday was my Mom's birthday. I mentioned earlier in the year I was going to do a special post each time someone in my family had a birthday. My mom called yesterday and told me she was checking in on her lost kids. I asked what she meant and she said she hadn't heard from me in quite a while. My response, "Has it been a long time, Mom?!" I really didn't know the last time I had talked to her. After I got off the phone I realized I hadn't talked to her since her birthday. Summer seems to be especially busy this year for whatever reason. Maybe the fact that I have 5 very active kids who feel they need to be doing something every day. I am glad they want to be busy instead of in front of the television, but my house is very aware of the neglect and apparently my Mom noticed as well. So anyway, a week late I am letting my little blogging world know what an amazing mom I have.

1. I remember shortly after Brian and I were married, I met someone in our new ward who worked with my mom. She said, "Melinda Fryer is YOUR mom?!" I said she was and then this girl went on and on about how wonderful my mom was and how much she loved her. This has happened several time since then. My mom is loved by everyone who knows her.

2. Why do so many people love my mom? Because she is warm, friendly, sincere, accepting and just plain kind.

3. My mom is a goal setter and achiever. I am always so impressed by all my mom accomplishes--she still runs circles around me.

4. My mom does what is right simply because it is right.

5. She was and still is a fabulous mother. She has made so many sacrifices for us and continues to. She was ALWAYS at anything we did from a 5 minute assembly to games. She is such a good example to me.

6. Now with 23 grand kids, I get to see what a wonderful grandmother she is. She adores all of her grandchildren and they adore her back. I love watching my mom's eyes when she is talking to our kids and the other grand kids. She loves to tease them and her eyes sparkle just like my grandpa's did when he would tease us.

7. My mom is very thoughtful. I remember getting the best notes from my mom. Sometimes little notes stuck in suitcases or books and sometimes cards in the mail. I love getting notes from my mom. She now sends notes to my kids--they get so excited when they see something in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa.

8. My mom is fun. She is the first one to suggest everyone plays a game or goes outside to start something. Whenever my kids talk about my mom, FUN is always a word that is mentioned. She LOVES to be playing and doing and seeing everyone having a good time.

9. My mom loves her family. She adores her own brother and sister, she loves my Dad and she loves her kids and grand kids. All this love is expressed in such individual and personal ways. Her family is one of the most important things in her life and she lives in such a way that we all feel and know that.

10. My mom loves me. I love my mom for simply loving me and forgiving my faults so easily. I know that sometimes I can be a little hard to love. I am a bit quirky and definitely have my faults. My mom know all that about me and she not only loves me in spite of all those things, she sees the good in me that I find hard to see sometimes. In a nutshell, she loves me unconditionally.

I love you, Mom. Even if I do get lost sometimes, I can't imagine my world without you.

Nine

Ben is 9. I know I shouldn't, but already I am looking at next year and the fact that I will have another child in double digits. I wonder constantly how this happened, where did all those years go? I simply can't accept we are headed to that stage of our family. I will go kicking and screaming into the teenage years--I wish I could just hit pause.

I hope Ben had a good day today, he has had lots of phone calls, cards and gifts. He had a fun little party on Friday night. Ben got golf clubs and some Cd's for his birthday, and he wanted an ice cream cake. I attempted making it myself and I will admit it turned out okay. I think my cake/ice cream ratio was a bit off in favor of the ice cream. I would have liked a little more cake, but live and learn. Ben is a mini me in so many ways that we often butt heads, but I will say that he really is such a great boy. He has such a wonderful smile and beautiful eyes. He is always the first to ask if I need help with anything and he has a HUGE heart. Ben was my biggest baby weighing 9 lbs. 13 oz. He continues to be a big guy, usually the tallest in his class and yet one of the youngest. I think God knew he needed a body so big to handle the size of his heart. All you have to do is look in Ben's eyes, and you can see his tender heart. He really is such a special boy. He is truly the champion of the underdog and hates to see anyone hurt or sad. Ben loves food and loves to cook and already keeps a notebook of ideas for recipes. He and Brian talk about what kind of restaurant they want to have someday and what the menu will look like. I am always flattered when Ben tells me something I have made would make it on his menu! Ben is ACTIVE and always has been. He has a very hard time sitting still. He is very smart and does so well in school and is so well liked. But he is so hard on himself--I wish he could see himself the way I see him--even just a glimpse. He would be amazed. I love my Ben.

She is walking!

Ruby is finally walking! She still does her little scoot quite a bit, but she gets more confident walking all the time. I love watching her and to see how excited she is about her new found ability--it is easy to see she knows it is a big deal.