breathless charm

Someday.
when I'm awfully low,
when the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
and the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
and your cheeks so soft,
there is nothing for me but to love you,
and the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
tearing my fear apart
and that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
it touches my foolish heart.

Lovely, never, ever change,
keep that breathless charm,
won't you please arrange it?
cause I love you, just the way you look tonight.

You are the silliest, sassiest, most darling little two year old.  You get (and look) crazy past your bedtime.  You also get cuddly and sweet.  Tonight you crawled into my bed, squished your way in between Dad and me and nuzzled your crazy hair onto my pillow.  Then you looked at me with your big brown eyes and said, "Please! Puppies and kitties."  while nodding your head.  I knew exactly what you wanted-- to watch videos on my phone... of puppies or kitties or both.  You squealed when I put on a cute puppy video.  When it was over you kissed me and said, "Mom, I yuv u much."  Dear Roma girl.  I love you much and much.  You are such a delightful, bright, beautiful little girl.  Someday, when I'm awfully low, I will feel a glow just thinking of you.  And the way you looked tonight.

September fb updates

9/7
Last night Tristen and Charly performed in their first play. ALL the kids were adorable and did a great job!
Thank you Emily Roeth, Krista DeLespinasse and Janet Clawson Shumway - you guys are incredibly talented and made this special for the kids. Thanks again!

9/11 @ 10:45 pm 
Me: will you tell me a story? 
Simon: Princess or Super Hero? 
Me: Princess, please. 
Simon: Ugh. Fine. Once upon a time, there was a pretty pretty princess who wanted to marry a prince. But the bad guy didn't like the prince, so he camed into the castle and shot the prince in the heart with a bow and arrow. The prince didn't die, but he turned into a half-dog, half-rat. And the princess grew wings and flew on the rat-dog. And she sucked out the venom and he turned back into the prince. And the bad guy was mad and wanted to kill the princess. But the prince ate special green pills that made him fart missiles. And he farted all over the bad guy and he blowed up. And then the prince and princess started dancing. And then they got married.
Me: Most romantic story ever.

9/16
Just before bed---
Simon: mom, I might need to go to a new family real soon.
Me: why? Don't you like our family?
Simon: yeah, but there are a lot of families without a Dad.
Me: why don't you want to have a Dad?
Simon: cause I'll need to BE the Dad. 
Me: oh. I think you'll be a great dad. 
Simon: yep. I will. I will take all my kids to really fun places like the duck pond and cafe rio. 
Me: do you know how to get to those places?
Simon: um no. But you can come with us and point, "that way! that way!" then i will drive that way. But I will never take them if the house is messy. I will come home and say "clean up so we can go places!"
Me: that's a good idea.
Simon: and I'm gonna move them to a really cool house. We're going to live at Chuck E Cheese.
Me: wow.
Simon: yep. I'm gonna drive my kids to chuck E cheese and if there's people there, I'm gonna scream "Hey! Get out of our house! We live here!" and then I'm gonna bring millions of quarters. And bring in bananas there too. For a snack.

9/29
Things I'll probably forget if I don't write them down--- 
*Simon said his primary teachers told him that "if you stab pigeons to death, Jesus won't let you into heaven."
*Roma won't ever let me wash her dirty face. She screams bloody murder. However, if I pretend I'm a puppy (by barking and sticking out my tongue) she will lay down and allow the wipe/rag to "lick" her face for as long as needed. 
*Ben attended his first youth dance and had no problem asking four girls to slow dance.
*Luke made an origami paper camera. He "snaps" a picture and then shows you a digital print of what he took (which is a real magazine clipping scotch-taped to the back of the camera.) Today I was Katie Couric with a milk-mustache. Ben was a baby with a beard. Simon was the red M&M.
*Zack clicks his tongue everywhere he goes... It's so annoying. He'll eat a bite of dinner, click several times and then take another bite. I told him he can no longer speak to me of he clicks in between his words. I have no patience for this.
*Aaron will be on crutches for another two weeks. Life without a handicap parking sticker will never be the same.
*I can feel the baby moving and kicking all day long. Pregnancy is exhausting but it's amazingly beautiful too.

updates

Ben (12) is growing up so quickly and really filling out.  His body is starting to look more like a Clawson and less like a Shumway, meaning he's getting some meat on those bones.  He loves going to Young Men's activities, passing the sacrament in church and is completely OBSESSED with boy scout merit badges.  I've basically stopped all homeschooling curriculum for Ben (accept for math) because Scouts is taking up all his time.  He wakes up early with his merit badge clipboards and gets to work.  He's at the halfway mark to his Eagle and hopes to earn it by 14 years old.  (He's a total nerd and so cute!)  He's still the most helpful, kind, brother and son.  Others moms with boys his age are asking if he's started talking back yet.  To tell the truth, if Ben ever told me NO after I asked him to do something, I would be so shocked.  Not that it won't happen, but this boy is all good.  He has gotten pretty sloppy with his clothes and bedroom (which is really unlike him) but I can't complain.  He's stellar and I can't live without him.

Luke (10) is quite the prankster.  He is constantly (quietly) setting traps for people to step into.  Last week, I walked into his room and a shoe fell on my head (tied to a piece of yard attached to several other things) and Luke was steps away and didn't even crack a smile or look my way.  He's sneaky and super funny.  He's still my most easy-going child.  I could tell him tomorrow that we're moving to Africa and all he could bring was a pair of underwear, and I swear, he'd strip down and get in the car without batting an eye.  Nothing phases him.  He rarely gets uptight or bent out of shape.  He will eat several servings of WHATEVER I put in front of him... but he remains to gain an ounce of fat on his skinny bones.  He's tender-hearted and quick to cuddle.  He is an awesome babysitter and knows how to get both Roma and Simon to do what he asks. He such a handsome, darling boy.  But he's still as SLOW as ever and still can't seem to ever find his shoes. But we'll keep him anyway.  

Zack (7) Wacky has calmed down quite a bit.  He's given me SO MUCH hope for boy #4.  He still has TONS of energy, but it's softer and more controlled than it used to be.  He is almost always always happy.  Accept when Luke is pulling some kind of prank on him.  He is a lot more sensitive than I ever realized.  He needs alone time, unlike my older two.  He ALWAYS wants to accompany me on late night trips to the grocery store or quick errands around the neighborhood.  He loves sitting in the front seat of the car and holding my hand.  I think he's the most girl-crazy of all my kids, although he claims not to have a crush on anyone.  But he's socially aware of everyone around him.  He is not great at cleaning-- he's always in the bathroom or feeling sick when it's time to clean up.  But if he can work along side me without having to be responsible for a whole room or anything that will take longer than 5 minutes, he will remain happy.  I've learned to read his cues.  He's lost 6 teeth in the last few weeks and has the most adorable toothless grin.  He is SO excited about having another little baby-- he can hardly stand it.  He is the heart of the family and such a special middle child!  

Simon (3) going on 40.  He really, truly believes he is one of the "big kids" and bosses them around like he's always in charge.  And the truth is, he's really convincing.  He might be a handful for other people, but he definitely came to the right family because we're all crazy about him.  He's so charismatic and creative that he rarely gets on our nerves.  Oh this boy says some of the funniest things.  He talks a million miles a minute and he's so intense!  I just love it.  I GET this child. My sister told me a little while ago that I need to discipline him more and I was a little shocked.  Yes, he's a handful and he probably needs to be put in his place more than we do, but I get him, I know what he's thinking and he truly doesn't understand that he's only 3.  He's so much bigger than he looks.  He's confident and smart and kind of a dictator.  But he's also tender and loving he gives the best slobbery kisses.  I still try to lay down by him every afternoon to take a nap and it's become my most treasured part of the day.  I am so incredibly blessed to be his mom.  I can't wait to see where life takes him.  Oh, and if you think he only has mom wrapped around his finger, let me just say that Daddy is one of his biggest fans.  Not a night goes by where Aaron and I don't talk about how amazing Mr. Simon is.  He's a rockstar.   and if we can just keep him alive until adulthood, he'll work his magic.  (*it's our joke that he's our golden child.  We tease the older boys that we all need to sacrifice so Simon can all make us rich someday...  yes, we're joking, but not really.)

Roma (22 months) can't believe she'll be 2 in a couple of months.  She is a total sassypants.  People ask how our family has changed with a little girl and I don't really know how to respond.  She is girly, for sure.  She loves her purses and fingernail polish and babies and blankies and stuffed animals.  But she's basically a boy in every other way.  She wrestles and jumps on the tramp and fights her way into every conversation the boys are having.  She plays legos and cars and puts on boxing gloves.  She is not a crier.  She doesn't really need to be loved when she gets hurt.  She fights back.  She screams when she doesn't get her way and we all listen to her because we're kind of afraid of her.  But then she giggles and smiles and pretends like nothing ever happened.  I know this girl is smart.  I've known it since she was born.  She has absolutely (hands down) been my hardest baby to date.  The SOLE reason I haven't blogged since she was born is because she is so naughty and demanding.  When she asks why I didn't write down her first words or document her first birthday, I'll tell her it's because she was a total brat.  And I will wear boxing gloves when I say it.  But you know what, my most favorite thing about this girl is that she will NEVER, ever let Simon boss her around.  Simon, the boss of everyone, is not in charge of his little sister.  He's afraid of her too and says he doesn't want another sister because boys are nice and girls bite.  True story.  But I'm so glad she stands up for herself.  Oh, we're crazy about this brown eyed girl.  She's given us a run for our money!  (ps.  I don't know where her picture is from our breakfast celebration.. I think it's still on Aaron's phone..) 

Aaron (36) is SUCH a good sport.  I mean, really.  I can't believe he's still married to me after all I've put him through.  He is my checks and balance system... and I kinda hate him because of it.  We've had him home for 5 whole weeks due to his broken ankle and complicated surgery and he's proven to be such an attentive Daddy, immobile as he might be.  He's sick of walking on crutches and he's been kind of miserable, but we dig him anyway.  He's been fixing doorknobs and helping with scouts and been able to watch what goes on behind the scenes when he's usually at work.  It's awesome.  I love hearing him admit that if he stayed home all day with the kids, he'd go crazy too :)  It makes me feel so much better about my constant cabin fever.  Although him being home doesn't really allow us to go and do what we normally would (cause we feel sorry he can't join us :) so it's kind of making me grumpy too.  But we're surviving!  We love having him home and won't know what to do when he has to go back to the real working world.  These past few weeks have been such a blessing... oh.  and did I mention we have handicap parking stickers?  yes we do.  and it's amazing.

Janet (33) I'm only 33 for a few more days.  Last birthday I was sure I was going to have an amazing year... because 33 is supposed to be magical, isn't it?  Well, it really wasn't all that great.  Not to sound depressing or anything, but I've spent most of the last 365 days in survival mode... just getting by.  I've had to let a lot of the things that bring me pleasure and happiness go-- and that was hard for me.  Blogging was one of them.  Hanging out with friends in the evening was another.  I rarely found time to exercise.  I lost control of my laundry routine (I cannot keep up, no matter how hard I try!)  My menu planning has really suffered.  But I survived!  And I've realized a lot about myself in the midst of the chaos.  I can still remain calm in the middle of a storm.  I always find time to read to my kids.  I still make date nights with my husband a priority.  I still read a lot.  I never knew how important reading was to me until everything else fell away, and then I realized that it's the one constant, something that keeps me sane and gives me a real break from the stress I feel.  I wish exercise came before reading, but it doesn't.  Maybe I can change that in my 34th year.  And even though I seem to wear a lot of hats and juggle a lot of responsibility, I still feel comfortable in my own skin and that's a huge accomplishment, just knowing I survived without losing who I am.  The cream has risen to the top this year and I believe I'm stronger.. and also a lot weaker too.. but still able to survive :)  I am also A LOT more exhausted.  Baby #6 is due to arrive in March.  We are so excited for a new chapter and another little person to rock our world.  

August FB updates

8/23
Simon: I need to give all my hugs to Dad now. So I'm not gonna have very much extra hugs for you.
Me: oh. okay.
Simon: but I still think you're a really cute mom. — with Aaron Shumway.

8/24
A few things my three year old said before he closed his sleepy eyes tonight:#simonsays
1- "mom you're pretty cause dad married you. If dad didn't marry you, another lady would be prettier." 
2- "We put clothes in dressers but we don't put dresses in them. Or shoes."
3- "I'm so good at washing the table. Ben keeps telling me that."
4- "if I went to the meanest family ever, then they would murder me. I'm glad I'm not part of that mean family."
5- "Girls can bite harder than boys. When they wear lipstick."
6- "when I was baby, you wanted me to be a girl, but I wanted to be a boy."
7- "when the doctor saw that I was born, did he tell you, 'hey! You're having way way too many boy babies!' cause you need to stop having all those boy babies."
8- "I'm so good at washing the table. super super super good. I can show you. Do you want me to show you right now?"

not back to school 2013

Well, the summer went by and we had a great one, by golly.  It was busy and crazy and relaxing and full of adventure and family and hot weather.  Hopefully one day I will be able to catch up on the blog, but I doubt it.

Today was the first day of school for Nevada students.  For the past two years, I've sent my kids to school and I always hated the first day back.  I never cried, but I hated it.  Today I woke up with so much gratitude and excitement.  It is the first NOT back to school day we've had in three years and it felt good and right.  This is a little timeline of our first day of the year... obviously I won't be keeping up this routine everyday of the year, but there's just something exciting about the first day back.  And this year was extra special because Dad was able to spend the whole day with us.

5:15 am-- I wake up before my alarm.  Check my phone to see what time it is, find a homeschooling article my friend Natalie shared on my facebook page.  Homeschooling isn't for everyone, but it's been amazing for us.  I wake up feeling excited about my day... and life.

5:30 am-- dress, drink a glass of water, read a few inspiring scriptures & quotes, take Sunny for a run out in the desert.  Not sure where her leash is, but she doesn't need it.  She's a good girl and sticks right by me.


6:30 am-- come home, feed the dog, send a few emails and texts for my calling, unload the dishwasher, and decide get ready for our NOT back to school breakfast.

7:30 am-- finish chopping up veggies for omelets, make waffle batter, set the table fancy, decorate with streamers, make a banner with our school year theme "Go Forth To Serve" and cut out paper crowns for the kids (and parents)..  Everyone is still sleeping at 8:30 am.

8:45 am-- wake up the kids with music.  They do their "morning routine" which is make bed, get dressed, brush teeth, comb hair and clean their bedroom.  All of the kids are excited and well rested.  I tell them there is a special surprise downstairs.

9:00 am-- you would think it was Christmas morning by the excitement from the kids about their homemade crowns.  We sat at the table, talked about our service theme for the year and I explain that they all need to help me make breakfast.  We take orders (blueberry waffles or not, scrambled eggs or omelets)  Dad sits at the table with the littles and helps with their plates.

9:30 am-- breakfast is served.  No rush, no sqabbles, no spills (even drinking OJ in campaign glasses...)  Ben did burn Roma's cheek while serving her omelet in the frying pan.. but it was minor.  We talked and laughed and toasted to the new year. (pretty sure Simon toasted to Christmas, and we all rose our glasses high!) It was perfect meal to start out our day/year.

10:00 am-- clean up.  We set the timer for 20 minutes in each room.  Kitchen dishes were loaded and the dishwasher started again.  Floor mopped, front rooms straightened, laundry loaded.  We all worked as a team.  I was able to put dinner in the crock pot too..

10:45 am-- "recess" out on the tramp for the kids.  They play duck duck goose, ring around the rosies and punch each other with boxing gloves.  Roma holds her own and wrestles like a pro.

11:00 am-- Goal setting session at the table.  Roma and Simon continue to play outside with big bowls of water, while the rest of us write at least ten goals we have for the new year.  I will be hanging these plans in our hallway so we can be reminded frequently.  Love the goals the kids made for themselves.  I will share those soon!

11:30 am-- it starts to sprinkle outside a little, so the toddlers come in and everyone sits down for a Spanish lesson taught by Mr. Aaron.  Love that he will be home with us for the next couple of weeks.  We learned how to scream for help in Spanish "Ayúdeme!" and asking for help politely.. "¿Me ayudaras?  Si le ayudare.

11:45 am-- Pack a picnic lunch, pick up a couple of homeschooling friends, and head outdoors.  Dad stays home.

Noon-- Quickly hit the library and pick up a few.. or 20, books the boys have on hold.  (I actually stayed in the van and talked to a neighbor while the older boys ran in and got what they needed.)

1:30 pm-- Picnic at the park.  It was slightly sprinkling but the kids played and played and played.  I love watching my kids get creative with each other.  Roma and Luke both lost their shoes but we eventually found them.

2:00 pm-- Nap time for Roma & the parents.  The boys start their "rotations" something we've been doing for 2 years now, even through the summer..  Piano practice, Math, Reading, and writing at Oral Report.  Each "station" is 30 minutes.  The boys set the timer and rotate without any problems.  Simon has finally joined in on their rotations, but he knows if he causes problems, he has to take a nap too.  It's my favorite 2 hours of the day.  I actually read for a while instead of sleep... started a new book today "What Alice Forgot"  love it so far.

4:00 pm-- Roma wakes up, and we pull Daddy out of bed too.  The boys read their oral reports while I go over their math homework.  Zack presents on Fish-- Did you know Flounders are as flat as pancakes? and camouflage themselves?  I didn't. Luke drew China's flag and gave us a bunch of boring statistics on the most populated country in the world.  I can't remember what he said, but I told him to read louder at least 5 times.  Ben wrote a report on Napoleon Bonaparte.  His dad was an attorney too and died of cancer, so Napoeon had to drop out of military school.  Turns out, he still became one of the most success military leaders in the history of the world.  He also wrote romantic novels... ?

4:30 pm-- had the idea to hit the Children's museum in the afternoon, but we stayed too long at the park.  We still hopped in the van and drove up north.  We've been shopping for our first camper and found the one we loved.  It was on the other side of town, up by the temple, so drove around the beautiful grounds before hitting our camper destination.

6:00 pm-- After successfully setting up the camper, taking it down and paying for it, it was time to haul it home!  We are so excited to go camping this week.  Yes, Aaron is crippled, but he still knows how to have a good time.  Pictures of the new camping gear later.

7:00 pm-- Dinner.  Family home evening.  Silly Songs.  Charades.  Scriptures.  Prayer.  (Simon plays charades without actually reading any of the clues.  He picks up a paper, acts something random out-- uusually hopping on one foot or some crazy superhero move.   Dad is the ONLY person to ever guess who or what he's trying to act out.  We know who the favorites are around here...)

8:30 pm-- No homework.  No setting out clothes for tomorrow.  Just bedtime stories and cuddling.

9:00 pm-- everyone in bed and asleep.  Well, accept for me.  I finally downloaded hundreds of pictures off my phone (it's been full for 2 months now!)  So grateful to have the opportunity to homeschool and to have these amazing, fun, beautiful, kind children.  They are not perfect and our days aren't usually easy or calm, but I am truly blessed and feel so happy to have them home.  Here's to a busy, fun, exciting school year.