Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
1.30.2011
12.16.2010
A Big Smelly Birthday
I know I posted this last year but this is one of my favorite birthday stories.
It was Calvin's 11th Birthday and as usual we were going to Nickelcade, every boy's favorite arcade. We had enough kids coming that I borrowed my friend's minivan so we could get them all there in one trip. We got there and gave all the boys a couple dollars in nickels. They proceeded to play away, trying to win the most tickets while Olaf played games from his childhood. We eventually rounded them all up and had some cake and ice cream. All in all it was a great party.
After they had all cashed in their tickets from items worth one-tenth the cost of getting the tickets I loaded them in the van and headed home. It was December. It was dark. It was cold. I had seven boys in a minivan with just me. I put on some good music and the boys giggled and laughed and had fun.
And then someone farted. That brought out a roar of laughter from everyone but me. And then the smell reached my nose, which isn't so delicate after all these years of living with boys. It was offensive. It was strong. It almost made me retch. Even though it was a cold winter night and I was driving 65mph down the highway I rolled all the windows down. I cranked the heater up as high as it would go.
Finally the smell was blown out of the van. I rolled all the windows up again. It was finally much quieter and I could almost hear myself think over all those boys. And just as soon as it got quiet I heard someone else fart! And another round of laughter. And another round of driving down the highway on a cold winter night with the windows down.
As you can only imagine this scene repeated itself and I just drove all the way home with the windows down. I had given up. I just trained all the heater vents on my little body and let the boys freeze while they laughed at their silliness.
I finally got back into town and took all the boys home. I then drove the minivan to my friend's house and parked it in her garage after rolling all the windows down. I went inside and thanked her profusely for the use of her van. Then I explained to her why her windows were down and that she ought to let it air out overnight while she laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair.
9.07.2010
The Almost New Cross Stitch
Several years ago I did a cross stitch. I love it.
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But I didn't have anywhere to put it. So I put it in a frame from Ikea with a boring white mat and hung it on the wall at work.
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My friend at work would look at it and remark that it needed a different color mat. But I didn't want to spend the time or money to get it professionally framed.
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One day last week she brought all her framing stuff to work because she was framing pictures for the office. And she brought this mat from home. It went perfect with the cross stitch, but it wasn't a color I would have ever picked out. But I loved it when we put the two of them together.
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And then she learned how to cut circle mats just for me! And she framed my little cross stitch with a new coordinating mat. Look how great it looks now!
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But I didn't have anywhere to put it. So I put it in a frame from Ikea with a boring white mat and hung it on the wall at work.
.JPG)
My friend at work would look at it and remark that it needed a different color mat. But I didn't want to spend the time or money to get it professionally framed.
_crop.jpg)
One day last week she brought all her framing stuff to work because she was framing pictures for the office. And she brought this mat from home. It went perfect with the cross stitch, but it wasn't a color I would have ever picked out. But I loved it when we put the two of them together.
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And then she learned how to cut circle mats just for me! And she framed my little cross stitch with a new coordinating mat. Look how great it looks now!
7.11.2010
Teenager Wisdom
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As you can see Middle child is becoming a Teenager. He's no longer a sweet-faced little boy. He manages to keep growing as I've talked about before.
But as for the teenager aspect of his growing up, his friends have also become teenagers.
He went to play Night Games last weekend with some friends. He called me for a pick-up rather early on Friday night.
"Why are you coming home so early?" I asked when he called, baffled that he was willingly coming home before midnight.
"There's lightning!" duh?
"Yeah, but can't you go inside and do something for a little while?" still baffled at the early hour.
"His parent's aren't home so we can't go inside."
Ooooohh! I understand now. We sometimes instill the same rule: No friends in the house while parents aren't home. But we and these parents obviously have no such rule for outdoors.
I love Teenage Wisdom.
4.22.2010
Dinner Time!
Baby's best friend lives across the street from us. They've been friends since they were born. They both feel like either house is theirs and they both have two moms.
Baby's BFF often eats dinner at our house. I don't mind at all because he LOVES all my food. When everyone in this household is whining and crying that I'm cooking again and not taking them out to eat he is sitting at the table gobbling up their portion plus his.
But for some reason he surprised me last week. We had eaten dinner and Baby was headed out to play. His BFF came over to get him. He walked in the back door. He looked at the remnants of dinner sitting at the table. Then he looked at me with this incredibly hurt Why-Didn't-You-Call-Me-For-Dinner look on his face.
It was priceless. I couldn't resist. I asked, "Would you like some tacos?" As you can see we had absolutely nothing fancy for dinner, good ol' easy tacos, a staple at this house.
A look of relief flooded his face as he bounded across the room and plopped down in a chair. While Baby started playing he sat and ate dinner.
3.11.2010
I'm not the Only Girl in the World
On the route home through town there is a pretty, little, formal dress shop. She's been around for a long time. Before she was in her current shop she altered my wedding dress. Then she moved. Soon after Sister Accountant got her wedding dress altered there. And not much later when Sister-in-Law Nurse got a wedding dress, she also altered it.
Her cute shop sits on the main road to my house. And she has some big show windows with mannequins showing off dresses. She changes the dresses every few days. They are always pretty. Every day when I drive by I check out what dress she's put in the window. It's one of the things I look forward to on my drive home. I check it every day.
I live in a family of boys. They never notice what dress the mannequins are wearing any day. I so rarely have another girl in the car with I was beginning to think she dressed the mannequins just for me because no one else ever noticed them. Then one day I was in the car with a friend of mine and her girl. As we drove by the Dress Window the young girl noticed a new dress on the mannequin.
She said, "Look at that dress Mom! It's so pretty!"
I turned around and looked at her and said, "Do you look at the dresses?"
"Every time we drive by!"
Apparently other people look at the dresses too. I guess I'm surrounded by boys a little too often.
3.02.2010
Good Friends
Last week we went and put up some new lights at Calvin's grave. We had just bought some pretty glass mosaic balls that light up at night. While we were there some girls were meandering around the cemetery, looking at headstones. I didn't think much of it, lots of people come to the cemetery.
As we were leaving Olaf decided to check on our neighbor's mother's decorations. She had helped us decorate Calvin's headstone for Valentine's and we wanted to see how hers looked. Then we drove around the cemetery. On our way out we drove by Calvin's section again.
And there were the two girls. They were there to visit Calvin. How sweet. I'm glad that his friends still remember him. It really makes me happy.
2.25.2010
The Party
Olaf, being the awesomest hubby that he is, called me Tuesday morning and grounded me from facebook for a few days. Not because I was having a secret affair via facebook cuz we all know that doesn't work very well, everything on facebook is public. But he grounded me without any good reasons. And since my birthday was coming up I went along with it. He always likes to surprise me with things so I stayed off so I could be happily surprised.
He FINALLY came home from work Wednesday night and I said, "Where are we eating? I'm starving! I've been waiting and trying not to eat the house. Where are we going?"
Trying to be all casual and nonchalant he says, "We could go to Jaxie's, that's your favorite place in town."
"Let's go then! Everyone in the car!" and we were off.
We got there and the kids told us what they wanted and ran upstairs to watch TV, or so I thought. Olaf asked what I wanted and then sent me upstairs to watch them. So I headed upstairs. Just as I rounded the last bend I saw Baby poke his head around the corner, see me, duck back, and whisper loudly, "She's coming!" So I knew there was someone up there.
"Happy Birthday!!!!" From 30 or more people! It was so awesome that so many friends came and ate dinner and cake with me! And some people even brought presents! I don't expect presents from anyone but Olaf. It was so sweet of everyone!
This is me with my Pioneer Woman Cookbook, the only thing I really wanted for my Birthday. I should rephrase that, the only thing I wanted that was within the budget.
Here's Olaf's Scout Assistant helping the adorable little boy. He belongs to a good friend of mine who this guy doesn't know. But this little boy was so stinking cute, he was SO EXCITED for a Birthday Party! He kept running up to me and telling me Happy Birthday.
Here's the balloons another good friend put up for Olaf. He stalked her while she was at Mom2.0 until she finally told him she'd call him this week when she was back in the state. He begged her, "I don't know how to do this stuff, will you get balloons?"
Here are a bunch of my friends eating the delicious food of Jaxie's. Some had never been here before, but they all loved it!
Here are more friends visiting and hanging out. Enjoying the good food and deliciously decadent chocolate cake and ice cream.
Here's another pic of my friends. They're all the best! I think in this picture is one of Calvin's best friends that came. She'd be sitting near Middle Child cuz he was the only other person here that she knew. (Personally, she's braver than I ever was at that age!) I was so happy to see her here. I love his friends that I've gotten to know over the last year. They are all so great! A few of his other friends wanted to come but were swamped with homework.
My neighbor whose boys are the same age as Calvin and Baby and have been best friends with them since they were 2 and could play together. They are so cute and sweet. I love it when her older boy comes to get the younger one and he always hides and pretends he's not here. It makes him so mad!
Here's me visiting with some more good friends getting ready to leave. I told them thanks for coming and they said "Any chance to get out without the kids!" I laughed. They could have brought them, but I totally understand.
I'm reading my Big Birthday Card everyone signed with our bestest friends. They're the friends that are just like family. This guy here is so much like Olaf that we call them Twins, or Brothers from other Mothers, and other things I can't mention here.
Here's one of the decadent chocolate cakes. This one has almost black roses for the 40th Birthday. I asked about Oscar and Elmo. Middle Child said that Dad said they were appropriate. That was the only answer I got. The other cake was almost gone before we were 10 minutes into the party. It was also delicious.
These are a bunch of the cards I got from my family members and friends since they couldn't be here. All in All it was an awesome birthday! Turning 40 was easier than turning 30. Next year might be a different story.
This is me with my Pioneer Woman Cookbook, the only thing I really wanted for my Birthday. I should rephrase that, the only thing I wanted that was within the budget.
Here's Olaf's Scout Assistant helping the adorable little boy. He belongs to a good friend of mine who this guy doesn't know. But this little boy was so stinking cute, he was SO EXCITED for a Birthday Party! He kept running up to me and telling me Happy Birthday.
Here's the balloons another good friend put up for Olaf. He stalked her while she was at Mom2.0 until she finally told him she'd call him this week when she was back in the state. He begged her, "I don't know how to do this stuff, will you get balloons?"
Here are a bunch of my friends eating the delicious food of Jaxie's. Some had never been here before, but they all loved it!
Here are more friends visiting and hanging out. Enjoying the good food and deliciously decadent chocolate cake and ice cream.
Here's another pic of my friends. They're all the best! I think in this picture is one of Calvin's best friends that came. She'd be sitting near Middle Child cuz he was the only other person here that she knew. (Personally, she's braver than I ever was at that age!) I was so happy to see her here. I love his friends that I've gotten to know over the last year. They are all so great! A few of his other friends wanted to come but were swamped with homework.
My neighbor whose boys are the same age as Calvin and Baby and have been best friends with them since they were 2 and could play together. They are so cute and sweet. I love it when her older boy comes to get the younger one and he always hides and pretends he's not here. It makes him so mad!
Here's me visiting with some more good friends getting ready to leave. I told them thanks for coming and they said "Any chance to get out without the kids!" I laughed. They could have brought them, but I totally understand.
I'm reading my Big Birthday Card everyone signed with our bestest friends. They're the friends that are just like family. This guy here is so much like Olaf that we call them Twins, or Brothers from other Mothers, and other things I can't mention here.
Here's one of the decadent chocolate cakes. This one has almost black roses for the 40th Birthday. I asked about Oscar and Elmo. Middle Child said that Dad said they were appropriate. That was the only answer I got. The other cake was almost gone before we were 10 minutes into the party. It was also delicious.
These are a bunch of the cards I got from my family members and friends since they couldn't be here. All in All it was an awesome birthday! Turning 40 was easier than turning 30. Next year might be a different story.Thank you to Everyone that came, called, facebooked, emailed, texted, and whatever else you did to wish me a Happy Birthday! I love you all!
2.01.2010
Dad
The other morning I took Baby to his 9am Basketball game. I left the others home sleeping, cuz I'm that kind of awesome Mom and Wife. During the first quarter I got a call from Olaf.
"Are we doing anything today?" he asked.
"Uummm, not that I can think of. Why?"
"Middle Child's friend called and wants to take him to the zoo. I had to give him a hard time when he called. He asked for Middle Child and I told him he wasn't here, he was at his girlfriend's house. All he said was OK. Then I said, 'Middle Child doesn't have a girlfriend and I wouldn't let him spend the night anyway! What kind of Dad do you think I am?' and he replied 'A weird Dad.'"
"Well, sounds like he's got you pegged."
10.09.2009
A Big Smelly Birthday
I know I posted this last year but this is one of my favorite birthday stories.
It was Calvin's 11th Birthday and as usual we were going to Nickelcade, every boy's favorite arcade. We had enough kids coming that I borrowed my friend's minivan so we could get them all there in one trip. We got there and gave all the boys a couple dollars in nickels. They proceeded to play away, trying to win the most tickets while Olaf played games from his childhood. We eventually rounded them all up and had some cake and ice cream. All in all it was a great party.
After they had all cashed in their tickets from items worth one-tenth the cost of getting the tickets I loaded them in the van and headed home. It was December. It was dark. It was cold. I had seven boys in a minivan with just me. I put on some good music and the boys giggled and laughed and had fun.
And then someone farted. That brought out a roar of laughter from everyone but me. And then the smell reached my nose, which isn't so delicate after all these years of living with boys. It was offensive. It was strong. It almost made me retch. Even though it was a cold winter night and I was driving 65mph down the highway I rolled all the windows down. I cranked the heater up as high as it would go.
Finally the smell was blown out of the van. I rolled all the windows up again. It was finally much quieter and I could almost hear myself think over all those boys. And just as soon as it got quiet I heard someone else fart! And another round of laughter. And another round of driving down the highway on a cold winter night with the windows down.
As you can only imagine this scene repeated itself and I just drove all the way home with the windows down. I had given up. I just trained all the heater vents on my little body and let the boys freeze while they laughed at their silliness.
I finally got back into town and took all the boys home. I then drove the minivan to my friend's house and parked it in her garage after rolling all the windows down. I went inside and thanked her profusely for the use of her van. Then I explained to her why her windows were down and that she ought to let it air out overnight while she laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair.
It was Calvin's 11th Birthday and as usual we were going to Nickelcade, every boy's favorite arcade. We had enough kids coming that I borrowed my friend's minivan so we could get them all there in one trip. We got there and gave all the boys a couple dollars in nickels. They proceeded to play away, trying to win the most tickets while Olaf played games from his childhood. We eventually rounded them all up and had some cake and ice cream. All in all it was a great party.
After they had all cashed in their tickets from items worth one-tenth the cost of getting the tickets I loaded them in the van and headed home. It was December. It was dark. It was cold. I had seven boys in a minivan with just me. I put on some good music and the boys giggled and laughed and had fun.
And then someone farted. That brought out a roar of laughter from everyone but me. And then the smell reached my nose, which isn't so delicate after all these years of living with boys. It was offensive. It was strong. It almost made me retch. Even though it was a cold winter night and I was driving 65mph down the highway I rolled all the windows down. I cranked the heater up as high as it would go.
Finally the smell was blown out of the van. I rolled all the windows up again. It was finally much quieter and I could almost hear myself think over all those boys. And just as soon as it got quiet I heard someone else fart! And another round of laughter. And another round of driving down the highway on a cold winter night with the windows down.
As you can only imagine this scene repeated itself and I just drove all the way home with the windows down. I had given up. I just trained all the heater vents on my little body and let the boys freeze while they laughed at their silliness.
I finally got back into town and took all the boys home. I then drove the minivan to my friend's house and parked it in her garage after rolling all the windows down. I went inside and thanked her profusely for the use of her van. Then I explained to her why her windows were down and that she ought to let it air out overnight while she laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair.
9.08.2009
No Labor on Labor Day
As a child my parents didn't travel on major holidays. That left chores and housework to do on the holidays from work. I had such a fun childhood! Actually, I really did, I'm not complaining, especially if my parents are reading this. But because of the few times my Dad said we were going to "Labor on Labor Day" I refuse to do that as a grown up. This year we went camping with some friends and family. We had an absolute blast!
It didn't necessarily start out that way. We hadn't even been on the road for an hour when Olaf noticed our friends were no longer right behind us. I figured the roads were busy and a few people snuck between us. Olaf begged to disagree and when he got hold of our friends he was right. The back wheel on their camper trailer had completely flown off! Apparently the middle bolt came loose, the whole thing jiggled for who knows how long, and then all the lug nuts sheared off and the wheel went flying through the air! It hit an empty, parked car, thank goodness, and no one was hurt.
Of course, Olaf knows someone in Heber whose husband has a Tire Shop. What are the odds? Seriously? The next three hours were spent with friend's husband helping Olaf and his friend fix the tire and get a new spare; you know another problem would happen if we proceeded without a spare, it would be too tempting for Fate. We couldn't have asked for better weather to wait by the side of the road, cool and cloudy, and it started to rain just as we got in our trucks to head out again.
After we got to camp people started setting up and I made dinner so I didn't have to set up anything. I know how to get out of work! We had a nice evening hanging out with our friends and cousins and aunts and uncles. I always love visiting with Olaf's family, they are a lot of fun. We finally all headed to bed and the kids crashed pretty quickly.
I slept great in my sleeping bag in our tent. I love sleeping in a tent, especially when it's cool outside and I have to snuggle in my bag to stay warm. I did wake up in the middle of the night and heard an owl hooting around our campsite. Then I heard a squirrel that sounded like he was in our tent, but I'm sure he was just above our tent in the trees.
At breakfast in the morning one of the Uncles told everyone he thought he heard our friend's girls out screaming in the meadow in the middle of the night. Maybe that was what originally woke me up, I'm not sure. But then he thought about it a little bit and realized it was probably just a cougar. He and a few others went hunting for cougar tracks and found some good sized tracks by the stream.
The tracks are about six inches across. I didn't have a ruler up at camp to set next to them. But it was cool to see them!
Several people brought 4-wheelers, the kids' favoritist thing about camping. Until last year Middle Child didn't really like 4-wheelers and then last year something happened. We're not sure what but he loves them and we have a hard time keeping him off of the machines. This year Baby learned to drive the big 4-wheelers and loved it!
Notice how his legs don't even reach the bottom! He's driven kid-sized 4-wheelers but he was pretty excited that he knows how to drive big ones now. Of course Olaf and I had to keep going on rides with him. He got bored driving around camp and couldn't go anywhere else without an older person.
This morning I made Decadent French Toast. We have finally almost perfected the art of baking it in the dutch ovens without burning it on the bottom. It was delicious. Then we packed up and headed home. We even got home before dinner. And without any mishaps at all! It was a wonderful weekend and I hope you all had fun too!
It didn't necessarily start out that way. We hadn't even been on the road for an hour when Olaf noticed our friends were no longer right behind us. I figured the roads were busy and a few people snuck between us. Olaf begged to disagree and when he got hold of our friends he was right. The back wheel on their camper trailer had completely flown off! Apparently the middle bolt came loose, the whole thing jiggled for who knows how long, and then all the lug nuts sheared off and the wheel went flying through the air! It hit an empty, parked car, thank goodness, and no one was hurt.
Of course, Olaf knows someone in Heber whose husband has a Tire Shop. What are the odds? Seriously? The next three hours were spent with friend's husband helping Olaf and his friend fix the tire and get a new spare; you know another problem would happen if we proceeded without a spare, it would be too tempting for Fate. We couldn't have asked for better weather to wait by the side of the road, cool and cloudy, and it started to rain just as we got in our trucks to head out again.
After we got to camp people started setting up and I made dinner so I didn't have to set up anything. I know how to get out of work! We had a nice evening hanging out with our friends and cousins and aunts and uncles. I always love visiting with Olaf's family, they are a lot of fun. We finally all headed to bed and the kids crashed pretty quickly.
I slept great in my sleeping bag in our tent. I love sleeping in a tent, especially when it's cool outside and I have to snuggle in my bag to stay warm. I did wake up in the middle of the night and heard an owl hooting around our campsite. Then I heard a squirrel that sounded like he was in our tent, but I'm sure he was just above our tent in the trees.
At breakfast in the morning one of the Uncles told everyone he thought he heard our friend's girls out screaming in the meadow in the middle of the night. Maybe that was what originally woke me up, I'm not sure. But then he thought about it a little bit and realized it was probably just a cougar. He and a few others went hunting for cougar tracks and found some good sized tracks by the stream.
The tracks are about six inches across. I didn't have a ruler up at camp to set next to them. But it was cool to see them!Several people brought 4-wheelers, the kids' favoritist thing about camping. Until last year Middle Child didn't really like 4-wheelers and then last year something happened. We're not sure what but he loves them and we have a hard time keeping him off of the machines. This year Baby learned to drive the big 4-wheelers and loved it!
Notice how his legs don't even reach the bottom! He's driven kid-sized 4-wheelers but he was pretty excited that he knows how to drive big ones now. Of course Olaf and I had to keep going on rides with him. He got bored driving around camp and couldn't go anywhere else without an older person.This morning I made Decadent French Toast. We have finally almost perfected the art of baking it in the dutch ovens without burning it on the bottom. It was delicious. Then we packed up and headed home. We even got home before dinner. And without any mishaps at all! It was a wonderful weekend and I hope you all had fun too!
8.27.2009
6am Block Party
For an absolutely hilarious account of a 6am Block Party just two blocks away from me read my friend's blog (click on blog). She captures small-town living at its best.
8.25.2009
Awesome Things I Love About Living in a Smallish Town
- Seeing someone you know every single time you go to the store, even when dressed in jammies or with messed up hair or on a no-shower day.
- A next-door neighbor chasing a 2am would-be car thief (of another neighbor's car).
- Kids playing on same soccer/football/baseball team as their neighbors.
- Kids being able to walk or ride bikes to almost all their friends houses.
- The old man that staffs the crosswalk on E Canyon Road who waves to everyone in town as they drive by.
- Your neighbors bringing in your garbage can when you're out of town.
- Your kids going to school with your schoolmates friends' kids. And for that matter, your kids having the same teachers as you.
- The inability to take an evening walk without seeing and visiting with a minimum of three friends.
- Knowing at least a few of the employees at every single store in town.
- Mentioning I live next to J. Lee Butler's field and instantly everyone knows where I live.
- Kids playing night games in the summer with their friends.
- Leaving my windows open and not worrying (not that there is no crime in town, because that would simply be naive to believe that and I have even been the victim of crime in this house.)
- Knowing lots of people in the annual City Parade and getting seats by yourself to watch the parade but still seeing nearby lots of friends.
- A minimum of three wedding announcements on my fridge in any given month.
- The "$1.75 Worms" sign on Canyon Road that's been there longer than I've been in town.
- And mostly this awesome car that lives around the corner from me! I just might have to go knock on their door and beg for a ride.
8.18.2009
Good Friends
One thing that I have enjoyed is getting to know some of Calvin's friends. Mainly girls, he didn't bring them around the house. He was probably afraid Olaf would tease him, and he should be afraid. Olaf is like Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys 2 when the daughter is picked up for a date. Olaf claims he laid off the teasing and he did, but from a teenage boys point of view it was nowhere near enough.
But over the last few months I have gotten to meet a few of Calvin's girl friends. I already knew a lot of his guy friends so it has been a lot of fun to meet the girls. I have been really impressed with all of them. They are all very nice and charming. They have all been friends that I like. They are the kind of kids I wanted to see with my child. It really impressed me that he would choose such good friends. It makes a Mother's heart happy.
The couple of times I've gotten to meet with Calvin's friends have been wonderful. If any of them are reading this, you are welcome to come over any time!
But over the last few months I have gotten to meet a few of Calvin's girl friends. I already knew a lot of his guy friends so it has been a lot of fun to meet the girls. I have been really impressed with all of them. They are all very nice and charming. They have all been friends that I like. They are the kind of kids I wanted to see with my child. It really impressed me that he would choose such good friends. It makes a Mother's heart happy.
The couple of times I've gotten to meet with Calvin's friends have been wonderful. If any of them are reading this, you are welcome to come over any time!
7.08.2009
Calvin on the Mind
Lately Calvin has been on my mind more than normal. I just miss that kid. It seems to come and go in waves. I've been on the top of the wave, thinking about him a lot and remembering the things he used to do when he was little. He talked quite early, early enough that I thought something was wrong with the other two because they didn't talk until much later. He came up with some creative names for things that he couldn't quite get straight.
Newbab was his Moab. It was cute. He adored his Uncle Copper who lived there and he loved visiting him. He said that one for so long that I remember Olaf saying we should start correcting him. I sure didn't want to change it and when he started saying Moab I was sad.
His favorite cereal was Charly Chams. Can you guess what it is? You're going to feel silly that you didn't when I tell you what it was for him. It is also my favorite cereal, hands down. It's full of different marshmallows including rainbows. His favorite cereal was Lucky Charms.
He loved the candy Save Livers. I know you can figure out what those are without even telling you.
Lately I have been pummeled by reminders of Calvin. I think it started last week when I was together with some old friends from church. One of them had moved out of the area. Her son is on the High School football team. I was asking her if she knew that the team had signed a football for Calvin. She proceeded to tell me how not only did they do that, but they dedicated a game in his honor. I had only known after the fact that the team had painted CH on their calves for the game. Turns out the game made local news and she has it on her DVR at home. She's going to try and get a copy for me.
I looked at the Obituary, the newspaper article about the accident, and the facebook page In Memory of Calvin where many comments were made and found even more comments. Some were quite recent. One was from a friend on the last day of school, "Yesterday was our last day of school and everyone wished that you were there to sign yearbooks. but you weren't your in a better place now. You got picked for the nicest boy, and you got a whole page about you. You would never believe how much we missed you at lunch work." And another friend wrote on April 15th, "wow. its only been 6 months to the day. and he has been missed enough to seem like its been 6 years." Some days it feels like forever to me too.
The Monument place called to get some more information for the headstone. We had recently seen a cute picture of a Basset Hound so this week I have been hunting down that picture to take to them so they can make a Basset Hound picture that looks similar.
Today Olaf sent me a youtube video from UtahScouts that you can find here. Calvin is between seconds 24-27. He's sitting on a chair writing on a piece of paper, getting his work done for all those merit badges he earned up at Maple Dell that year. He loved Scout Camp, every year he got to go. Hopefully he still gets to camp in Heaven.
And just the other day I found a completely new site I hadn't thought to look at before. They also have a R.i.p Calvin Hansen page. I had heard about Bebo because Calvin had a page there. I think it's similar to facebook but mostly kids use it and he had a lot of friends with whom he shared pictures . It was really sweet to read all the comments from his friends on a site that was much more teenager friendly and almost adult-free; it seemed to give them a little more freedom in what they wrote.
One day I may get the guts to make a blog with just stories about Calvin. I've been putting them down as I remember them, but that is a task that will take years. But I think it would be fun.
Newbab was his Moab. It was cute. He adored his Uncle Copper who lived there and he loved visiting him. He said that one for so long that I remember Olaf saying we should start correcting him. I sure didn't want to change it and when he started saying Moab I was sad.
His favorite cereal was Charly Chams. Can you guess what it is? You're going to feel silly that you didn't when I tell you what it was for him. It is also my favorite cereal, hands down. It's full of different marshmallows including rainbows. His favorite cereal was Lucky Charms.
He loved the candy Save Livers. I know you can figure out what those are without even telling you.
Lately I have been pummeled by reminders of Calvin. I think it started last week when I was together with some old friends from church. One of them had moved out of the area. Her son is on the High School football team. I was asking her if she knew that the team had signed a football for Calvin. She proceeded to tell me how not only did they do that, but they dedicated a game in his honor. I had only known after the fact that the team had painted CH on their calves for the game. Turns out the game made local news and she has it on her DVR at home. She's going to try and get a copy for me.
I looked at the Obituary, the newspaper article about the accident, and the facebook page In Memory of Calvin where many comments were made and found even more comments. Some were quite recent. One was from a friend on the last day of school, "Yesterday was our last day of school and everyone wished that you were there to sign yearbooks. but you weren't your in a better place now. You got picked for the nicest boy, and you got a whole page about you. You would never believe how much we missed you at lunch work." And another friend wrote on April 15th, "wow. its only been 6 months to the day. and he has been missed enough to seem like its been 6 years." Some days it feels like forever to me too.
The Monument place called to get some more information for the headstone. We had recently seen a cute picture of a Basset Hound so this week I have been hunting down that picture to take to them so they can make a Basset Hound picture that looks similar.
Today Olaf sent me a youtube video from UtahScouts that you can find here. Calvin is between seconds 24-27. He's sitting on a chair writing on a piece of paper, getting his work done for all those merit badges he earned up at Maple Dell that year. He loved Scout Camp, every year he got to go. Hopefully he still gets to camp in Heaven.
And just the other day I found a completely new site I hadn't thought to look at before. They also have a R.i.p Calvin Hansen page. I had heard about Bebo because Calvin had a page there. I think it's similar to facebook but mostly kids use it and he had a lot of friends with whom he shared pictures . It was really sweet to read all the comments from his friends on a site that was much more teenager friendly and almost adult-free; it seemed to give them a little more freedom in what they wrote.
One day I may get the guts to make a blog with just stories about Calvin. I've been putting them down as I remember them, but that is a task that will take years. But I think it would be fun.
4.15.2009
6 Months and Counting
For the last six months I have been trying to recover from the nightmarish events of October 15, 2008. It has been a long road. And I'm still not at the end. But a "New Normal" has emerged in my life. There is still a big hole and it will never, no matter what, be filled.
I remember after the accident whenever a new day started, thinking "How, how can this be? How can life go on?" And I just wanted to crawl up in my bed and stay there, hoping time would stand still. But I knew that would never happen. So I got up and went to work. That was probably one of the hardest things to do. And as much as I hated being away from my other two boys, I knew if I stayed home I would fall into the depths of despair. I knew that if I went to work my mind would be distracted. So I went.
So many things have worked out for the best for me that it is amazing. God is watching and even though he had different plans that I did, he was watching out for me and helping me along, preparing me for what was to happen. I finished school in time to get a job just months before the accident. It would have been disastrous to be home doing daycare afterwards. I had been offered several jobs before I took the one I did. If I had accepted any of the other jobs there is no way I would have been able to take 2 1/2 weeks off after the accident. And as hard as it was to work after the accident it was probably in my best interest to work full-time; it provided a good distraction. Several months later I happened across a part-time accounting job and applied for that. And I was lucky enough to be offered that job. I am able to be home with my boys after school.
We have also done some other things. Calvin loved the Junior High. He had so many friends and had matured so much in the last year or two. We really wanted to do something for the school in his remembrance. A few months after the accident we visited with the Principal. After some discussion we decided it would be good to have a display case built for the school. At first that sounds kind of dumb. But after brainstorming we really liked the display case idea the best. It would be a permanent fixture that would benefit the school for many years. Their current display cases are full and it would be nice to have more room.
We also finally picked out and ordered a headstone for his grave. For months I would think about it and couldn't bring myself to go and pick something out. "This couldn't be my life. There is no way I should be picking out a headstone for my child." It was such a finalization. I just couldn't bear the thought of it. But we finally went last month and did it. It will take a few months since they had to special order the stone. They said it might, might, be ready for Memorial Day, but it can't be promised. I was fine with that. I didn't care about the day, I just wanted it to be right.
So while things haven't been what I planned for my life we seem to be doing pretty good. And most thankfully the other two boys seem to be doing great considering. They seem to have adjusted to our "New Normal."
I remember after the accident whenever a new day started, thinking "How, how can this be? How can life go on?" And I just wanted to crawl up in my bed and stay there, hoping time would stand still. But I knew that would never happen. So I got up and went to work. That was probably one of the hardest things to do. And as much as I hated being away from my other two boys, I knew if I stayed home I would fall into the depths of despair. I knew that if I went to work my mind would be distracted. So I went.
So many things have worked out for the best for me that it is amazing. God is watching and even though he had different plans that I did, he was watching out for me and helping me along, preparing me for what was to happen. I finished school in time to get a job just months before the accident. It would have been disastrous to be home doing daycare afterwards. I had been offered several jobs before I took the one I did. If I had accepted any of the other jobs there is no way I would have been able to take 2 1/2 weeks off after the accident. And as hard as it was to work after the accident it was probably in my best interest to work full-time; it provided a good distraction. Several months later I happened across a part-time accounting job and applied for that. And I was lucky enough to be offered that job. I am able to be home with my boys after school.
We have also done some other things. Calvin loved the Junior High. He had so many friends and had matured so much in the last year or two. We really wanted to do something for the school in his remembrance. A few months after the accident we visited with the Principal. After some discussion we decided it would be good to have a display case built for the school. At first that sounds kind of dumb. But after brainstorming we really liked the display case idea the best. It would be a permanent fixture that would benefit the school for many years. Their current display cases are full and it would be nice to have more room.
We also finally picked out and ordered a headstone for his grave. For months I would think about it and couldn't bring myself to go and pick something out. "This couldn't be my life. There is no way I should be picking out a headstone for my child." It was such a finalization. I just couldn't bear the thought of it. But we finally went last month and did it. It will take a few months since they had to special order the stone. They said it might, might, be ready for Memorial Day, but it can't be promised. I was fine with that. I didn't care about the day, I just wanted it to be right.
So while things haven't been what I planned for my life we seem to be doing pretty good. And most thankfully the other two boys seem to be doing great considering. They seem to have adjusted to our "New Normal."
3.14.2009
Sky Diving
Come to find out Baby has been teaching the younger boys in our neighborhood fun stunts. Yesterday a friend told me about her 4-year-old and his adventures in trying out Baby's cool stunts.
My friend was on a business call when her boy comes in sobbing, obviously hurt, and carrying a plastic bag. "What's wrong little man?"
Sobbing, "I jumped out the window of the playhouse." Let me tell you the playhouse is Utah's version of a tree house since we rarely have any trees large enough for tree houses. So her 4-year-old jumped probably 8-10 feet to the ground.
"Why would you do that?" she asked baffled as to why her boy would jump that far.
"Baby said if I got a plastic bag I could parachute out the window," he replied, choking between sobs.
"Did you see him do that or did he just tell you about it?" she asked.
"He just told me I could. I just wanted to parachute!" She hugged him and laughed.
And then she tried to teach him the lesson about how Boys Love to Talk Things Up and Don't Believe Everything You Hear, you know, little boy locker room talk.
My friend was on a business call when her boy comes in sobbing, obviously hurt, and carrying a plastic bag. "What's wrong little man?"
Sobbing, "I jumped out the window of the playhouse." Let me tell you the playhouse is Utah's version of a tree house since we rarely have any trees large enough for tree houses. So her 4-year-old jumped probably 8-10 feet to the ground.
"Why would you do that?" she asked baffled as to why her boy would jump that far.
"Baby said if I got a plastic bag I could parachute out the window," he replied, choking between sobs.
"Did you see him do that or did he just tell you about it?" she asked.
"He just told me I could. I just wanted to parachute!" She hugged him and laughed.
And then she tried to teach him the lesson about how Boys Love to Talk Things Up and Don't Believe Everything You Hear, you know, little boy locker room talk.
2.23.2009
Practicality Rules
The other day I was talking with a friend and her husband. She asked what Olaf had gotten me for V-day.
"A sleeping bag to keep me warm on that campout," I proudly replied.
"Were you just so mad?!?" she questioned.
"No, I was so glad cuz I needed it."
Her husband started snickering.
"My husband bought me a sleeping bag for one of our first Valentine's Day and I was so mad!"
"I still haven't lived it down," he said.
"To me it seems as though he's not putting any thought into a gift, just buying us something we need, or he needs. We're going to buy it anyway so put some thought into a gift and buy me something different for my Birthday or Valentine's day," she complained.
"Yeah, but that's the beauty of getting stuff you need. I know we're going to buy it anyway, so instead of spending money on something I might want but don't need for V-day or B-day just seems so frivolous. I'd rather spend less money and get what we need and not have to fork out money for it later," I explained. I'm kind of a practical girl. "One year when my whole family got together for Christmas I got all this camping stuff. After everyone went home Sister Quilter asked if I liked the camping stuff or if I was kinda mad about it. I told her I loved it. She was glad for me because it would have ticked her off. Her husband never would have lived it down."
At this point her husband is laughing hysterically.
"Stop! You're feeding the fire! My hubby now knows that there are girls out there just like him when it comes to gifts! Stop talking!"
I can't help it if I'm practical. That's just me. It's a blessing. And a curse.
"A sleeping bag to keep me warm on that campout," I proudly replied.
"Were you just so mad?!?" she questioned.
"No, I was so glad cuz I needed it."
Her husband started snickering.
"My husband bought me a sleeping bag for one of our first Valentine's Day and I was so mad!"
"I still haven't lived it down," he said.
"To me it seems as though he's not putting any thought into a gift, just buying us something we need, or he needs. We're going to buy it anyway so put some thought into a gift and buy me something different for my Birthday or Valentine's day," she complained.
"Yeah, but that's the beauty of getting stuff you need. I know we're going to buy it anyway, so instead of spending money on something I might want but don't need for V-day or B-day just seems so frivolous. I'd rather spend less money and get what we need and not have to fork out money for it later," I explained. I'm kind of a practical girl. "One year when my whole family got together for Christmas I got all this camping stuff. After everyone went home Sister Quilter asked if I liked the camping stuff or if I was kinda mad about it. I told her I loved it. She was glad for me because it would have ticked her off. Her husband never would have lived it down."
At this point her husband is laughing hysterically.
"Stop! You're feeding the fire! My hubby now knows that there are girls out there just like him when it comes to gifts! Stop talking!"
I can't help it if I'm practical. That's just me. It's a blessing. And a curse.
10.29.2008
It's the Little Things That Count
Olaf was out walking the other day and one of Calvin's best friends came running out to tell him that the night before (Oct. 23) the High School Football Team had all painted 'CH' on their calves for the game that night. Not only that but several of them came through the viewing line in their full uniform and brought us a football the whole team had signed. It was so sweet and thoughtful.
I found out that the night before that the Junior High Choir had sung a song in his memory at their concert. The parents said they did a great job but had a hard time getting through this song.
Calvin was the last group to go to Middle School in 6th grade. Then they split the group up into two different Junior Highs the next year and half his friends were in the other school. The first day of school after the accident the kids from the other Junior High who remembered Calvin all dressed up in white shirts and ties for school in remembrance of him.
We are still getting several cards a day from friends and family. This whole tragedy has really struck a chord with a lot of people who have lost loved ones. It's amazing how many people have lost immediate family members. The hardest ones to read are from Calvin's friends. They loved him so much and tell us how happy and nice he was to everyone. They tell us how we must be great parents to have such a wonderful son (don't tell them the truth!). They tell us how much Calvin loved his family and his little brothers.
I'm just so thankful that Calvin is such a good kid and that so many people loved him and that he was able to touch so many people's lives. It really helps to know that he lived such a happy life.
I found out that the night before that the Junior High Choir had sung a song in his memory at their concert. The parents said they did a great job but had a hard time getting through this song.
Calvin was the last group to go to Middle School in 6th grade. Then they split the group up into two different Junior Highs the next year and half his friends were in the other school. The first day of school after the accident the kids from the other Junior High who remembered Calvin all dressed up in white shirts and ties for school in remembrance of him.
We are still getting several cards a day from friends and family. This whole tragedy has really struck a chord with a lot of people who have lost loved ones. It's amazing how many people have lost immediate family members. The hardest ones to read are from Calvin's friends. They loved him so much and tell us how happy and nice he was to everyone. They tell us how we must be great parents to have such a wonderful son (don't tell them the truth!). They tell us how much Calvin loved his family and his little brothers.
I'm just so thankful that Calvin is such a good kid and that so many people loved him and that he was able to touch so many people's lives. It really helps to know that he lived such a happy life.
10.26.2008
Love and Compassion
After our accident people were on the scene immediately. Not just dumb passerby's but knowledgeable EMT type people who instantly went into action and helped with everyone. The ambulances took 12 minutes to get to our location but to me it was only like a minute. The only thing I even remember is looking around at the horrible destruction around me. The two younger boys were sitting on the ground near each other and someone was with each of them. Olaf was already bandaged up and when he saw I was awake he walked over to talk to me, and someone was with me, talking and patting my shoulder. I also saw farther away a group of people, I didn't know what they were doing but they were working on Calvin. Olaf had seen them doing CPR on him and knew things weren't good for him. I had no clue. I was thankful and comforted that somebody was with everyone and taking care of things since I couldn't. We were whisked away in the ambulances with people putting IV's in us while on the bumpy highway. I know it was bumpy because the laceration on the back of my head kept hitting the backboard I was on and I couldn't turn because of the neck brace they had put on me. These EMT people stayed with us at the hospital until we left, over six hours later. They were amazing.
The hospital employees were also wonderful. They were so kind to us. They didn't leave us for a moment. When we were bandaged up and checked out and doing better they asked if we wanted to see Calvin. They told us they had bandaged his head because he had a head wound. I was really afraid to go and see him. I couldn't imagine my sweet son not alive. But I also remembered hearing other people saying that although it was hard to see their child gone it was healing. So we went and saw him. It was hard and I cried. I couldn't believe that he was already cold. But then it got better and I was able to talk to him. He was beautiful, even with all his scratches. He looked peaceful. He almost looked just asleep. The little boys were in and out. The EMTs had put on a movie for them because they were bored. We were able to say our goodbyes.
Olaf's Mom and Sister and both spouses were there very soon at the hospital. The hospital called his Mom and told her that her son had been in an accident. He had a head injury but was coherent. She asked how his wife and children were and the hospital staff couldn't tell her anything. She had to make the long, half-hour, drive to Nephi not knowing the condition of the rest of the family. While the news of Calvin was devastating she was so glad that the rest of us were doing wonderful and would be fine. I cannot imagine the horror of that half-hour drive to Nephi. She has said that was the longest drive of her life.
Sister-in-Law Nurse was absolutely wonderful. She called me parents since I was in no condition to make that call. I gave her my cell phone and said I didn't want it back for a while. She called all my friends and family and talked to them. I couldn't deal with telling anyone the news or even talking to my family about the whole thing. She took all the calls over the next two days that came in to my phone, knowing I couldn't do it yet. I could never had made those calls and she took it upon herself to help me out in that way. She also helped out with Olaf when he got home from the hospital. She and her Mom helped with all the medical things that needed to be taken care of. That was good because I am not good in that department and was glad I didn't need to take care of that part of him. I felt woefully inadequate in that area but was glad they were there to do that for him.
Olaf's Mom and Step-Dad had us stay at their house for over a week. We just moved home tonight. They were so good to keep us there so long. It really helped to not come straight home after everything. Since a lot of my family was staying at my house across the street, it was wonderful to have a quiet place to be when we needed it, and Olaf needed it a lot at first. I had to take care of all the funeral arrangements because he was still so tired and recovering from his wounds. I really didn't know where to begin. The day after the accident I saw on my home phone that the mortuary had called and I just refused to call them back. I still couldn't quite cope. But the next day I headed over there with my parents in tow and we started taking care of the arrangements. Thankfully, until the funeral was over, people were following me around, taking notes of the things I was planning. That was so good because I couldn't remember most of what I was doing. I was constantly turning around asking questions about what we had just discusses, already forgetting half the details. I lost my purse every time I picked it up!
This whole experience has made me learn more to let people help me. I like to take care of things myself and not ask for help. But I had been incapable of that for almost a week. While I was still doing these horrible things, planning a funeral for my son, someone was constantly there taking care of me. I know there is no way that I could have gotten through this experience without all the prayers of support that people were saying for us. I know it helped and sustained us through this trial. I know this is not over and that it is going to be hard a lot but I have been so thankful for all the love and support everyone has shown me and my family.
The hospital employees were also wonderful. They were so kind to us. They didn't leave us for a moment. When we were bandaged up and checked out and doing better they asked if we wanted to see Calvin. They told us they had bandaged his head because he had a head wound. I was really afraid to go and see him. I couldn't imagine my sweet son not alive. But I also remembered hearing other people saying that although it was hard to see their child gone it was healing. So we went and saw him. It was hard and I cried. I couldn't believe that he was already cold. But then it got better and I was able to talk to him. He was beautiful, even with all his scratches. He looked peaceful. He almost looked just asleep. The little boys were in and out. The EMTs had put on a movie for them because they were bored. We were able to say our goodbyes.
Olaf's Mom and Sister and both spouses were there very soon at the hospital. The hospital called his Mom and told her that her son had been in an accident. He had a head injury but was coherent. She asked how his wife and children were and the hospital staff couldn't tell her anything. She had to make the long, half-hour, drive to Nephi not knowing the condition of the rest of the family. While the news of Calvin was devastating she was so glad that the rest of us were doing wonderful and would be fine. I cannot imagine the horror of that half-hour drive to Nephi. She has said that was the longest drive of her life.
Sister-in-Law Nurse was absolutely wonderful. She called me parents since I was in no condition to make that call. I gave her my cell phone and said I didn't want it back for a while. She called all my friends and family and talked to them. I couldn't deal with telling anyone the news or even talking to my family about the whole thing. She took all the calls over the next two days that came in to my phone, knowing I couldn't do it yet. I could never had made those calls and she took it upon herself to help me out in that way. She also helped out with Olaf when he got home from the hospital. She and her Mom helped with all the medical things that needed to be taken care of. That was good because I am not good in that department and was glad I didn't need to take care of that part of him. I felt woefully inadequate in that area but was glad they were there to do that for him.
Olaf's Mom and Step-Dad had us stay at their house for over a week. We just moved home tonight. They were so good to keep us there so long. It really helped to not come straight home after everything. Since a lot of my family was staying at my house across the street, it was wonderful to have a quiet place to be when we needed it, and Olaf needed it a lot at first. I had to take care of all the funeral arrangements because he was still so tired and recovering from his wounds. I really didn't know where to begin. The day after the accident I saw on my home phone that the mortuary had called and I just refused to call them back. I still couldn't quite cope. But the next day I headed over there with my parents in tow and we started taking care of the arrangements. Thankfully, until the funeral was over, people were following me around, taking notes of the things I was planning. That was so good because I couldn't remember most of what I was doing. I was constantly turning around asking questions about what we had just discusses, already forgetting half the details. I lost my purse every time I picked it up!
This whole experience has made me learn more to let people help me. I like to take care of things myself and not ask for help. But I had been incapable of that for almost a week. While I was still doing these horrible things, planning a funeral for my son, someone was constantly there taking care of me. I know there is no way that I could have gotten through this experience without all the prayers of support that people were saying for us. I know it helped and sustained us through this trial. I know this is not over and that it is going to be hard a lot but I have been so thankful for all the love and support everyone has shown me and my family.
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