These things are fun, and fun is good!

10 points to the person that can identify the book from which this post title comes from.

(Sorry, no pics this post. I'm a lazy picture taker these days.)

I'm happy to be home.

There were several family functions going on this past week and a half in Utah, so after debating on just skipping some, I just decided to pack up the kids, the bags, the van, and just plan on staying for the entire week + some. (It didn't hurt that for business related reasons, Nels' work was willing to pay for the gas down and back if I went when I did. :)

On the way down I had the lovely experience of having hard contractions for half the ride down and for several hours after I got there. I'm now convinced that they were just caused by dehydration and the subsequent "freaking out" that ensued as my emotions took over. -- You know, me being 5 weeks early, 3 hours from my doctor and home, and Nels being in Mountain Home -- 4 hours from either me or the the doctor and having contractions every 3 minutes for about 3+ hours. :) After drinking several gallons of water, I felt much better, but woke up at about 1 in the morning having hard, regular contractions again for several hours. Lovely. They eventually subsided and the girls and I really enjoyed the rest of the week with our family - with no extra stress of anything but the occasional Braxton Hicks.

Saturday my siblings all got together for a birthday party for my mother. In her usual fashion, my mom decided that it would be "easier" for her to make dinner for all of us :) but she needed a few last minute things from the grocery store. I offered to go, but while I was gone, Elsie decided to "help" grandma by trying to cut some extra tomatoes. The result was the loss of one very small and very sweet little fingertip. Luckily for us, Nurse Grandma was there to save the day! :) My poor little Elsie, although she's definitely got some fire, is also not much of an over-reactor and was a real trooper while getting doctored. We're praying that all the "meat" heals up well. Poor kid.

Monday I decided to take the girls for a quick trip to the Hogle Zoo. Let me tell you, February is a wonderful time to go see the animals. Most were out and active and we were even able to see their new baby elephant - which the girls have been wanting to see since she was born last Fall. Baby elephants have got to be one of my favorite baby animals of all time. :) She is adorable and my girls agreed -- especially Elsie. "Oh, Mama. She's so tute. I will love her and hold her on my lap. She's mine." "Well, Elsie, she's a big baby. As big as daddy!" "Yeah . . . I love her. She's big and little."  :) :) I love my sweet little baby! She likes fun things -- like elephants and pigs.

Wednesday I took the girls to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point with my sisters and their girls. We had such a wonderful time and they were so excited to see all the different bones and exhibits. Lilie was ecstatic to see the brachiosaurus skeleton! :) It would be fun to go again when I'd be able to read the various information and glean a bit more from the whole experience, but it was so much fun to see the excitement on the faces of my little ladies. They are so smart and so eager to learn.

Through the end of the week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with many of my sweet family members. Somehow, whether they live a thousand miles away or only a couple hundred, getting together over the past few years has been a rarity. I got to see quite a few of my cousins from near and far, meet their "new" little additions, and even play some games and gab. It was wonderful! We need someone to get married more often! :)

It was a wonderful week and I'm so glad that I went, but I am SO HAPPY to be home! Nels missed us too, which is always nice. :) As we were getting ready for church Sunday morning, he came in the bathroom and said, "You know. It's nice to be home. ---- I know I've been home all week, but with you all here again, I feel like I just got home too. It doesn't feel like home without you." :) I love my man! I don't like when we're not together. We're excited to spend today celebrating his THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY! I'll have to take some pictures as the day progresses. I love him so much!

To wrap things up, I'll share with you my favorite experience from the whole week -- which, of course, centers around my children.

This past Thanksgiving we spent at my parents' home. As turkey-cutting commenced, my mom showed the girls the wishbone and briefly explained it's purpose. Also telling them that they'd have to wait to break it, because it needed to dry. Well, in the midst of the chaos that seems to accompany any of our family gatherings, the wishbone was forgotten and left, unbroken, at Grandma's house. Ever since, the girls have been talking about it -- at least once a week. When and how we are going to get our own wishbone, how dare I have forgotten about it when we were there, and who at school wants to share their wishbone ---- when we eventually get one of our very own. In fact, the only thing I could even get out of Lilie as a Christmas wish for the longest time was A Wishbone. I've tried to explain that not all wishes come true -- to which I am immediately rebuffed with "Well, some do, right?" ---- Right.

You cannot imagine my surprise when we showed up at my parents house this last weekend to find that my mother had lovingly saved the precious Wishbone for her granddaughters. They. Were. So. Excited. :) And believe me. It was finally dry enough to break. As we sat down to enjoy the grand occasion, viewing the excitement on my girls faces, I told my mom, "You might want to explain to them what happens after they do this." She just looked at me like I was loony and said, "It's a wishbone, Rachel. What is there to explain??" --- Right. Whatever. On to the breaking! And break it did. The top broke right off, leaving two little girls with equally long sides. :)

As my mom told them that since both sides were the same, they BOTH got their wish, the look on their faces was priceless. Hazel sat there with a fairly dazed and dumbfounded look on her face, saying nothing, while Lilie, with a half-smile and air of expectancy, sit quietly momentarily, half-crouched over. I can see my mom looking at them, being so quiet, thinking, What is wrong with them? When suddenly Lilie asks, "Are they there?" Is what there, Lilie? "My WINGS!" Ummmm . . . . what do you think? She puts her little hand behind her back, patting all around, "Well . . . I think I feel something . . . but . . . only one." LOL! We were laughing hard at this point as she continues to feel around on her back. I tell her that maybe it will just take time for them to grow in. To which she replies, "OR maybe their just stuck together!" :) :) She spent the next 20 minutes or so trying to fly around the room - slowly accepting that there were, in fact, no wings on her back and not all wishes come true. We also come to find out, that while Hazel was less vocal about it, she had expected nothing less spectacular than her sister had. Ever cautious and leaving her options open, she had wished that she could turn into "whatever she wanted." :) Needless to say, she was less than impressed with the wish-granting power of the Wishbone.

Funny as the whole night was, my favorite part was yet to come.

A day or so later, I went downstairs to track down my mom, who was doing laundry with Lilie as her "helper". I walk in the room to find Lilie standing, amazed, in front of the door to the front-loading washer. This is not an unusual scene - as my kids have never ceased to be fascinated with watching the flop-floppity-flopping of the washer. In all truth, it IS kind of hypnotic. :) It flops to one direction, stops, sits for about 5 seconds, and then starts flopping the other direction. Very entertaining. :) So as I walk in, Lilie exclaims, "MOM! Watch this! I'm magic!" She stands in front of the door watching. As the wet clothes come to a stop, she picks up one knee, stands still for a second, then (while standing on one foot) quickly jerks her raised knee to one direction or the other. Upon doing so, the washer "magically" starts flop-flopping again in the other direction. :) I stand there smiling as she repeats this 3 or 4 times. :) "Wow, Lilie! That's amazing!" LOL! She turns around with a great big smile on her face and says,

"Well, I didn't get my wish, but I got somethin'!"

That's my Lilie. LOL!!!! I have not been able to stop laughing! She makes me so happy.  

And that my dear friends, is the definition of "looking on the bright side". :) Sometimes you don't get your wings, but if you look hard enough, you just might be able to control the washing machine with your knee. :) LOL!!!