Marcus

Marcus!

He's my baby.

He never sleeps.

He never eats.

He drinks a lot of milky milk.

He is always running, jumping, and flipping.

He loves music, especially the song Dynamite.

He loves his sister Jillian the very best.

When I come home from anywhere he says, "Mom I missed you"

He is really picky about his clothes.

He loves Buzz and Woody.

He wants to play with his cousin Nathan every day.

He loves his moose jammies.

When he has to go the bathroom he says, "I have to go potty really bad"

He spends a lot of time in his room throwing tantrums.

He loves to cuddle with Mom and watch Pink Panther on his itouch.

He is so sweet when he wants to be.

He is three.

Boys Adrift

I got this book from the library, yesterday.

I haven't even cracked the cover.

For some reason just having it in my house

makes me feel like I am moving in the right direction.

I have no idea if it will help but I am hopeful.

My oldest is stressing me out.

(I am for the most part, not someone who stresses.)

I am a pretty calm laid back Mom.

I don't freak out if I don't know exactly where one of my kids is.

I don't panic if my kids fail their spelling tests.

I rarely lose sleep over a disobedient child,

but my 11 year old is really stressing me out.

He seems to be looking for my freak out buttons

and then systematically pressing them over and over again.

He has not done anything major,

just little things,

like lighting matches in the basement,

opening a facebook account without permission under a fake name,

obsessing over Eminem,

little things like that.

Nothing that should really make me overly concerned,

except I am!

I have a feeling.

I have a bad feeling.

I have a really bad feeling that he is going to be just like me.

I'm not saying I was all bad, or even mostly bad, or even really bad at all, but I was a follower.

I had trouble with the "having a mind of my own" thing.

I think he is lot like me in this area.

I am praying,

I mean really praying,

that he will find some good friends that will help him grow and become who he wants to be.

Not necessarily who I want him to be,

but who he really wants to be.

(I wouldn't be sad at all if that lined up with who I want him to be!)

I love him,

but I am scared for him,

and for me.

They are 10!

It's my twins birthday today.

They are 10.

I can't believe it.

I have spent 10 years enjoying them.

I don't remember a lot of the first few years.

You make think I am over exaggerating, but I'm not.

I really don't remember.

I really wish I did.

I remember that Riley was harder than Jillian.

I think it was because she was into more things because she was always exploring.

Her little brain couldn't get enough.

Jillian was somewhat more docile in that respect.

She was neat and tidy.

Riley was always a mess. Riley was patient and she was fine to wait her turn.

That meant Jillian was always fed first, dressed first, and the like.

As they have grown they have continued to be very different.

Jillian is graceful, beautiful, dramatic, and smart.

She loves to dance and move and get her way.

Riley is spunky, pretty, dramatic and smart.

Riley loves to sing and perform.

She loves to be the center of attention.

Jillian would sooner die.

She hates it, except when she's dancing and then she wants everyone to see only her.

Riley spends a lot of time making herself stand out and is confident with who she is.

These two girls are so different and yet both so fun!

I love them and I am so jealous that they get to spend every day with their very best friend.

I hope they remain friends but also remain as different as they are.

They are so fun to watch!

I can't wait to watch them both soar.

Who knew? Cherries...

Cherries...

They really are so good. These totally cute cake stands came from my sweet friend Tara's ETSY sight. Aren't they so cute? I love them. I haven't found just the right place for them yet in my home but I will. Right now they are residing on my island because I want to see them all the time. I'm sure they won't stay there though, since I am certain that if they do, one of my children will break them.

As you will notice there is also a bag of dried cherries in the picture. I had no idea how much I loved those until the other weekend when I went to Bear Lake. Jodi, my friend, brought trail mix on the trip. She thought it would be a good snack for us to put in our pockets while we skied /sat in the lodge and read. These cherries were in the trail mix along with cashews, almonds, peanut butter m&m's, and guittard chocolate chips. This was the BEST trail mix in the whole entire world. I have not made it since I have gotten home because I know that I would just eat it all day long and gain 50 lbs. but the other day when I was at Target I bought this bag of cherries. They are divine.

Start to Finish

I bought fabric for a new bedspread. I am so excited. I have never really done that before. Actually gone to a fabric store and bought everything I need for a quilt. Start to finish. I want to work on it really bad but I have way too much to do today. Maybe I can work on it on Sunday during the Super Bowl, since I really only like the commercials anyway.

The science fair

My son won a spot in the 6th grade district science fair. I am a proud Mom. This project was a lot of work on all our parts. He and I and my husband spent a lot of time on it. It was definitely a group effort which I think it needs to be. An average 6th grader is not capable of putting together a project like this on his own. That being said, I think he learned a lot. He did all of the teeth brushing and a lot of the typing and compiling of data. He spent a lot of time on it and I think he was really proud of the result.

He was also really excited to tell me about the other kids experiments. I think he finds all of this really interesting, which is great because it just proves more and more that he doesn't take after me. That is a good thing especially when it comes to education.

I'm better...for a minute anyway

I'm headed to Bear Lake with some friends for the weekend. I'm excited to have this time away from my everyday to relax and learn more about me and what I like and how I like to spend my time. It's funny. I love my job as a mom and my life as a wife and mother and caregiver but I relish this time away to just be me. I think I am different when I am away. I know that I think more, just about life and what I want for my kids and my family. I think about what I want to accomplish and how I can be a better homemaker, mother and wife. Somehow, when I am away anything seems reasonable. I think I can do everything. (See previous post, I know that I can't). I always come home with goals and ways to implement things to make life better. I'm not sure any of it ever happens but I know that when I get back I am better at just about everything for at least 1 hour. That's better than nothing, right?

Have a great weekend!

THE BOOTS THAT DO IT ALL!

All one of you that reads this blog requested a picture of the boots

that make me look like I do it all.

So here it is...

Aren't they spectacular?

Thoughts... and really cute boots

Thoughts...


If you pick up after yourself and everyone else in your house right away it never gets overwhelming. I'm not sure this is totally foolproof but it has worked for me for a week now and I am blissfully happy when it comes to the state of my home. I'm not sure anyone else is learning anything but I know that I am. This doesn't mean that no one else is cleaning but it does mean that the state of my home is pretty much clean so when I do ask them to help out they don't seem quite as resistant because it doesn't seem overwhelming. I am sure that this can not last but it has been a little over a week and so far so good...

I bought these really great boots. I want to wear them constantly! So last Sunday I wore them to my mother's for dinner. She has a pretty strict no shoe rule in her house right now but I couldn't bring myself to take them off. I love them that much. Sorry Mom. Oh, and my sister in law asked me how I did it all (meaning my super organized super awesome totally in control of everything life)and of course I said I don't. And I really don't, but part of me wonders if the boots are the reason for the question. I think they make me look that good!


We turned the desk in my den to face the wall. I know that this is totally tacky. I am over it! I love how much room there is, I love that the sun won't shine in my face while I am trying to read facebook (since there is an absence of sun today, I cannot know that for sure but I am pretty confident), I love that I will be able to do homework with my kids using the computer and not feel like we are sitting on each other, I love that its different and feels new even though its all the same old stuff.


I think that Adam and Christina are totally right to not let Hatty see Alex on the show Parenthood but I think they are totally handling it wrong. (If you don't watch Parenthood you should, its really good)


That's all.

Giggling...

This is a picture of my twins and I watching the Miss America Pageant.

There was a lot more laughing than I expected.

I don't want to talk a lot about the Miss America Pageant but ...

It is really bad, and a little painful.

I would elaborate but if you didn't watch it you won't be able to fully understand how bad and if you did, well then you know exactly what I am talking about.

Sonic!

Today, this is what I needed. This is what got me through. I'm sure it should have been something better for me or more expensive or something but not today. Today, all I needed was a Rt.44 Vanilla Diet Coke and a Water.

What that says about me, I don't know.

Very Dirty Closets

Believe it or not I spent a good amount of time organizing this closet today.

Can you believe that in my house with 9 people living in it there is only one linen closet and it doubles as my bathroom closet.

In other words there is not enough room for all the linen needed for our family.

We have tried to put the sheets in all of the bedroom closets upstairs but for some reason no one can leave them folded nicely on the shelf. They must pull them off the shelf and play in them and on them and around them until their closet resembles a very dirty closet.

(I couldn't think of anything, sorry.)

So, I finally gave in today and moved them into my bathroom closet.

There is not enough room for all of it and I think that I will regret it.

I have a feeling they will end up on the floor being played in and on and around and I will be furious because it will not be one of my childrens' closets but my bathroom that will resemble a very dirty closet.

Where my pictures will be...

Because I know that all of you were really broken hearted to not see a day 9 picture I will explain. I have decided that asking the 3 of you that read this blog to come here everyday for 365 days would be a bit mean. So I have a button over on the right that says 365. That button will take you to a page that has all of my pictures for everyday of the year. I struggled with this page for a long time last night. I really want the pictures next to each other but blogger has absolutely no intention of letting me have what I want. So for now they are just on the left hand side in order. Hopefully I will figure out how to make them look how I want before I throw my computer down the stairs.

I am still planning on blogging, in case any of you 3 were at all broken hearted.

Blogging difficulties and other non interesting stuff

I'm pretty frustrated. I really want to add a link to my blog and make a kind of collage of my year in pictures so far and add to it daily but I can't figure out how. I know it really can't be that difficult and yet I am finding it tremendously hard.


Sunday was good! Another successful 9:00 church day. Primary went well. I think the kids are learning the words to the song well. I do find that I feel like I need to take a shower after church because I sweat so much when I am up there teaching/entertaining.


This weekend was somewhat of a mini vacation. Our live-in is out of town camping. Yes, you read right CAMPING! It's freezing here, he is crazy, which is somewhat not funny because it is a little true, but regardless, he went with some friends camping. It has been nice to have our basement back and not worry that my kids are bugging him. He really has been quite pleasant lately so I find myself feeling a little guilty that I enjoyed not having him here, but it is true and I am trying to be truthful.


My two year old did finally go to sleep last night. He woke up at 2:00am screaming about stuff that I can't remember but it was hard to get him to go back to sleep. I found myself wondering if I will ever get a full nights sleep again in my life. I'm sure it hasn't been as long as it feels because it feels like its been at least 50 years and I'm not even that old. Someday...

Bright eyed and bushy tailed way too late in the day...

This is a 2 year old at 10:00 at night with no signs of being tired. Mama ain't happy.

clean car and a bright future

I asked my girls and their friends and my 7 yr. old son to clean the inside of my car today. I asked that they get everything that doesn't belong in it out of it and that they put it away. I asked that they vacuum and clean the windows and scrub the plastic. They did an o.k. job. Not great but maybe just maybe a little better than I expected.

I feel the day coming when I will actually think that it is worth it to have them do their chores and not just think as I am nagging them, why don't I just do this myself, it will get done right and I won't have had to yell at anyone to get it done.

I can see the light!

FROZEN MEAL GROUP FUN!

I'm in a frozen meal group with the funnest ladies. We meet once a month and exchange frozen dinners that we have made. Everyone makes 9 of the same meal (their are 9 of us in the group) we exchange and then we go home with 9 different meals. It is the greatest thing! I have been doing it for almost 3 years now and I really don't know how I could ever go back to the cooking everyday thing. We had our exchange this morning so I thought a little collage of the joy of sharing would be a great day 6 picture. I love these women!

Disclaimer: Not all women are pictured due to fast running away while the camera was snapping. This does not in any way reflect my feelings for the women not pictured. I love them just as much as the ones that were, although I may harbor a little resentment since they ran from me this morning!

new running shoes and more...

These are my two favorite things right now! New running shoes and a compression sleeve for my very unsightly and painful varicose veins. I'm so excited I found these. They made running today a breeze (and by breeze I mean bearable).

email purging and picture taking

So I have been purging my e-mail the past few days. Unsubscribing to everything, fixing my settings on good reads and facebook so that they don't notify me when one of my friends picks their nose. I am so excited! I can't wait to have less e-mail to look through everyday. The problem is that I can't remember what I have unsubscibed so I am sure I have done it more than once to a few places. Do you think two unsubscibes equal subscribe? I hope not.

My live-in downstairs called me today while I was out. He was trying to take a picture of the herd of deer in my back yard. He was determined to do it but couldn't seem to make my camera work. I think we spent a good 10 minutes on the phone trying to figure out the problem, but since he can't think of any original words so he just kept repeating what I said to do and saying he had done it, we did not fix the problem. He was just so determined. It's funny the things he gets excited about. The deer are beautiful and it is fun to see them, but they are literally out there everyday, its funny that today was the day he decided he had to have a picture of them.

When my sweet husband got home he was able to help him take a few pictures. I thought it would be appropriate if they are my day 4 pics. So here they are...

Buttercream or Cheese and Fruit

Lest you think I am showing you my food for the newly committed to eat right me, I would like to point out that the tub on the left is in fact not cottage cheese but buttercream frosting. I chose to show you all today my horrible horrible quandry. Do I eat smart/healthy or do I indulge with a little buttercream frosting. So far I am staying strong but I can't promise how the rest of the week will go.

Sunday is a happy day when church is at 9am!

It's a new year.

It's Sunday.

To us Mormons this means a new church time.

We share our church building with 2 other congregations so our services are spread out throughout the day. So last year our family went to church from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

This in my opinion is the worst time to go.

My littlest was always ready for a nap and the rest of my kids were rowdy from being kept inside all morning.

Our new church time is 9am.

I love love love it.

It is spectacular!

It is great.

It makes me want to dance.

I can get up at 8.

Get everyone fed and dressed by 8:45.

Walk out the door.

Make it in plenty of time to sit a breathe for a minute.

Then worship for a few minutes at least.

That's usually all I get, with six kids I am calling it a win.

My job in the church is to teach all the kids 3 through 12 songs for 40 min.

I teach the younger kids for 20min and then the older ones for 20min.

This is hard for me but I am learning slowly to love it and to not be quite so nervous every week.

At 12:00 we head for home and then I have the rest of the day to spend with my family.

Time for a nap, if I want one.

That might be my favorite part.

The pictures I am sharing today are of Riley and Colton.

They are having fun on the couch.

They can do this because we have 9:00 church and we are home by 12:00 and then the possibilities are endless.

I love Sundays!

Day 1 in pictures

I'm going to try and take a photo everyday. Not necessarily of me but just something to document everyday of the year. It's just a thought. I'm not sure I can really do it, but I'm going to try. I think it will be fun and I might even learn something.

This is me starting the first day off right taking a picture.

Lots of stuff...

Crazy stuff going around in my head as of late...

Need to start exercising again. It's gotta happen.

Need to start making my time for me more meaningful. I spend a crazy amount of time escaping from the chaos that is the Mellenthin home but I am not sure I am making that time count for anything. I want it too!

I have been reading this blog I recently found and I believe that it is changing me. I mean, I know you have to choose to change, but I really think this might actually be the catalyst to make the change. The blog is http://www.lemonademakinmama.com/ She has started a journey with her family. It is inspirational to read. I actually even bought the book Crazy Love by Pastor somebody or other and am committed to read the book. I want to be more committed to be more Christlike. I want people to know when they meet me that I am a Christian and I am living my life the way Christ taught us too. Sometimes I wonder how apparent that is in my everyday. I'm not sure it is.

I haven't written on here in quite a long time and much has happened in our home.

In April of 2010 my husbands' very best friend for High School had a tragic accident that has resulted in a traumatic brain injury.

We chose in August to allow him to come live in our home. We felt that it was the only realistic option for him.

When the decision was made it was made on the contingency that I could reevaluate every 30 days if it was working and we could move him home to his parents in Idaho if it wasn't.

This has been a hard time for me.

The first 2 months were great.

He had regular therapy scheduled and although he can't communicate very well he can do most things on his own.

He was upbeat and determined to heal his brain by hard work.

He tried hard.

He did really well with my kids.

This was a hard adjustment for him.

He has had some hard months of late.

He is depressed a lot and short tempered.

This has been hard on me.

I want to fix it.

I can't.

We are all doing the best we can and I know that.

In the past week he has rallied and is much more upbeat and I am crossing my fingers that this will continue until we can find him an apartment to live in and a job that will keep him somewhat busy.

This is a very condensed version.

There have been many highs a lows.

Hopefully, if I continue to write on a regular basis I can explain more of how things are progressing.

There is still very far to go.

He will never be where he was and we will most likely have to continue to help him with the day to day things for the rest of his life. We didn't know when we were making the choice to let him move in that we were committing to this.

We have discussed it and decided if we had known we would have made the same choice.

I am going to really try and be more diligent about writing on here. It is therapeutic for me. Please don't feel the need to read it. I am sure for most of you it is quite boring. For that, I am sorry.