Back from the Dead

It has been a crazy week and I am taking advantage of my first real chance for an update on our week. The craziness began last Sunday, when I arranged for my Mother-in-law and my Dad to be at our 8:30AM sacrament meeting for the kids' primary program. Well, they made it, but it turned out that I had my dates wrong and the Primary Program was actually today instead. Fortunately, they graciously made the early morning trek again.


Andrew's Sunbeam class was so cute. When they were lined up waiting for their turn at the microphone, Andrew was smiling and waving at us. Then he said, fairly loudly, to the girl next to him, "Everyone in the whole world is here." "Yes," she agreed. Then he made his hands into binoculars and started scanning the congregation for familiar faces and waving and saying hi. They had interviewed each of the Sunbeams a few months ago about what they were thankful for, and then they had them memorize the answer they gave and that was their part in the program.


Andrew's part was quite fabulous: "I am grateful for my family. I have a mom and dad and sisters and brother. I am grateful my family can go to McDonald's and get a chocolate shake." Oh, Andrew does love his McDonald's chocolate shakes!


Maddie's class talked about prayer. Maddie said, "I prayed I would have a good day at church today, and I did."


It was a very nice program.


Zack and Mylie have been sick this week. Mylie has had a bad cold which has made it difficult for her to breathe through her nose, which in turn has made it difficult for her to eat. Zack has had the flu. Unfortunately, our first inclination of Zack's flu came as we were driving in the car and he tranformed into a vomiting volcano in his carseat. We drove home as quickly as we could with the windows rolled down despite the cold, with Maddie and Andrew in unison threatening to throw up also. We made it home before that happened, thank heavens, and pulled the older two out the back. Zack has stopped throwing up, but still is whiny and miserable.


Andrew was my good helper this week. When asked if he would like to rake the leaves, he told me he would be happy to help me "break the leaves."

"Look, Mom, I'm a farmer!" He said excitedly, right before I took the picture above.

Lately, Andrew has developed a keen interest in outer space. He told me that there are lots of interesting things in the Milky "Wave." He also found a button on our front porch that he was sure had fallen from outer space.

A few days ago he came running to find me this week to let me know that his "brain and heart need food and water right away!"

He says very funny things. He is very excited for Christmas and wants me to call Santa on the phone every single day. Every day I remind him that Santa does not have a phone in the North Pole and that is why children write him letters.

Maddie has written about 5 million Christmas letters to Santa. She would like him to bring her every item in the latest American Girl catalog. I had to remind her that many of Santa's elves are on strike again this year, so there will once again be a limit on what he is able to bring to children and that she needs to scale back on her requests. She has scaled back to $450 worth of dolls and accessories. When I explain to her that the things she has requested cost a fortune, she smiles and says, "Good thing Santa's elves make them and we get them for free!"

That reminds me of when I threatened to return her Easter Basket last Easter, because she wouldn't stop teasing Andrew and she looks me right in the eye and say, "Oh yeah? Where? To the Easter Bunny? Good luck on finding him!"

Andrew just told me he was excited for Thanksgiving so that he can "eat the dead turkey in the fridge." He is so odd. Of course, we all know he won't eat the turkey, because he never eats anything that is not coated with sugar or is "peanut butter, strawberry jelly, and bread."