Down

The rainy weather of Western Washington makes everything so beautifully green, but it sure can get you down when it seems to be endless, especially when you are there for a reason that is weighing you down anyway.

Although I never lived in the house they are currently living in, there is so much memorabilia of my life in my parents' home, it is like a walk down memory lane.

Through

The view through the window of the airplane that carried me to say goodbye to my grandmother.

Sun

Our weather has been absolutely beautiful this month!  Sun abundant.  We had a few frigid days a couple of weeks back, but other than that it's been pretty warm and incredibly dry.  A few flurries here, a few raindrops there, that's about it.  Last week the temperatures got into the high sixties.  It's a little bit annoying, because I LOVE snow and we haven't had a really good snow in a couple of winters.  I think the total snowfall for last winter was 12 inches--if you add all the snowy days together.  Boo!  But there are two months left of official winter, and five months of Colorado winter, so there is still plenty of time for snow, thus, I am doing my best to appreciate and enjoy our warm, sunny days while we have them and get the boys to go out and revel in the glorious sun!  Stay tuned, come late-April, when we are having snowstorms among the daffodils, I will be whining about that too! :)

 

Together

Tommy and I watching Ben's futsal game, together.

A, me, Tom and Ben grabbing a special post-game treat, together.

A and I playing a favorite game, Super Mario Bros. Wii, together.  (Yes, I get a little--ahem, a lot--into it.  And no, even though my instincts don't seem to get it, putting my arms up in the air does not help my little Luigi jump higher or longer on the screen)

The big boys jumping on the trampoline in a warm January twilight, together.

The little boys having a nice warm bath, silly as ever, together.

Tommyisms

Tom.my.ism [Tom-me-iz-uh m]
noun
1.  The qualities or attributes of Tomm: that is an absolute Tommyism!
2.  Tommy-like attributes, gestures, sayings, amusements
3.  The things that make Tommy Tommy at age three
4.  Things we especially adore about our dear Tom

• "Can I have some lips?" (when he wants to use some chapstick)
• "So...." (picked up from Zac, Tom starts a lot of the things he wants to tell me with this phrase)
• "What's for munch?"  "We are having sandwiches for munch."  "No!  I said Munch!"  "Oh, you mean Lllunch?"  "Yeah, mmmunch." 
• "ICE!" said with force and menace, including full arm extension pointed toward the brother who he is "battling."  Apparently "ice" is his secret ninja power.
• Singing or humming softly throughout his day.  I love hearing him humming his way through the house or while building with Legos or playing with playdough.  He does it all the time, all day long.  He's doing it right now!  LOVE!!!!  Humming is a sure sign of contentment and happiness.
• Cracking up at anything he finds funny--we're talking full-on, head tipped back, mouth open, eyes closed, belly bouncing laughter.  One of my favorite sounds to hear is his belly laugh coming from another room, either because of something funny a brother did, something he saw on TV, or something he finds incredibly amusing that he has just done.
• Eating.  Eating more.  Eating all. day. long.  And then not eating dinner.  But then he still asks "Can I have a treat bag from my treat bag?" (meaning, can I have one piece of candy from the bag that all the Halloween/Christmas/etc. candy that I received is stored away in?)
• The best, most convincing, sweetest, endearing, heart-meltingest pout face/sad voice. 
• "Why, Mommy?"  "Why, Mommy?"  "Why, Mommy?"  "Why?"  "Why, Mommy?"  "Why?"  "Why, Mommy?"  "Why?"  "Why?"  "Why, Mommy?"  "Why, Mommy?"  "Why?"  "Why?"  "Why?"  "Why?"  "Why, Mommy?"  Most curious child in existence.  Ever.
• Grouping toys into bunches, carrying them all over the house, finding new toys to add to those bunches, and leaving some of the original ones behind, finding various carrying devices to store and transport grouped toys so that the pretend cookies of the Matching Middles Oreos game are in the Matchbox car box (in the bathroom); the Matchbox cars and two Matching Middles Oreos are in the empty wipes box (next to the TV); the Squinkies, four Matchbox cars, and one half of a Matching Middles Oreo are in the McDonald's Halloween Scooby Doo bucket (in my bed); his favorite Imaginext guys and weapons, another half of a Matching Middles Oreo (not the matching half of the one in the Scooby Doo bucket), a couple of Matchbox car tires, and all the super hero Squinkies are in the Matching Middles Oreo box (on the kitchen counter) and there are abandoned pieces of all these groups strewn between each storage location.  Sigh...you can imagine this particular Tommyism stresses my OCD side considerably.
• "I non't need a nap today.  No, I non't."  And usually these days he doesn't.  Especially if I want him to have a smooth bedtime without keeping Luke up trying to play "secretly" in their room after lights-out.  Even if he doesn't need it anymore, I sure do miss nap time!
• "Sing me a song, Mommy!"  Tommy loves to be sung to before bed.  His favorite song is still Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.  "It's my favmit. It's a good one, right?"
• Complete and total Luke adoration.  Tommy has "the brothers" and "my Lukey."  Of course, he loves them all, but there is something special about his Luke.
• He still loves him some good ol' PBS.  He will tell you his favorite shows are Daniel Tiger and Word World, but the first thing he wants to do when he wakes up is watch an episode of Wild Kratts.  And many afternoons I will let him watch a Daniel Tiger or an episode of Dragon Tales on Netflix for quiet time.  I don't know if he EVER picks Word World, but Luke likes it, so I think that is why it's Tommy's "favorite." 
• Imaginative play is really starting to bloom.  As he plays with his toys I hear him making them talk to each other and inventing his little stories that make no sense but are so darling!  I love to sneak up behind him and just listen to the sweet stories he is playing out with his toys.  He is so into it that he doesn't notice me there watching for a long time!  It makes playing together a lot more fun too!  He especially likes me to build houses for his toys out of the Legos or Magna-Tiles, even if he is perfectly capable of building them on his own.  He just likes mine best!
• VELCRO: this is the best way to describe my relationship to my sweet Tommy right now.  He loves to be where I am, he has a hard time letting me leave where he is.  It can be frustrating at times, but mostly I am always reminding myself of how fast he is growing and how soon he will be walking away from me without a look back.  Honestly, there are a lot of times I have a hard time letting him go, too!
• Joie de vivre!  Tommy's zest for life is so fantastic!  He is always exclaiming excitement over something he's learned or something he wants to show you.  Pat-pat-pat-pat...that's his feet running because everything is so thrilling he has to run from one thing to another.  "WOO!" he shouts in joy over the simplest things.  Or "woo hoo!" when something is particularly fun.  He cheers you on, "Good job, Mom!" when you do something well or new or difficult (when Zac finished his first sacrament talk, even though Zac couldn't hear him, Tommy said, "Good job, Zac!").  He is happy to be alive and to share his joy with everyone.  That is the best thing about Tommy.  He's our petit joie!

Colorado!

Last evening we had the pleasure of attending Ben's 4th Grade Musical Program entitled "Coloroado."  The musical programs put together by our music teacher, Mrs. Cole, support the unit of study the grade level is undertaking in their classroom.  The 4th grade classes, including Ben's, are currently studying Colorado's history.  Along with the classroom and musical learning they are undertaking, the art teacher joins in the transdiciplinary fun by providing the kids a way to express what they are learning through art (Ben made an origami Pike's Peak!).  I love our school!

The program was so fun!  You could see what a good time the kids were having, and, as always, they did a great job.  There were short skits about various pieces of Colorado's history such as our most famous mountain men, the brief gold rush, the significance of Pike's Peak as the inspiration for the song America the Beautiful and the symbol of the pioneer trek west (Pike's Peak or Bust!), the importance of the railroads, and our state flower: the Columbine.  Each skit was followed by one or two songs.  My favorites were America the Beautiful and the Gold Rush Rap complete with *sweet* break dance moves (this song is where Ben had his solo).  I really appreciate that our school values music and the dramatic arts and that the kids are given the opportunity to do these fun, cute, educational performances.

Bravo, Ben!

Here's a link to the Gold Rush Rap with Ben's solo on YouTube

Electric

It's static season in Colorado!  Not my favorite season of the year. 

Still electrifying after nearly 20 years of kisses.

Corner

This is the corner of our chess board.  We bought this board back in 2004, when Zac first discovered the game of chess during free-play time at his preschool.  His teacher, Mrs. Snyder, was so impressed that a little four-year-old was so fascinated by and understood the game.  She encouraged us to buy him a board of his own, and of course we did!  We played simple games, and he really did get the rules, if not the strategy.  He loved playing for about a year, and then found other interests to pursue.  Since then, a game of chess here and there has been undertaken, but mostly the set collects dust in the back of the board games shelf.  But our chess board recently had a renaissance!  Zac has been diligently working on his Chess Merit Badge for Boy Scouts and finished all the requirements just today.  For a brainy kid like Zac it's the perfect game.  I hope he keeps it up now that he understands it so much more.

This simple board is so different from the gorgeous chess set my dad had when I was a kid.  Each piece was so beautifully made and painted with care.  The queens were especially lovely with their pretty painted pink lips, even though they are the toughest, most hard-core players.  My dad taught me to play when I was 7 or 8.  He always went easy on me in our games; even with that kindness, I still rarely won.  But I was just happy to be able to hold those pretty chess pieces, since they were off limits unless we played a game of chess with my dad.  That was mostly OK, because I enjoyed the time spent playing chess with my dad.  It was time together.  But sometimes I would sneak the pieces out just to look at them like little fragile dolls, always careful to put them back away before anyone saw me.  I wonder what happened to that set?  I wonder if it is really as lovely as I remember it? 

What I Do

For this Pic of the Day I wish I could have had a picture taken yesterday at church about 10 minutes before Sacrament Meeting ended.  So instead of a photo, you get a mental picture.

Ben was snuggled in on one side of me, as he had been all meeting, quietly reading the December 2011 Friend Magazine.  I had pulled Josh over to my other side and wrapped my arm around him because he was a little teary-eyed after his first-ever attempt at an origami polyhedron star wasn't as perfect as he wanted it to be.  "It takes a long time and SIX pieces of paper, Mom!"  Tommy, who declares at least one side of his mother "Private Property" at all times was dismayed to return from his pew wiggling to discover both sides of me were in use and proceeded to use my skirt/shirt to pull himself up onto my lap, not caring at all that my legs were getting more and more exposed because as he climbed, my skirt was climbing with him.  Zac, sitting up behind the pulpit after his talk, noticed the commotion in our pew and gave me a huge grin, so I gave him a wink while I tried to smooth my skirt back down my thighs with arms that were wrapped around the two boys on either side of me, reminding me of the Tyrannosaurus in Meet the Robinsons (I have a big head and little arms!).  I glanced over to Adam for help, but he was dutifully, obliviously listening to our visiting speaker from the high council.  Due to the recent Calvin and Hobbes reading adventures of my boys, the thought popped into my head that maybe he'd put in half ping-pong balls to appear as if he had wide-open-eyes like Calvin does in class but he had really fallen asleep, and, while still trying to get the skirt back down with Tommy happily settled into my lap, softly chuckled at my funniness (I am often the only one laughing at my jokes so this did not feel conciliatory in the least).  The only of my six sweet boys missing from the equation was Luke, who was happily, silently playing with one solitary Lego figure, Swamp Creature, on the other side of his dad, as he had been the entire hour (he has the BEST ability to self-entertain!).

This would have been the perfect snapshot of "what I do."  I am Momma, Mommy, Mom, Mother, Wife, Colleen.  It's what I do.

What's "Bored?"

Not only do I tell my boys that I love them all the time, sometimes I tell them that I love their brains.  "I love your brain, Zac, in a very non-zombie kind of way." (or Ben or Josh or Luke or Tommy)  It's weird, but I can't help but say it when they do or say something that just makes my eyes blink in total stunned, happy surprise--how did they even THINK of that?! 

All of my boys elicit this reaction from me on a regular basis, but today's post is about Ben in particular.  Ben's brain amazes me!  I'd love to be in it for a day.  He never seems to even consider boredom as an option.  He is constantly seeking things to study, engage, explore.  He doesn't sit back and wait for suggestions, he thinks of something he'd like to do or know more about and he does it.  The internet is a treasure trove of ideas for him.  I don't even know where he gets the ideas for what to seek out online because we don't let the kids just browse around, but he always finds the coolest experiments or ideas.

Great ideas can also be found in books--and not only does he find them, but Ben actually does them!  Amazing.  :)  An old time favorite of his is 101 Things to Do Before You Grow Up.  He's been trying things from that one for a couple of years now.  He just spent the last of his birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa on a new Origami book, Origami Ooh La La. Knowing my boys' love of science, I picked up Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes at the store and the second Ben got his hands on it he wanted to do every experiment in the book...starting...right...NOW.  The best part is that his curiosity is contagious.  His brothers often latch onto his schemes and everyone becomes busily engaged.  He just has the most inquisitive, restless, eager mind I know and I love watching it at work, and I definitely love feeding it!

Here are a few of my recent favorite Ben explorations:

1. The stick bomb.  This is an idea Ben found online.  He looks a bit the evil genius in this picture, but it's the only photo I was able to snap because I was on video duty.  When experimenting with this Ben learned that CRAFT sticks are NOT the same as popsicle sticks (which don't work for a big, long bomb) and that it is really important to make sure the stick bomb does not get connected to any of the carpet fibers along the entire length of the bomb.  So. Fun.

2.  Legos.  The best standby activity on the planet.  Ben popped that sweet creation below out in about 20 mintues.  I hate to say it, but it would have taken me, um, well, a good deal longer and maybe some planning draft work to put something like that together. 

3. Advanced origami, including polyhedra.  Ben could be accurately labeled an origami addict.  Josh and Zac love it too, but Ben is never satisfied.  He is ALWAYS folding paper.  There is origami everywhere in my home.  Happy!

4. Kitchen science.  Even though it was a super quick experiment in Charles's Law (increasing temperature on a gas will increase the volume of the gas) the Soap Souffle was our favorite experiment in the Naked Eggs book to date!  Yes, that giant pillow of white in the photo below was once only one fourth of a bar of Ivory Soap.  Awesome!!!

Something You Saw

I saw my first son's name on our Sacrament Meeting program for the very first time.  Such a sweet moment!  Topic: The Blessings of Service.  Ninety percent self-written, Adam and I just helped edit and fill out the talk a little.  A full five minutes long.  He did a fantastic job and he received countless compliments.  No nerves, no problem, like he's been doing it all his life. :)

I saw Josh able to use his brand-new, hard-earned Skylander, Flashwing, for the first time.  He's been doing extra chores around the house all week to earn money to buy this particular character and is sooooo happy!  He's told me how much he loves it all day long.

I saw this car drive away from our house with our old changing table in the back.  I did, in fact, get a little teary.  That changing table has seen us through the daily changing of five of the most perfect baby boy bums you ever did see for the past 12 years.  That's more dirty bums than could be counted!  Although I am excited to be moving forward, I still miss the sweet baby stage of my life.

Delicious

Puppy Chow: corn Chex, peanut butter, chocolate chips and powdered sugar.  Shouldn't have made it.  Did make it.  Ate most of it.  Mmmm....

Shadow

Me and my two little shadows walking to drop off Luke for afternoon kindergarten on a lovely, warm January day!

Ready

Ready for my speed workout!  Three miles.  Bring it on!  I like to go fast.

Ready?  Set?  FLY little helicopter seed!!

Ready for ANYTHING!  Here in the "Seasonal" section of the grocery store we see snow shovels and sleds, then, as you move right you can see the Off and Raid bug spray section, then the composite fireplace logs and finally at the end were charcoal briquettes.  The best part was there on the top shelf on the left is the ice cream maker salt right next to the de-icing salt.  Statement: our Colorado winter weather is so crazy you may be making ice cream for a barbeque in your backyard one day and shoveling the snow from your driveway the next!

Two Things

Picture of the Day: Two Things

Two amaryllis blooms sitting on my piano, bringing me happiness on these cold, brown January days.  Reminding me of the sweet friend I have in she who gave me the barely-sprouting bulb for my birthday who knows me well enough to realize I'd rejoice at a bit of life in the middle of winter's dead days.

Two baby-soft hands of my afternoon solo playmate who is only napping sporadically these days, taking away some of my "me" time, but giving me the sweetness of our alone time together.  Two hands that love to build, explore, create and play.

Two sets of toes warming up in the single ray of sunlight pouring through the window on the first "warmish" day that has followed some bone-chilling temperatures...but very little snow.  Boo.

A pair of baby blues, my favoritest; been gazing into these two brilliant, gentle, loving eyes for good long time and hope to be doing it for a good long time more!

An Ordinary Moment

Thanks to Pinterest, I've seen some wonderful lists for Picture of the Day blog posts.  And even though it often seems I am only reporting on events, the simplicity of our daily life is something I do try to capture on the blog.  So I thought I'd give POTD a try.  My POTD's will come on a casual basis, as sometimes I don't have time to post and sometimes I may have other things I want to post about; and you know me and my inability to edit down my photos, so there may be more than just ONE POTD, let's just say sometimes the P will stand for "pictures." I'm excited to have this great way to fill in the gaps of what goes on in our Conlin lives.

Picture of the Day: An Ordinary Moment--I did five :)

Our bathroom door: As the boys have gown I have managed to move from having children IN the bathroom with me to being able to actually close the door for some privacy, but Tommy still stands right outside the door waiting for me to exit, and has recently taken to asking me, "What number did you go, Mama?"  Oh. my. gosh.  Motherhood!

Playing Legos/Squinkies with Tommy: Here we see Captain America, Mater, a purple hatted horse and a sea turtle partaking of a picnic.

Kneading marshmallow fondant for our Young Women Cupcake Wars activity.  I love kneading.  It is very therapeutic.

Here I am foolishly trying to catch 10 minutes of reading time before making dinner.  Yes, all the boys are home.  Like that was going to happen!  Hahahahahaha! 

Two of my adorable young women and their Cupcake Wars cupcakes.  The girls were required to add 2 food items that could be found in the scriptures to their cupcakes, either in the cupcake batter or in the decoration and then had to decorate their cupcakes in a way that was inspired by the scriptures.  They were judged 50% on presentation and 50% on taste.  These girls made date and toasted almond cupcakes.  You can see one of the cupcakes has the Mount of Olives represented as a fig, there is a "loaves" cupcake with bread crumbs, and a "fishes" cupcake with Swedish Fish, and a "cast the first stone" cupcake with grasshopper cookie (to represent the locusts John the Baptist ate) crumble "stones."

Love Us

Today I was in charge of the spiritual thought for our ward council.

This weekend the boys decided to deconstruct the bunk room.  The bunk room was a fun, successful experiment, but Tommy was eager for a room buddy, and no one wanted to sleep on the top bunk anymore, nor did they want to be in the bottom bunk cave, however neither did anyone want to sleep alone.  The clear solution was to unbunk the beds, let the three big boys continue to share and move Luke in with Tommy.  Everyone is very happy with the new arrangements, even if Tommy is so gleeful he's having a hard time going to sleep.

While we were cleaning out under the beds, Luke found a card he had saved that had been mailed to him at the beginning of 2012 from our ward Primary president.  In it she had written to him about what a wonderful a job he did sitting quietly in Primary, setting a good example for the rest of the kids.  When I asked him what he wanted to do with the card he said, "Can you read it to me again?"  So I did.  Then he took it from me, tucked it into his special box and said, "I love it.  It makes my eyes watery when you read it to me."  What a tender boy!  He made my eyes get watery!

In 2013 the curriculum for our youth Sunday program changed.  Instead of the old manuals for teaching the youth that have been used for 20-30 years, everything has been updated, most of the material is found online, and a lot of emphasis for teaching has been put on prayer, preparation and inspiration.  One of the online training videos focuses on one particular aspect of this new way of teaching.  This video is entitled "Love Us."  In the video several youth and youth leaders talk about the importance of connecting to and caring about each youth as an individual.  I love it!  It is my favorite part about working with the young women: getting to know them, caring about who they are and loving them for who they are.

And that is just what our Primary president did for Luke.  It's been nearly a year since she sent that card, but he still keeps it, he still is touched by it.  It is something that moves him and makes him feel important.  How greatly this one simple action has impacted him!

I think this kind of simple, thoughtful gesture is important for every single person in our families, our schools, our churches, our communities, our world.  Extending a little bit of love, how simple it is.  What an impact it can have!  It is certainly one of the principles by which I parent my boys.  If nothing else, they never doubt my love for them, even when they have done something to disappoint.  If there are little ways I can show them I love them, like curling up next to them in bed to hold them for a few minutes before they fall asleep, or writing "I love you" on their mirrors, or saying it over and over and over...it makes a difference.  It's something important for everyone, not just the youth, not just the primary.  It's something everyone needs: to know they are loved.

Thanks Heidi! The Liebster

I believe it's been a couple of years since I did one of these little "about me" kinds of posts.  When mommy blogs first boomed the "tag" posts were all over the place, but not so much any more.  But I think they are fun.  Fun to read funny little bits about friends, fun to share little bits about me, fun to look back upon and roll my eyes over when I am older and wiser.  So when my friend Heidi nominated me for a Liebster, not only did I think it was really nice of her to do so, I was in!  Thanks, Heidi!  Thanks for still reading, even though the blog is private!

Liebster is apparently German for "favorite," although I had to look it up on Google translate just because of the "-ster" part.  If you were a teen in the early nineties, perhaps you remember the -ster trend.  Maybe it was just a Bellevue thing, but I feel like for awhile there a lot of people were nicknamed with a -ster at the end.  Such as, "Hey!  It's the Col-ster!"  I think it came from SNL or Pauly Shore or something like that.  Oh my gosh, the nineties were dorky!  Anyhow...Google translate said it meant "dearest," so basically the same thing, AND a real word in spite of the fact that it ends in -ster.  The Liebster Blog Award is passed from one blogger to another as a way of saying, "I love your blog!  Keep it up!"  

Here is what you do when you receive the Liebster :

1.  Post 11 random things about myself.

2.  Answer the 11 questions my nominator set for me.

3.  Create 11 questions for my nominees.

4.  Nominate 11 other bloggers with fewer than 200 followers (no tag-backs).

5.  Go to each of their blogs to tell them about their nominations.

All set?  Here we go!

Eleven Random Facts (Wow! This was hard.  It took me a few days to come up with them!): 

1.  I don't like talking for long periods of time on the phone.  This has always been true, even when I was a teenager.  I'd rather get together for a pedicure or lunch than chat for a long time on the phone.  This is especially true if I have to talk on my cell phone.  It has nothing to do with disliking the people I am talking with or being bored with conversation.  I just don't like being on the phone for a long time, that's all.  However, sometimes it's necessary to stay connected with those you love who are far away, and that makes it worth it.

2. I like food a little over-browned--not burnt, but just before burnt.  I think that's why I like roasted vegetables so much, when the edges get browned and crispy...mmmmm.  If something comes out of the pan or dish and the edges are darker and crispier than the rest, I want those edge pieces!  The exception to this is baked goods; with them I like the soft middle pieces.

3.  If I could have any car, that didn't need to have room for car seats or passengers, I would have me a nice shiny red Dodge Viper or an old navy blue rebuilt Studebaker truck.  From the day I first discovered them I have always loved these two cars.    

4. I have had 3 dogs in my life, Betsey (springer spaniel), Samantha (black lab mix) and Ruby (golden retriever).  All girls, all great dogs, even if they do shed and make my life hairy--which drives me crazy.

5. I really want some chocolate mousse right now.  It will be good when the photo of Tommy and I making this delicious, tempting, decadent treat for New Year's Eve is moved to the "older posts" page on the blog.

6.  My last Facebook status update said, "Zac just informed me that he will celebrate his 13th birthday on Friday the 13th of December, 2013!!! Agggghhh!! Too much superstition packed into one day! :)"  While I have no real concerns about this date, in fact, I think it's really cool, I am a slightly superstitious person.  I still kiss my hand and then touch the ceiling of my car when I go through a yellow light and make wishes on the eyelashes I shed.

7. I really like organization; I could be a professional organizer if people didn't mind me being bossy.

8. I am fascinated/infuriated/intriqued by politics, but I don't like to talk politics because I rarely see political conversations remain cordial.  What could be interesting and informative discussions become personal attacks very quickly, which is just too bad because the best part about politics is debate.

9.  I lack any kind of skill in managing money, but I'm always trying to be better!

10. I am a mild hypochondriac, but I try to ignore all my paranoid health concerns because I know they are just in my imagination...or are they?!   

11.  I really like bubble baths.

 Eleven Questions from Heidi:

1.  When was the last time you brushed your teeth?  Last night, didn't get to it this morning because I was rushing from my workout to the shower to my YW meeting.  I apologize to all who have been in the path of my breath today!

2.  How many days per week do you make your bed?  If you count straightening the sheets and comforter, maybe twice a week, but if it means tucking the sheets back in, making the pillows look nice, etc...none.  Maybe once every four weeks.  It was never a habit I cultivated and really, who is ever in my room but Adam and I and my little boys, who just mess up my bed anyway.  Not a priority.

3.  What does the last text you received say? "No, not yet.  Will let you know when we decide."  This is from my dear mother-in-law, who, along with her hubby, is in Palm Springs right now.  They planning to stop by to see my Grandma's condo in Rancho Mirage, but we need to let the gate guard know they are coming, so I am waiting to hear when they plan to arrive.  

4.  If you could do anything you wanted for a day, what would that be?  I'd want to be reading a good book sitting out in the warm sunshine on the dock at Lake Roesiger, no interruptions, with a punch bowl full of lime slush all to myself.

5.  Are most of your friends real or virtual?  I am going with real.  Thanks to Facebook, I have a lot of virtual acquaintances and old friends who I was close with a long time ago but who have become virtual friends because of time and distance, but the people who I would truly count as good friends are all people who I connect with in person or by voice as often as possible.

6.  With how many adults have you spoken in person today? Nine!  That's pretty good for a weekday!  Adam, my YW presidency members, my neighbor as we walked home from dropping off our kindergarteners, a few Costco employees, and Lydia for whom I picked up a few things at Costco and dropped by her house.

7.  What did you have for lunch (or your last meal) today?  Leftover lemon chicken veggie soup.  YUM!

8.  If you could go to lunch with anyone, with whom would you dine?  The response to this really is based on a false assumption that if I were ever to sit down for a chat with this person I would actually be able to be articulate and not star-struck, but I would love to have lunch with Sheri Dew.

9.  Are you hungry yet?  Or craving grown-up conversation?  I'm always ready for a bite to eat.  But too tired for conversation tonight.

10.  If your toenails are painted, what color are they?  OPI's "I Only Drink Champagne."  Which not only do I not only drink champagne, I don't drink it at all, but I thought it would be a fun color for New Years!  It's a pale golden color, oddly similar to that of my skin.

11.  What's your favorite Gavin story?  How to choose?!  I guess I still love the one where he smashed bananas all over the dining room table and then used it like a slip-n-slide.  Oh man!  It is like a snapshot of Gavin: genius creative inventiveness and advanced conceptualization of complete and total entertainment value mingling with absolute mischievousness! :)  I think he'd make a great roller-coaster designer one day.

Eleven Questions for my Nominees:

1. What is your favorite treat in the summer/in the winter?

2. Are you happy with how your body looks?

3. If you could have any career, what would it be--and you can't say "Mom"?

4. What is the first childhood memory that pops into your head?

5. What is your favorite car?

6. Where is the most beautiful place you have been to?

7. What did your last Facebook status update say? 

8. Where did you honeymoon?

9. If you could live in a novel, which one and why?

10. Do you believe people should always get vaccines if they are available, why or why not?

11. What is your favorite joke?

Eleven Nominees (over half of whom I will be pleasantly surprised if they do this):

1. Alea at Franklin Family (private)

2. Jen at Shevitz Circus

3. Adri at The View From Where I'm Standing

4. Angie at Time for a Little Q&A

5. Kendra at Perigos--Who We Are

6. Ashley at Serafin Scene

7. Julie at Sporadic Ramblings...

8. Beth at Bloggin' Browns

9. Alissa at Maxwell House Moments

10. Diana at Boy Crazy

11. Maggie at Hsu Family

Sunday Specials

Special One: Sunday morning our family woke up bright and early for church.  When the ward boundary changes occurred a few months ago, we were moved to a building that we share with three other wards.  It shifted our church time from the late hour of 1:00pm, to the much too late 2:00pm time slot.  That meant we weren't out of church until 5pm.  It wasn't great.  But we only had to endure it for a few months because with the year change, our start time changed too and we slid around from the last start time in the building to the first, 8:00am.  It was going to be much better than 2:00, but I was a little worried that my sleepy boys, and let's be honest here, my sleepy husband and myself, would have a hard time with the early rise.  We'd have to get up earlier on Sunday to get ready for church than we do on weekdays to get ready for school and work.  And we are folks who love a good sleep.  But the 8am start was actually really great.

We set clothes and scriptures out the night before, all ready to be put on and grabbed to go.  The boys were cooperative and efficient in the morning, getting showered and dressed and all ready to go in a timely, cheerful way.  We were ready with 10 minutes to spare before we had to leave the house.  I can't say that was even true about many of the days we had 2:00 church!  It's actually nice to just get up and get ready to go, because we don't put things off and then end up feeling rushed as we try to get the things done in a pinch, all the while wondering where the time went that we thought we had!  Anyhow, the early morning change was a good thing, indeed.  Hopefully we won't get slack in our Saturday evening pre-Sunday prep so the rest of our sabbath mornings for 2013 go as smoothly as they did this first week of the new year, or at least the majority of them...let's be realistic here.  You go, Conlins!

Special Two: Tommy moved from the nursery to the Primary!  He is now a Sunbeam: the name of the youngest class of kids at church.  Thus, it is now official: We have no children of nursery age left in our home.  It is exciting, even if means that Adam and I are now officially old.  Tommy had a happy day and looked so cute and mature up there in the front row of the Junior Primary (kids 3-8) with his class.  He took his status as a Sunbeam very seriously and paid great attention to all that was going on.  Maybe it was all that singing of his favorite song, Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam, paying off!  His teacher found me in the hall after church to tell me what a great job he did.

Special Three: Luke had been asked to give the first Junior Primary talk of the new year, so I did get to witness a little bit of Tommy's great job with his Sunbeam class for just a bit while I was in there to help Luke.  I am always so proud when I get to see all the boys doing these kinds of things, but there is something extra special when Luke does them.  It is something I know is hard for him, yet he is brave and fights that instinct to flee and comes out a little stronger and more confident for the next time.  He did a wonderful job and although he spoke softly, he gave his entire talk into the microphone and never once did he try to get out of it or to stop and leave.  Go Luke!!

Special Four: Sunday was the first day that Zac drove around with a Deacon companion and collected tithing offerings from members of the ward.  They had our house on their route, so of course I had to catch a picture!

It's 2013!

It was a very happy New Year's Eve!  Oh boy, do I love a good reason to celebrate!  And most of all, eat celebration foods!  Conlin New Year's Eve went something like this: a Mexican fiesta feast, homemade chocolate mousse with freshly whipped whipping cream (only 1,000 calories a bite!  thank goodness calories don't count on holidays!), our annual tradition of making New Year's crowns, toasting with sparkling cider and celebrating (until midnight for the three older boys, 10pm for the littles), making wishes for a happy New Year for our friends, family and the human race and then lighting our wishes and watching them fly up to send out into the world.  No New Year's fireworks could be seen on the top of Pike's Peak through the dense clouds and light snowfall this year, but we watched fireworks explode around the world as the new year arrived in city after city and celebrated with NYC as the ball dropped in Times Square, all brought to us by the magic of satellite TV.

We spent the first day of the new year together, relaxing, laughing, playing games, exercising with Jillian Michaels as a family, reading on Nooks, Kindles and in pages of books--absorbing every last moment of laziness before we had to leave vacation life behind and jump back into real life on the 2nd.  Happy New Year! 

Tommy was my kitchen helper making chocolate mousse

Homemade turkey taquitos...DELICIOSO!

Fiesta!

Cheers to a happy, healthy 2013!

See the tiny blue angels Luke put on his?  :)

I will forever be a fan of New Year's Resolutions, mainly because I believe in the power of goal setting, and the start of a year is a great time to evaluate where we are in our lives and determine where we'd like to be in the future.  I've had several resolution fails over the years, but several successes as well.  Even when we are not perfect in fulfilling our goals, it's never a bad thing to try! 

Conlin Resolutions for 2013:
Tom--Continue in cuteness.
Luke--Calm down faster.
Josh--Be nicer to my brothers, especially Luke.
Ben--Run a 10k.
Zac--Start and finish the Book of Mormon before I am 13 and have personal scripture study.
Adam--Work on not sweating the small stuff (and it's all small stuff!) :)  This is a great goal for everyone!
Colleen--Get stronger in faith, in motherhood, in body.  1)  It's always a goal of mine to grow closer to God and my Savior as I improve my personal prayer and scripture study habits and record in my personal journal His work in my life.  2)  I continue to work towards being a more present mother for my kids, I need to remember that it's not the complexity of the activities we do that matters, just the time spent together. 3)  Dealing with some hip and back problems over the past couple of months, I am working on strengthening my core and the muscles that are unused when I am only running causing me to stress those weaker areas.