Zoooooo

I just love these girls.Krista, Kate and I took our kids (and several others) to the zoo recently. We've been having weekly playdates lately and the kids are loving it. Can you tell??Paige and Sophie have become fast friends. A few days together in St. George every year will do that to you.Nora and Gracie (aka 'G')Love the Santos women.My photography skills aren't the best (could this be any darker?) but at least the moment was captured.Our leopard encounter was pretty cool. He paced just inches from the kids' faces.Even Gracie knew it was a "cat."How many kids can we fit on a stroller? Kudos to Kate for actually pushing them all.Cameron probably gets too much love when he's with my girls but he didn't seem to mind.

Oooh la la ...

Paige went to a Fancy Nancy birthday party and told me exactly how she wanted her hair done .... lots of curls with bows all over her head (like one of the characters in the book). The child soaks up this fancy stuff.

Power up!

By Special Guest-bloggers Christian and Mike

Mike: O.K. Christian, how do you want to start out this blog together?

Christian: This is the story of a boy becoming a man, in a hot, sweaty workshop. Me. Yeah, baby. Uh, huh. Thank you very much.

Mike: Where do you come from??! Alright. Let me give this a try. Our story begins with Christian trying to become one of the first cub scouts in his pack to earn all of the 20 possible Webelos badges. The only one he had yet to finish was the craftsman badge.

Christian: "Craftsman" is kind of a bad word at our house. I love my Dad. I really do. But the man does not know a screwdriver from a wrench.

Mike: Sure I do. One is a drink served to adults, the other is a river in Germany.

Christian: See what I mean? So, I asked my home teacher, Brother Thurgood, to teach me how to use his powertools.

Mike: Good choice, son. Brother Thurgood has been involved in scouting his whole life. A few years ago he was even awarded the Silver Beaver Award for his lifetime of service to the boy scouts. He is a retired Army Colonel who flew helicopters over combat zones in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He's probably the bravest man I know.

Christian: He also has his own woodshop full of powertools. The first thing he taught me was: "Always measure twice and cut once."

Christian: The next thing he taught me was that I have to "respect the tool, but don't fear it."

Mike: Brother Thurgood has a lot of sayings and an impressive number of acronyms in his linguistic arsenal.

Christian: His what?

Mike: Nothing. Now, in this next picture, take a look at Christian's face. He clearly has unconditional "respect" for that orbital saw.

Christian: It's a radial saw, Dad.

Mike: Same thing.

Christian: No, they're not.

Mike: Moving right along then...Christian, why don't you tell the people in the blogosphere what is going on in this next picture.

Christian: Yeah, this is me workin' with da power saws!

Mike: You can tell by the way my son talks that he grew up on the mean streets of Bountiful. Word.

Christian: Just keepin' it real, Dad.

Christian: Oh! And this is me using a band saw...

...and a drill press too!

Mike: This next picture is of Christian going "old school" and using a hammer. Notice the placement of Brother Thurgood's hands. Did I mention that he was a brave man?
Christian: I really liked using the nail gun; it's a lot faster than a hammer. Isn't that cute how my Dad looks like he's helping?

Christian: I also got pretty good at using the hand sander.

Mike: If you do say so yourself.

Christian: Hey...you're the one who keeps talking about having good self-esteem.

Christian: After three hours in the woodshop, here are the final products...my own bird house and bulletin-board. See that little fence around the bottom of the bird house? I built that so the bird food wouldn't spill out when the wind blows.

Mike: Brother Thurgood, you really went above and beyond the call of duty! Thanks so much for giving up three hours of your Saturday morning to help us out. You are a great man!

Christian: Yeah, thanks Brother Thurgood. I couldn't have done it without you.

Meet the Mayfields

The whole Mayfield clan got together for family pictures recently. That's one big family, and still growing ...Meet the parents, on their way to Africa next week.First of all is Mike's older sister Melody and her family (not individually pictured); then Mike and his lovely, witty, wonderfully perfect and only a tiny bit sarcastic wife and our family...Paul & Alison and their family (whose kids closely align with ours, which makes cousin get togethers really fun)...Nate & Sarah and their little family ....Heather & Jed with new baby Thomas ...Chris & Stacie and soon-to-be 3 kids ....... and finally Ben & Ashley (both of Desert Star fame) and their boys.It will be fun to see how much this group changes in the 2 years that mom and dad will be gone....

Dancing Queen

Elle started dance this week. Yes, I know she's only 2 (almost 3). But she has been begging to go to dance ("Like Paige!") for months now, crying when Paige gets out of the car and she can't go, too. Can ya tell how happy she is to finally get to go herself?As we waited for her class to start, she couldn't even contain her joy (or her dance moves).Paige kept talking to her beforehand about how she needed to listen to her teacher and not go "freestyle" (doing her own thing instead of following instructions). But Elle was a model student and was right with the teacher the whole time. Seriously, adorable.What's a dance class without coloring at the end? :)She slept in her leotard that night. Only 6 more days until her next class, which can't come soon enough for her.

Bribery

To help Paige 'up' her competitive streak in her soccer game, I told her that I'd pay her $1 for every goal she made.

She instantly said, " I'd rather have a $100 gift certificate."

We're in for some interesting times with her....

Feeling grateful ....

... for a friend who is miraculously pregnant after years of trying.
... for feisty children who will hopefully be fighters throughout life's challenges.
... for a wonderful neighbor & home teacher who spent 3 hours with my son in his woodshop helping him achieve a scouting requirement.
... for great music, from classical to folk to indie, some of which I listen to while I blog.
... for a fabulously patient husband who makes me laugh every single day.
... for sticky kisses and tight squeezes from my little girlies.
... for good movies that make me laugh and cry. Best to see them with great friends who make also make me laugh and cry (in good ways).
... for great neighbors who reach out and serve those around them.
... for family who enrich my life and the lives of my kids.
... for modern medicine which either heals or greatly extends our lives.
... for in-laws who are setting an incredible example for our family of service and love of the Lord.
... for modern technology that lets me access anything in a few clicks and lets me keep in touch with my favorite people.
... for a body that is healthy and is in pretty o.k. working order.
... for teachers and mentors in my life.
... for a cool sense of humor (tinged with sarcasm) in my son.
... for amazing friends near and far who have seen me through some of life's hard times and definitely through fun times.
... for church callings that have stretched me and taught me to rely on the Lord.
... for learning opportunities, taking classes or reading or listening to NPR. :)
... for so many blessings that I probably take for granted but hope to treasure more every day.

Practical joker

When we came back to our car after having dinner at Mike's parents', this is what we found....We knew instantly that it was Aunt Pam (who I hope I'm like at her age -- or even at my age, for that matter). That is one seriously ginormous zucchini. While it might make 4 loaves of zucchini bread, I'm tempted to continue the prank and leave it randomly on doorsteps or in someone's car. Don't be surprised if you find it somewhere ....

Heaven is ....

... floating for an hour today down the lazy river at Cherry Hill with my sleeping 2 yr. old daughter cozied in my lap. I got a bit of a suntan, Elle got some much needed rest -- perfection.

Notes to the Universe, part deux

Dear Werewolf Jacob -- In the words of Lauren on her very funny blog, "Why is the little man child lookin' hottspice?" I might just become a Jacob fan now. I'm old enough to be your mother, but hello....

Dear Mr. Appraiser -- I'm still not liking you at all. In case you were wondering.

Dear new plush, semi-shaggy carpet in my house -- Big thank you for hiding so much stinkin' dirt! I hardly have to vacuum anymore. Please cough up all of the Polly Pocket shoes that you are currently hiding, though.

Dear So You Think You Can Dance -- I'm addicted. Just start again already. Same for you, Lost.

Dear fingernails -- I'm sorry I had fake nails put on 6 months ago and have been trying to grow out the shaved-down version of you ever since. Never again. Promise.

Dear Dad -- I'm thrilled that your body continues to respond well to treatment. I love you more than you know.

Dear blogging friends -- Some of you know that I read your blogs, others of you have no idea. Hopefully my anonymity doesn't freak you out. But you all make me laugh and help me get through the day with a smile on my face. (Especially you, e, for the recent soap opera post. I'm still chuckling.)

Dear random customer at Yogurt Stop -- Thank you for standing in front of me in line so that I could watch you put raspberries and hot fudge on your vanilla frozen yogurt. It's been my favorite ever since.

Dear drive-through Texaco -- Thank you for being 2 minutes from my house and for serving me my daily 32 oz. Diet Coke so I don't even have to get out of my car. Nectar of the gods. Truly.

Dear Bountiful -- Thank you for being nestled right up next to the mountains so that we can drive 5 minutes from our house and be in the most amazing setting. How great to have a beautiful canyon in our backyard. Last night's impromptu campfire bbq was awesome.

Dear girlfriends -- How would I survive without you clever, funny, creative, giving, hard-working, frazzled, silly, wonderful women? You know who you are.

Dear Zimbabwe -- Be nice to my in-laws. Pretty please.

Ooops...

I've been cutting hair since I was on a mission. Not professionally ("Never had one lesson!" Ferris Bueller), but I have managed to cut companions' hair, Mike's and the kids' hair and my own from time to time.

The other night, I gave Christian a haircut. He said he wanted a buzz; I managed to convince him to have a longer, one-length cut. I put on a #3 attachment and started shaving. As I neared the top of his head, I laughed and said, "Let's give you a mohawk and surprise dad when he gets home in awhile." His hair wasn't that long to begin with so it wasn't an extreme mohawk. We gel'd it and spiked it up. Mike and I actually thought it looked pretty cool. Christian said, "I know I can't have it for Sunday (which we'd never actually said but pretty good logic on his part) but can I keep it for the week and shave it on Saturday?" We agreed and he's had fun the past few days wearing a mohawk to school. I'm kicking myself for never getting a picture.

This morning before school, Christian said, "OK, I'm ready to shave it off. Will you cut it before I go?" And here's where I made my huge mistake. I took the electric razor in my hand and started shaving right down the middle of his mohawk .... without having put the attachment on the razor. It was down to the scalp. I looked, stunned, at the bald stripe on his head (a mohawk in reverse) and wasn't sure what to say. He looked in the mirror and instantly had tears welling up in his eyes. I tried to back-pedal, telling him we'd just shave the whole thing, it wasn't that bad, it's just hair, it'll grow back, you've had buzz cuts before, this is just shorter ..... but my heart was breaking for him. After the shock wore off, I gave Christian the razor and he shaved some of his hair off and I finished it up. Then we looked in the mirror together.

Then I had a teaching moment with my son. I said, "Christian, your attitude about this will determine the way people react. If you walk into class, looking sad, saying, 'Look what my mom did. I'm so bummed.' then everyone will feel sorry for you or laugh at you or whatever. If, on the other hand, you turn this into a funny/cool thing and you walk into class laughing and say, 'Look what I did! I totally shaved all of my hair off! I took the razor and just started shaving and my mom was freaking out!' then all of the kids will laugh with you. And if someone says, 'You're bald!' then you say, 'I know! It feels so cool!' " He started laughing with me and I could see the lightbulb turn on in his head. He grabbed his aviator sunglasses and said, "Let's go to school." By the time I dropped him off, he smiled and said, "See ya, mom" and strutted inside.

I'm hoping his bravado lasts through the day and that he doesn't get teased too badly. He's a pretty confident kid so I'm fairly sure he can pull it off. Here's hoping I didn't do too much psychological damage to my child. Who knows? Maybe kids near and far will come knocking asking to be as bald as Christian. Kind of doubt it but I'm going to convince Christian that bald is the way to go. Maybe his dad can help him on that one. Bald is beautiful at our house.

Cousins' Campout

As part of the pre-mission festivities for the Mayfield family, we had a campout at Paul & Alison's home. 5 tents, 12 adults, 13 kids, countless sleeping bags, pillows and blankets, great dinner and breakfast and plenty of snack food. Our kids have been asking to do it again ever since the minute we took the tent down.

How many Mayfield men does it take to put up a tent?

Even the empty tents were appealing to the kids ... The best part was hearing kids laughing, brothers talking and laughing, moms comparing kids' antics and laughing .... So much fun.Haley played the Tinkerbell game with Elle. She flashes the light around pretending it's Tink and Elle tries to catch her.Pumpkin pancakes with buttermilk syrup. Finger-lickin' good. Grandpa let the girls bounce him around for quite awhile. Simple pleasures.Definitely didn't get much sleep but it was worth it. Here's to the next campout, hopefully not 2 years away ....