instillling fear

the other night we were telling Alex the story of Daniel and the Lions den. He was very interested in the story and kept asking me to tell it over and over, each time emphasizing a new point in the story and asking tons of questions. I kept thinking, wow, I need to tell a different scripture story every night, he's really in to this. (and in the process I might learn a thing or two.)
So jump ahead an hour or so and we're getting ready to say a blessing on the food. Alex always wants to say it, so I was a little surprized when he didn't jump right in. I asked him if he wanted to say the prayer and he shook his head, wide-eyed. I asked why not and he said,
"because I don't want to be thrown into the lions den."

learning how to be polite

Alex referring to an ornament on our Christmas tree:
"Mom, I want that car and I want it now."

"How do we ask?"

"nice"

And so Alex responds in a slightly higher, and extremely sweet voice:
"Mom, I want that car and I want it now."

just now realizing that she's not a baby anymore

it begins

I should have taken my filter off, I suppose, for the christmas light glare, but I kind of like how the tiny points of light extend into the picture.
I'm weird like that.

Alex:
"The Christmas tree is so beautiful, mom. I love it! and I love astronauts!"

I don't know.

the giving of thanks

Yesterday Alex treated us all with the story of the first thanksgiving in front of the whole bracken family. It was quite possibly the proudest moment of my life. He stood on a chair in front of 30 people and told us all about the bossy king of England who wouldn't let the pilgrams pray their own prayers or pay money to their own church, and so they moved to Holland where their children suddenly turned into Dutchman, and they didn't like that, so they moved to America and met the indians who taught them how to grow corn and squash and that's where they ate Thanksgiving together.

I know. Impressive, right?
(not the run-on sentance...my gifted child.)

It was a great day, although I missed my family. They were going to go to a cousin's house for Thanksgiving this year and then they got deathly ill and ended up staying home. We had pie with them last night, but it wasn't quite the same. Hopefully everyone will come for Christmas.

Hope everyone had a fun, relaxing turkey day.
Beka out.

Just a few pictures

Playing with my manual settings and having a really good time.
You know, I think this photography thing could really catch on...

Reminding me very much of Kate

I just bairly got these pictures taken before she ripped one out, but doesn't she look like Katelyn with those pigtails??

Love it.

And with a tinge of sadness...

We retire number 7.


Alex's season came to a close on Saturday with a match up between the Read Dragons and the Red Bricks. If "bricks" is meant to imply that they were solid and hurt when they hit, then bricks are what they were. These kids were enormous and fast and aggressive. After the game I asked the coach how old they were, and sure enough they were a year older. What a difference a year makes!
However, I must say that our mighty Red Dragons have brave dragon hearts and really stepped up to those bigger guys. I don't know if we scored as many goals (because we don't keep score) but we sure gave them a run for their money. We scored the first goal and kept up pretty well until the last quarter when our little guys just ran out of steam. I am so proud of how well they have improved over the last several weeks.

Especially my Alex who would not set foot onto the field until 2 games ago, and then we couldn't get him off.

I guess we will be playing again next year.

The art of parenting, or lack thereof

It's been a very hard day. I seldom just sit and lament on my blog, but I need therapy today.
It is our first day back after spending the night without the kids and oh my goodness are they making me pay. Alex, who is typically way too sensitive about everything anyway was particularly on edge. The thing I hate the most is not so much when he says he hates me, (although that's pretty bad) but when he is mean to his friends. I just worry all the time that somehow I'm failing him as a parent and he's taking it out on everyone around him.
Ah, motherhood guilt.
The other thing that's gnawing at me, and has been for the last 2 years, is the feeling that we need to move, and I just can't bear it. The truth is, we moved the kids back upstairs into a shared bedroom because Alex wasn't doing well downstairs (constantly in our bed)and so now we are essentially living upstairs. So the upstairs won't be big enough for us for much longer, but we don't use the downstairs enough to even justify having it. I just don't see any other way around it, but the thought of leaving this neighborhood makes me want to cry. We keep talking about Sand Hollow, but I know that it will be mostly retired people, so I'm not sure the exchange is worth it..

unless we can get some friends out there...any takers? Jake will get you a great deal, I'm sure...

Ah, me. Life.
That is all.

our trip to las vegas in pictures

On our way to Vegas sans kids

"oh man, these curly fries taste so, so good. I don't remember them ever tasting so good.

Actually, I don't know if it's that they are necessarily better than before, or if it's that these curly fries are served with a side of no kids..."

worst nightmare

Today I was at the church with the kids helping to set up for an enrichment activity when suddenly I realized that Lily was gone. I immediately ran outside because the kitchen door was open and Alex was right there playing but Lily was nowhere to be found. Usually when I call her name she starts talking and wandering back toward me, but I couldn't hear anything this time. I sent Alex around one side of the church and I started running around the other toward Valley View Drive. The first thing I saw were cars stopped on that busy, busy road. Then I saw my neighbor who just happened to be right there jump out of her car and shout, "Lily!"
Just typing this sends me into panic and brings tears to my eyes. I just can't believe how bad it might have been.
A nice man got out of his car and carried her out of the street because at my fastest sprint I still couldn't get there fast enough. I honestly felt like I was running through water. I can not even express to you how frighteningly busy Valley View Drive is.
4 lanes.
So I grabbed Lily and held on to her as tight as I could trying to fight back the tears. This is something I always worry about with her because she is so fast and so curious. I was really trying to keep a good eye on her but it only took a milisecond.
I was so shaken by the time I got back to the building that I had to go into the bathroom and compose myself. Just the thought of what might have happened sends me into absolute panic.
Jan (the neighbor who stopped) said that 2 seconds after we got her out of the street a car came speeding up the road way too fast.
I am counting my many many blessings tonight.

Milestone

Last night at about 1230am Jake and I awoke with a start when we heard a door slam in the house. We both just layed there trying to figure out what gust of wind or nightly spirit could have caused this to happen.

And then we heard a toilet lid rise.
And then we heard peeing.
And then we heard flushing.
And then we heard a door slam again.
And then we didn't have a little boy enter our bed because he was back in his own.

And then I stayed awake for 45 more minutes because I couldn't stop smiling.

CZ with too much time on her hands

This made me laugh so hard this morning. This is for all of us who have ever been bitten by the scrapbook bug and then found ourselves at a loss for inspiration.
It just may take scrapbooking into the next century.
You never know.

ps. you might want to pause my music player at the bottom right hand side of my page so you can hear it.

A contest, some artwork, and a really yummy green drink

Well, I guess I pretty much gave everything away in the title...
I pronounce Megan the winner of the Ultimate Scrapbook Giveaway. Congratulations and thank you for the delicious bread that I have succeeded in eating in entirety. (with a little help from others, but not enough to justify it being gone so quickly.)
(note, I do not have a picture of the bread for that very reason.)
Here is a picture of the art project happening as we speak.
I'm a little scared to go back in there.
And here is the green drink I've been making that makes the ingestion of the yummy bread OK. Or at least not fatal.

Bottoms up!

It's delicious, really.

Ultimate scrapbook give-away!

Contest Rules:
1. we know each other.
2. You get here first.
3. You pick the said scrapbook items up from me-I do not deliver and I do not take phone reservations. Unless you are really nice. And then you still have to come get it.
4. If you win any contests using my stuff you must acknowledge me in some way. (Come on, it's the only way I'm ever gonna get mentioned in a scrapbook capacity.)
5. If, in the unlikely event that I decide I need to scrapbook something and I need something I gave away, I am allowed limited access to whatever materials I might require from the given-away stash, plus I will provide 1 (one) plate of cookies baked by me or purchased at a reputable supermarket and approved by the FDA.

OK, so it might not be the biggest giveaway ever, and I may not have the most up-to-date stuff, but I've got plenty of tools and ditties that I'll never use, so whomever wants them should come to my house where they will be given away on a first-come-first-serve basis.
I think this may only apply to Megan and Amy.

Who, I might add, make up the great bulk of my readership.
Good luck, ladies!

My little servant

I can remember being a kid and accusing my mother of having kids only so she could use them as slaves to do her bidding.

It's a pretty great racket, if you ask me.

Alex-overheard while playing at the park

"Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to bad guys
Happy birthday to you.

Here bad guys, have some cake."

I guess even gad guys have birthdays.

Sand Hollow

If I look a little unsteady that's because wow those things are a little trickier than they look.
Sunset
side-seat driver
Lynda and Ron having the time of their lives...
Golf course sprinklers

Like the Throne of angels

Jake came home last night with a big box covered in Japanese writing.

Isn't that exciting?

He told me it was my Christmas present so my mind started going crazy thinking about what it might be. Maybe it was that scanner I've been asking for ever since mine broke a year ago. Or maybe it was some cool thing for my camera. Maybe it was a giant Hello Kitty doll...

No, wait; that would be for Merrill.

Aaanyway, I followed him around the house until he opened it. (By Christmas present what he meant was a box that is sitting right here that is technically for Christmas but begs, no, demands to be opened immediately, so really it's more like a pre-Christmas, so really not for Christmas at all.)

Honestly, the anticipation was killing me and my mind was enlarging it into a grander and grander gift until finally...

a toilet seat.

Oh ya. He told me about this. Some kind of thing that shoots water at you and heats up and what not.

*shrug*That's cool.

So he hooked it up and ran some wires and fiddled with this and that until it was ready for a test drive, which he graciously allowed me to commence.

It was as if the hands of angels gently supported my body while I was so thoroughly cleaned that I wondered how I didn't always shower after using the bathroom before. Actually, a shower has got nothin' on this baby.

It's like the throne of an angel.

I have seriously been spoiled for life. If anyone wants to come over and try it I will make sure it's disinfected for you, if you worry about that sort of thing.

In any case, my man knows his way around a Christmas gift.

Pictures!

Light sabering with Alexa's baby with Alexa in proxy.
Taking the new bike for a spin...with the light saber
We told him he could lick the frosting container...
Helping us ice cupcakes.
The gang eating cake and ice cream

Seth with his light-up light saber (glow stick)
Alex with his Jedi medal fighting the bad guys
The brown Vader cake. (It's really hard finding black food coloring after Halloween.)

Oh Seth, what will your mother say?

The Hawk
Frankie the Brave
Where's Lily?
There she is!
Sabering

More sabering
Distributing the obligatory birthday weapons.
Using the force.
Jedi Warriors need to develop agility
It was a fun weekend. That boy is so spoiled I can't even take it.

And Mom, he won't let go of that light-up light saber even for a minute.

Be prepared for a visitor when I just can't fight anymore...