"Let me do it!"

Paige likes to drink out of anyone's cup. (She also want to hold it herself...Let me do it!)Apparently someone did not set their drink back far enough on the counter. The little elf with her eagle eye spied it on the edge of the counter. Very sneakliy she reached for it with her little fingers...Kapow, Splash, Scream, Crash...
You can guess the rest. As a side note why is Koolaide not clear? Why the red Dye?

The only thing in Life that matters is...

Monday we had a Family Home Evening Lesson about the way we treat others. Lee was explaining to the kids that the only thing that defines you as a person is how you treat others. If you treat people bad you are a bad person... It doesn't matter if you are rich or good at sports etc. Then we proceeded to the activity portion of FHE. Polishing our basketball skills or lack thereof. Lee was not pleased with our skills so many lessons, drills etc. ensued. Shani was furious and tried slacking, Ty told Lee that he was not going to try out for Basketball anyway so why are we doing this. Trey loved every moment. Ty and Shani's lack of enthusiasm kept us practicing (me included) for almost 3 hours. Later that night when Ty was in bed and frustrated he asked why if the only thing that matters in life is how you treat others why does dad say it is so important to be good at sports? Good question. So I concluded the two most important things in life are how you treat others and if you were competitive and competent in most sports. Words to live by!!!

Piggy Tails!!

Paige has managed to give herself a mullet. In order for her to relax or go to sleep she pulls out her pony tail and bow on top of her head and then pulls her hair. Thus the mullet. She can't reach the hair in the back only the front. Today we tried a new hair do that accentuates her elfish features but she sure looks cute!

Love and Limits

I have been teaching parenting classes for the last 4 years. Mostly to extremely dysfunctional families. The buzz words are "Love and Limits" finding the balance. Too much "Limits" and no "Love" create rebellious, bitter, controlling, and perfectionist children and adults... Too much "Love" and no "Limits" is supposed to create children and adults with no boundaries, no structure, no understanding of the real world... basically spoiled monsters.

I often use my upbringing as examples in my classes. ( I have great stories thanks to my siblings and my mom and dad, some stories are not believeable!) A couple of weeks ago I was at the Juvenile Detention Center teaching parenting and Fatherhood Classes to ajudicated 15-18 year olds. (I love those guys... again thanks to my upbringing) I was telling a story from my family and I began to cry. We were discussing "Self-Image" and what feeds it. How parents from infancy create either positive or negative self-image in their children based on what they tell them. I spoke of how my mother always told me how beautiful, kind and talented I am. Then showed a picture of me in 7th grade. My teeth were jacked up, my hair was mousy and stringy, I had bulging eyes... Not a pretty sight! But nonetheless I have always believed myself to be beautiful, talented, and kind because of the endless or unconditional love of my Mother (and father). I always thought you needed a balance of "Love" and "Limits" to become a healthy adult. I have since learned that I would rather err on the side of "Love" with my children and change who they see themselves as and who they become because of my too much "Love".

Thank you mom for your example of Christlike love!

Happy Belated Birthday!

He's almost 40 and still alive...

Here's a Happy Birthday shout out to Lee. Today he is 38...

The miracle is that he is alive. I don't think he hoped or thought he would live this long...He is always sure he has "Hanta Virus, West Nile, Skin Cancer, Just plain old Cancer, Heart Disease, Brain Tumor, Bird Flu etc". (In that way he and Shani are very alike. Very in tune with every ailment and slight dysfunction in their body. )

Anyways turns out Today he has none. He is just a 38 year old Petroleum engineer at ConocoPhillips who gets up and is at work every morning at 7:00am and comes home at 6:00pm. I know this is not the life he dreamed of or dreams of, but his family appreciates him taking a break from his endless quest for knowledge, horses, and creating a legacy so we can be settled for the moment.

Happy Birthday to the most Brilliant, Complex, Funny, and Spiritual Man I have ever Loved!