Tribute to Friendship

Autumn and I became "best friends" in the 5th grade. We honestly grew up together. We spent every possible night at each other's homes, and shared everything like sisters. There were times when we would return trash bags full of borrowed clothes. We only lived a few blocks from each other and spent our days and nights roaming the neighborhood and the desert. Growing up in a very small, isolated town meant very creative entertainment. When it would rain we would get on old denim shorts and head out to the edge of the mesa and make waterslides down the cliffs. It was not a pain free experience, but worth the trade off. We both ran cross country, track, and played tennis. High School, in a lot of ways, was bliss for us. I was allowed to take our family boat out on Lake Powell at 17 after passing "the test" with my dad. We would go out as often as possible to ski and swim. We were fortunate to have a great group of girl friends, and we all still stay in touch. Of all the things I am grateful for in my life are the many wonderful friends I have been blessed with, both then and now.

Hiking in Arizona

After a very late flight we got up early to take a hike with family and friends in the White Tank mountains. It was a beautiful day and we were very excited to wear shorts and enjoy the sunny weather. I was just excited that the stress of traveling was over!

It was a sad farewell to Dad as we headed off on our vacation. Mary was not happy that I scheduled a trip that her dad could not go on. I didn't realize that Jacob did not remember his previous experiences on airplanes. So he was very excited and exclaimed,"Mom, this is my first time on an airplane!"

Since our flight left at 8:30pm it was not a full flight, thankfully. After drinks and a snack all the kids passed out. I knew it would be a late night, but well worth the peace of sleeping children on a 3 1/2 hour flight. I was very grateful that it turned out as planned. It potentially could have turned into a nightmare with Brooke. She is not much for sitting still, and with no carseat it would have been a challenge!

Latest Crafts

Well, after being inspired by my very capable friend Lisa, I decided it was time to finish a few crafts that have been on hold for too long. So here are a few of them. Still more to go, but I have made a good start. It has been so fun to get back into it. It seems like I am barely recovering from Christmas, and it is nearly Easter. (Not that the weather would let you think spring was nearing.)

We love Aunts and Uncles

There are a few things that our kids really love. Two of them include getting packages and going to Bonkers. This past week they were thrilled to experience both of them thanks to their aunts and uncles.


They got a sweet package for Valentine's Day from Mike and Steph which was full of yummy treats. Jacob had stuffed all his kisses in his pocket and when I warned him they would melt he said, "I will just eat them all now." I proceeded to tell him they would make him sick, he said, "that's o.k. I'm already sick." What else could I say?
One of the treats was a push pop with a cupid on the lid. So, after learning the purpose of the cupid from his sisters, Jacob then slyly asked me, "Mom, do you know what a cupid does?" I answered, "No, what?". "They shoot people with their arrows and make them loooove". He felt so mischievious just saying it.


After many weeks of wondering when we were going to take them Bonkers, we finally went on Saturday for their Christmas gift from Uncle Jason and Aunt Debbie. The kids had a blast running and climbing through all the tunnels and going down the slides. It really is a fun place, but Moss and I didn't last long before we both felt a little nautious. I also understand a little better now why we are counseled not to gamble. When we took the kids to the upper level to play arcade games, they went crazy trying to get as many tickets as possible so they could buy a prize. Forget all the fun games, all they cared about were tickets, tickets, tickets. They went straight for the big jackpots in hopes of winning it big. Luckily they did win it big a few times, and they were able to pick out one of those amazing prizes.

A Crappy Moment

I have to admit that I love to watch when this happens. It seems that each of our kids has had this same experience of freely pooing in the bath, and then being horrified by it. I love how they call out for help as the floater is moving toward them. So, of course I had to document it. I have a clip just like this of Jake trying desperately to get away.


(Dedicated to Aunt Steph!)

Valentine's Day Dinner

So I totally stole this idea from my very clever and creative friend Sarah. She was telling about their tradition of having a family restaurant where they serve the kids (many of you have already read about it on her blog). I knew it would be a big hit with the kids. So we decided to give it a go. Moss was the waiter and I was the cook (of course). The girls loved having a menu and sitting at the table alone, and then to be served by a dramatic waitor was very entertaining. Poor Jacob missed it all. He fell asleep on the way home from decorating Moss' truck.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a very nice day. I ended up being in charge of Mary's class party and never even took one picture it was so busy. I was just glad it went off without a hitch. After school we went and decorated Moss' truck in the parking garage. The kids had a great time tieing balloons onto it and putting Valentine stick-ons on the windows. (I have to give Lisa credit for that idea.) How is it that after a whole day focused on the kids they ask "Is there a Kids' Day?" It stems from the fact that there are holidays officially titled "Mother's Day" and "Father's Day".

The Answer

Well, I found the answer to my question posed in the previous entry, Dinner time or Torture? I went to our church leadership broadcast yesterday, and Elder Oaks repeated something he had taught in his most recent General Conference address, Good, Better, Best. I had to include it since I imagine many young Mom's face very similar battles when it comes to dinner.

The number of those who report that their “whole family usually eats dinner together” has declined 33 percent. This is most concerning because the time a family spends together “eating meals at home [is] the strongest predictor of children’s academic achievement and psychological adjustment.”3 Family mealtimes have also been shown to be a strong bulwark against children’s smoking, drinking, or using drugs.4 There is inspired wisdom in this advice to parents: what your children really want for dinner is you.
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=5ce926cb31cf5110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

After having read this I decided the benefits of having dinner far out-weigh the negatives. So I guess I will keep making it. Some how gagging, crying, spills, wasted food, and dishes pale in comparison the possibility of smoking, drugs, and drinking. If you are trying to decide which battles to fight, this might be one you want to win!

Dinner Time or Torture?

It is amazing the time and energy I put into food, all the while thinking that I am truly blessing my family. Well some how over the past 8 years I totally missed the reality that I am actually torturing my children! How is it that of all my responsibilities as a mom, my least favorite task is making dinner and cleaning it up, and the kids least favorite thing is to have to eat it, yet I keep doing it night after night????

Mary is trying to finish her dinner without gagging in order to get some ice cream. Very motivated!

The Annual Pine Wood Derby

This is the second year a pinewood derby has been hosted by the Elders Quorum in our ward (much thanks to our friend Matt Webb). Some how it comes up so much faster than we anticipate and Moss runs out of time to perfect his car. Unfortunately we underestimated the hopes of the kids for winning the race. Needless to say, our car did not perform to expectations. Mary was devastated. We will definitely have to take it more seriously in the future! Thanks to the Hill's, we did manage one victory for which Jacob was very proud! He is still carrying, the now 3-wheeled, car all around. He loves it despite its failings.

Here they all are having a good time in the cold garage the night before the big race. It's all about the experience, right?

Busy, Busy, Capable Brooke

This girl is going to wear me out! She is a chair pushin', counter-climbing, brother-wackin' girl. She being so adorable does not help. Her sisters protect her ferociously from her brother, who is usually the victim of an aggressive attack. This is her after a climb on the counter to find a bag of thawed mixed berries. The picture below is her 30 seconds after I left the kitchen. You'll notice the bar stool on the counter. I accidentally left one down when I ate lunch. She took full advantage of my neglect! She was so proud.

We want to be like Dad

Sunday afternoon the kids entertained themselves by playing dress-ups in Moss' closet. They had a great time and thought themselves very funny. They were pretty cute all dressed up.

Mommy Moments

There are some moments in my life as a mother that I would rather not remember, or ever go through again. Yet somehow, I cannot help but feel that there are many such moments yet to come.
As I was getting ready one morning Brooke came in and pulled out the pretty pink tube and walked away. Why didn't alarm bells go off I ask myself? How is it that after 3 children, I am naive enough to believe that a 20 month old is incapable of opening a mascara container? Of course those inner promptings came, and yet I did nothing. As I finished my own beautification process Brooke returned to the bathroom to display herself. I have to say that even as I took this picture I was not laughing. I am sure that if it were not for this blog, it never would have been taken! It might have been funnier if it had not been spread across my living room carpet as well. Fortunately with a little vacuum action (0n the carpet) and some soap all was restored!
I have Moss' mother, Charlotte, to thank for this precious moment. His mom feeds blue birds, and Mary was desparate to have some worms of her own. Being the kind Grandma that she is, she made Mary a nice little bowl full to take home. You can be certain that what you see in this picture are worms. They were sitting in the kitchen window sill waiting for their fate to arrive. We had opened the window for a little fresh air and when I pulled it down to close it, the window caught the edge of the worm container. The container flipped over and worms were everywhere. Of course the sink was full of dirty dishes and the worms found their way into every bowl. I must say it nearly made me nautious to see all those worms squirming in my sink drain as I washed them down.

Mary Rules the World

Sunday night at family council Anna started telling us about this wonderful dream she had the night before and how sad she was when she woke up and realized it was only a dream. Mary then continued and said, "You know what I dreamed about last night? I dreamed I ruled the world! And then when I woke up, I was like Ah man." As parents, our jaws dropped. What kid dreams about ruling the world, or even thinks of that? I guess we should not have been that surprised considering Mary came to this earth with her dominant personality. Mary is going to be in charge one day, and is totally frustrated by the fact that she is not in charge right now!

Jacob's Motivational Story

As usual, kids can say the most amazing and surprising things. Yesterday we had a few of those moments. Anna was terrified at the idea of giving the scripture in primary. So, I attempted to persuade her on the way to church by explaining that we all need to pitch in and do our part and that everyone there is her friend. She was by no means persuaded, and Jacob must have sensed that I was losing so he stepped in to help. "Anna, I know a story about a boy who ran away from Heavenly Father, and he got swallowed by a big whale!. Do you want to get swallowed by a big whale?" It took me a minute to catch on, and I enjoyed a good (inside) laugh the rest of the way to church. Unfortunately Anna was not convinced, and Mary kindly stepped in and helped her out in Primary.

Mornings at the Fenbergs

Brooke has been drinking the milk out of her bowl since she was about 9 months old. She is never finished until it is completely emptied!

Our mornings begin very early around here. I guess it is a positive thing that the kids are so excited about beginning a new day... Fortunately our kids have a good time together despite the frequent arguments that erupt throughout the day. My heart goes out to my own mother as I think back on all the times she begged us to quick bickering and just play nicely together. I took this little quip this morning as I was totally amazed at the raucus party that was occuring around me. Sometimes I feel like I am living someone else's life as I realize that all of these children are mine, and I am responsible for their upbringing. I often wonder, "How did I get here?" Of course I love my children dearly and we have a great time together. They are a daily reminder of what life is all about despite the news and horrible things that are going on around us everyday. I hope you enjoy the little clips and insight to our daily life.

I have to admit that it sort of reminds me of those clips you see on that show Super Nanny. Not to mention how superbly clean our home is in the background! It is no wonder why we cannot get to school on time.

Hopefully this has not ruined your image of our perfect family life!

New Room

The girls received new beds as part of their Christmas gifts, along with other room decor. So, we spent the new year holiday putting it all together. It is still a work in progress, but the girls are thrilled to have their own space. They spent the evening giving out spontaneous hugs to both Moss and I. They weren't too sure about getting a new room instead of all toys for Christmas, but I think they are convinced it was a good trade. Not that they didn't get plenty of toys anyway!

Christmas In NC

We made another journey east to celebrate the Christmas holiday with Moss' family. While the trip is quite long and laborious, the kids did great. Anna kept insisting that there was a short cut to Grandma's house and if we had taken it we would have already been there. I am still not sure which shortcut she was referring to, but I would love to find it! The long trip was well worth the great time we had while there. The kids love to be with cousins and aunts and uncles who adore them! They played and played, and the weather was so nice most of the time that they could be outside and run around.

We had everyone draw names for a family gift exchange. We all sat around and sang Christmas carols while the children anxiously awaited the chance to open their gift. While they do love to get gifts, their eyes lit up as they watched the person open the gift they gave them. I think they are starting to feel the spirit of giving!

We spent one afternoon making bread, and my niece lilias was very interested in being a part of the process. She could not wait for a chance to roll out the dough. She really pitched in and was a quick learner. She very willing to help anyone else on their turn if they needed it! (I have to admit that I chose this picture because I think my arms look unusually good.)
Brooke is crazy about babies. If she sees a carseat or stroller she is not satisfied until she sees the baby in it. She thinks she is such a big girl that she should be able to hold the baby by herself. Mary still loves to be a big helper and pitched right in when it came to little Roland.

The kids each received a new scooter for Christmas. They have a great time zipping around together.

Decorating with Grandma Charlotte

One of the highlights of visiting Moss' mom is that the kids get to decorate a piece of pottery. They were thrilled to get to eat out of their very own bowls they had decorated the last time we were there. Moss' mom Charlotte is a decorator by trade and is amazing. I love having her work displayed throughout our home.

These vases are some of her work. She is well known for these amazing birds.