In-Laws

Why does the term "in-law" have such a negative connotation?



I just spent a weekend with my inlaw parents and sisters (and spouses and kids) in St. David without John (who was on a scout campout) and had a great time. Of course I missed John, but I never got uncomfortable or sick of being with my inlaws. Since day one, all of them have made me feel part of the family.



I'll never forget some wise council I received from my Grandpa Andersen. He said, "when you marry someone, you marry into his family too." And he would tell me that a good way to judge a possible future husband is to watch how he interacts with his siblings and parents, and to watch how his parents interact with each other. That's a good indicator of how a possible future husband would treat me someday. So true.



I can honestly say that I love my inlaws and enjoy being in their presence just as much as being around my own siblings. My best friends and favorite people are the sisters in my life, and considering I only had one sister growing up, most of my sisters are in-laws. I started with one sister, and now I have nine. And all are amazing women that I respect and admire.

And St. David was fun. The kids enjoyed b-b gun shooting, playing in the river, visiting Kartchner Caverns, going on hikes, playing games, riding horses, building forts, jumping on the trampoline, etc. . . And I enjoyed being with my inlaws!

Already looking forward to next time.

A few Days of Heaven

John and I checked of our lives last weekend and went on a "three-day date", as the kids called it. Thanks a million to family who held down the fort while we were gone. We left the house Thursday morning and didn't come home until Saturday night.

We didn't go far, we didn't do anything really exciting, and it didn't cost us a lot of money. But it was a perfect getaway for both of us. We had the time and energy to focus on being husband and wife (not mom, dad, bread winner, scout master, taxi, homework helper, cook, house cleaner, comforter, etc. . . ) It's unfortunate that sometimes these lead rolls take the back seat with the craziness of family life. "Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan"--not just a nice thing, but essential! http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,FF.html

We came home ready to take on the army (made up of five, almost six, little people) and returned revived and refreshed. And of course more in love than ever.

I love that I can honestly say that I married my best friend. And life continues to get sweeter with time. Marriage is a beautiful thing!

The Humble Hero

Taylor finished his basketball season last week. All but one game, they lost BIG TIME, like by 20 points minimum. Our family attended his end-of-the-season party last weekend. The coach recognized each player with an award and a candy bar. John and I had to laugh when we heard Taylor's award. He got the "Humble Hero" award. What?

The coach said that whenever the team started to do well or made a nice play, Taylor would always remind them, "guys, let's not get cocky". Coach seemed to be impressed with that; we thought it was hilarious--especially considering they were never even close to winning a game.

"Don't get cocky and start thinking we're all THAT because we just made a nice shot; we were 23 points behind and now we're ONLY 21 behind."

Always a good reminder for all of us. --Don't get cocky!

We're still laughing.

It's a Test

I had to laugh a few mornings ago about a conversation I had with Taylor. Here's some background:

Last week for Family Night we talked about the importance of showing LOVE in our home. After a good discussion, we drew names secretly. The goal was to secretly show love to that special person throughout the week, then leave a heart and maybe a valentine treat or a nice note in that person's room to let them know they were loved.

So, throughout the week, I frequently found my shoes picked up, my bed made, and nice notes left on my bathroom counter. And I tried to do secret service for my special person too.

Thursday morning the kids were racing to get ready for school. As they filed down stairs for breakfast, I checked their bedrooms (as I frequently do) and noticed that both boys had not made their beds. So I told Mason and Taylor to walk back upstairs and make their bed. Mason turned right around and was quick to obey. Taylor, on the other hand, acted like he didn't hear me.

I said it louder and made sure I had eye contact. He kept walking down stairs, saying he didn't want to make his bed that morning. What? He's usually not blatantly disobedient like this.

I looked at him, wondering what was going on. "Mom, it's a test", he said with a sly smile. After further questioning, I learned that he wasn't sure if anyone really drew his name at Family Home Evening. He thought this because he hadn't noticed that anyone had done anything special for him. There hadn't been any nice notes in his room, no valentine treats on his bed, no hearts with his name on it. And he wanted whoever had him as a special person to have a good chance to do something nice--like make his bed. He went on to tell me that he purposely messed up his bed really bad so that if anyone was looking for secret service, it would be very obvious.

I laughed and let him off the hook for making his bed that morning. Then after school, I made sure that the person who had Taylor as their secret person (which happened to be Abby) knew of Taylor's plot. He came home with a nicely made bed, a nice note with tons of candy on his pillow. Proof that his name was drawn!

That act of service made all the difference! And he felt loved.

Taylor's Win

Taylor's writing contest just got posted online. For those interested in reading more and/or seeing his entry (and entries from other students), check out www.chandleraz.gov/unity, then click on "writing winners" and his will show up in his category.

And We're Having A . . . . .

John and I enjoyed finding out that as far as things look now, we are going to have a healthy baby. GIRL!!!

I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a shock. Another boy would be so convenient in terms of passing down clothes, toys, and sharing a bedroom. And we all thought it would be fun for Andersen to have a buddy. The others have come in pairs, why not Andersen and this next one too?

And even looking at the ultrasound, John and I both thought we saw "boy". But what we were really seeing was the umbilical cord.

So, pink it is. And we're thrilled!

Ready for Bed

Tonight I checked on each of the kids before retiring, and I found this little buster awake in his crib, hugging his basketballs.

Andersen doesn't need a special blanket or stuffed animal to sleep with. As long as he has a few balls to wrap his arms around, he's happy to go to sleep. And in the morning, we frequently hear him yelling game calls to himself as he shoots his baskets, like "awesome, I made a basket. . . sweet!. . . , almost. . . two points. . . ".

Sweet dreams ball boy!