Prepare to be amazed

Okay, I know I'm quite possibly the most talented person you know. What? The thought never occurred to you? Well if not, then you need to get to know me better. (My sarcasm is one of my talents by the way!) Dang it. Well, here is a small bit of proof that I am the man...or woman as the case may be. Observe the soon-to-be-8-year-old child...

Wearing the baptism jumper that I made! I know, your jaw just hit the floor. Emma is so glad that she doesn't have to wear the same unisex jumper that the boys wore. I am just proud that it didn't make it into the abyss where all my unfinished projects go to die. The real test will be when she gets the big dunk, will it separate at the waist and leave her with a story to tell her children? Impossible!

And then there was.....1.

Four little ducklings heading off to school. Where has the time gone? Four kids in the same school at once- it is a hard pill to swallow for me. I am sitting here at home, nearly alone. There is Leah, but I have forgotten how to communicate with only one little child. She has counted on Anna to schedule her day for so long that she doesn't know what she's supposed to do. I have counted on Anna to distract her for so long that I don't know what to do. And so we've been staring at each other most of the day. She rambles about the weirdest things. She harasses me about food all day long. Who is this child?

I dropped my confident little Anna off at her class this morning. It was the first time in a very long time I have seen her nervous. Anna is a loner, and I think she was under the misconception that she would have the teacher to herself. Whoops. The teacher's aid was trying to give her a pop-tart and milk and all Anna could do was stare at her like a deer caught in the head-lights.

Emma and Josh are perfectly at home at school. They are in their element and school is a purely social event for them. New shoes, new crayons, if only that would keep them happy all their lives!

Aaron is done. He is just done. School is a bore, his 6th grade teacher is mean, yada, yada, yada. His baseball game tonight is all he can think about. Are we really at Deacon age? I guess it is as dad always said, the brain surrender has begun.

And then there's me. I get to go wash a gargantuan pile of clothes! Oh, and then there will be filling out four kid's worth of forms and permission slips tonight. Aren't I lucky? Meanwhile Leah is waving my yardstick, babbling something about a warrior princess and panties. You see what I mean? How do I talk to this kid?

Josh going Fast, and a few candid photos

Fourth of July weekend was a busier weekend than usual. We underwent the Glazier invasion- Catherine and her family settled into Midland on Friday for a 3 day fun-fest. Cousins had time to reattach themselves,

Food to be consumed,
And many candid shots to be taken. Here are a few winners...


In lieu of fireworks, glowsticks!


Baby Dino



Fourth of July Barbecue- West Texas Thunderstorm-style


The face of perfection
Black markers make a tasty treat!
When the Taffy bag is empty, it also doubles as a stylish hat
And my personal favorite: "Hey Auntie Becca, take a picture of me NOT eating!

Thanks for the visit, the entertainment, and the priceless photos, Glaziers!
It was also a special weekend for the extended Huffman family. We were doing a special fast for Elisa and Daron, in hopes that they will soon be able to have a child of their own. Fasting is hard. It is hard for anyone, but especially for kids. We don't ask the little kids to fast, but we did give the ones over the age of baptism (8) the option of doing it with us.
Josh loves food. Let me say this again...Josh LOVES food. The decision to fast is a big one for him. He was dedicated to the cause, though, and fasted willingly.
A primary leader which shall go unnamed, brought refried beans with cheese on top and served them during sharing time! Shame! Poor Josh! Then to add insult to injury, he got candy in his class and was forced to pocket it until we broke the fast that night. He came home from church crying, and we could see how big a sacrifice it was for him. We learned from his example, and I'm sure he will be blessed as well as his aunt and uncle. It sure does make dinner that much more enjoyable, doesn't it Josh?

Gettin' my baby time

I'm getting my baby fix through my niece Maj-Lis this weekend. She is a doll, and fun for our kids to baby. Not only that, but she is a great eater! I just enjoyed watching her gouge at her mother with her corn cob- classic.

Parties, Weddings and houseguests, oh my!

If there has ever been a more jammed packed time in my life I don't know what it was. Tod's mom and her husband Ger got here on the 10th and stayed through the 12th. The treated the kids to almost entire days of swimming, UP! 3-D, and kids meals. They took us to dinner at Abuelo's and the Glenn Beck Common Sense tour at the theater. All in a matter of two days!

My responsibility was to get ready to deliver the wedding cake for Saturday, and I spent an entire day doing just that. I had forgotten in the last four years since we have been here how stressful it is to make a wedding cake, and I may never agree to it again!

Friday night, after spending all day baking and frosting, we went to Hobbs to have a family barbecue before the wedding. Lots of Tod's family was there and it was fun to sit and talk to people we normally only see up there. Saturday morning we drove back to Hobbs a second time, set up the cake and went to the wedding. After the wedding we went to the reception. The kids had a blast getting punch from a fountain, and I got to cut the cake- They gave me an apron that matches the tablecloth above as a gift...cute huh?

We got home after midnight Sunday night with Tod's brother Greg in tow, and Sunday morning Tod's dad, his wife Ellen , Tod's brother Jay and Jay's fiance Kris (whom I love!) made it over. Greg, Jay and Kris left later that day for home with a belly full of Gumbo (their first time).

Dad and Ellen stayed till Wednesday. They got to help us celebrate Leah's 4th birthday and help her shop for birthday dresses. Leah hates shorts and would wear a dress every day of the week if we let her. Ellen and I went to Kohls three times. She kept saying we were looking for Clarence. It actually took me a while to figure out that they were poking fun at me. Apparently I pronounce 'Clearance', 'Clarence'. Oh well, we definitely found him!

We had our nightly games of Euchre, and our daily games of Dirty Clubs. We never get enough card playing, and playing cards always means lots of tasty, off-limits food.

Thursday night I taught a three month food storage class at Enrichment that I had been studying and planning for since 3 weeks ago. I have learned so much about planning, gathering, preserving, storing, and thrifty shopping that my head is swimming.

Last night I flipped open my YW lesson manual (yes, I know I procrastinated) to figure out what I would be teaching today. It never ceases to amaze me how much the lessons and their subject matter were timed for me. I cried when I saw that it was about forgiveness, it seems like a cruel joke. No one knows what you suffer or endure. No one knows when your heart is breaking, except the Lord. It is amazing to me that he can communicate his love and support for us in the simplest of ways. I am so thankful to have these opportunities to learn and grow, and have a deeper perspective because of my membership in the church.

And so, life is somewhat back to normal. Father's day was quiet and I hope we can have a little break before the insanity begins again.

Look closely...

Right upper lip, fat lip and right chin...( sorry about the up-the-nose shot ;))

Leah is her mother's daughter- nearly everything around her represents a major hazard. Can you guess how she had her latest odd encounter today? Notice the distinctive pattern .

Little Bubbles

I hate looking at our blog and realizing I haven't written anything in weeks. It makes me feel guilty because this is somewhat like a family journal and the lack of writing suggests that I have no desire to document what is going on in our lives. I wait for events- birthdays, gerbil killings, etc. to offer our friends and family a peek into our lives. When family visits or we make the rare trips to their homes they always comment on how much the kids have changed. I guess for us it's like the frog it the pot- they change so gradually that we didn't even realize how we got to where we are.
Aaron outgrew his shoes at a record pace- before they had even worn out. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but this time I had to buy him a men's size 8, only three sizes smaller than his dad's. They are considerably bigger than my own.
It was disgusting.
I remember a woman in our ward in Hobbs telling me before Aaron was born that I should write down everything about the day he was born- the little looks, what I was thinking, his smell- and commit it all to memory. I didn't write it on paper, yet. I did commit it to memory though. Aaron had this perfectly shaped, velvety blond head. Every mother knows her baby's cry and smell. They've even done studies on it. I used to nuzzle his head and breathe in the smell of him. It was the first time in life I had felt that unconditional love of a child. I will never forget it.
The other day he came home from school with a pamphlet entitled, "Always Changing: You and Puberty". Gag. Are they serious? Little Aaron? Along with the pamphlet there were gifts! A toothbrush and deodorant. Laugh if you will, but they must be clairvoyant. How did they know his hair had gone from that velvety to greasy overnight? Not to mention there is this odd smell coming off of him like a junior high wrestling mat! Thank you pamphlet gods who have come in my time of need to rescue my baby from the throes of teenage weirdness!
This is how I document our lives. In the little bubbles that rise from the bottom of the boiling pot- little moments I take notice of the change in the water. I hope I can write something more interesting in my next blog post for once, I don't think I can stomach another gerbil incident though!