Big Breakfasts

Whenever we ask little Trenton what he wants to be when he grows up he replies, "A firefighter."  Which in and of itself is a noble profession, but the first time he said that I was slightly surprised and asked why.  He got a big grin on his face and said, "because they make big breakfasts!"  He has a video about firefighters and it shows how they cook for each other at the firehouse.  One meal they show is a breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns, sausage and toast.  For two years now this has been his aspiration - to be a firefighter so he can get a big breakfast.  This little boy LOVES a good breakfast and a couple things he's said to me this week have cracked me up.

This past summer we stayed at the La Quinta during a wedding where they do have exceptionally good, hot breakfasts. He thinks it is absolute heaven, because I let the little guy go to town when we're there - anything he wants: sausage, eggs, waffles, muffins, juice, sugar cereal, fruit, you name it, he eats it.  I think he dreams about it, and whenever we pass a hotel he shouts out, "Look a hotel!  Can we stay, Mom?  Please?" Today he opened a Christmas card with $5 from Choo-choo Grandma and ran it up to his piggy bank.  I asked what he was saving it for and he replied, "To stay in a hotel...so I can have their big breakfast!" 

When we flew home from Seattle yesterday (more to come on that trip), the pilot let him sit in the cockpit, push buttons and make an announcement to the plane.  He came back to our seat just glowing and I asked him if he wanted to fly planes when he grew up.  He pursed his lips together and slowly said, "Well, I bet they have big breakfasts at the airport before they fly, so yes...I could do that when I grow up."

Little Piece of Heaven

Have you ever had an unexpected piece of heaven - you plan something and have no idea how wonderful it could turn out. We did that the other night by planning an FHE with some of our dear friends. We had a delicious chili dinner, made gingerbread 'graham cracker houses,' and had a little musical Christmas presentation/sing-a-long. And for some reason during a busy holiday season, everything slowed down for a night, the stars aligned and it was heaven. Maybe it was using the 'other' side of our brain, the creative, musical side and giving the planning-stressing-cleaning-coordinating side a rest. Maybe it was the surprising delight & peace present with ten children and parents building gingerbread houses. Or the beauty of watching our little one's musical talents develop and unfold. Or perhaps simply being with friends who are more like family, who have been at the major & minor crossroads of life, walking side-by-side through the hills and valleys with each other and making it possible to not only survive, but thrive during this adventure we call life. We bring different talents and skills to the table make a complete circle of care, concern, and friendship. And that night it was complete. Perfect. A little piece of heaven.

6:57 a.m.

Every. Single. Morning.

This is when Blake, my alarm clock, goes off each morning. Without fail. No weekend sleep-ins, no pressing snooze. It does not matter if the child goes to bed at 7:30 or 10:00 - the consequence is not a different wake-up time simply a different level of grumpiness for him throughout the day. The consequence of "snooze" (letting Trenton get him out of the crib and putting a pillow over my ears while he yells "ma-mee, ma-mee, ma-mee,") is often a messy diaper and a diaper rash to battle for the next 3 days. It does not matter how dark the room is, how warmly he is clothed, what he has eaten the night before or whose house we are in, and he is certainly no respecter of vacations.

Now I realize you early morning seminary parents think I have nothing to complain about, but your 5:30-5:45 wake up time is not 365 days of the year. You have fall break, spring break, summers off, 3 day weekends, every weekend for that matter and winter vacation - things to look forward to.

I also realize it could be worse. It could be 5:57. That would be bad. And I am also fully aware this season of my life is better than seeing that clock at 1:45 and 5:00 facing a hungry baby. So I'm not necessarily complaining, just stating the fact that during this season of my life I have a relentless, unforgiving alarm clock. And sometimes I wish that once, just once I could look at the clock and it would say 7:45 or 8:30 or 9:15 or something delightful like that.

Trenton's First Fast

Kind of.

This morning as I was getting breakfast ready for the kids I mentioned it was fast Sunday (we don't eat 2 meals, fast with a purpose in mind and donate the money from the meals to those is need. It brings me such inspiration and I truly miss it when I'm pregnant. Like I miss everything else, but that's another blog). Trenton piped up - "Oh, I need to not eat 2 meals, huh, Mom?" I explained he was welcome to fast if he'd like, but I thought we could start when he was 8 years old. He ate every bite of breakfast and we headed to church.

I picked him up from his class and his teacher handed me a tangerine.

Teacher: "Trenton was fasting."
Me: "Excuse me?"
T: "He said he couldn't eat this because he was fasting. I felt bad he didn't get the treat, so I wanted to send it with you for...when his fast is over, I guess."

Later in the car I asked for some clarification.

Me:"So, Trenton. Did you decide to fast today?"
Trenton: (munching on a bag of M&M's shared by Kali from her Christmas Advent Candy calendar made in Primary. Shared 8 days too early before I could stop her) "Yup, I did."
Me: "But you're eating now."
Trenton: "Yea, I fasted during ALL of church, Mom. It was my first fast."

I smiled all the way home.

A Little Bit of Heaven

Does it get any better than this?! Heaven, I say.

All of my wonderful family at our house for Thanksgiving Weekend

Catching the big Turkey moment

Oh, yum

Long lost sisters, reunited :)

Putting a face to Grandpa's very own legend of Yata-he and Running Bear

Cousins. Buddies.

A little uncle tutoring in DDR
A manicure filled with love, if not perfection

Who needs to pay for a light show, when you have Parker's very own?

Carrying on the legacy - like father, like son. Thank goodness.

A Tim-Tam slam tribute. The siblings - just not complete without ya, bro.

Can't we just keep you all?