A Dozen Cousins

Since my brothers are visiting us this weekend we decided to do a big family dinner together at my sister Heather's house (thanks Heath'!). We used to invite ourselves over more often back when our combined brood only totalled a half dozen cousins. But with my sister's amazing procreative powers, she now has passed our old total all by herself. It was fun as it always is, but in order to keep from getting too verbose, I will just report the highlights.

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Highlights:
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1.) Every Romney within 300 miles was there; my Uncle Doug & Aunt Marcie, Greg & Fam, Heather & Fam, and us.

2.) The argument that ensued between Austin and Landon. They almost always entertain us with some kind of silly conversation, interaction or squabble. Tonight the argument revolved around which one of them actually responded to the initial news that our van had been stolen with the response: "Who would steal that old piece of trash?"

3.) Adrienne was wearing my favorite T-shirt that always makes me a little happier. It is the one with a frazzled looking cat scratching a chalkboard with the words "STRESSED OUT!!" across the bottom in bold. It has an unnatural hold on me. I always have to ask her something like "how are you really feeling?" whenever I see her in it. Tonight Greg took the bait before I did and I immediately felt an inner peace warm over me. Ahhh... the simple pleasures of family.

4.) The melee that ensues whenever 2 year olds occupy the same space. Tonight was especially eye-catching because we had three 2 year old combatants to root on. My favorite match was Miles thwarted attempt at commandeering Stacey's dessert plate. Her shove to the face was expertly executed. Unfortunately, the instinctive yanking of the plate behind the back resulted in no one getting to enjoy the loot.

5.) The group conversation with Jessica. This is when we all sit down after the kids have eaten and the dishes have been cleared away and Jessica leads a group discussion revolving around various topics of her choosing. Try as she might she can't help but run the table. She makes funny rules for herself like "I won't say anything else until two more people have commented" although well meaning, these rules aren't very effective.

6.) Tonight we had a new highlight. This was during the pre-dinner prayer. As my brother began the prayer, I heard a loud rushing stream of liquid coming echoing out of the open bathroom doorway. As I peeked in to see what reverent soul had chosen this as their preferred mode of worship, I recognized Gabe standing in front of the toilet with his pants down and his head bowed and his arms folded. He finished relieving himself without the aid of any hands. I know he finished because the echoing ceased before the prayer did and, as I peeked back in, I noticed that the reverent repose was still maintained (pants still down) for the duration of the prayer. I am not sure whether to be pleased with the attempt to be reverent or the peaceful comfort of my son as he prayed without pants or shame.



We've wondered why we get invited over less since we've moved back...but in reviewing this post, it's seeming a little more clear. It may be cheaper by the dozen, but it's certainly not quieter.

Hair

So I had a friend email me about my hair. I read the email to Ryan and he starts getting all exercised and says:

"Oh, it's a long process. It involves scrunching, special sprays. It involves the little red bottle and then the $18 mousse, that's a really good deal. And the color protecting shampoo, so the color doesn't run. And smelly hair-spray. Also, those big curlers you put in your hair."

Which makes it sound like a long process. Which it's not. Certainly not as long as it has been.

(I seriously used to start getting ready 1 1/2 hours before I went anywhere. I could get my whole family ready twice in 90 minutes, now. But maybe that's why you (hopefully) don't have kids when you are mate-searching...so you have plenty of time to exfoliate, shave, dry, scrunch, lotion, seperate your lashes, etc.--I do, like, 2 of those things now.)

For the record, the process is only long to the guy who complained (when he was trying out the slightly longer hair thing) that, "It takes me a couple minutes now to get it right!" And this is why he eventually cut it.

Since I don't have the option of cutting it as short as his:

I will continue with my products (none of which are from actual salons, just the shelves of Wal-Mart, despite his acting like I spend our retirement on my hair). My current favorite is this one.

I swear my heat-induced curls or straightenings stay longer when I use it.

Really pointless blog, I know, but who doesn't like a good high school photo, accompanied by hair tips, every once in a while.

Emma, then and now

Before there was a blog, there was a journal of the cute things each kid did (certainly not updated regularly).

In June of 2003, Emma was 4 and following is an interview I did with her. I thought I would include her answers then and now.

Name: Emma Romney

Birthday:

then--February 12

now--February 12 (said with a look of "duh.")

# of brothers:

then--1

now--2

# of sisters:

then--1 in Mom's tummy

now--1

What do you want to be when you be when you grow up?

then--a mom

now--"I actually have 3 things: a mom, artist, and a dancer."

If you could be any animal, what would it be?

then--a cat

now--"and I have 2: a cheetah (shout out to Bekah!) and an alligator"

What is your favorite thing to do with your family?

then--have Family Home Evening, go to the park, fly kites

now--going to Riverfront Park and watching late movies

What is your favorite holiday?

then--Easter

now--I'd say Christmas and Halloween

What is your favorite Primary song?

then--A Child's Prayer

now--"What's the one? some say tak, others merci, oh kan sha blah blah blah (ed. note) Children all over the world and Holding Hands around the World. "

Who is your favorite scripture Hero?

then--Jesus

now--Nephi

If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?

then--Disneyland

now--"Um, I'd go to the lake house when they have the swinging thingie. They're going to attach a ladder and then a little platform and a hanger thing and a rope and so you can jump out into the water." (A little less expensive than the previous request. Yes!)

Favorite movie:

then--Shrek

now--"Cats, the one that grandma has. Oh and home videos."

Favorite color:

then--red

now--greenish blue

Favorite outfit:

then--rainbow sweater (now a favorite of Jane's)

now--"I'd say my back to school outfit. Only if the pants were a little bit tighter." (What?!)

Favorite toy:

then--princess tent

now--headphones (how times change...)

Favorite friend:

then--Trey

now--Destinae (said with a sad voice...as she lives in Utah)

Favorite meal:

then--macaroni and cheese

now--"Oh, I have quite a few for this one. Homemade macaroni and cheese, shell macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, sweet tomatoes macaroni and cheese, clam chowder, garlic bread." (No lactose intolerance, here)

Favorite thing about preschool/school:

then--art

now--"the art that my teacher does."

Favorite thing about gymnastics (then)/piano (now)

then--the pit "where it has this kind of square sponges to jump in."

now--how nice and funny my teacher is and since I have my old books how much I've learned.

Interview for Mom:

Favorite thing about Emma?

then--littleness

now--bigness

(Don't you wish you could have both at once...whenever you wished it? Littleness when you can't remember how cute they were. Bigness when you need them to do a good job clearing the table.)

We love Emma.

America's Next Top Model Family

Right before we left on our cruise, we had the much-anticipated, so-enjoyed family photo session. My saintly and talented friend, Kerry, agrees for no money (it was my birthday gift this year) to deal with the lovely family dynamics that occur with the picture taking and the Romneys.


But really, it was a lovely experience. Everything went so smoothly and my kids are little angel robots who cause no problems and smile calmly the whole time.



Seth wasn't constantly trying to wriggle out of shots:

Gabe wasn't having the weird "now that I'm seven I can't smile like a normal person"
problem:

No one ever showed their undergarments:

Emma acted perfectly mature and darling the whole time: (okay, this one's actually true)

I looked so cute in every picture:

No one tried to play guerrilla army guy in the weeds:

Everyone seemed to happy to be there:

I was so nice and calm the whole time...I'm sure Emma was joking when she saw this picture and said, "Oh that's the one when you were getting really mad at us, Mom.":

There were no cheesy shots:

And my kids really knew that when it was time to take a picture, they needed to stop playing and just smile:

Ryan refrained from taking advantage of his time in front of the camera:

And Seth looked at the camera the whole time:

I can't wait until next year.

Here's a happy one for you!

So, yesterday (oh, such fond memories) was part II of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, where all of our leaders, great men and women, speak to us. I was inspired and moved by many of the them (Elder Wirthlin's total exemplification of his topic of Charity, Sis. Beck's reaffirming and reminding "Women Who Know", Oakes totally-for-me "Good, Better, Best") but the one that I'm focusing on today is Elder Eyring's talk. He spoke about how he has spent every day journaling a few lines, recording how he saw God's Hand in his life that day. He reminded us that as we watch for Him, we will see Him more. We will be more grateful, more humbled, more able to teach our children that He knows and loves us.

So...I'm in: With all the mess of the last few days...here are some ways I've seen God's hand in my life.

1. Our van was found.

2. We had friends who whisked our kids away, so we could concentrate, and then had a yummy lunch all ready for us when we finished the police business.

3. Tammy and the new purse: brightening my day and teaching me how to "comfort those who stand in need of comfort." Mosiah 18:9

4. A sweet "family special time" where we discussed what had happened, why and what we learn from it. Gabe said, "I thought that even if we couldn't find our car and couldn't go anywhere because our car only has 5 seats, we could walk to church instead and still be a family." It was a great opportunity to teach and testify that we are known and loved of Heavenly Father.

5. Being reminded again what an unselfish oldest child we have.

6. Waking up happy, instead of bummed out.

7. AND LISTEN TO THIS: when Emma was walking out the door to school this morning, she looked down at the newspaper lying there and said, "Mom!" Tucked into the sleeve of the newspaper, was my license! So much easier to get through this stuff with photo ID and so much less of a worry that people are cashing my checks and getting into over 21 dance clubs with my license.

It is completly naive to think that we can avoid bad things just by trying really hard to do what is right. This life is a time to learn and grow and sometimes we can only grow as we have challenges placed in front of us. There are way worse stuff that could have happened...I'm grateful that God gives us what we can handle. I have seen His Hand in my life this weekend and many times before.

Purposely Untitled to Ensure a Surprise Ending

So this is what happened:

Yesterday the kids and I decided to decorate our van in celebration of Ryan's marathon completion. We picked up a bunch of his favorite foods (if you can't pig out after a marathon, when can you?) and wrote all over the car windows with CONGRATULATIONS, WE LOVE YOU DAD, etc. After a crazy airplane delay, Ryan was coming home very late. I called him, to ask where he was (to prepare the celebrations) and he said he was minutes away. I hurriedly backed our van out of the driveway, left it parked all diagonally (for better effect) and ran back inside. Ryan came in, enjoyed his party and we went to bed.

We woke up this morning, watched A.M. conference, and got ready to go to brunch at some friends' house. Emma walked outside and came back in: "Mom, where's the van?" "Oh, hun, you forgot we put it in the driveway, instead of the garage." "No, mom, I checked both places. It's not there." I'd left the keys in the car, in my haste at trying to get ready for Ryan's return.

I began, in tears, calling friends, hoping they would reveal their practical-car-stealing-joke. No luck. We called the police, couldn't get through and began cancelling credit cards. Of course, the purse was in the car. We tried the police again. This time they answered. I told her our car had been stolen and she replied, "I know where it is. I'll be at your house in a minute." She came over, got the info and told us that she'd seen an abandoned blue van parked by a hotel in town, with writing all over it, and could we go over and identify?

So, end of the story: We got the van (and my coat, which I was hoping was gone, so I would have to replace it) back. We didn't get our stereo back, or my wallet, or our whole cash budget for 2 weeks, or our camera (the reason there will be no pictures for a while), or my MP3 player or my gift card for Aeropostale THAT I'D NEVER USED. We're grateful that we don't have to replace that van (since it's worth like, $5000, maybe). We wish we didn't have to go through the identity theft protection process, as well as getting new IDs, credit cards and cameras (bad luck with those!). But, we'll be fine. Let us know if you see any meth-heads with a tan/brown/pink striped purse, or a semi-nice camera, okay?

p.s. Some friends came to pick up the kids while we sorting everything out, and at their lunch prayer they reported that Jane prayed, "Please bless that guys stole our car and we will find it." So that's probably why we found it.

p.s.s. I just went upstairs and found this note (accompanied by 7 dollars and 12 cents): "you may use me mony --{heart} Emma". How sweet is that? She had been worried earlier, asking, "How much money do we have in our house now, Mom?" and I told her, "We have money in the bank. We have enough, it'll be fine." But she apparently wanted to contribute anyway.

Vacation, how did you get away?

I know it's boring to tell you all how much "re-entry" sucks, because all of you know. But it sucks. (I'm sorry, I just love that word and really struggle to not say it in front of my kids--and basically fail--because it is so perfectly descriptive of a yucky, yucky thing. Yucky's kind of nicer, huh? But it just have the same punch, you know?)

ANYWAY, following are a List of Suckiness Reasons:

1) It turned into winter while I was away.
2) Kids make a lot of noise, especially when they want your attention.
3) There are lots of papers that procreate in your home while you are away (bills, completed homework, mail, school notices, etc.).
4) My husband deserted me to go run the St George marathon today. 26.2 miles is a cinch compared to this.
5) It's gray gray gray gray gray gray gray.
6) I gained 5 lbs and have to revert to un-fun strict pre-cruise diet.
7) I feel grouchy that I'm not more loving and fun right now and am sure that they are all thinking, "Why were we wanting her back?"
8) I'm feeling guilty that I didn't get my husband a cute pre-marathon present (like his sister did) and I'm feeling guilty that my cute brother Sam (who was here during and after the cruise) had grouchy, boring re-entry Jessica for our last days together before his mission.
9) The temple didn't work it's magic-all-of-a-sudden-I'm-a-better-mother trick like it usually does.
10) I liked reading, eating, sleeping, swimsuits, exercising, sight-seeing, having a steward a little better than cleaning, counting calories, buying soccer cleats, breaking up fights, quizzing kids on spelling words, jackets and rain.

Do you all remember how I didn't want to go on the cruise? Well, that was idiotic.

Quick Quote #12

When Seth wants a drink he asks for a "dwink of watoh (water) juice" or a "Dwink of watoh milk". He never wants a dwink of watoh watoh. But I make him anyway.

We're ba-ack!

(That title's from a horror movie, you know...not that it's horrible at all to be back and assaulted by bills, school papers, homework, a kid who was a little Grandma-defiant and an empty fridge. Not at all.)

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at chronicling the last 2 weeks. (For a girl who posts almost everyday...you can imagine how I feel about filling in 2 weeks.) So I'll be brief.

The boat was cool.

I read all the time (4 books--in order of enjoyment: Water for Elephants, Infidel, Eclipse, I was a good mother before I had kids.)

There was way too much partying (not done by us, so we felt a little out of our element).

We ate a TON.

We saw cool stuff.

(Temple Ruins of Tulum) (Swimming with Stingrays) (making out in the Dunns River Falls)

We loved coming back twice a day to our sparkling clean state room.

We had fun dinner companions--we miss you Jimmie, Patty, Sean and Charlotte,VJ and Stephanie!

There are no more beautiful beaches than in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

My formal dress was cute.

Ryan was the disco-dancing king. (Check back for video...I need Ryan home for that!)

We had a fabulous time in San Antonio with my brother Matt, his wife Janelle, Caroline and Talmage AND Ryan's brother Greg, wife Christy, kids Scott and Stacy.

(Ryan and Greg playing at the park) (Matt's family) (new baby Talmage)

We saw the coolest downtown ever.

(the Alamo with Scott) (touring the Riverwalk)

We were happy to see our cute kids again.

(Wearing the souvenirs)

(And your blogs...I'm hyperventilating with the excitement of 2 weeks of blogs to read!)