Music Week, Day 7

Day 7, is simply this:

Blessed
by Martina McBride

I get kissed by the sun
Each morning
Put my feet on a hardwood floor
I get to hear my children laughing
Down the hall through the
Bedroom door
Sometimes I sit on my
Front porch swing
Just soaking up the day
I think to myself,
I think to myself
This world is a beautiful place
I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones
That love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed
Across a crowded room,
I know you know what I'm thinking
By the way I look at you
And when we're lying in the quiet and
No words have to be said
I think to myself, I think to myself
This love is a beautiful gift...

When I'm singing my kids to sleep
When I feel you holding me
I know
I have been blessed...


And I have.

Music Week, Day 6

(Christus, from lds.org)

Ah, Sunday. The song for this day is probably the favorite of my favorites. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, written in 1758. And I even found a YouTube video of it so you can hear it. Right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUhU0HgTq94 It is of the BYU choirs singing it, back when Mack Wilberg was directing, and hadn't gone to direct the Mormon Tabernacle Choir yet. It's a video I've seen a few times in my life, and it's probably half the reason I love the song so much. So watch it! It's good! The music is beautiful, and the lyrics completely put into words my desires to be better, and my total reliance on Christ to be able to be better, and to help me erase when I've fallen short. I love it. Enjoy.

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

by Robert Robinson

Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above,

Praise the mount; I'm fixed upon it:

Mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer, (Hm? I googled it. Here's what I found.)

Hither by thy help I've come

And I hope, by thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home,

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love,

Here's my heart. O take and seal it;

Seal it for thy courts above.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wand'ring from the fold of God,

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed his precious blood,

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart. O take and seal it;

Seal it for thy courts above.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let they goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to thee

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart. O take and seal it;

Seal it for thy courts above.

Music Week, Day 5

Today is another Jessica Harper, because I like her. I think her music is described as "children's", but I call it "Mommy Music" because I like it as much, if not more, than the kids. I wish I knew how to put it on here so you could hear it. I just attempted to find a blog-able version of this song, and instead found that it has been made into a children's book! Neat! Also, I appologize that there are no pictures with today's post. I could take appropriate pictures and stick them in, but three kids are sleeping, one is at a football game, one is in the bathtub, and the last one is doing his jobs and I do not wish to disturb him.

Update: Samuel had his stay-up night tonight, and I told him of my delima. He thought it sounded like fun to illustrate this song, so we got the camera out and went to town.

Lizzie’s Do’s and Don’ts
by Jessica Harper

(Mom)
It seemed to Lizzie, all her mother ever said was “Don’t!”
Don’t shout indoors.
Don’t tickle so hard.
Don’t leave your party shoes in the yard.
Don’t take the deck, and loose one card.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t
Don’t climb in trees containing bees.

[Oh, and I remembered that Gary had conveniently gotten stung by an actual bee today, and his little hand is still pink and swollen,(do you think that means he's allergic?) so I took it's picture. Is that callous or what!? He didn't mind.]

Don’t put ten band aids on your knees.
Don’t cut your hair, don’t argue please.
“Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
Don’t try to reach what’s out of reach.
Don’t feed the kitty cat a peach.
Don’t bring the sand home from the beach.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
Don’t hold your breath till you turn blue.

Don’t lick the dog though he licks you.

(Ew Mom! I actually licked her!)
Don’t keep your lizard in my shoe.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t."

(Lizzie)
“Ok, ok ok ok!” Said Lizzie, “It’s MY turn!”
“Don’t say I can’t do so much stuff.
Don’t huff and puff. Don’t act too tough.
Don’t say two chocolates are enough.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
Don’t make me wear that yellow dress.

(his dad said, "Son, some things you just have to say 'no' to.")

Don’t always say my hair’s a mess.

Don’t say no when you could say yes.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
Don’t hide my candy way up high.
Don’t put nuts in the apple pie.
When I ask why, don’t frown and sigh.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
Don’t say to me, ‘You should have known.’
Don’t chat, chat, chat on the telephone.

Don’t lick too much of my ice cream cone.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.”

(Mom)
Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok,” said Lizzie’s mom.
The word ‘don’t’ is a tiresome thing to say!
They thought about it for a little while
Then Lizzie said:

(Lizzie)
"Do hold me close when I am scared
Do teach me how to be prepared
Do take my bike to get repaired.

Do. Do. Do.
Do help me dress up like a wizard.
Do take me sledding in a blizzard.
Do please let me keep the lizard.
Do. Do. Do.
Do tell a fairy tail to me.
Do rock me gently on your knee.
Do because I love you, yes I
Do. Do. Do."

(Mom)
Then Lizzie’s mother smiled and said,
“OK, now, it’s my turn.
Do climb a tree high as you dare
Do put some daisies in your hair

(How he really felt about it)

Do tell me when life seems unfair,
Do. Do. Do.
Do be glad or mad or sad
Do wear pink polka dots with plaid
Do tell some secrets to your dad,

Do. Do. Do.
Do help me zipper up my dress
Do tell me if my hair’s a mess

Do ask me if I love you, yes I
Do. Do. Do.
Do ask me if I love you.
Do you love me?
Yes, I love you.
(Lizzie and her mom)
Do ask me if I love you, yes I
Do. Do. Do.

Music Week, Day 4

Today is Chad day. It’s Friday, and that means date night. Tonight is a special one because Chad is taking me to a city two hours away to watch a PLAY. Chad usually doesn’t see the point, as there is a perfectly good movie theater 30 miles down the road, and tickets are only $7.50. So, tonight, you see, is special. And in honor of that, I’m dedicating today’s song pick to said husband. Now, normally I’m not really schmoozy swoozy. I usually prefer to spend my Chad-time laughing with him, or, better yet, laughing at him, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. He’s so close to perfect, someone has to humanize him, and I figure that’s a wife’s job. But today is not about that. Today is about the fact that I adore him. I am so looking forward to spending four hours in the truck with him tonight because there is no one I would rather be with. He’s interesting and funny and smart and good. He loves our children, and he whether I deserve it or not, is crazy about me. I say that crazy part quite literally because even when I’m 8 ½ months pregnant and swollen and waddling, he still thinks I’m beautiful,(no, really), and even when I’ve been crabbing at the kids all day and can’t say a nice thing to save my life, he still tries to make me laugh. He says things like, “When I look at you, I see home,” and sometimes he stops when he’s walking past me just to lean down and smell my hair. I hope these lyrics don’t make you think that I swoon every moment I’m in Chad’s presence. I don’t. Just ask him. But he certainly does have the ability to melt me to the core with a look, or a few words. And, I love him, love him, love him. So, this one is for you, babe. Can’t wait till tonight.

When You Say You Love Me
By Josh Groban

Like the sound of silence calling,

I hear your voice and suddenlyI'm falling,

lost in a dream.

Like the echoes of our souls are meeting,

You say those words and my heart stops beating.

I wonder what it means.

What could it be that comes over me?

At times I can't move.

At times I can hardly breath.

When you say you love me

The world goes still, so still inside and

When you say you love me

For a moment, there's no one else alive

You're the one I've always thought of.

I don't know how, but I feel sheltered in your love.

You're where I belong.

And when you're with me if I close my eyes,

There are times I swear I feel like I can fly

For a moment in time.

Somewhere between the Heavens and Earth ,

And frozen in time, Oh when you say those words.

And this journey that we're on.

How far we've come and I celebrate every moment.

And when you say you love me,

That's all you have to say.

I'll always feel this way.

When you say you love me

The world goes still, so still inside and

When you say you love meIn that moment,

I know why I'm alive

When you say you love me.

When you say you love me.

Do you know how I love you?

Pink

Chad told me that Gary found a can of pink marking paint.

I went out to asses the damage.

When I came back in, I asked Chad if he was man enough to drive a pink lawn mower.

He just got a grumpy look on his face and told Gary he was grounded for a year.

Music Week, Day 3

One more day, one more song. This one, I'm sure, is familiar to many. It is, How Great Thou Art. My first association with this song is this: My BYU roommates and I had been invited, with many other girls from our apartment building, to a retreat in a friend's cabin in the mountains. We found the remote location, unloaded our bags, and stood on the porch, taking in the view. Who knows how long it had been since we'd been out of the city! One of my roomates began singing this song, and the other two of us joined her and sang it through to the end. We shared gratitude for our Creator, faith in our Savior, and friendship that strengthened each other.
Since then, that song has played in my head many times, often as I'm out on an ATV with my family in the mountains. We're isolated from each other by the noise of the machines, so conversation is limited. I often find myself directing my thoughts to the songs that describes the beauty around me. I love this one. I especially love that in the song, the awe of creation, leads the writer (and then, often, the singer) to humility, and "adoration." I know that for me, gratitude leads to feeling humble. Then I'm better able to feel the Spirit, and feeling the Spirit, I feel loved. Maybe that's why I love this song so much. :)

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

(Muir Woods)

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

(on the trail, not far from home)

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

(from Boulder Mtn.)

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

(at Clifty Falls)

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.

Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,

And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!

"Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Music Week, Day 2

I forgot to say in the beginning that this is also my response to my friend Shiela's tag. I am supposed to share seven things about myself, and this is my way of sharing those things.

So, for Day 2, I have a confession to make. I love the musical "My Turn On Earth". It's sweet and it's simple, and it makes me cry almost every time I listen to it. "I cannot do everything for you. Noone can. Noone should, for the greatest gift we have been given, next to life itself, is the power to direct that life..." (sniff!) It just doesn’t get any better than that! Anyway, my song selection is the Angel Lullaby. I sing it to my babies on occasion. Here it is:

You came from a land where all is light

To a world half day and a world half night.

To guide you by day you have my love

And to guard you by night your friend above

So sleep, sleep till the darkness ends

Guarded by your angel friends

There's one stands softly by your bed

And another sits close with a hand on your head

There's one at the window watching for the dawn

And one waits to wake you when the night is gone

So sleep, sleep till the darkness ends

Guarded by your angel friends

Are angels are assigned to watch over children while they sleep? If one didn't need food or rest, I think watching babies as they sleep would be a heavenly occupation.

Just for Fun

Eden: You know what would be weird? If all our clothes were made out of rubber bands.
What are we made out of?
Me: Well, mostly water.
Eden: Water?! I thought it was plastic!


Gary: Mom, canned food is dangerous. (I was about to leave for the cannery.) It has a gun, and it has a hand. It could reach out and get the gun and shoot you. You better not go over there.


Eden: You know what would be so weird? If our house was made out of pickles.


Samuel: Mom, what if we went to Disneyland without any pants?


Gary: I'm afraid of that lizard!
Me: Why? What do you think it will do to you?
Gary: Smack me with his tail!
Me: ?! Why do you think he would do that?
Gary: Because he smacked me with his tail yesterday.


Eden: (As she was eating a root beer popsicle)Mmm! This does taste like an over-float!


Gary: Can I go to Grandma's?
Me: No. It's too far away for you to walk.
Gary: I could run.


Lily: Mom, am I allowed to go to the reception? The dead reception? (funeral)


Chad: (to me, in all seriousness)Have you ever felt the bumber of a semi?


Gary: I'm pretending I'm dead.

Music Week, Day 1

Welcome to music week.

I realize what an impact music has on my life,
and I've decided to share some of my favorite songs with you.
Just the lyrics.
They're good lyrics.
For Day 1, the selection is

Joy Ride, by Jessica Harper

I'm awake but I could be dreaming:

I hear the singing of early birds.

Here come my baby's sweet, small footsteps

And "I love you" are the day's first words.

This is as good as it gets

And this is just the beginning.I've got love in my pockets, I've got love in my shoes.

The things worth keeping are the things you can't lose.
I can't lose with my baby by my side.

This is a joy ride.

Now he's up and we are up and running,

Runnin' around, runnin' around, doing what we do

My baby's puttin' a foot in the day--everyday

We're discovering something new.

This is as good as it gets

And this is just the beginning

(chorus)

And when I stop for a minute,

Look at life and see what's in it,

The thing that gives it all that shine,

Is his little hand in mine.

This is as good as it gets

And this is just the beginning.

I can't lose with my baby by my side.

This is a joy ride.

"This is the (day) we've waited for..."

Lexi's first day of Junior High! Nervous and excited was she. She had an assembly first thing in the morning, and the dance team was performing, hence the "costume", and the long hair. I took too long taking pictures, and she missed the bus! Aaaah! So she had a nice long ride with her dad, and had her first bus ride on the way HOME.
And two hours later... it's time for the other three to leave for school.
Cute Lily.

Handsome Samuel.

Sweet Eden, on her 1ST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!!!

Ready!

And they're off...

...or not. Eden wouldn't walk, so I drove her.

Once there, she threw her backpack in the pile like she'd done it a million times, and walked off with Miss Lonia. I called, "Bye Eden! I love you!" She put her hand behind her back and flicked her wrist in a wave, and didn't even turn around.

Everyone came home happy from school, each with a mountain of paperwork for Chad and me to fill out. Then we had Family Home Evening, and made a mountain ourselves.

Back to School Party

I shamelessly stole Nienie's (http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com) idea for back-to-school crowns and a family back-to-school dinner, and we celebrated the last free day of Summer Vacation.

The children all designed their own crowns(except for Sage, and she would have nothing to do with a crown she hadn't made herself, so it sat on the table as her place marker... until she decided she wasn't going to sit there either... sigh).
Gary's was "Gary green", as are many other things in his life. Eden's was petaled and pretty, and Lily went organic and picked a passion flower out of our yard and we hot glued it on.
I tried to make dinner out of things they loved, but I got just a teeny weeny bit creative, and put chocolate mint from out garden in the lemonade slush, and they all thought it was cucumbers and wouldn't drink it. Then they wouldn't eat the potatoe casserole because it too had green specks in it -- which it alwasys does, and they normally love it, but everyone was suffering from cucumber-phobia or something tonight. Then, I'd forgotten to tell Chad that I'd already salted and spiced the pork chops before I sent them out to him to grill, so he salted and spiced them again... My visiting teachers turned out to be the heroes of the evening, as they had, yesterday, brought me a birthday balloon tied to a pineapple. (What a great treat! Thank you Connie and Courtnie!) We chopped that up for dinner too, and, well, nobody could find anything wrong with that!

Then we headed out for a Rhino and four-wheeler ride.
As she waited to get going, Sage looked just like an Eloise Wilkin illustration. See?
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/trywhistlingthis/sets/72157605891976713/)

Sage kept pointing out the clouds, or telling off the chapparral, I couln't figure out which.



We got a very rare glimpse of a desert tortoise. This is only the second one I've ever seen out in the desert. And we didn't touch him, I promise. He was like this when we drove up.

The desert was freshly washed with rain.

Lovely, power lines and all.

This is how you know you've gotten to the end of the road and it's time to turn around and go home.

What a fun day!

Boulder Mountain Bike Ride, 2009

This past weekend was the Boulder Mountain bike ride. Chad and I enjoyed cool weather, gorgeous scenery, and great friends.

My babe and his bike.

A few group shots.

Chad biked through Koosharem, Torrey, Escalante, and Panguitch. They go over Boulder Mountain, past Calf Creek,and through Bryce Canyon National Park. Beautiful. They race each other for the town signs. Torrey is one of quite a few that Chad won(Thanks to Don's pulling forever!!!). Go Babe!

Relaxing along the way.

Done!