Life's a beach!

For our first ever Cross Family camping trip, we loaded up the kids and headed to Myrtle Beach for spring Break. The kids had a blast, it wasn't too hot, and Mike and I got to relax. No one got poison ivy, sunburned, or fell in the camp fire. Overall, I'd say it was a success!


Sadly, they didn't stay this happy the entire ride.

Andrew was the stake pounder. He did a great job.

Welcome to Hotel Cross. My name is Lenna, how can I be of service to you today?

Rebecca loved these ducks. A few well-placed bread crusts brought them up within her reach.

Then they left, and she tried to climb over, then under the fence to get them.

Lenna and Andy start the day writing in their camp journals. Yes, I made them do it. They will thank me someday.

And Rebecca made us potato soup for breakfast- zipped safely inside the screened porch away from the stream.

Our little campsite. I love that the ground was grass, no sand or mud inside the tent!

Rebecca loved the water. She wanted to stay in it all day.

But I made her get out when her lips turned blue. I'm mean that way.

Andrew is a Cali beach bum at heart. He was born in Monterey after all.

We are ready to buy our beach house now.

Lenna found a way to keep her feet warm.

Andrew's not-so-stable sand castle.

Not a huge fan of the sand. She refused to walk on it. This was as involved as she got.

Me, enjoying the view.

Tiny toes in the sand

Campfire time!

It pays to marry an Eagle Scout. All hail the fire chief!

Andrew and his own poker stick. He felt very grown and important with that thing.

Roasting marshmallows is an art. It takes lots of concentration!

In my garden

"I want to grow a watermelon! And a pumpkin! And cucumbers!" Andrew's enthusiasm climbed as he moved his finger across the rows of tiny seed packets in the garden center. "And for Lenna we need peas, and green beans! And corn on the cob! And broccoli!" Rebecca followed dutifully along, her tiny arms stuffed full of the rattling little paper envelopes with pictures of brightly colored plants on the fronts. I am hesitant to invest even a few dollars in vegetable seeds. My mind reels with excuses. The dirt has too much clay. The ants and slugs and squirrels will eat everything. Its too hot to weed and water all summer. I don't know how. We don't have the equipment. The kids don't eat veggies anyway. I think of my neglected house plants and the tiny flat of petunias I killed last week when I never got around to planting them. "Maybe we should go home and talk to daddy about it first, before we buy anything?" I suggest, hoping that as soon as we leave the store he will forget his farmer dreams and move on to playing Batman.

When he doesn't mention it again, I feel relief, quickly followed by guilt. What kind of Mormon housewife am I? Aren't we counseled by church leaders to grow a garden? Aren't home-grown fruits and veggies better for you? Home bottled produce is so much better tasting, and better for you, than canned from the store. With food costs going up, growing your own is a wise investment. Aren't kids more likely to eat what they help grow? I have taken every gardening class ever taught at church, I know what to do. It isn't too hot for everyone else I know. And what a great learning experience for my kids- to plant a seed, nurture it, and watch it grow. To work hard at something and literally harvest your rewards.

I knew I didn't really have a good excuse. The truth was, I just didn't want to do it. I was struggling to keep on top of all my current responsibilities. Wasn't it enough to keep the clothes washed and the floors clean and the little tummies full of healthy food that someone else grew? If I did suddenly come up with that much free time, I would rather spend it doing a hundred other things besides digging in the dirt, pulling weeds, or battling insects in the humidity. I would rater indulge in some other luxury, like taking a shower or eating hot food or playing checkers with my kids.

On the drive home we stopped at a farm stand to buy a bucket of strawberries. Andrew was all grins as he hefted the bucket into the kitchen and began washing his treasures. We were going to make freezer jam- my compromise. We would preserve the fruit, even if we didn't grow it ourselves. I put the baby down for a nap and spent the next hour with my little boy slicing and smashing and mixing and pouring. We hadn't gotten along so well in weeks. He talked to me about his friends, I taught him about the magic of pectin. He thought of all the people he loved and wanted to send a jar of jam to. I thought about how blessed he was to have such a long list.

Sometime during the day, perhaps over peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, it occurred to me that I already have a garden. I don't till rows of dirt, but I do get my hands and knees dirty. I plants seeds of faith and knowledge and trust. I pull weeds of doubt and sin and discontent. I don't grow plants and harvest fruits and vegetables. I am growing children and family. I am harvesting hope, love, giggles, fun, and wisdom. Instead of jam, I am preserving memories and character and independence. My garden is full and thriving and isn't affected by weather or draught or fire ants. My storehouse of crops won't fill and empty with the seasons, but instead will fill and continue overflowing into eternity.

One day spring will come and I won't have small children to nurture and grow. My garden really will be full of flowers and vegetables. I will grow tomatoes and watermelon and send my children jars of home bottled preserves. Not this year.

This season, I'm growing children!

Because I am a Mother

Because I am a mother,
My to-do list will never be completed
I will not be getting a solid night of sleep any time soon
There will always be socks to match and clothes to fold
My shopping cart will contain three kinds of milk, brightly colored breakfast cereal, and crackers shaped like animals
The bathroom sink will be smeared with sparkling toothpaste every morning and night
Cheerios will always be under the dining table, in the car seat, and in the diaper bag
There will be toys, books, and blankies on my couch at all times
There are safety locks on my cabinets, gates on the stairs, covers on the outlets, and nothing but indestructibles in the bottom kitchen cabinets
I will never wear skinny jeans or have six-pack abs
There are finger prints on the windows and doors

Because I am a mother,
I can change diapers in small spaces, on moving targets, in less than 30 seconds, and in the dark
I can nod in understanding instead of condemnation when I pass a toddler having a tantrum in the cereal aisle
I know the cartoon character features on the waistband of every brand of disposable diaper
I can swaddle a baby doll in a cloth napkin
I have a favorite smelling brand of baby shampoo
I know about five point harnesses, latch hooks and tether straps, locking clips, and booster seats
I sort toys boxes and Halloween candy for choking hazards and lead paint
I can mix formula in a moving vehicle, breastfeed in a crowded restaurant, and know which chains serve applesauce as a side dish
I buy tissues, vapor rub, Motrin, decongestant, and band aids in bulk quantities
I have the appointment line at the pediatrician's office on my speed dial

Because I am a mother,
I can get up at 3 in the morning to hold my daughter's hair while she gets sick or help stop a bloody nose or nurse a baby or chase away a nightmare
I can change diapers, wipe bottoms, brush teeth, wipe noses, wash faces, and bandage scrapes without getting sick, but only for my own children

Because I am a mother,
I know three ways to make chicken nuggets from scratch
I have eaten cereal for dinner
I know how to hide veggies and fruit in foods my kids like
I have made more peanut butter sandwiches than I can count
I decorate tiny cupcakes at 10PM for class parties
I can make a birthday cake for $3 look almost as good as a $30 cake from the store
I have cut Jello with cookie cutters, put food coloring in mashed potatoes, and only ever fill glasses half way
I bake cookies for someone else
Most of my kitchen tools are in the sand box, there are tiny flour hand prints on my jeans when I bake, and I never get to lick the beaters anymore

Because I am a mother,
I know what a striker does on a soccer team
I know French words for ballet poses
I can demonstrate a pike position
I have cheered for home runs, soccer goals, and cartwheels
I know the difference between phonics and whole language instruction
I can sing the days of the week to five different tunes
I have twirled like a ballerina, waltzed with Cinderella, wiggled to the chicken dance, done the hokey pokey in the living room
I know where to look for ladybugs on the playground, how to catch ants for an ant farm, and have picked up slugs, snails, and grasshoppers to put in a jar

Because I am a mother,
I can wield a light-saber or a pirate sword with a baby on my hip
I have fought aliens, pirates, monsters, and witches
I have played the part of evil stepmothers and handsome princes, robotic aliens and masked heroes
I have created batman masks and princess tiaras and holiday t-shirts with nothing but a glue gun and a sharpie
There will always be crayons, cars, lollipops, and band-aids in the bottom of my purse
I have caught and fed lizards, turtles, frogs, bugs, and fish
I know the theme song to cartoons and find myself humming them in random places
I will always narrate as I drive, even when I forget there is no one in the back seat
I read bedtime stories and board books
I know the words to countless lullabies and primary songs
I can rhyme anything

Because I am a mother,
I can say a child's name and induce comfort, fear, giggles, remorse, or attention just by changing my voice and am awed by the power of my attentions
I display vases of wilting dandelions and wear colored macaroni necklaces with pride
I have jumped for joy, cheered out loud, swelled with pride, and beamed with accomplishment along side my children
I have winced in pain, cried tears of sadness, felt the sting of disappointment, and struggled with frustration and failure with my children
I am the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, a leprechaun, and Santa Claus
I will fight school administrators, stand up to bullies, and step up to battles I would never fight for myself

Because I am a mother,
I stay up late at night worrying about the future
I make lists of how I can do better and find motivation in tiny hands and big blue eyes
I pray harder and longer and more frequently than ever before
I have listened to simple faith-filled prayers and watched tiny miracles result
My fears strong and my faith is stronger
I feel powerful and helpless, guilty and proud, accomplished and a failure, all at the same time

Because I am a mother,
I know what it is to love someone unconditionally, instantaneously, and eternally



Wordfull Wednesday- A mother's role in the family

Going to the zoo

We spent one day of our spring break at the zoo in Columbia. So did the rest of the CSRA! It was hot and crowded, but we had a good time anyway -thanks to some slurpees and all the day care camp buses leaving at noon.
Rebecca was the most fun to watch- everything was "wow!" and "ooohhh!" And we learned some new baby signs along the way- her new favorites are fish and elephants. Andrew and Lenna had fun as well but were harder to capture on film because they were so busy trying to get lost.

Once again, if you are reading this via email, the slide show of pictures won't come through, you'll have to click over to see. Enjoy!

Spring break

Hooray for Spring Break!

Saturday: egg hunt and pizza party with friends
Sunday: Easter dinner, conference, baptism of a friend
Monday: park playdate
Tuesday: trip to the zoo
Wednesday: swimming pool and sleepover
Thursday: playdates (mine out, hooray!), shopping, cleaning, packing
New flip flops for everyone! Why is that flip flops make it seem so official?
Friday-Sunday: camping at Myrtle Beach.

We decided to camp because it is warm enough to play but cool enough that we won't die w/o A/C and the bugs aren't swarming yet. Also because we thought it would be cheaper than getting a hotel room. One long trip to the sporting goods store later, I think we just about broke even! Oh well, we are going for the experience right?  Can't wait to share with you when we get back, I am sure we will have good stories to tell!

Happy Easter

Easter, in photos. Enjoy!



PS. if you are getting this via email, the slide show won't come through. You'll have to click over to the blog to see it.

Wordfull Wednesday- Thanks Dad

Dear Dad,

Just thought I would take a minute to say thank you. Thanks for being my dad.

Thank you for putting our hand prints in the sidewalk outside our first little house. It made me feel important and included. Thanks for helping me ride that big scary horse, even though I was scared. Thanks for living right down the street from Grandma and Grandpa. I loved hopping over the wash and running up the hill to visit. Thanks for shooting down my Strawberry Shortcake balloon when I let it outside and cried when it started to fly away. Thanks for taking me out for ice cream after I had to get my face sewn up. It really made everything better. And for picking me up and fixing it when I stepped on nails, splinters, sticker weeds, horse poop, barbed wire, sand, and dead sea creatures. I am surprised I can still walk, really.

Thanks for moving us around all the time. I know we gave you grief about it, and still do. I know you did it because you were working hard to make things better for us and to take care of us. I remember the times you were forced to change jobs to honor your integrity. Your example was more valuable than a pension and a company truck could ever be. Besides, it was good preparation for marrying an Airman. After living here in the same place for five years, I sometimes move the furniture around just for variety.

Thanks for teaching me to ride a bike down the hill against my will. I see now that sometimes the hard way is the best way. I thought of you as I forcibly removed the training wheels from Lenna's bike and sent her screaming down the hill at the park. As soon as she opened her eyes and started pedaling, she never looked back.

Thank for being a worthy priesthood holder when it was time for me to be baptized. Of course at 8, I didn't realize the significance of the moment, but I do now. Thank you for being there. For the blessings when I was sick. For making things happen so you and Mom could come to the temple with me and be at my wedding. It meant everything to have you there.

Thank you for all the nights you stayed up late with me finishing homework. For making cell models when I was 10 and science fair projects when I was 12, and who knows what else. I should have gotten it done earlier, and I am sure you had better things to do. Thanks for staying up. Thank you for buying me a clarinet and making me learn to play it. Thanks for letting me stop when I really hated it. For lending me your drawing books and putting my pictures up on the wall.

Thanks for coming to all those basketball games and track meets. It made me proud when you cheered for me and told me I had done well. Thank you for all the track spikes and running shoes and basketball shoes you bought for me when we probably couldn't afford it.

Thanks for taking us to see the country from DC to Mount Rushmore to the Redwoods. For taking me fishing and camping and hiking and trying to teach me to swim. For teaching me to start a fire and shoot a gun. For making me go woodcutting even though I wasn't even really strong enough to swing an ax. For making rope swings and sledding hills and club houses and baseball diamonds. You taught me that it's ok to not be girly and to get dirty. Thanks for not making me scoop the dog poop or mow the lawn.

Thanks for putting up with all my crap as a teenage. For the ice cream dates and long uncomfortable drives. For not threatening to shoot any of my dates. Thank you for pushing me to do well in school. For driving me across three states to drop me off in my first college apartment. For hauling my stuff back and forth. For the encouraging letters and phone calls and making sure I finished no matter what.

Thank you for being so nice to my husband. Thank you for loving my babies and coming to see them and making memories with them.

Thanks for still telling me that you love me and are proud of me even though I am an adult. It still makes me smile.

Love,

Jannet

Wordfull Wednesday- A Father's Role