Quick Takes on Saturday

I must be off a day this week. We actually had a great week full of lots of things that were out of our normal routine hence the late posts. Lets see if I can sum it up in 7 quick takes.

1. On Thursday, the boys and I went to my parents' house. They get so excited about going to grandma and grandpa's because well, they live on a farm and what little boy could resist that. This trip did not disappoint. We went to the local corner station for some good fried pork tenderloin sandwiches (mama's big treat) and met my brother for lunch. LeRoy is a farmer too and he had driven his tractor with the bale fork to the restaurant. So he took the boys on a ride and they helped him move round hay bales. They even got to visit the coop which Logan has been begging to do. LeRoy also has a new horse that we got to feed and pet. On top of all that, Grandpa took the boys on another tractor ride. The boys were pretty tuckered out by the time we drove home that night.
   
   
2. I wanted to do something special for Valentine's day so I found these really cute mailboxes at Target for a $1. I decorated one for each member of the family and surprised them with it on Feb 1. The idea is that we will put secret notes or treats in the mailboxes to tell another how much we love or appreciate them as we wait for Valentine's Day. I know its such a commercial holiday but just like we have holidays to remind us to give thanks or what wonderful things our Savior did for us, here is a holiday to remind us to tell those around us how much we love them. So far its been a big hit. Logan begs to make little cards for everyone and sneak them in. The boys get so excited to see if their flag is up. Even Jason surprised me the other day with a note and a rose in my mailbox. It has really been fun!
   
   
3. There is always a day where your kids just get bored with about every toy they have. For those situations, I keep the cheapest and simplest toy at hand - balloons. Seriously! I keep a sack of balloons in the cupboard and when the boys are bored or under afoot too much, I just blow up a few balloons. Problem solved, at least for an hour or two.
   
   
4. I try to make a new recipe each week and this week I decided to give tilapia another try. We decided we still do not like it.
   
   
5. Its been snowing all day today. I swear its the first real snow we got all winter. It is creating the most beautiful winter wonderland out there. It makes me just want to stare out the window all day.
   
   
6. A good friend of mine watched the boys Friday night so we could go on a date. We saw the new Twilight movie at the cheap seats and went to one of our favorite local restaurants, The Flying Mango. It was a wonderful night! If you don't do a fairly regular date night with your significant other, even if its just in the house after the kids go to bed, start planning one now!
   
   
7. While I was home with my family two amazing thoughts came to me. The first is that my brother LeRoy is a great person and he is made out of that old fashioned stuff we were raised on. He is the oldest of four children and ten years older than me. He lives very close to my parents and has been farming with my dad since he was 18. He is the one in our family who keeps up with all the relatives we have (and we have a lot!) and attends all the funerals and weddings and visits people in the hospital or nursing home. I feel bad that I don't stay in touch with family. Especially my great aunts and uncles. I grew up with only one grandma who passed away when I was 18 but she still has some living siblings. They are so much like her and if I would just spend more time with them, it would probably be like being closer to her. Plus, life is based on family. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for all my family who went before me. So why don't we give them more of our time?
   
   My mom hurt her knee a few weeks ago and has not been able to move around well since. She has to use a cane and is probably going to have surgery in a few weeks. When I decided to come down with the boys she asked if I could do a few things around the house for her; mainly just dust and vacuum. In the afternoon, she had a hair appointment and was gone for a few hours so I started to clean. I will admit, at first, I didn't want to but as I started, I couldn't stop. It felt so good to help her. She has done so much for me and it was so nice to repay her a little. I didn't tell her what I all did, and I really should keep it to myself and be humble, but I cleaned the heck out of that house. Wiping down all the appliances and cupboards, vacuuming windowsills and dusting doorways, wiping the walls and cleaning up cobwebs. It just felt good and in the end she was so grateful even though she probably didn't even know half of what I all did. There truly is something to giving back.