As you can see, I am still trying to get caught up from my crazy week *last week*, I haven’t blogged once. So in the name of catching you up, I feel like everything we worked hard to accomplish last week with the “Help Me Grow” national team, was worth every minute we spent on it. I know more families will be helped, because we are getting the work out about the *211* info line, that takes them to a live person to direct them to free community help.
On Monday, I took my kids to the state capital for “Democracy Day”. I am a visual learner, and I felt like I have never understood the system very well. What better way to understand it than to take my kids out of school, and see it first hand?
They actually set up lunch for everyone in the rotunda. It’s a beautiful central room where Sydney actually had her bridal pictures taken.
Remember The Bridal Session with Mandy?
We were able to eat lunch with some state representatives, but the one that spent the most time with us was Brad Daw. Let’s just say that some of the others were too busy to talk to a mom and 4 kids. We had great conversation, and I was even able to talk with him about “Help Me Grow” and he offered to get me contacts to the Alpine and Provo school district. The kids shared with him what they wanted to be when they grew up:
Kinley: Work with special needs kids
Whitney: A Writer
Brighton: a Judge *which he loved*
Ella: a Veterinarian
It was a very long day with the first meeting starting at 8:00 am. We had to drop off the littles at Grandma Moss’ house at 6:45 to pull it off. We watched a mock debate, which was their favorite part. They also loved walking into live sessions of congress listening to new bills that some were trying to pass. We finished at about 2:00 and headed home.
When we got home, I hung out with the kids for a while and decided that it would be a good night for Jon and I to meet up with Heidi and her husband, and her friend Fox. I have talked to him a bit online, but he was in town and was leaving in the morning. She loaded up her 4 kids and brought them over for my kids to watch, and we all headed up to Sundance to eat.
I don’t know where the picture is of Jon and Trevor..? I’m not sure who took it. It was a wonderful dinner (it always is at Sundance). When we were half way through dinner, the table next to us offered some tickets to the Sundance film that was scheduled to start right after dinner in the building next to us. We were all really excited, because none of us had actually made it to a Sundance film yet this year. Jon bought the nice people their dinner, and we were off!
‘Uh…Kinley… Can you watch the kids for a few more hours? :)”
What a nice girl. They played “Best of Fest” and it was a great movie. It is always fun to see which ones are picked up by producers to make into blockbuster hits. When we got home, my house looked like this:
The younger kids claim that they had a fabulous time. Ella even said, “Mom, that little girl is my new best buddy! It was like Toy Story’s Day care Sunny Side…it was crazzzy!”
Kinley didn’t say much, but just roller her eyes. She and Whitney were so awesome to watch all these crazy kids so we could go play for a night. I love those girls!
*****************
The next morning I woke up to this sight in front of my house and I decided that 2012 was going to be awesome! 2011 was pretty insane, and I am definitely ready for a new year! I got ready and went to exercise at my boot camp place, and then later that day went to lunch with Tracy Baum, a dear ol’ friend of mine! She had many of my kids in her day care lots of years ago. Whitney was there the longest, and grew to love her like a second mommy!
I finally finished my doctor’s orders to “eat all the carbs you can” so he can check out my blood results that I had drawn on Tuesday. He is checking for lots of food allergies and hormone levels of course. I am hiking today in the mountains in the snow, and I am so excited! My weight loss is at a stand still because of all the carbs, but now I am back on track! Keep running “Team Pink”! Hopefully I am not your only motivation, because I am not much of one right now 🙂
Write your“10 whys” like I did to keep you going when times are tough!
AND to start the weekend off right, I want to share one of my favorite running/happy songs with you!