Life is Fragile

We had a very scary and unreal experience this weekend. It has caused us to be very reflective this weekend, which if you know us, is often amazing! Brad and I got a babysitter on Friday night and went to Herriman to support my sister at her first ever boutique. She is a great baker and has started to sell her delicious cookies. We headed for home around 8:00 p.m. While traveling south on I-15, 1 mile before Lindon exit, we saw a car ahead of us begin to swerve. The car pulled sharply to the left and then went immediately to the right and then began to fishtail as though she were sliding on ice. The car was surrounded by other vehicles, including a semi-truck pulling a flatbed trailer behind it. We were maybe a half block behind, and had time to hit the brakes and the hazard lights. As this was all happening, there was a huge puff of smoke and sparks flew everywhere. The rear of the semi-truck trailer pulled to the right and then the driver started to pull off of the road. As we drove by we saw that the car had driven into the trailer and the rear wheels of the trailer had driven over the car. The car was pinned underneath the wheels but someone was moving inside the car.

We pulled in front of the truck and Brad ran back to the driver. Wendy and I called 911. Several people ran past us back to the vehicle. When the dispatcher began asking for specific details about the driver in the car, I had to go back and get the information. It was an unbelievable scene. Brad was kneeling on the ground by a young girl, holding her hand. She was pinned on her right side and both her legs. The car was flat on the ground and the semitruck's tires had completely flattened the passenger side of the car. All that remained in tact was the driver's side and she was inches away from the tires.

We stayed until the ambulance arrived and then the police asked us for a statement. Brad told them that the driver had told him twice that there were no other passengers. He had also searched as much as he could to verify that it was true. After completing our statement, we returned to the police and Brad asked if she was okay. The officer told us, "We have 1 deceased and 1 in stable condition." Brad said, "I thought there was no passenger?" The officer replied, "There was in the front, she is deceased." We had not seen her. She was entirely covered by the car and the truck's wheels.

We were a bit shaken and somber as we resumed our drive home. They had shut down the freeway and the helicopter came to take her to the U of U hospital. We found out the next morning that it was the driver's sister, 16 yrs old, that had died. The driver herself is only 18. They believe that there was some kind of mechanical failure that caused the accident.

We have been thinking a lot about this experience. The whole thing literally took seconds. In a few seconds, so many lives were changed. There were some heros in this situation. The truck driver was amazing the way he handled it, because it could have been so much worse. He was surrounded by cars and there was no other vehicle involved. I am so proud of Brad. He seems so quiet to everyone else and perhaps a bit reserved. But he has an incredible quiet strength and an ability to stay calm under a pressure filled situation like this one. He kept his head on straight and I am so happy that this girl had someone like Brad to hold her hand and stay with her until help arrived.

I love my children, my family and my friends. I realize that I don't take every opportunity to tell them this, always thinking that I will see them again or tell them later. My thoughts this weekend were that I need to stop being so consumed with my day and everything I have to get done, and make sure that if I were to go today, my children know that I think they are the most beautiful, smart, funny, loving children in the world and that their mom loves them more than anything and would do anything for them! I certainly need to be better at telling my husband how grateful I am for him and his hard work. His constant affection and devotion even when I am a little less (or a lot less) than kind and loving. My mom and dad for teaching me how to love and how to be a good person. Their constant example of sacrifice and giving is amazing to me! How grateful I am for the time they spent teaching me the gospel. What blessings my testimony has brought in to my life! My brothers and sisters who I think are the funnest people in the whole world! I would rather spend my free time with my family than anybody else in the world! I don't often take the chance to tell them how much I love them! My good friends, who stick by me and love me even when we only talk every once in a while!

I know this is a rambling email, and is probably therapeutic for me. I just want us all to remember how fragile life can be and every day needs to be lived to its fullest! Take advantage of every opportunity and make sure that everything you do helps you to focus on the most important thing in your life. For me, that's my family! I love you all!

A Little Moonlight, please!

I found out about this great thing at Sundance! Moonlight Tram Rides! We always take the kids on a tram ride when the leaves start to change. It is fun and beautiful. There are some great hikes at the top as well! So this year when we went, we heard about their Moonlight Tram Rides and decided it would be a great date! They only do it when the moon is full and this would be their last one of the season. We got a babysitter and took off! We gave my mom tickets for her birthday, so she and my dad went also. Now, thoughts of a tram ride in the dark stir up different images and ideas for different people. I am thinking, "Cold night, warm blankie, beautiful scenery, no children, hot chocolate!" Brad was thinking, "..." Well, we just won't go there! Suffice it to say he was a little jealous of all the people riding past us smooching, as I proclaimed how disgusting (the ones with the sound effects really were gross) they were! May I suggest that the earlier ride is much more G rated than the later rides!

We did take the camera and tried to snap a few pictures, but Brad and I both agreed they were most unbecoming. Especially the one with Brad with my pretty scarf wrapped around his head to protect his ears. He looked a bit like a kid with the mumps! So you will just have to imagine a glamorous couple on a beautiful night, sharing hot chocolate under a full moon!

The scenery was gorgeous, with the moonlight bouncing off of the snow on the back side of Timpanogos, or as Turner calls it "Tickanogos" The moon was bright and full. I realized how much I love this place! After I made Brad promise he would never make me leave my beautiful mountains (unless it was for lots of money!:)) I did give him a kiss. I don't want anyone feeling bad for him!

Cheap date, tons of fun, gorgeous views. Love the mountains!

What's a Wordle?

Here is my wordle! Cool Huh?




http://wordle.net/ - click here it make your own!

Click on the wordle to enlarge it!

The Sun Always Rises

So, why does it seem like every blog post starts with an apology for my lazy blogkeeping? So much has happened, I feel bad that we haven't kept everyone "posted", but we will try to catch up. Here are a few highlights from our summer:

1. Carson's Baptism. What a great kid! So proud of him!

2. Colton's baseball team, the Mariners, took 2nd place. Colton was awarded the game ball for a great hit! Way to go Colton!

3. The twins, Turner and Garrett, turned 4 and started preschool! Life just keeps getting better and better!

4. Brad started his new job at Salem Hills High School coaching girls basketball and teaching woodworking. He is in love with teaching!

5. Had a great trip to Bear Lake for Labor Day Weekend!

6. Brad's surprise trip to see his MOST FAVORITE band (not), "The Osmond's"

Finally, here is a sweet story about my little Turner. He has become obsessed with the sunrise. Every morning he goes out around 7:15 am and sits on the swing to watch the sun rise. The time he has to wait has obviously gotten longer and longer and he waits for over an hour. He wakes up, puts on his jacket and takes out a blanket to snuggle up in. He sneaks out and waits and waits and waits. When the sun finally comes up, he runs around the yard squeeling with delight! It makes him so happy! It just reminded me of the simple pleasures that life affords us. Try to enjoy the simple things as they come around each day! And remember when something great happens, to run around the yard squeeling with delight!

Check out my Slide Show!

Oh, The Horror!

How could I forget, one of the funniest parts of the 4th of July - Garrett and the Fireworks. For some reason, Garrett is horrified of fireworks. No matter the size, he is scared to death! A few weeks before the 4th we celebrated the Orem Summerfest and were able to see the fireworks and we knew at that point we would have problems on the 4th. At the summerfest, Garrett hovered in the back of Grandma's car with a blanky, provided by Aunty Nendy, draped over his head and ears. He watched the fireworks through the window and thought it was great. Now, you can't be a part of this family and not love the fireworks, so we were concerned. So, on the 4th when we prepared to head to BYU, he became frantic. Sweating, crying, shaking and repeatedly responding to our excitement with "No fank you. I do not yike da fiawooks!" We gave him great earplugs, covered them with headphones and covered him with a blanket. About 10 minutes in to the fireworks, the blanket came off the head, then the tummy, then we took off the head phones. Finally, after a while, the purple ear plugs came out and we had success! Then, the next Sunday when the neighbors were lighting little fireworks he ran into the house screaming! Oh well! We'll try again next year!

Proud To Be An American!

We love the 4th of July. For as long as I can remember, my mother has hauled us all down to the Freedom Festival Parade, in our patriotic red, white and blue outfits, to wave at the floats, stand with our hands pressed to our hearts as the flag goes by, and listen to the cannon as it roars its way down the parade route. This event has been changed to include the grandchildren in their coordinating outfits (No, Wendy, Pam and I no longer match!) and they have come to love the parade as well. For the last few years Brad and Chris have run the 10K just before the parade. They did pretty well, but Chris was concerned about the pregnant women and elderly grandma's that passed him on the route.

After the parade we all went over to Grandma T's house for a barbeque and swimming. Our favorite time of the day is when they all wear out from the water, heat and exhaustion and take a nap at Grandma's. Then we all get to relax and enjoy our annual viewing of the movie "Independence Day" in the nice cool basement with surround sound. While we love the movie, there is ample time to get in a nap for the adults as well!

Finally, we all piled into our cars and travelled to BYU to enjoy an amazing fireworks display! This year we moved from our traditional location just south of the Marriott Center to the backyard of the Hinckley Building. We had a perfect shot right into the stadium and we were all thrilled when the jets flew right over head. After a ton of pizza, a walk to the waterfalls, more pizza, cookies, and soda pop, we were thrilled by the fireworks display. As we were walking to the waterfall, Carson took a deep breath and said, "AAH, smell the fireworks in the air! I am addicted to the smell!" It does stir up many fond memories that I love to share with my children. This day gave us the opportunity also to feel the spirit of this great country we live in. We had the chance to talk about patriotism and love of country and begin to instill the gratitude which we have, in our children.

Finally, finally, the most exciting part of the evening was the race to see who could get home and out of the traffic the fastest. I think this year we made it in record time, and happily, we beat everyone, including my brother Jeff, who I just know thought he would win!

Enjoy the slide show of our little patriots!

Teaching Children Latin

So I committed to myself that I would not blog again until my I caught up with my life, but I had a funny experience with Colton, 10 years old, that I had to share. I frequently share humorous tidbits from the twins, but Colton and Carson are a bit blog-starved. So here is a cute one - by the way, this in no way indicates that I am caught up with my life! I am afraid that is never going to happen!

Occasionally my boys get very tender and sweet with me. I always appreciate it as it reaffirms that they do indeed love me. The older they get, the harder it is to tell! On Sunday night we returned home from Sunday dinner and the boys decided that I needed a foot rub. They (Colton and Carson) each took a foot and started to rub it. They were proclaiming what pro's they were at this, and I suggested that they could make good living doing this. I began to tell them about pedicures and aestheticians and how they can do pretty well. Of course, I was teasing them and they began to gross out at the thought of touching people's feet all day. I then suggested that they could be like their Uncle Jeff and become a podiatrist and get paid A LOT of money for touching feet all day. Colton then asked what "pedicure" meant. I decided that it was time for him to learn a little latin and began explaining that Latin is the foundation for most languages and how you could understand many different languages if you understood latin roots and prefixes. I explained that "ped" meant foot and that anytime "ped" was in a word it had to do with the feet. He began to find as many words as possible that included "ped" and substitute it with "foot" Here are a few favorites: pedal - Colton says "footal" pedicure - Colton says "footicure" pedestrian - "footestrian" podiatrist - "footiatrist". It is now Wednesday and the fun with latin has not stopped! Colton finds himself quite amusing! By the way, Colton also decided to shave his head bald - as a cueball! He is just full of surprises!

My Scooter Nerd

This is my husband.

This is his scooter.

This is the story of my husband and his scooter.

When Brad was at BYU his trusty Chevrolet truck broke down. On the advice of one of his professors, he decided to sell the truck and buy a scooter, which would save a ton on gas and get him great parking on campus. We tried to sell it after he graduated and started working in SLC, because obviously, he couldn't drive the little thing to Salt Lake every day. It was at this time that I lovingly coined his nick name of "Scooter Nerd." Perhaps the pictures don't do him justice, but to see a 6'4" guy on a little red scooter is pretty funny. And so, for the past 3 years Brad has been the "Scooter Nerd."

In January, Brad's not so trusty, but oh so stylish, Saturn station wagon, lost its engine, by some confusing circumstance that I shall not attempt to explain. Needless to say, we could not afford to replace the engine, even if the car was worth it, and we needed to find a way for Brad to get to school. He couldn't drive the van because of the glorious price of gas and because I have to work and haul kids around all day. This was the beginning of the second tour of duty for the scooter, which has sat idle in our garage except for the occasional recreational rides around the neighborhood, since Brad's graduation in '06.

We decided the only option was to ride the bus, which he could catch at University Mall, a few miles from our home. He only had to transfer 4 times and it would take a mere 2 hours, compared to the usual commute in the car of 35 minutes. In an effort to spare me the pain of driving him to the bus stop each morning at 5:00 a.m. and leaving our sleeping children home alone, he decided to ride the scooter. Problem #1 - The mornings in January are not so toasty. Problem #2 - There is quite a head wind on a scooter at the rapid speed of 25 mph. To combat these two problems, we assembled a wardrobe of our warmest winter and ski gear to get Brad to the bus stop each morning and home each night. This only made the name "Scooter Nerd" more appropriate, and might I say, we have gotten many comments from neighbors and friends who have seen him zip home at night all bundled up, looking even bigger and more stylish, in his big parka.

After all the ribbing I give him about being my little "Scooter Nerd" I have to say that I am grateful for and recognize that the last few months have been a sacrifice for him. He comes home with a frozen face and frozen hands, even when bundled up. He leaves so early in the morning and he really hasn't complained. It is just one of those things you have to do to get by. Hurrah to the boys at Hillcrest High School who have volunteered their time to breathe new life into the Saturn and hopefully Brad will finally have his car back at the end of the week. Although I am sure Brad will not, I think I will miss the "Scooter Nerd" just a little bit!

6 Strange Habits

So, I got tagged by my sister, who is now on my hit list! I must admit that I found it difficult to come up with six strange habits - this was rather surprising to me, as I thought I would be able to find quite a few. On a trip to Beaver this weekend to my cousin's wedding, I posed the question to my mom, dad, and wendy, who were more than willing to help me! Not surprisingly we finally came up with a few and then we were on a roll! Here are a few of my oddities!

1. ICE CRUNCHING - I am an ice cruncher! I am addicted to ice - but it has to be the "good ice" or "crunchy ice," you know, like the stuff you get from Sonic. MMMMMmmmmmm. I am fortunate enough to have an ice maker in my fridge and boy do I get good ice out of it! There is a system you see - first you fill the glass with ice, then the water. Next, you must crunch the ice with a fork or knife to separate it, otherwise, you get a gigantic block of unusable ice. Then you let it sit for at least 30 minutes - depending on the temperature of the day - to let it get to just the right crunchiness. Then, enjoy! Yes, it is a sickness. It is the first thing I get in the morning and last thing before I fall asleep. And never, ever, think of wasting a good glass of ice! Even my twins know how to prepare my ice water. I often yell at my husband who steals my "good ice" which has been "ruminating" for the prescribed amount of time. He cracks up at my verbage, but it works. In my defense, the madness started when I was pregnant with the twins and that was all i could keep down. Strange I know.

2. HOUSE FIRES - If any of you are fans of Little House on The Prairie, you will remember the fire at the blind school. Pam and I were loyal watchers and were forever traumatized by the fire at the blind school. So much so that in our prayers from the time we were 8 or 9 we began praying that the house wouldn't catch on fire - yes, it continues to this day. I even check the water heater before I go to bed to make sure that there is nothing underneath it that could ignite. For some reason in my mind, this seems like the most likely spot a fire would start. Strange I know. (by the way, Little House airs on PBS, but you may want to screen the episodes for the blind school fire - seriously traumatizing)

3. MINGLING OF FOOD - I hate it when my food touches on the plate. There are only some flavors that I like to mix, like cranberries and turkey etc., but I like to be in control and mix the flavors at my pleasure. I really hate it when a sweet thing, such as a Jello salad, mixes with a savory flavor. It makes me crazy when my jello salad melts on my plate, or when saucy things get all over. Perhaps it is a control issue! Strange I know.

4. DOORBELLS - This started after I had children and they would get all excited when the doorbell or phone would ring. I began to ask, "Who is at the door?" I didn't realize what I was doing until one day, while living at my mom's house, she exclaimed "Well, go answer it and find out! We won't know until you open it!" Well, duh! Yes, I still do it, as though someone will tell me who is there. Strange I know.

5. CHEERLEADING - I know this may come as a surprise to many of you, but I can get rather loud - especially when watching my children at sporting events. I cannot sit quietly in my seat and inwardly cheer. No. It must be loud and filled with enthusiasm even if my kids can't hear me. Recently I realized what a problem this is for me. The boys play soccer in the fall and spring. This spring it has been so cold and windy that we have watched several games in the car at the edge of the field. Even while I am in the car with the windows rolled up, I am screaming and cheering for the boys - like they can really hear me! I just can't stop! Strange I know.

6. IDIOT SAVANT - Wendy calls me the idiot savant of phone numbers. This "talent" was discovered when Wendy was working for my property management company. She would ask who she should call and I would recite the number by memory to whichever tenant she needed to call. She has dubbed me the "Idiot Savant" It's truly an honor. Strange I know.

7. I told you I could come up with more than six, so here are a few extras. This may not come as a shock to some of you, but I have a true phobia of vomiting which stems from the pregnancy with the twins. When my children begin to vomit I flip out. I almost hibernate trying to stay away for fear that I too will vomit. I instantly get a stomach ache and stop eating for a few days - except the crunchy ice of course - because it is easier to throw up water than food. Strange I know.

And finally - I cannot stand dirty noses, ears, fingernails or pimples. I love to clean them, swab them, clip them and pop them! What a feeling of accomplishment. I share this with a few of my family members. Thanks to our brothers for providing us with years of teenage acne to work on! Strange I know.

So there you have it! A few of my strange habits. I know you were all dying to hear about them, and I hope that I didn't disappoint. You may know of a few others that I have failed to recognize - do us all a favor and keep it to yourself!

I tag Lila Geddes, Pam Thomas, Julie Esplin, Lindsey Myers, Joni Geddes, Jacque Thomas - if you don't have a blog, now is your time to start!

How To

I have been told that a few of you aren't familiar with "blogs" and are unsure what in the world these emails are that you are getting! This is just a fun way to keep up with one another. We can add pictures, movies, whatever, just to stay in touch and hear some of the daily things that go on. When you get my email, if you click on the MY FOUR SONS link it will take you directly to our blog where you can view pictures, slides, and listen to some of our favorite music. You can comment on our posts by clicking on the "comment" button below the posts. You can visit our blog anytime you like by going to www.bradandliesha.blogspot.com. Pass this website to family and friends who may care:) You can also create your own blog for free! Love you all!

Make Believe

Well, any of you who spend time with my twins, Garrett & Turner, know that they play make believe every day all day. When they started Sunbeams in January their teachers did not know who they were because they would always give a make believe name. We go from Thomas the Tank Engine Characters (Edward, Thomas, Annie & Clarabel), to Dora characters (Dora, Diego, Alicia, echo bush, tico), Surf's Up (chicken joe and cody maverick), to a variety of princesses (this is Brad's favorite.) So today we got in to the car to run errands. I started to buckle them up and I said "Garrett, please hand me your seat belt" He mumbled something I didn't understand and I asked "What?" He says, "I am not Garrett I am Alma." Turner then says, "Yes, he is Alma and I am the angel." Guess what story they heard in church on Sunday? You guessed it. I just thought it was sweet and a real compliment to their teachers that they actually listened and are now make believing the Alma the Younger story.

Sometimes I wish I could live in the land of make believe!

"I've Got Balls!"

To those of you who may be offended by the title of this post, my apologies. However, please read on. Some background. One of the twins, Garrett, has some very irrational fears. He is horrified of elevators, fireworks, the carwash, Grandma's backyard after dark, etc. Perhaps they are not very irrational, but none of my other children have been this horrified of anything. He breaks out into a cold sweat, starts to shake and cry uncontrollably. This has all been going for over a year now.

This winter he had several intense colds and a few bouts with strep throat. He became very resistant to the idea of going to the doctor and especially of opening his mouth to show his throat. On one occasion he became so upset about it that he went in to one of his cold sweats, etc. To try and alleviate his fears we all pretended to be at the doctor and had the "doctor" look at our throats. I said to Garrett, "Come over here and look in mommy's throat." He came over and reluctantly looked in my throat. I started with my "aaaaaahhh!" And he ran from me, screaming, "I don't want to look at your balls! Close it mommy, close it!"

Since then he talks nonstop about his "balls." We are concerned what will happen if this conversation occurs in a public place. We have tried to tell him that they are called tonsils, and not balls, but to no avail. On Sunday I was in my bathroom getting ready for church and Garrett came to me and said, "Mom, you have balls. Show me your balls!" I said, "They are not balls. They are tonsils." Garrett replied "No mommy, you don't have tonsils, you have balls!"

So, take what you want from this. I thought it was a rather cute little anecdote. Of course, Colton and Carson find extreme humor in Garrett's use of the term. Just remember, "I've got balls!" so watch out!

Check out my Slide Show!

Here We Are!

So, as if my last blog wasn't a big enough of a failure, due to my lack of posts, I am starting a new blog! I am inspired by the "young" families around me, who update their blogs daily and keep in touch with their friends! I don't even have all my friends email addresses - we still use the phone instead - does that show my age? Well, I also realized that our last blog wasn't accessible to people unless they became "members", which I thought was a royal pain, so I am mainstreaming and using blogspot, which seems to be quite easy. We'll see!

We made it through Easter. This was a major accomplishment! As choir conductor, I am responsible for the sacrament meeting program, and of course I totally stress out about it. It went well. I think that people actually enjoy our choir programs! I know it may sound surprising, but I think it is true!! My brother Jeff calls it the walk of shame, when the choir has to leave the stand after singing and everyone is looking at their laps or the ceiling, because the song was so atrocious! I really think we did a good job. So, after choir I could finally enjoy Easter. We had the traditional egg hunt and all got stuffed on great food and candy!

The latest and greatest at our house is that the twins are very nearly potty trained! Yea!!!!!!!!! I am almost done with diapers. Well, I am done with diapers. They refuse to wear them. Fortunately, they have turned out to be fairly adept at toilet training and they are quite independent. They are always excited to "peeps and poops" and love getting a potty treat afterwards! I know for any of you men reading this, this is not so exciting, but for a mom who has changed 10-20 diapers a day for the last 3 and 1/2 years, this is absolute liberation!

A few cute thoughts to leave you with. I always give the boys a 5 minute warning before they have to wrap up one activity and move on to the next. They always ask for "5 more minutes" and I have to admit that sometimes they get it! The other day I told them they had 5 minutes to nap time. They played their 5 minutes and I said, "Time for naps." Garrett asks me, "Is our 5 minutes up?" "Yes" I replied, "It is up." He stops his foot on the floor and waves his finger in the air and says, "I don't want it up, I want my 5 minutes to go down!"

They also ask for "a little bit" whenever they are trying to manipulate me. I will say "Just a little bit." They now respond, "Not a little bit, mama. I want a big-a-bit!"

So there is our post for today! Thanks for keeping in touch with us!