Do girls have cooties??

What a crazy week this has been. Wednesday afternoon, Brody woke up from his nap with a fever. There weren't any other symptoms, i.e., runny nose, cough or anything like that, but he was very irritable. It is now Sunday, and he doesn't really have the fever anymore, but now he has this rash. After talking to the nurseline, our brother-in-law, and a little self-research on the internet, it seems he has some virus that manifests itself with a fever, breaks suddenly, and then breaks out in a rash. "Hold me Mamma," has been all that he has wanted for the last few days and it has been crazy trying to get things done. It's hard enough when they are well and you are trying to figure out what they are trying to tell you, but it is even harder when they are sick. I just feel so bad for him. We'll probably start the week off with a doctor visit, oh well. Kids aren't supposed to get sick in the summer; right?? No more kissing girls! That picture was actually taken at a birthday party a few weeks ago. Brody is such a ladies man :)

On a separate note, due to all my cuddle time with my snuggles, I had a lot of down time and so after sitting in the rocker with Brody for about a half hour, I decided to call a friend that I hadn't talked to in a very long time. I had actually found her, as well as Katie (the best note-writer in the 9th grade, LOL) through the blogging world, and looked up her phone number and gave her a call. It was so good to visit with her and to find out about the "going ons" in her life. We had such a good visit and I just think the world of her. It made me realize how I need to be better at keeping in touch with all my friends. It's amazing how easy it is to fall out of touch with people when there was a time we were inseparable and did everything together. After our visit, she blogged about the experience and challenged everyone to get in touch with an old friend. As a result, I am extending that same challenge to all of you. You never know how you may brighten someone's day. So, in honor of my friend, and for a little blast from my past, here are some fun pictures. LOL Mandee!! I miss you!

So.....to all of my friends out there, new and old, I'm grateful to you and your support, your friendship and your love. THANKS.

MY little BOOKWORM

I love to read. I've always loved to read. That is something that was instilled in me from a very young age. All of my sisters read and my dad is a reader. I remember my mom telling me that if I didn't put down my book and fold the towels, she was going to take all my books away and never give them back. That is how much I read. From the time Brody was real small, I've always tried to read to him. I have wanted him to have a love for reading, to have that place to escape reality, to have a magical land for his imagination to travel. As a result, and probably a little too obsessively, I have encouraged him to read. It is working and it has been fun to watch him get more and more interested in books. Sometimes when he is in his room playing and I go to check on him, because it is too quiet, he is either into something he shouldn't be or he is reading. Even if the books are upside-down, it still counts as reading; right?

For the last year or so, on the Tuesdays that I don't work, I take him to the library for "Toddler Time." During the summer, we go to the library for the Summer Reading Program, where there are various people who come and do a presentation, i.e., The Snakeman, Ronald McDonald, The Magician, et cetera, et cetera. When I read to him, he always picks up on one word from the book and then will repeat it at random throughout the day. We have a Peek-A-Boo Blue Clues book and out of the blue he will scream "Peeeeeeek-A-Booooo. Anyway, tonight wasn't any different. He had obviously picked up on a word in a story I had read to him, I just wasn't smart enough to figure out what he was saying.

We had just finished our prayers, and Brody asked me to read him a story. I walked over to his bookshelf and was asking him which one he wanted me to read. In response, he kept saying Poo-Poos. Now, I had just changed his diaper and put him in his Jammies, so I was a little surprised at his response. I checked his little diaper and no Poo-Poos. I asked him what book he wanted and again he said Poo-Poos. Thinking he was just being silly, I picked up a book about airplanes and laid down in his bed with him. He said no. Speeeeeeeeng Tee Poo-Poos. (If anybody knows what that means, I'll give you a medal.)

Well, after asking him a couple times what he was saying and him repeating Speeeeeeeeng Tee Poo-Poos, he got a little disgusted with me, got out of bed and chose a book off the bookshelf. He came back with the little book tucked under his arm and climbed in bed. At this point I just smiled to myself because I had seen which book he chose and knew what he was saying. He opened up the book and pointed to the inside cover where Christopher Robbins is pushing Winnie the Pooh in a swing. Speeeeeeeeng Tee Poo-Poos. Duh Mommy!!

Happy Father's Day!

I just wanted to take a minute and let you all know how grateful I am for my father and all the fathers that I've had in my life.

There's a quote that says, "Dad is great about showing us how to do things, even if he doesn't know how." I love that quote and it reminds me of my dad. I remember lots of times when my dad would try to fix things and then end up calling the neighbor to help. I remember him letting us put curlers in his one lock of hair. I remember him fixing a huge bowl of popcorn, only to have seven sets of hands come and grab a handful. I remember him taking us to the book store and letting us pick out books. I remember bologna with ketchup and macaroni and tomato. I remember paper routes and "Come on now."

As I look back, I have a lot of good memories of my dad. We've struggled at times, but I have good memories. He is a good man and I'm grateful he is my dad. As an adult, he is there for me and gives such great advice. My favorite "dadism" lately is: The Lord does not push us beyond our endurance, he only pushes us to our endurance. I'm grateful for the phonecalls and I'm grateful that I can honestly say that I really have a great relationship with my dad. He truly is a good friend. I love you, Dad.

I also want to say thank you to some of the other dads in my life: Kent Harris, Skip Oxborrow, Nile Hansen, Khyl Powell, Nolan Jensen, Bo Warner and Dick Mangum. I'm so grateful to you and for your examples.

I'm also grateful for my Father in Heaven. He truly blesses me and my family and I'm grateful for all that I have.

Finally, I would like to let my wonderful husband know how much I love to watch him be a father to our little boy. I love that he teaches him to work, to love and to serve. I love that he teaches him to give strangers rides home, help the lady in the parking lot with her groceries and to give five dollars to the homeless person on the street. I love that he teaches him to love boy scouts, legos, and that it's okay to be upset. You are a great father BOY TOY and I love you. Happy Father's Day!!

How does your garden grow??

Well, we finally did it. We have lived in our house now for almost five years and we have never planted a garden. After many excuses of money, not having the fence done around our property and all the little bunnies that live in our yard, we buckled down and did it. I'm not sure how fruitful our harvest will be, but it has been fun to watch things pop through the ground. Rick has been teasing me because I planted so many pumpkins. What do you expect from a Halloween addict?

It's interesting to me to think about all of the prophets that have counseled over time to plant a garden and I think it is partly to be self-sufficient, but I think it is mostly to spend time together. It is a lot more work than I remember it being as a kid. I don't remember all the watering and weeding and all that kind of stuff. I just remember jumping on the trampoline and eating peas straight out of the pod. Our concern now is to prevent the nuclear-sized grasshoppers that come our way in August to keep from eating all of our hard work. Heaven help us, we are talking about getting some chickens. Happy growing!!

Making Jam with My Little Man

This year for my birthday, my mother-in-law gave me canning supplies (I asked for them). And so, earlier this week I decided to start with something easy, so Brody and I tackled the task and made some jam. He was a great help. I really don't consider myself domestic and I've never done it before; but after I got started, I couldn't believe how easy it was. It didn't take very long and I really felt good about my little accomplishment. After Rick's bike ride this morning, he came back and made pancakes and I topped mine with a little strawberry jam. Delicious!!

Family Time!!

It has been a little over a week now since we have returned from our little vacation in San Diego. The laundry is done, the sand is vacuummed out of every crevice and the sunburn is starting to peel on my arms. It was so much fun to spend time with BT's family. It was even more fun watching Brody bond with his cousins: Playing in the sand; jumping on beds; watching Thomas The Train a million times; squealing; and all those fun things that come with five two-year-olds running around. It was great.

I just have to give a little props to my in-laws. I was talking to my dad on the phone when we got back and I just had to tell him how great the trip was and how much I love my in-laws. I feel so blessed to be a part of this loving family. They really inspire me to be a better person and I truly am grateful to be a Mangum. Sometimes it is hard to be away from my dad and my sisters that live in Utah, but having such great family members so close helps a lot. Thank you all for a great week and for being such great examples.

Up and blogging!!

Well, I'm not sure how well I will do with this, but I'm "Up and blogging." I've enjoyed reading all of your blogs for a while now and thought that perhaps I could join the crazy society of blogging, so here I am. I hope that you can come here to be inspired, uplifted and just get an occasional laugh like I have done in reading and browsing all of your blogs. So..... here goes.