Where is Your "Home"

A good friend of mine had this post on her blog that made me think about "home."

This will always be my "home." Northern Alabama...The cudzu, the cotton fields, the miles of green trees all speak peace to my mind. Strangers waving as they pass you on the road, making a new friend each time you wait in the check out line at the grocery store and the genuine people that may have little but are rich in happiness.

Many times when I am rude to a phone or door solicitor I come away feeling guilty. That wasn't the way I was raised. I was reminded of this last Christmas season at the mall with my dad. We were stopped by a salesman with a booth filled with wind chimes in the middle of the mall. Shiny, metal, tacky windchimes. Rather than blowing him off, my dad stopped, smiled, made eye contact and listened for what seemed like hours as this guy with a foreign accent rambled on about his wind chimes and how beautiful they were. After he'd finished the entire explanation, my dad politely told him that they were beautiful but that he would have to pass on them this time. As we walked away I tought to myself, "lesson learned."

I love Utah. It is a great place to raise a family. I am grateful to be here. But in my heart, my "home" will always be Alabama.

Where is your "home"??

Happy Birthday Liz-O!

I can't believe you are 7 already. It really isn't fair how quickly time passes. I feel like the craziness of the past two years with the twins has robbed me of watching you turn into the little lady that you are becoming. You love to set your alarm and get up in the mornings to do your reading and your hair. You can't wait to grab the babies out of their cribs when they wake up and you are always doing a perfomance of some kind for us (lately it is dancing and singing to Mama Mia or Natasha Beddingfield.) You are a very responsible, fun, loving and dramatic little girl. This year you wanted a little motor-scooter for your birthday. After we told you that we really couldn't afford one, you decided that you would save up to pay for half of it. You did chores every day for 3 months. When it came time to buy the scooter, you had a really hard time handing over your savings. You had to think about it for a few days before you knew for sure that it was worth giving up your loot. For your little party you invited over a few friends for cupcake decorating and games.


You are such a joy in our family. We would be lost without you!

Tribute to my mother

Tommorrow is Thanksgiving Day and my 31st birthday and all day I've been thinking of my mother. Probably a little because the twins have been extremely clingy today, a little because I'n always homesick at the holidays and a little because before Craig and the children... she was my life. Not to discredit my dad at all. He was a wonderful father, provider, teacher of wisdom, etc and I will always share a special bond with him. But it was my mother that I spent countless hours with every day. It was my mother that made me go back into the store to apologize for stealing bubble gum. It was my mother that sat beside me at teacher conferences and held my back my hair while I threw up with a stomach flu. It was my mother that learned to give me shots every night while I was going through in vitro (despite the fact that she almost passed out every time.)

Looking back at the two-thirds of my life spent in her prescence I can say she is the most unselfish person I've ever known. Whenever someone she loved was sick, she could be found caring for them, many times sacrificing her own sleep, interests and health. Whenever someone was lonely, she could be found sitting across from them on the couch, asking about their childhood, their families, their passions. Whenever someone was grieving, she could be found at their side, a shoulder to cry on with a chicken pot pie on the table.

I still call my mom every few days. Usually it is around midnight. No matter how late it is or how long she's been asleep, whenever I ask if I woke her she says, "Oh no. I was just resting my eyes." No matter how hard life seems, when I hear her voice on the other end of the line life suddenly isn't that bad. She has been my sounding board time after time. Sometimes sympathizing, other times telling me to be tough. "No matter how hard life seems...you WILL get through it, " she's told me many times.

Thank you, Mother. For 31 years of service to me. For singing me through months of the colic, saving my life with the blue bulb syringe, teaching me to love imagination and stories, showing me how to love others and think outside myself, and loving me despite what I may have said or done. I will forever be in debt to you.

Love Always, Lora

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

Hello Everyone. I am sending a beg for volunteers on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Taste of Salt Lake is coming up next weekend, Sat. Nov. 8th. It is The CF foundation's biggest annual fundraiser bringing over 15 of Salt Lake's best restaraunts to one place where attendees are welcome to taste each of their specialties as much as they want! They are expecting 800 attendees this year and the event will be held at the Grand America Hotel. Craig and I have attended the last 4 years and LOVE it. We volunteered our first year and it was such a neat opportunity to see people so generous to help us find a cure.
If you are interested PLEASE contact me ASAP. They will need you to attend one training session either tomorrow (Sat) at 11 am or Wed., Nov. 5th. at 7pm. Matt Haberman is in charge of organizing volunteers and can be reached at 243-6754. Also the night of the event be there by 4:45 for dinner then get ready for the big night! It is a lot of fun and I promise you won't be sorry if you volunteer. Tickets to attend are $100 per person if you have a connection to CF and $175.00 if you don't have a connection so if you've ever considered going to the event but not sure if it is worth the money, volunteering is a great way to decide!
Let me know if you have any question! I appreciate you all for your unending support to our cause!
Lora

Hotdogs and Smores

Sunday night we decided to turn some old wood into a campfire. The girls loved it. The babies were afraid of it and screamed most of the time. We fed them as fast as we could then put them to bed so the rest of us could enjoy it. Sitting around a fire has always been one of our families favorite things to do together. We love the food, the stories and the company. The brisk night air reminds us that the lazy days of summer are truly coming to an end.

Where go Yogo?

A few days ago I kept giving Hallie Yogo's and two seconds later she'd be back for more. "Where the heck are you putting the Yogo's" I finally asked her. She'd just run around the island then come back for more. So I followed her and this is what I found. She was sticking them down in her diaper then going back for them later. Yeah, it was pretty gross. I hope she ditches this habit before too long. Today I found a binkie down in her diaper!

Bonham Halloween Party

The smell of fresh made breadsticks, potato soup and cinnamon rolls filled our nostrils as we entered Nana & Papa Bonham's for the Halloween Party. Costumes are a must and in my opinion, Elvis took the cake this year! The kids (and some big kids) did Karaoke, others played Mofia and I think we all ate too much! Good times...good times. It's so fun to see how the kids grow and change each year and how the younger ones fill the shoes of the ones growing up. And then there's the rest of us that just refuse to grow up! Thanks for the great party!

For this is the Fall of the Year...

"...Good-bye, sweet flowers! Through bright Summer hours You have filled our hearts with cheer. We shall miss you so, And yet you must go, For this is the Fall of the year..." by Ellen Robena Field

These were the fruits of our labor this year...way too many zuchinni, lots of tomatoes, yummy corn and lovely flowers to enjoy. The are almost gone and we are already wishing for summer again!

Witch's Night Out!

One of our favorite things about Halloween time is seeing the Witches at Gardener's Village. This year Lizzie, Grace and I joined the rest of the Bonham gal's for a fun night out to see the Halloween decor and then have dinner at Chili's. I kept having flashbacks of being there when Grace and Lizzie were really small. Jenny reminded me how Lizzie kept shouting, "Momma, this witch has BIG boobies!" Boy they sure grow up fast!

The Joys Fall Brings!

Anyone that knows our little family knows how Craig loves to hunt! Craig went on a hunt of a lifetime this year with his dad who has been putting in points for this area for several years. He says it was one of the most memorable hunts ever. The weather was scorching, the food was pretty bad, but the hunting made it all worth it. One week in Arizona with a lot of sweat, blood and tears (okay, maybe no tears) and they harvested this monster bull. I stared at the meat in the fridge for 4 days before I finally attempted to produce something my kids would eat. Mission accomplished! We put it over garlic mashed potatoes with gravy and the whole family loved it!

"Walk to School Day"

Today was "Walk to School Day." Since the girls go to school at different times, we decided to walk home together instead. I met them at the flagpole when the bell rang and we began our way to long journey home. There are no sidewalks between us and the school so we decided to take the back roads through a few neighborhoods. 3 miles and 1 hour later, we arrived home. Thank goodness for the snacks and CJ's funny faces to keep us all on the move. It was fun but the girls agreed with each other that they "were glad we only do this one time every year!"

Where will you stand?

I must admit I didn't think I'd ever post a political message but after much thought and consideration I decided to step up onto my soap box. I must attest that I do not know as much as I should about the presidential candidates. I know bits and pieces on "the issues". Some I like about both sides, some I don't and some I absolutely cannot stand by and allow myself to be silent about. One issue, that hasn't been discussed much this election, is one that I'm afraid matters more to me than the rise and fall of the economy and drilling for oil...

To illustrate my point I'd like to share the following clip my sister sent to me. I hope you will all take the time to watch it. It made me cry. http://www.catholicvote.com/

When casting our votes this November I hope we will remember what we each hold dear. For me that is family, people and relationships. Consider the fact that Obama has pledged to use FEDERAL funding to help pay for abortions. In 2007 he voted against banning partial birth abortion. If you've never fully understood what a partial birth abortion entails then please read a detailed description here: Please prepare yourself before you read. It is very detailed. http://www.abortionfacts.com/literature/literature_9313pb.asp

I don't know a lot about foreign policies, free trade or gun control but I do know that LIFE is paramount. For anyone that has even held a newborn baby and looked into their perfect face and considered who is this person would someday become, I think you can relate. The idea of using federal funding to end a living soul is inexecusable and in my humble opinion, someone that can diminish the value of a life so easily should not be elected as our President.

I will now step down. I hope I haven't lost any friends over this!

100% love

Tonight I went to dinner with my college roomates. I love friends that you can be away from forever and then get together with and it feels like you haven't skipped a beat. It was that kind of night. Since Craig's been away so much I've been pretty tied down here at home. Getting out tonight was really good for me but the crazy thing is that on the drive home (after only 3 hours of being gone) I couldn't wait to see my 4 babies again!

I put Gracie's sleeping body into the top bunk (which is becoming ever so difficult.) I swept her hair out of her face and thought about her excitement every afternoon as she bursts through the door with some cut and paste project.

I pulled the covers up on Lizzie, kissed her soft eyelids and thought about all the responsiblity I put on her everyday. I'm sure that I expect way too much out of a six year old. Her compassion amazes me; her maturity confounds me. She is a blessing.

Next I sneaked into the babies room. As I opened their door their sweet smell made ache for them. I covered Hallie and softly rubbed her back. She let out a little sigh.

CJ was curled up in a little ball in his crib. Much like a roly-poly does when you touch it. When I felt for his binkie he opened his dark eyes and looked up at me. My heart just wouldn't let me walk away. I picked him up and went across the hall and rocked him...his cheek to my heart. With each rise and fall of my chest we rested together. I thought about the first time I saw his beautiful little face. "Curious George" I remember thinking. Three girls and this little man. My patient, content, gentle, cuddly CJ. He has no idea how he's stolen my heart forever.

An amazing weight falls on me everytime Craig and I bring a new baby into this world. It occurs to me from time to time that I have everything to do with who these little people turn out to be. The crazy thing is that I feel like they are the ones shaping and molding me each day. I love being their mother. I know I'm no good at a lot of things and I'm down right terrible at some things.... but the one place I don't have any room for improvement is my love for those 4 snoozing sweeties upstairs.

Bye Bye Baby Teeth...Hello Kindergarten!

Yes, my sweet Gracie has started Kindergarten. I really can't believe it. I was so worried about her being sad or throwing a fit when I had to leave her at school but none of that happened. In fact quite the opposite. She was so excited to be there. At last her teacher said, "Okay, give one last hug and kiss and we'll go to Kindergarten!" As I leaned over to kiss Gracie, I was flooded with gratitude. Gratitude for this little girl in front of me, gratitude for her doctors and mostly gratitude for living today when medicine is changing from day to day and miracles happen so often. It just hit me so hard at that very moment that here she is so healthy and strong and thriving and that only 5 short years ago we sat beside her wondering if she would ever be able to come home and if so, for how long? Gracie noticed the tears in my eyes and took my cheeks in her hands and said, "Mom, are you a little sad that I'm going to Kindergarten?" "No, Gracie," I responded, "I am just soooo proud of you for being so brave!" She smiled back at me, tugged on her backpack and headed into the school.

The morning before her second day of school she came to me with a loose tooth. I popped it out and she was so excited for a visit from the tooth fairy. Five minutes later she came to me with another loose tooth (funny I'd never noticed before) so we popped it out too, and she went to school with a little lisp. She was thrilled to meet Lizzie after school and show her the new gap in her mouth!

Gracie is pure joy. She's our daily reminder that life is to be enjoyed each and every day and that we should live passionately (not just go through the motions.) Thank you Gracie for your amazing little spirit! We love you and are so proud of you!