Bradshaw Top Ten--February 2012

Aaaaand we’re back.  Seems like it was awfully short month.  And I guess it technically was, even with leap day added in.  But add to that a good 10 day vacation to CA and AZ smack dab in the middle of the month, and it really flew by.  Anyhoo, let’s dig right in, shall we?

10- Kye: Who’s playing in the Super Bowl?
Lucy: It’s the Giants and the Patriots.

Me: Ummmm, how on earth do you know that?

Lucy: Church.

Ah, yes.  The essentials taught in Primary: faith, prayer, Super Bowl. 

9- When it comes to me singing, my children have most often been, how shall we say?  Ummm, unsupportive.  If I had a dollar for every time I heard the words, “Mom, stop SINGING!” I’d be a rich woman.  Adam seemed unusually unperturbed (or at least not downright hostile) as I practiced a song for a month, to be sung at a RS event.  Until, one day I was one measure into the song, and . . .

Adam: Your singing makes my elbows hurt.

Uh, what now?

8-Newport Beach.  There is something so very right about wearing flip flops in February.  We had a few days on the beach—took some walks, let the kids jump in the waves (though I like the flip flops in February, I feel like swimsuits at 60 degrees are a little crazy.  My kids disagree.), played in the sand, and stayed at a beautiful beach house with most of our Bradshaw family.  Good times.

7- While at said beach house, I ran upstairs to tell Madi and Lucy it was time for dinner.  They scurried on down and as I headed back to the kitchen I heard, “SARAH!”  I went into the master bedroom, from whence Madi and Lucy had come.  I found Darin (17 year old nephew) wrapped up in a blanket on the bed.  “Why did you tell them it was time for dinner?  We were telling each other secrets and now I’m never going to know who they like!”  That kid seriously makes me laugh.

6-(After a music class at the library)

Adam: And mom, Juliet was there.

Me: Was that fun?

Adam: (giggle) Yeah.

Me: Do you like Juliet?

Adam: Ummm, yeah.  And maybe she even said ‘hi’ to me when I waved at her.

5-Introducing the older nephews –DarinSkylerBraden- to this little bit of culinary heaven.  Of course, that led to a raiding of the pantry to see if any other cookies worked as well as Keebler Grasshoppers in melting into gooey goodness.  Chocolate chip cookies crumble too easily and Oreos (even with a hole poked through the middle of the frosting) just act as a straw with no melting at all.  Just in case you were wondering.

4-Dance party.  On the drive from CA to AZ, I got Adam, Eli, Lucy, and 3 girl cousins.  We had a blast—dancing and playing and lots of talking.  (Lots and lots and LOTS.)  Luanne had a car full of boys—pretty stinky boys, apparently.  I think I won.

3-While the rest of the Bradshaw clan went to Disneyland, the kids and I stayed at the beach house and played.  I took them on the ferry to Balboa Island.  We walked around and got frozen bananas and played at a teeny tiny playground.  On the ferry ride back, a man got out of his Mercedes to take a picture, and he told me, “Looks pretty busy with those kids.”

Me: Yep, always.

Man: Are ALL those kids YOURS?!?!

Me: (Wondering if he is perhaps a blind Mercedes driver, as the kids all look the same, just different sizes) Yes.

Man: Wow.  (After getting back in the car, with the windows all the way down and me and the kids sitting 2 feet away, he turned to his wife.)  That lady said that all of those kids ARE HERS!!

Made me laugh.

2-(After throwing the Angry Bird that Isaac and Zach made out of Legos across the room, and the subsequent disaster)

Kye: Hmmmm, Isaac?  Stanley failed his first flying lesson.

1-I came across Darin and Skyler surrounded by younger cousins one day in AZ, and this is what I heard:

Skyler (to young cousins):  Raise your right hand and repeat after me.  I (state your name) solemnly swear that I will stay chill at all times, no matter what obstacles stand in my way, I will be nice to everyone and resect my elders.  Never exclude fellow bros.  No matter what chill level someone else is on, whether they be hot or cold, brown or white, happy or sad, big or small, girl or boy.  I promise to treat them equally and stall chill always.  And that's all.

And then they wrote it down.  And signed their names.  Delightful.  I hope it sticks.