Friends

Our dear friends the Smith's had been searching and praying for a new job for a long time and when a job opportunity arose in Colorado that would allow him to come home for lunch every day and be home at a normal time every day and not have to travel it was an answer to prayers even though it took them away from family and friends. We are so grateful for these wonderful friends that we have and are glad that distance doesn't change the bond that we have created with them. On the last weekend before Adam left for Colorado we invited them out on a double date. I don't remember exactly how but after dinner we coaxed them back to our house where a huge group of friends and neighbors had gathered in our absence to say farewell to the Smith Family. It was a bittersweet evening to be sure but I'm so glad we were able to be together.

Funny story. In preparation for the surprise party I wanted to have a neighborhood gift that everyone could contribute to and we could give to them at the party. Drawing inspiration from a gift my mom received when I was young I decided that I would gather flowers and leaves from their yard here in Lehi and create a memory box where people could put letters, small gifts or tokens to represent memories or jokes or experiences that they'd had with the Smith's during the time that they lived here. So I bought the box and told all of the neighbors to begin writing letters and collecting trinkets to put in the box but I had a hard time getting the flowers from their yard! I couldn't do it in broad daylight and I tried to find a time when I knew she'd be gone during the day, but she was home most of the time packing and cleaning so it proved more difficult than I thought! I finally decided to go one evening after the kids were in bed and just try to be quiet! Well as I was heading out the door, Logan woke up and wanted to come with me to "Bennett's house" (her son that is Logan's age). I thought that he would fall asleep in the car on the drive over there but no such luck! He was wide awake and I discovered that he REALLY doesn't know how to talk softly! We pulled up and he started calling out, "YAY! Bennett's house! Yay!! Mom we goin' play at Bennett's house? Mom can I come in with you?" At first I thought of leaving him in the car but he cried and yelled at that suggestion. So I told him that we were trying to be sneaky and we had to be so quiet. At first he seemed excited about the idea of sneaking around Bennett's yard but he couldn't keep quiet! He kept calling out (even though I was RIGHT next to him), "Mom! You cuttin' Bennett's flowers? Why you cuttin' these flowers? Mom Bennett's mommy will be sad that you cuttin' her flowers!" I was certain they'd come out and catch us! So then I get them home and laid them flat under some heavy books hoping to press them at least a little bit before arranging them behind the glass of the memory box frames. The next day as I put them in their places and put the glass back on I tried to close the clasps and the glass shattered! I guess they weren't pressed enough and were still pretty thick! So at this point the party was in a few hours and I couldn't very well go out and get another box or even another piece of glass and have it happen again! So I decided to improvise and I laminated the flowers with clean packing tape and left it without glass all together! It ended up looking ok in the end, but I'm afraid that now after several months behind sticky tape, the flowers and greenery are probably less than beautiful in their place! Lol! Oh well! It's just another funny memory to add to the box, right?

And this picture just serves as proof that my laundry room HAS been cleaned in it's lifetime! With 6 kids I do a LOT of laundry and even doing 1 load every day it still explodes at times (like when the kids clean their rooms and add several baskets full to what is already in there). Anyway! It was clean for the Smith's going away party and it was such a momentous occasion that I felt it needed to be documented! So enjoy friends! You may not see it like this again for quite some time!! Lol! That reminds me of a poem that I love

"Cleaning and Scrubbing can wait till tomorrow.

For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby, 'cause babies don't keep."