Broad HOrizon.

Its 6:16 in the morning the sun is about to come up over those lovely mtns and I am about to witness one of God greatest gifts .... the early morning sunrise. I am ohhh soo tired...couldnt get back to sleep after my 3:00 a.m. interuption of Vanessa and Marcus needing "mommy". O- well, Im tuff, I've done this many times before. I just have to make sure to get some caffine in me or there is NO WAY I am going to be able to work out and survive the day. (Marcus just ran across the hall half asleep and naked so that he could go potty. Why do 2 year olds think they need to be naked to go potty?..................ohh good, he made a b- line back to bed.)

Busy , Busy, Busy. Spring makes me so happy... I can never wait until it hits about 65 degrees and I get to throw open the windows and let the sun shine in the sleepy house....wakes us all up into this frenzy of yard work, soccer, cleaning, getting to the dump, fertilizing, planting... best of all...BBQ's. Although this week we are in a cold spell there is still signs of spring emerging from the popcorn popping on the apricot trees and in the leafy treetops the birds are singing, good morning Heidi!

Vanessa is cracking me up lately.. however you cant let her know what she just said was cute, and you can't chuckle.. or at least let her see you chuckle because she might just run into her room crying of the embarrassment that attention brings...yes, I know...totally opposite of me. :)
Our cute little neighbor boy , Cohen Bishop, was sick yesterday. Vanessa came back delivering the message that he couldn't play because he is "sick with a feber.. mom.. I think he has cancer, mom." ohh to be 4 and not know the difference between a fever and cancer...what a glorious world this would be if we could just give the cancer patients a dose of Motrin and pat them on the head and tell them it will all be over in a couple of days.
Yesterday, Vanessa and I went to Target...all by ourselves. It was marvelous! She needed it and I needed it. We found some sparkly shoes, a pink picnic table for the playhouse and a doll to give her cousin for her upcoming birthday party. After we checked out we sat down at the little cafe Target has and shared a cinnamon sugar pretzel and lemonade. Seriously, these are the days! This shopping trip was one marble to add to my jar of memories I hope to never forget.

ohh...here comes the sun!

I was only 6 when I could hear the roosters from the backyard farm that was kitty-corner our house. They would wake me every morning and I remember my mom telling me that what they are really saying is "cock-a-doodle-doo-wake-up-Heidi." I always think of this when I hear roosters in the morning. You know, we have a farm kitty-corner from our backyard and I can hear the roosters right now. What is it about sunrise and roosters anyways? Its not like the sun is a big surprise. Maybe they are just so excited of the beauty of the sunrise that they feel like they have to tell everyone to "hurry, get up , walk out your front door and look...look at the evidence that God loves us and that he created tender mercies, like the sunrise to remind us that nothing matters unless it's eternal." Yeah right... but seriously, sometimes this message is ohh so hard to remember. Sometimes I get so busy, busy, busy with life that I forget to listen to the roosters call. I forget to put that little marble for the day in my memory jar, I forget how blessed I am to be free of cancer or any other serious sickness and I forget that someday my babies will be grown and I will wish that they would call out "Mommy...I wantcha!" at 3:00 am.

Secrets...

First of all.. can you believe that I am doing another post? Im really on top of things lately.. or maybe I'm am just looking at all of the kids rooms and searching for the computer to help me escape to another world..far away from peed beds, Rice Chex crusted to the countertops and a triple stack of laundry... ahhh... yes, I am starting to remember this blogging thing :) I think I will kick my running shoes off and stay awhile...or at least until I have to break up the next WWF fight between Marcus and Vanessa (for a 2 year old Marcus can KO like he was Hulk Hulgans kid...um did I just say that?)

OKAY... back to my title... SECRETS...

For some of you it might be a secret but for those of you that are out of my daily loop you might not know...

My parents and their friends started a company. Its called "Share the Secret". I know, I know...it leaves you wandering just what "THE SECRET" is. I got involved way back when Elise was 2 or 3 and I was hyper-active (she was my first) about teaching her how to read. My mom and her friend had developed books that had sandpaper and felt letters, prompts to tell the parent exactly what to say and do and high frequency words (words they will need to know in Kindergarten). The methods used are the most up to date reasearched methods that are used when a child has to be pulled out of class because they are struggling readers. They developed them out of frustration that there wasnt more of a link between the parents and the schools on educating the parents of these researched methods. I was excited because I used them with Elise and she caught on SO quickly. She was reading whole sentances and writing whole sentances before Kindergarten...even lowercase!!! wowsers huh? Well, as the years passed on the company started, books were professionaly printed and now they are in almost every school district in Utah!!!...and now into California, Virginia..and most certainly more of the wonderful 50 states. The most appealing thing and what all educators that I have talked to say is that they have never found one resourse with all the researched methods combined. This is the company niche. And I love it!! They asked me to be their rep at conferences around the nation so this means I go out of town for one weekend a month to 'represent. The company is growing and new editions and products are on the horizon.

These Alphabet books are really great for a preschooler or a Kindergartner. Luke, Princess and KO even write their lowercase letters on the shower door...with perfect directionality (I threw that one in there for all of you educators). The good news is that they are giving away one free set for St. Patricks day! All you have to do is comment on the Share the Secret blog.

Normally the whole alphabet set runs 40.00 but I am special enough that I can get you a deal if you are interested in buying them. Just let me know.

So there is my big secret.

If you are in my ward and notice that Vanessa has a Christmas dress on and its the middle of July or if Elise wears the same pants twice in a row to school, or if my house smells like oil because Nate has made homemade french fries for Breakfast, Lunch and dinner for 3 days in a row it's probably because I am out of town on these little ventures...which actually has been therapy for me through the winter months. As you all know how I can get very STORMY (okay, okay... depressed, there I said it) in the cold of cold, and the dark of dark of winter. One day I swear we are moving to St. George or somewhere that snow is not the norm and the sun comes out in all seasons.

Well, I better go, I am starting to smell my pits from my workout...that's never a good thing.

Bare minimum.

No apologies here! What can I say...one year has flown past!
We are one year old and wiser too...

So, here's the truth. The place for my blog posts fits somewhere between hardly ever and never... as if you didnt know it. So, heres a quick update of all things Payne.

All things Elise...Ellie...Leesie.
Soccer, piano, shopping, illiterations, Dalton Brems, wants short hair, times tables, kick ball, jump rope, idols her mom.

All things Luke...Lukie-Duke
Pwimawy, Wace Caws, He-Man, Belts, Russell, Dessert for Dinner, Scooter, Bathtime, The letter L, singing, Starfall.com, Soccer, asks about when he gets to go to pre-school everyday, idols his mom.

All things Vanessa...Vinney...Nessa
Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Princess bedtime story, Halle and Audrey Smith, Playing House, Telling on Luke for when he is "naughty" in Primary or pretty much anywhere. Dance Class, and idolizing her mom.

All things Marcus...Markie
2 years old. Thats all I am gonna say.

Well...okay...
Superman, Spiderman, Only Spiderman underwear, Cohen Bishop, M for Marcus. M for Master Manipulator, showers, brushing teeth, Spiderman scooter. Hates Nursery wants to be with Cohen in Sunbeams. (He thinks he is 4 like the twins.) um... I might add he is smack in the middle of 2...if you know what I mean.

oh yeah...Markie idols his mom too.

Nate and I just turned 10. Can you believe it? Lift your glasses cause here's to us!