The Best of Compliments

I have a friend named Tiffany who I think is the most amazing person. Besides being amazingly beautiful, she has so many talents. She can sing, dance, make up programs like nobody's business, take care of nine kids, and yet she is still humble, teachable and faithful. Did I mention she also has style?

I would give anything to be like her.
So, it was the best of compliments the other day when I was trying on a new dress and I came out to show all my guys, and Ian said,"That looks like something Tiffany Nelson would wear."
Perfect.

Well, their family is moving out of our ward. They needed a bigger home for all those adorable children. And so after church I went up to give her a hug and tell her that I was in mourning. I am very sad that they won't be in our ward anymore. Her husband has been the Elder's Quorum president, and he is just rock solid and a joy to work with. But get this, she told me, "You know--- when I first moved into the ward I looked at you and I thought, I want to be just like her." She wants to be like me. I couldn't believe it. That was truly the best and nicest compliment I have ever had.

It was so sweet of her to say that.
I will miss seeing them all in church each Sunday.
I still want to be just like her.

The Rest of the Story

Ian has such a little angel face in this picture, I just wanted to tell the rest of the story. What you can't see is that I am lying on the floor underneath his chair, gripping it as hard as I can so that he can not spin around. The little devil has figured out how to hook his foot "just right" under the stool, and when the photographer gets to "two" he flips himself around so that the picture is of the back of his head. What a clever little stinker behind that adorable grin.


Which reminds me of another story. When Ian was about 4 years old we went on a camping trip to Dinosaur National Park. There was a certain hike we went on called "Echo Canyon" that was an amazing finger of land that jutted out high above the river. So, on the hike I think I am going to teach my tiny son about echoes, and I say, "Holler out, Ian." Instead of shouting "HELLO!" as I expected, he grabs the fence in front of him, and with all his strength he yells, "My mom has diarrhea!" Stunned, I stood there and listened as it echoed all along the canyon, "Rhea... rhea... rhea."
That's my boy.

Ian's Birthday Surprise

Last night Scott took the boys to a Fathers and Sons camp out and I had time to get ready for Ian's birthday. I was pretty sure he thought we weren't going to do much and so I had the chance to give him a good surprise.

I decorated the dining area with what the girls call a "Birthday Shrine". I put pictures in the big window, stuff from when they were a baby and awards that they have won. And then I went to work on his room. I put his birthday money in an envelope and hid it, and then took string and criss-crossed it all over his room. The idea is that he has to follow the string to find his present.

He first tried to follow the string without wrapping it around the ruler I gave him, but he got lost near the end and had to start over. It was fun and cute, and I got a couple of cute smiles out of him. It was a good surprise and he loved it.

After he gets finished with laser tag with his friends, we'll go out for dinner tonight at his favorite: Mongolian Bar-b-que. Tomorrow Tara and Kudi will come over and will have a family dinner with more of his favorites: homemade breaded chicken tenders (we call dragon tongues), macaroni and cheese, jello salad, corn on the cob, watermelon and pineapple. He's pretty spoiled for someone who thought he wasn't going to get a birthday celebration.

This little darling is 13 today.

He's such a cutie-pa-tootie and I love how he always gives me hugs and kisses. I've been telling him for years to stop growing, but he just never listens.