Here is Tommy in all his glory: wearing Dad's hat backwards, a goofy grin, and one shoe off (for some reason it's always the left one). I think he's remembering the grand time he had climbing out of the cart at Sam's Club and onto the conveyor belt. The cashier commented, "That's a first!" Obviously she's never met Tommy before.

You know the old saying, "When the cat's away, the mouse will play?" Usually that holds true at my house, so imagine my surprise when I returned from visiting teaching to find . . .

this . . .

and this.

Tom had bathed and fed Tommy, made all the beds, taken out the trash, and even gathered up the dirty laundry. Maybe I should leave more often?! (For all my complaining, he really is a great guy!)

If one blankey is good, then three must be better!

Both of my kids loved their blankets (Sammie still does, in fact). She, however, only loved one "naney" at a time. It had to be a certain blanket and it went everywhere with us.

Tommy's not so particular about a certain blanket, as long as it's his. Lately he is taking on the attitude of the more, the merrier. He begs for me to get them out of the closet, and he pulls them out of diaper bags and the dirty clothes until he's got a whole bundle to snuggle with.

Okay, I need your help. Tom's fleet of r/c aircraft has gotten so large that he is running out of room to store them. (I have allowed two of them to hang in Tommy's room, because it's fitting w/ the theme, but other than that, they have been banished to the garage.)

As a solution to the storage problem, his friend helped him hang a lot of them from the ceiling in the garage. They called me out to the garage to see the display, and wanted to know what I thought. I replied, "In my opinion, it looks like a lot of chaos and clutter." Apparently they didn't like my answer. I really didn't mean anything rude by it--that's just my personal opinion. In his eyes, it looks beautiful, like a work of art.

So who's right--Tom or Sarah?

(In his defense though, I guess he needs one room in the house (besides the loft) which is all his--at least according to Shari.)

Happy day--I finally got a piano!

It wasn't actually a Valentine's gift--just something I have wanted forever, and something Sammie can definitely use now that she's been in piano lessons for the past year. (She's had to practice on her keyboard, and I think her teacher is excited as we are.)

When Tom called me last week on Valentine's Day, I jokingly asked him what he was going to get me. He said, "How about a piano?" (Much better than the Peanut Buttercup heart I got him!)

I used to play quite a bit growing up, but I've had limited access to a piano since I left home thirteen years ago. No more excuses now. If I can just convince Tommy that the keys are NOT for storing Matchbox cars . . . (Lorena, maybe that "expert" on the Today Show can help me out!)

Of course we're not together today, but at least Tom's in the US! He called me from New York at 7:00 am to wish me Happy Valentine's Day. I thought I'd follow Lorena's lead and list some fun facts you may or may not know about my Valentine:

1. He likes Coke occasionally.
2. He hates Diet Coke, Crystal Light, etc.
3. He doesn't like cold cereal.
4. He'd prefer peppered beef jerky over chocolate.
5. He likes to go to bed early and wake up early.
6. He hates being cold.
7. He doesn't mind the heat--even when it's 115 degrees!
8. He is an excellent father.
9. He loves to play with the kids (hide and seek, wrestle, tickle, etc.)
10. Halloween is is favorite holiday, followed by Christmas.
11. He loves Van Halen.
12. He named our daughter Samantha (with Sammie as the nickname) after Sammy Hagar from Van Halen.
13. He loves 80's rock.
14. He has autographs from members of Kiss, Metallica, and Motley Crew.
15. He got Vince Niel's autograph in a restroom in Farmington, NM.
16. He also likes country music.
17. He would love to live in a small town like Richfield.
18. He drives fast.
19. He hates driving long distances--he'd rather fly.
20. His biggest petpeeve is "snowbirds" on the road and at the post office.
21. He likes to bring the kids presents from his travels.
22. He still calls Sammie "baby girl."
23. He is still referred to as "baby boy," which he likes.
24. He loves to hang out with his dad and brothers and talk about airplanes or the good ol' days.
25. He loves black labs.
26. However, he doesn't want a dog, only fish.
27. He doesn't like cats.
28. He hates long "honey-do's" when he gets home.
29. He's a perfectionist--if it has to be done, it has to be done right.
30. He calls his grandma regularly.
31. He calls me every day if possible.
32. He calls me numerous times a day.
33. He wishes we could get Tommy to talk more.
34. He loves when Tommy follows him everywhere.
35. He will take the kids with him almost anywhere he goes.
36. He got up in the night with both kids when they were babies.
37. He even changed diapers, and still does.
38. He was reluctant to move to Arizona, but now never will leave.
39. He is afraid of heights--hates the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.
40. He is afraid of snakes.
41. His favorite channel is The Military Channel.
42. He knows most of the songs from the Disney Channel.
43. He likes loud music.
44. He wants a new Mustang or Camero.
45. He went to the jungles of Brazil on his mission.
46. He doesn't like bananas because he ate too many in Brazil.
47. He had his pilot's license before his driver's license.
48. He is anybody's friend--old men, young kids, and everything inbetween.
49. He wants a 3-car garage so he can store more airplanes.
50. He hates messy yards and messy houses.
51. He proposed to me while flying in a Cessna.
52. His favorite plane to fly is a Taylorcraft.
53. He wants to buy a Taylorcraft one day.
54. He has type-ratings in a Beechcraft, a CRJ, and a 747.
55. He asked me to marry him after only two weeks.
56. He got the answer he wanted.
57. He wanted one boy and one girl.
58. He got both.
59. He make the ultrasound tech reaffirm over and over that Tommy was indeed a boy.
60. He hardly left Tommy's side from the time he was extracted, worked on, and life-lighted to another hospital.
61. He hardly left his side at the new hospital.
62. He took many pictures for me to see.
63. He takes way too many pictures of airplanes.
64. He lets me do whatever makes me happy.
65. He makes the bed when he is home and gathers the laundry.
66. He bites his nails when he is stressed.
67. He likes to be babied.
68. He likes when I pack his suitcase.
69. He doesn't like dressing up.
70. He likes watching the Phoenix Suns play.
71. He likes when Sammie watches the games with him.
72. He is a big kid at heart.
73. He likes to tease nieces and nephews.
74. He will do anything I ask as long as I give him time to fly his r/c airplanes.
75. He likes to work on computers.
76. He likes to go to the mall with me.
77. Not to look at clothes, but to go to the toy stores.
78. He doesn't like eating out when he is not working.
79. He wishes I would cook more.
80. He likes to spoil his kids.
81. He likes the Wii more than the kids do.
82. He leaves a trail whereever he goes.
83. Spots on the mirror, mud on the floor.
84. He thinks it's funny.
85. He likes his airplane workbench organized.
86. He once bought me a Secretary's Day card for Mother's Day because he waited too long and they were all out.
87. He will not be allowed to forget that, either.
88. He tends to procrastinate.
89. He doesn't like camping.
90. He doesn't like dancing.
91. He gets annoyed when I sing loud.
92. He would sit through a Hannah Montana concert if it meant making Sammie happy.
93. He wishes his job let him sleep at home every night.
94. He loves airplanes almost as much as his family.
95. He is almost as clumsy as I am (and Sammie is, and Tommy is).
96. He tries to look on the bright side.
97. He is getting silver streaks in his hair already (he claims it's from being married to me).
98. If he didn't fly for a living, he'd open a hobby shop.
99. He is a big teddy bear at heart.
100. He's all mine, and I love him.

If this kitty had nine lives, I think she just used every one of them. At least as far as I'm concerned, she's a goner--straight into the trash can.

Tommy was watching me clean the bathroom a few minutes ago, and apparently this was his idea of "helping." Sister knows nothing of it yet, but I imagine it will go something like this: "BROTHERRRRR!"

(Last night while we were at Neighborhood Walmart, she picked up a new Hello Kitty toothbrush and asked if she could get it. I told her, "No, you already have one at home. When that one wears out, I'll get you a new one." I guess that time is now.

Lucky for him, he's cute. Otherwise I'd be tempted to sell him on E-bay under the "animals" section. He goes from cute to naughty in 5 seconds flat!

Have you ever wished you could trade places with someone else?

Thanks to a little piece of software called Skype, Tom is able to call me almost everyday. Almost everyday he says he wishes he could be home, and almost everyday, I say I would love to trade places w/ him--at least for just one day!

Oh, to be in a fancy hotel room, just me, myself, and I, for twenty-four hours. I could sleep without little ones waking me, or read, or watch tv, or knit, or just sit in complete silence.

(Don't get me wrong--I love my life, but it's ok for a girl to dream, right?)

Why is it that the kids are always sick when Tom is out of town (or out of the country for that matter)?!

Granti-grew, Tommy has sympathy for your plight as well. We spent the good share of our Saturday morning at the Urgent Care. Even after a week of antibiotics, Tommy coughed so hard he vomited nearly 10 times! (And in the car for that matter--which brings up memories of the good ol' days with Sammie--you know the ones, where the car always smelled like vomit?!) However, this time it's just a "rockin' virus." Yeah doc, it really "rocks!" Thanks for clarifying!

Oh, the joys of single motherhood!

What a sad day it is in America when a man of Mitt Romney's stature, morals, knowledge and perserverance has to drop out of the race for President. What does that leave us with now?

Apparently, this . . .

Now that some of the newness of the job has worn off, Tom doesn't send as many pictures from the road as he used to. (I often don't even know what country he is in until he calls and I ask him! I tried to keep track in the beginning, but I can't keep up now.)

Anyhow, I thought these two were worth posting. The first one is a sunrise over Turkey. It was taken on February 2 at 37,000 feet. (That bright light in the upper right corner is a UFO. Just kidding, it's acutally Mars!)

The second picture is from his cute little hotel room in Traben-Trarbach, Germany. This is the same hotel that Baron Von Richthofen (the Red Baron) stayed in in the early 1900's. Traben-Trarbach is Europe's second largest wine producing city and has a castle that belonged to Louis the 14th. By far Tom's favorite place in Europe (at least so far).

I don't think I have any makeup left on my face after watching the funeral of our sweet prophet.

When President Monson spoke of how he comforted people, I thought back to the time in May of 1988 as he sat in my family's living room as he comforted us three days after my own dad had passed away.

My dad was in the bishopric when he died, and President Hinckley and his wife were in the Richfield area for a regional conference. I think he was a counselor in the First Presidency at the time.

Somehow word got to him of my dad's passing, and he and his sweet wife took the time to personally come to our house. I don't remember if he shook our hands, hugged us, or even what he said, but I do remember the honor and reverence that we felt to have him in our presence. His sweet little wife removed her corsage and gave it to my mom. From that day forward, he has always had a special place in my heart.

What a sad day it is for us, but what a reunion he must have had in Heaven.