Santa Claus Came to Town

I love Christmas. This year will go down as one my favorites. Our kids opted for self initiated homemade gifts this year even though I had other plans. I love that they find so much joy in making things for each other. They love doing the whole process of creating, wrapping, and placing gifts under the tree all by themselves.

Among our homemade gifts was Lucy's puzzle for Miles. She drew a picture of a tiger and cut it up. You can enjoy a similar puzzle by pulling 25 pieces of paper out of your paper shredder and putting them back together again. She also made him a musical instrument out of a paper plate, a plastic cup, and a spoon. She was so proud and Miles was a very gracious big brother.

Lucy's gift to Emily this year was a snowflake garland which is now hanging above Emily's bed. Of course Lucy recruited Miles and me to help with cutting the snowflakes. I forgot how much fun that is. Emily was sincerely excited about receiving it.

Emily made me a stack of Christmas cards each with their own cute saying and mosaic picture from construction paper. Miles made me a Rudolf puppet which I must say is really cool. These gifts mean more to me than anything I could have gotten from a store.

Matt is starting a new job in a different department in January so Miles made a little man out of popsicle sticks holding one of Matt's business cards saying, "Goodbye old job." That got a good laugh out of us.

Each year the kids put out a treat for Santa before going to bed. I really didn't want to do more baking right before bed so luckily I talked them into leaving fudge (compliments of Michele--thank you!) for St. Nick. As we went downstairs after getting the kids to bed we found they had switched it to a clementine and a nice row of carrots with a little ranch dressing along with a note telling Santa they'd like him to go on a diet. I don't know what was funnier, reading the note to Santa or hearing their snickering from the top of the stairs.

Speaking of Santa, Lucy asked Santa for a toy trampoline this year. Not the size you are probably thinking of. A toy trampoline. One that her stuffed animals could jump on. I went on a hunt. Just in case you are looking, jumping on the trampoline apparently is not the exercise of choice for American Girl Dolls or Barbies. But thanks to some ingenious friends (thank you Jennifer and Jamie) I decided to make one. It was so fun. After Lucy fell asleep Tuesday night I asked Miles and Emily if they wanted to get out of bed to help us put it together. They were so excited. This was Emily's first year being one of Santa's elves. Miles worked with the saw and Emily with the paint. It was so much fun watching Lucy with her little trampoline this morning knowing that we made it together.

I hope each of you had a merry Christmas. We are so grateful for family and friends and of course for the reason we celebrate--for the birth of Jesus Christ who has given us the greatest gift of all.

Sweet Emily, Family Series Part 3

I love our Emily. She is an angel. I have never met someone so kind, so guileless. She loves everyone and would do anything to make sure they know that. She's so innocent and tender.

Last week after Emily's girl scout troop sang at a retirement community, I was out front talking with her girl scout leader. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Emily helping a woman with a walker get from her car to the front door. Emily is one of those souls that naturally brings love and joy to the needy and down-trodden.

I love Emily's faith. A few years ago we lost our cat Zoe. She rarely goes outside and one day she disappeared. We looked everywhere and after six days I had decided she was gone. Emily wanted to pray for her safe return and she knew Zoe would come back. I was crushed that her prayer wouldn't be answered the way she thought it would. I was taught a lesson. We found Zoe in the woods just 100 yards from our house that very night.

I love Emily's courage. She's not one to need the limelight but she's not afraid to be in front of a crowd. Better said, she may be afraid but she does it anyway. I have seen this courage countless times in so many different situations.

I love her simplicity. This year Miles drew a really cool wish list for Santa and had each of the girls fill one out. Some of the things Emily wrote on her list display her personality perfectly--"family fun nights, a caroling book, to go out caroling, my own picture of Jesus." And the really cool thing is that I know she means it.

When she was in kindergarten she participated in the Reflections contest. The theme that year was "A Different Kind of Hero." I asked her who her hero is. Without hesitation she said, "A tree". After a little prodding she continued, "because it protects you from the hot sun." See what I mean by simple? Finding gratitude in simple things is something she does naturally.

Just after she was baptized, Matt and I took her on a trip to Hawaii. It will forever feel like the trip that ended too soon. To have that kind of time with her was priceless. She has such a quiet optimism about her. She's so easy to have around.

Emily, I love you. I love the kind of daughter you are. I love the kind of sister you are. I love who you are becoming. With your sweet and tender heart I wish I could keep you under my wing forever. I know that's not possible but as hard times come I know you'll turn to the one true source of happiness. That's just the kind of person you are. I'm so grateful to be your mom.

We Mourn the Loss of...

Apparently the last couple of times Lucy has gone to preschool she has ended up crying. When her teachers have asked her what is wrong she says, "My new mom died." I'm sure you are wondering just as they were what is behind this story.

Since last spring Lucy has frequently talked about her "new mom". By frequent, I mean several times a week. Her new mom sometimes lives in rainbowland (where rainbow cats walk on two legs and talk...and can make rain stop). Last time we were in Portland she got so excited at the sight of a tall hotel and yelled, "Hey, that's my new mom's house!" If anyone ever asks Lucy where she learned something, it is always from her new mom. Her new mom has 200 Lucys, one Emily, and one son named My. (Evidently there is a new dad but we've only heard of him twice.) And of course she drives a bus so she can take all those kids places.

We all just go along with it. It's very real to her. It has always made me laugh...well, except for the time when she asked for her new mom in the ER while getting an IV. Apparently I wasn't doing a very good job protecting her. I think that time I cried but otherwise it's all been quite entertaining to see what her little imagination has cooked up.

On the way out to the car while trying to keep my composure, I asked Lucy how her new mom died. It's very unfortunate. She was hit by an ice cream truck and forgot that she was allergic to ice cream.

Van Gogh? Not So Much

I recently completed a continuing education class entitled Art as Therapy. I thought we'd learn about the impact art can have on the brain, the effect of different mediums, etc. but what it ended up being was...well...therapy. It was all about creating some piece of art then listening as each student described their "process" and what feelings came to the surface as they were expressing themselves through that week's medium. Of course this included explanations of personal trials. So it wasn't what I thought I was signing up for (I should have known, I mean it was Evergreen College) but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Well, expect for that one man who acted as if he was so much deeper and more intellectual than anyone in the room. Hmmm....that could describe quite a few of them actually.

Each week the instructor displayed a quote by Vincent Van Gogh. "If you hear a voice within you say, 'you cannot paint,'then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." Didn't work for me. That voice is still rolling on the ground in laughter but I'm going to make myself vulnerable and post these anyway.

The first week we scribbled with our eyes closed then looked at the paper for something to jump out. This is what I got. Of course the goldfish were not part of my scribbling but everyone else was still working so hard. I needed something to do.

This was followed by looking through magazines for a picture that inspired us. Yeah, that's about the extent of the instruction that day. I pretty much just copied an ad. Freedom of the road I guess.

The next week I didn't quite catch the purpose of the activity. Still don't but this is what my painting morphed into. You might see something similar hanging in a 3rd grade art room.

The next week was my favorite. We were given a piece of clay and told to squish it around with our eyes closed then start from there creating whatever jumped out at us. Mine became a fire which was really fun because as I molded the flames, they kept bending and changing on their own since they were so thin. I liked having the clay take on it's own design just as flames do. As far as it relating to life, change is constant. I don't have a picture of the flame but my next assignment was to make something that symbolized me. That was hard. Maybe I should have just left it as a clump of clay. As I played with the clay suddenly it hit me...

Swiss cheese! I've been going through an important spiritual journey over the last few months. One where I'm trying to understand why I deserve forgiveness when I just keep sinning. Why would the Lord answer my prayers when I fall short in my own efforts? Why hasn't He just said, "Come to me when you are serious about changing"? I want to be better but I keep doing things that I know are wrong--getting impatient with my children, wasting time on meaningless things, procrastinating, giving up on goals, getting upset about stupid things, and just being selfish. So swiss cheese felt like the perfect symbol for me right now considering this journey. I'm all full of holes but that's to be expected in mortality. If those holes were gone, I wouldn't need the Savior. I wouldn't need the atonement. So just like swiss cheese, those holes are necessary and even desired. Oh, and cheese can be really stinky but taste really good. You know, the whole don't-judge-a-book-by-its-cover thing.

The last week we were asked to create something out of a theme we might see in our artwork. I thought of water. In dreams water can symbolize spirituality. And for me right now the bucket is ready to be dropped down the well. It takes a little work but as most of my other pieces display, water is readily available.

Question of the Day

Lucy: Mom, why birds don't pee?

Childlike Simplicity

So Miles and Emily have been waiting anxiously to have a go at this year's wishbone. After being heldback for days waiting for it to get brittle, they made their wishes this morning as they pulled. Emily won. Miles was a good sport and congratulated Emily with excitement (Mom's wish came true). A few minutes later Miles asked Emily what her wish was.

Mom--"Wait Emily, if you tell what your wish is, it won't come true."

Emily--"But Mom, it already did. I wished that I would win the wishbone contest."

OxiClean, My Hero

So we spent an afternoon jumping in leaves that were a little damp. That's as good as it gets here in the NW. The kids had a blast. I'm sure there were many passersby wondering why we were raking leaves at the Clocktower when our ROA fees pay for that. Well, it was all for fun. Did you know that wet leaves seem to just make clothes wet until an hour later when everything starts turning brown? Yuck. I washed Lucy's shirt several times using different methods of stain remover. Miles' shirt had it the worst. I thought it would never be the same so I decided to use it for an experiment. I've told friends before how much I love OxiClean and what a miracle stain remover it is. I started wondering if it was mostly in my head. Nope. I tested a spot with OxiClean, a little hot water, and a toothbrush. Ten minutes later this is what I see...

OxiClean, I love you.

Twins

Despite what you may be thinking, this wasn't planned. Brett and Jenny came over for piano lessons yesterday looking like this. I guess these kids think alike (or their mothers do). Laurie--I think it's a sign that you shouldn't move.

Our Creative Children

Only in the blogging world would something that happened a week ago feel outdated. Well, I'm posting this anyway. For Halloween this year we had our traditional homemade chicken noodle soup (except I got smart and made the noodles a couple days earlier) and breadstick bones.

Each of our children came up with their own costumes...twice. For a costume party earlier in the month Lucy, Emily, and Miles were Little Red Riding Hood, a fifties girl, and half home insurance/half life insurance salesman respectively. On Halloween day that all changed. Miles became an ambulance, Emily an asian girl, and Lucy a...well, "silly man" which changed to "silly rock star" then towards the end of trick-or-treating she became a princess. I'm guessing she got frustrated that no one could figure out what she was.

Let me explain her "silly man" costume. She wanted to be a boy dressed in a dress and tiarra with silly glasses, you know the ones with the nose. Of course the only pair of those we had wouldn't stay on. They were kind of cheap. I don't keep quality silly glasses on hand. What kind of mother am I? Anyway, in order to keep the glasses on she added another pair...and another. Why not add to the silliness? Oh, and of course what's a silly man costume without a bow tie? Just before the trick-or-treating began, Lucy adjusted her costume. Who wants to wear three pair of glasses? Just add a top hat and voila. She's a silly rock star.

When Miles was a toddler, I envisioned Halloween being a stressful time for me as a mom--figuring out a costume, trying to pull it together, and spending too much money while my kids change their mind on what they want to be. It has turned into a time when I get to see the creativity of my children. I love that they do it on their own and figure out ways to use what we have. Don't get me wrong. I love having family themes and creating costumes that look great. My busiest Halloween ever included two costumes that I actually sewed myself and I'm still proud of my work (anyone need a candy corn costume?). My favorite costume as a child was one where my mom spent countless hours making a wig out of a hair net and yarn so I could be the best Blueberry Muffin ever. I looked great! It's just so fun watching my children make a costume that is all theirs. I love that they feel proud of their creations. Having less on my plate isn't so bad either.

Wow

Hmmm.....maybe I should limit my children's candy intake....

Hello My Friends

So last week we were trying to come up with a couple costume and my ideas were to be Peace and Quiet (a mime and a hippie) or static cling and laundry and then it hit me.....

Yeah, we won the costume contest if you don't mind my bragging :) Do you like my shopping bags? And no, I'm not endorsing any political party--I'm still undecided. Matt kept practicing his McCain voice, hence the title of this post.

The thing that is the most disturbing to me is that the last two costume parties we've been to I've pulled my costumes out of my own closet. Here's a picture from the last one. Yes, that's my own jacket. I got it for my tenth birthday but in my own defense, I saved because it was so vintage 80's not because I would actually wear it again. You're jealous, aren't you?

Matt at least doesn't own a skinny tie. That's just the back of one with the regular part tucked in his shirt. Pretty smart, huh. He looked hot in eyeliner too. Tee hee.

So there you have it. Happy Halloween!!!!

Are You Serious?

I was showing a series of old pictures to Lucy this morning, pointing out the different aunts and uncles along with her own mom and dad. Upon seeing the following picture she said, "Which one is Dad?".

Wee Hours

After getting the girls to bed, I decided to pull out a crossword puzzle I got from a friend's newspaper while Matt finished up with Miles. Soon he joined me. We love crossword puzzles, especially doing them together. We were about 3/4 finished when I involuntarily fell asleep. I woke up briefly to Matt saying , "We finished it". The next thing I know it's the middle of the night and half of the lights in our house are on. I decided to check up on blogs and here I am an hour later blogging in silence...ahhhhhhh.

Time Out For Women

I went to Portland last weekend to attend Time Out For Women, a travelling conference held by Deseret Book. I haven't missed it in four years. It was wonderful! Lots of laughs, feelings of normalcy, moments of inspiration. My favorite quote of the conference was by Emily Watts. She's so funny. She tells her sons, "I give you the gift of an imperfect mom so you won't enter marriage with unrealistic expectations". Don't be surprised if you see that embroidered on a pillow next time you visit.
In addition to the conference I was able to stay with a close friend of mine. Kim and I have known each other for 10 years. She's one of those friends that I can go a year without talking to (not that I'd want to) and we'll pick up right where we left off. After the conference Saturday we went to my favorite restaurant--one that I never need a menu for. The Cheesecake Factory. My lamenting over leaving half of my dulce de leche cheesecake in Kim's refrigerator monopolized my thoughts for half of my drive home Sunday. I guess I'll have to go back :)

Family Series: Part 2

My husband. I love him. He's more than I could ever ask for. He's a great listener. You know when you get so tired that you can't even focus? Your eyes roll back in your head and you repeatedly bring yourself back to life. He does that. I'll be blabbering on and on while he's fighting his need for sleep but he'll never give in until I'm finished. Sometimes he loses the battle with his body but not after a good fight. He always puts me first.

I love how hard he works. I love how seriously he takes his role as the breadwinner all while making it clear that the whole purpose for his job is to make our life possible. He tries so hard to excel in his job and does very well at it in my opinion but I know he'd drop it all in a second if it was necessary for our family.

I love his sense of humor. He can get me laughing like no one else. I'm laughing right now thinking of things he says. I love hearing him from the other room using humor to get our girls to clean. I love how sometimes he makes himself laugh harder than anyone else but he just goes on enjoying himself. I may be rolling my eyes but it's kinda cute.

I love how much he supports me. Time and time again there will be an opportunity for me to do something and he's the first one encouraging me to do it. Even if it means that he has to jump through hoops. If I'm gone longer than planned he's always happy for me that I was enjoying myself.

I'm grateful for the patience he has for me. I'm no June Cleaver and he doesn't care. He's too busy telling me how beautiful and talented I am. I know...it sounds too good to be true but it is.

I love the father he is. I love how he reads to our children even if it means I have to tell him to stop so Miles can go to sleep. I love hearing the kids beg for another Polly Pickwick story. He makes them up as he goes borrowing the characters from his own dad's stories. They never fail to get the kids rolling. They know he loves them. They know he would drop everything to give them a hug or uplifting words. (I just asked Lucy what she loves about her dad. She said, "He's always being silly and he wants to talk to me.")

So what did I do to deserve a husband like this? I don't know. I just know I'm blessed more than I deserve.

Am I Crazy?!

Yes, Miles finally talked us into it. He's wanted a pet of his own for years. Now he's got two gerbils named Sugar and Cinnamon. The thing that surprises me the most is how much Matt loves them! He's kind of a softy.
Miles holds his gerbils every day. He loves them! He thrives on responsibility. I was a little worried about our cat Zoe getting them but when Miles accidently dropped Cinnamon on Zoe's back and she didn't seem to care, I figured we're safe.

Happy Birthday Lucy!!!

Today is Lucy's birthday. The first thing she said this morning when she woke up was, "Mom, am I five now?!!" Last week Lucy was telling me her favorite color was red but it would be purple when she's five. Guess what her favorite color is now.

Today was her special day at preschool. I grabbed the cupcakes, strawberries, and grapes for her to share and we ran out the door. Ten minutes later I realized I forgot to have her bring her favorite toy. They only get to do that on their special day. I felt terrible. Then I looked around the car and saw a little bird from a kid's meal she had several months ago. Voila! Problem solved. She was thrilled.

That's Lucy for you. I could probably tell her that we cancelled her birthday this year (as my loving brothers always did to me) and after a brief moment of sadness, she'd say something like, "I know! We can pretend it's my birthday!" I love her! She's always making the best of things.

Today also happens to be my brother's birthday. Happy birthday Bret! Oh wait, they cancelled it this year. Sorry.

Farewell Good Friends

As some of you know our dear friends the Tiemeiers are moving away in less than 48 hours. What happened? Where did the time go? I just barely got to where I can finally spell their name right! They moved here just a month or two after us. I don't like the thought of them not being around. It doesn't seem right. I hate the thought of Relief Society without Tara's outgoing personality. I love how she's never afraid to talk to anyone and you know she'll tell you exactly what's on her mind. I love how she'll ask you hard questions that really make you think and look at the truth. I love how much she cares about people. Ask anyone who has ever been to the credit union where she worked. Everyone knows her!

I love the dedication of the Tiemeiers. I love their unwavering faith and their desire to share it with anyone who will listen. I will forever be grateful for the experience of going through the temple with them. I will miss Nathan's sense of humor. Just thinking of him laughing makes me laugh. I will miss seeing a big smile on his face because heaven knows he'll never smile for the camera. I will miss Alexis's happy and caring personality. There will be a huge hole left when they leave. Thank you Tiemeiers for the lasting impression you've left on our hearts. We'll miss you.

Oh, Lucy

This morning Lucy was in the bathtub. She loves to make up her own songs. This one went like this... "I am washing myself. What a wonderful worrrrrrld".

Oh, and another time a few weeks ago she was singing with the back up singers in the song Please Don't Stop the Music. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to my playlist and listen to the last 30 seconds of the song. I still don't know what they're saying but this is Lucy's version... "Save me some of the applesauce".

Our Son Miles

This morning has been one of those mornings where my love for my children cannot be contained. It's not an unusual morning--we got up at the regular time, did the usual things. I just feel differently. I decided it was a good time to start my blog series about my family members. Today I'll talk about Miles.

What can I say about Miles? I just love him. I love how responsible he is. I love his work ethic. I love his desire to help others. This picture is an example. Last week our neighbors were landscaping their yard. Miles had finished his homework and asked me if he could go help. He must have been hauling dirt for over an hour. He came in the house telling me he was going to be helping them with bark chips the next day.

Another example that jumps to mind is from last year when the flooding in Centralia was so bad. The Church was organizing a clean up effort with the Red Cross and I thought it would be a good service experience for the young women. Unfortunately none of them were able to go. I was trying to decide if I wanted to go myself when Miles volunteered. Yes, he was younger than nearly everyone there but I guarantee he was one of the most eager. It was an incredibly humbling experience for both of us.

I love his faith. This past summer we were praying for my mom. She's in constant pain and this time in particular. One afternoon Miles was having a difficult time moving, his back was hurting him so badly. I asked if he remembered injuring it. He responded, "No but this morning I was praying that I could take some of Grandma's pain so I bet that's it."

I love his persistance. That's one of those qualities that drives me nuts sometimes but it will help him in life. He sets his mind to something and there's no stopping him. He's a great money saver. I think I'll be asking for loans from him before too long.

I love his sense of humor. This morning as I was getting breakfast ready for the girls the phone rang. I could see on the caller id that it was from my cell phone and Miles was upstairs. I answered the phone and heard in a car salesman-type voice, "Wouldja like to buy Lehman Bros.? I can give you a really good deal."

When he was 4 or 5 there was a time when Matt and I were in the middle of a discussion. He came to us asking for lunch. We told him to wait a few minutes and we'd get it for him. This replayed itself one minute later. See, there's that persistance. Then he disappeared. He came back with his little CD player and started playing some music. About halfway through the song I noticed it went like this, "Lunch, lunch, share a sandwich...". He just sat there smiling at Matt and me.

And finally, I love the person Miles is becoming. He gets more fun the older he gets. I can't wait to see what he does with his life. There is so much that he would be good at. I look at him and I'm humbled that the Lord would put him in my care. I love you Miles.

Stephanie Meyer Day

I'd always wanted to see Forks so when Laurie called to see if I could go I jumped through a few hoops to make it happen. Last Saturday the four of us--Laurie, Missy, Stephanie, and myself--started off at the crack of dawn and made our way there. Just the drive was worth it--beautiful scenery, good company, spicy cookies (tee hee, ask Missy) and even a black bear crossing the road right in front of us! So cool! Anyway, I'm so amazed that Stephanie Meyer wrote about this place before ever going there. We went on a tour of the high school. While we were waiting in line to go inside we were saddened at the prospect of the city possibly tearing it down. Then we went inside and thought differently. The addition to the school was very nice though and exactly what I imagined. Our wise and experienced tour guides (not really) showed us the different rooms where Bella had her classes and the gym where she played volleyball. Hello! It's fiction! I kept laughing at the "are you serious" kind of look that Laurie had on her face. They tried to make it come to life though. They even had Edward's lunch tray which had a slice of pizza with a bite taken out of it.
After the high school we went to the city park for a group photo, look alike contests, Bella's birthday cake that was actually all gone, and pictures with "Chief Swan". Laurie won a book mark playing a game like hot potato.

After seeing Forks we went to La Push to see First Beach. This was so fun! It was terribly foggy and cold but so worth it. I've never seen so much driftwood in my life! I was also a little amazed at the variety of colored rocks. I couldn't see anything remotely close to a cliff and had just mentioned that to Laurie when a male Twilight fan (they actually do exist) told us to walk out on this rocky terrain that jets out into the ocean and that we'd see it through the fog. Okay, just to give you an idea of how far we had to walk, it took us 40 minutes there and back. (Thank you Steph and Missy for being so patient.) Of course I was a little slow since my 3 inch healed sandals were slightly difficult to hike in so I went barefoot. Ow!!! I felt like I had been walking on glass! It was so worth it! Two other girls were on the search at the same time and pointed the cliff out to us through the fog. I couldn't see it until I looked up much higher than I had been. It was incredible! Unfortunately my camera battery died just before we saw it. You'll have to check Laurie's blog for some pictures of that. When we got back to the car Stephanie asked us if we jumped in or something. Our hair was so wet from the fog and you could feel the salt on our cold hands. Again...totally worth it. We drove home through Port Angeles...you know, to get the full affect and arrived home tired. What a great day.

Is There Something I Should Know About?

Lucy: Mom, Aliens have 3 eyes, right?

Mom: Aliens can look however you want them to. People draw them but they haven't really seen them.

Lucy: But I know what they look like.

Mom: Really? How?

Lucy: I can't tell you.

Mom: Why?

Lucy: It's a secret.

Lucy's Turn

So Lucy was tagged by her friend Sophie to do this about a month ago. We are finally getting to it. Following are some questions I asked her.

Q. What is something I always say to you?
A. I love you.

Q. What makes me happy?
A. Smiling (as she points to herself)

(Side question..."Hey Lucy are you ready to answer more questions?" Lucy yelling from the other room: "I love kitties")

Q. What makes me sad?
A. When you miss me.

Q. What do I do to make you laugh?
A. By doing this...(goofy dancing while saying, "doo doo doo bla". I'm pretty sure I don't do that.)

Q. What was I like when I was little?
A. I think pigs. (????)

Q. How old am I?
A. I don't know. 15.

Q. How tall am I?
A. Very tall.

Q. What is my favorite thing to do?
A. Having fun with me. (This answer was followed by the goofy dance.)

Q. What do I do when you're not around?
A. Find me.

Q. What could I be famous for?
A. For making famous things like a sculpture robot.

Q. What am I really good at?
A. Making new friends.

Q. What do I do for a job?
A. Be a parent.

Q. What is my favorite food?
A. Ice cream cones, I think.

Q. What makes you feel proud of me?
A. Because you are so cute and silly.

Q. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
A. Cinderella.
Emily--Jerry from Tom & Jerry.
Jenny L.--The Grumpy Old Troll from Dora. (Jenny, you make me laugh. Can I adopt you?)

Q. What do you like to do with me?
A. Play Blue's Clues (I'm usually Steve or Joe. I have more fun being Steve.)

Q. How are we the same?
A. We are both wearing pink.

Q. How are we different?
A. Just because we have different foods to eat.

Q. How do you know I love you?
A. Because you are so fun to play with.

My Man's Got Moves

For those of you that have not seen this side of my husband you may enjoy this. You also would've enjoyed seeing his face when I told him I was going to post it. What a good dad he is teaching his son a trade.

Gratitude

Today has been one of those days when for a brief moment I see the Lord's hand orchestrating my life and the lives of my friends. I'm grateful and humbled to have the friends I do - for the times I feel lifted by them and for opportunities to share Heavenly Father's love with others, which are often one and the same. We really are all here to help each other to return to Him someday.

Chapter Over

Friday was Lucy's first day of preschool. I've been looking forward to this day for months. This is the first time in 11 years that I will have no children at home on a regular basis. I know it's just a couple of hours 3 days a week but I'll take it. Friday morning she woke me up asking me to move her bed away from the wall a little so she could make it. Are you kidding me? And I don't have to pull teeth? Everything she did that morning showed me how much she's growing up.

As I was driving to preschool I realized that I was actually more excited for her than for myself. (It really should have been that way all along but I have to be honest.) Well, when I dropped her off she ran in with excitement and asked if she could go play. I said yes as I took pictures. Then I just stood there. It's over. The time with her exclusively under my wing is over. I couldn't get myself to walk out of the room. This is not like me. I've always been excited for my children as they move on to new stages. This time I feel different. I'm fighting back tears thinking about it.

Back in the car feeling empty, alone, and bewildered I called Matt at work looking for comfort. No answer. I'll try Mom. No answer. She called right back though. Thank goodness for moms. I don't know what I would do without her. She's always there to listen to what I have to say however shallow it may be all the while dealing with trials that I wouldn't wish on anyone. As I listened to her about what's going on I just sat there not knowing what to say and feeling like my current pain is so trivial. I know she wouldn't want me to say that. She's never made me feel like what I'm going through is trivial but compared to her trials it really is. My mom is an amazing woman who has overcome so much in her life and I don't understand why someone with such a heart to do good would be so limited physically. On the other hand she's the most empathetic listener that you could ever meet. I love you Mom. Thank you for always being there.

So back to my original topic, Lucy had a great time at preschool. She was just as excited to go this morning. I think I've planned about 12 hours worth of things to do while she's out of the house including but not limited to shampooing the carpets, cleaning my closet, cleaning out the garage, washing windows, revamping the budget, and getting rid of unused toys (shhhhh). Nearly all of which I'm not going to do since I'm sitting here at my computer mourning the close of another chapter of my life.

The Cut

So this is a bit outdated seeing that it's been nearly two weeks but for those of you that live out of town, here you go. After combing through Emily's hair one morning she decided she wanted to cut it. This was a shock to me since I had heard her several months ago referring to her long hair and saying, "It's my favorite kind of me". If there's one thing this girl can do, it's make a decision--unlike her mother. (You should see us shopping for clothes. She'll decide on something and I'll go through every scenario to make sure she's happy with it. She never doubts herself.)

Anyway so she wanted to cut her hair...that very day. As she was finishing her jobs around the house before we left, Lucy decided she wanted her hair cut too. I've never seen her so motivated! She would come to me saying, "Mom, where's the glass cleaner? Mom, where does this go?" If only I could get her to work like that every Saturday. So here are some before pictures...
As much as I hate combing through snarls, I must admit I was having a hard time with this. Again, no doubts or remorse from Emily. We mailed a 12 inch pony tail to Locks of Love. Emily kept talking about how someday someone will be walking around wearing her hair. She's pretty excited about that. Oh, and I must add that this was Lucy's first haircut.

So it's done. The girls love their hair and I love how much easier it is to fix. I wish we had done it sooner. Several days after the haircuts I came across a darling bow that my sister and I had purchased at Gardner Village in Utah. This is the kind of bow that would make me want to talk Emily out of the haircut just so she could wear that bow. See what I mean by going through every scenario?

The Honest Truth

I was talking recently with some friends about nursing and it reminded me of this clip. I recorded this at the monkey forest in Bali (aka paradise) during my first trip to Indonesia. Those of you that have ever nursed a baby will understand this...

Time for the beach!

This is Miles and his friend Ben at the beach last year. We stayed all day and basked in the sun. That's what my friend Theresa and I expected this year when we drove to Ocean Shores on a day that was supposed to be in the 80's. Well, it was as long as you weren't within 2 miles of the coast. The towels we took weren't used to keep us dry. They were used to keep us warm! Brrrrrr!

So here are Miles and Ben with their alternative beach activity that included asking everyone within sight for a match. What person would give two 11 year old boys matches? Someone did! We gave them permission to ask but still I couldn't believe they were successful. After much preparation they got their fire started despite the wind. Who would have thought they were beginning boy scouts? Oh yeah, except for when they were throwing discarded fireworks into the fire.

Other than the shooting balls of fire we also took advantage of the wind and flew some kites that I brought on a whim. Miles got his going so high you could barely see it....and I got to wind up the string when he was done. Can you get carpal tunnel from kite flying? This beach was a little different than the others I've been to. Cars drove by freely. Not very conducive to sand castle building but we worked around it. I managed to get our car stuck in the sand but thanks to Miles, Ben, and a kind man passing by we were able to get out of that.

Here is a picture of the much anticipated Dora sand castle that Lucy and I built. And yes, those are horses in the background (yet another mode of transportation allowed along the shore). Funnier yet was that all the riders were wearing helmets.

Notice the lack of blue sky. What can I expect from the Pacific Northwest?


Emily and Katie passed the time playing in the sand and seemed to really be enjoying themselves so all in all it was a fun day at the beach.