Magic 8

Happy Groundhog Day!  Did the groundhog see his shadow where you are?  It is very sunny here today with a balmy temperature of 7˚!!!  So we have six week left of winter.  Which is how it usually is.  It is 7 weeks until the Spring Equinox so that sounds about right. Often it is still chilly in April, and Matthew always always always complains, but it is like in the 40's and I patiently explain that that is Spring weather!  Silly man.  It snowed all Saturday night and all day yesterday so they declared a snow day from church and we enjoyed the beautiful falling snow.  It was also the superbowl, but we didn't watch it because we don't have t.v. AND we don't really care.  

This morning Phin found a magic 8 ball in Lucy's room so he came down to ask me how it worked.  I told him that you ask it a question, but he couldn't think of one so I suggested asking if it would snow tomorrow.  It answered with a simple yes.  Then he looked at it and asked, "Is Jesus real?"  That's the only question he could think of?  So I hoped for a good outcome as he shook, and then looked and it said, "It is certain."  So great!  I then explained that, of course, it is just a toy and that we shouldn't take it too seriously.

I've been studying Spanish every day with an app on my phone.  I guess I'm getting pretty good, because Lucy did a trivia challenge (another app) all in Spanish and I got all of the questions right and totally won!  Whoop!

Sunday Speculation -- pain in the neck

My neck has been hurting since last Wednesday.  I twisted my body really strangely while I was cleaning the bathroom and spied a spider behind the toilet and suddenly my neck just started spazzing out!  The pain comes and goes and actually this morning is feeling much much better, but it made me realize all the amazing things our necks do so I wrote a poem:

Ode To My (aching) Neck

Bow to accept the warm embrace
Of tiny arms, so fair of face.
Bend for prayer and meditation,
Feeling deeply, and submission.

Turn to hear the cadence joyful
Of my life, the flowing cupful.
To catch a glimpse of fleeting beauty
And watch for danger, as my duty.

Arch to give laughter ample space
And welcome sunlight on my face.
To kiss my love so long and slow
And search for stars that blink and glow.

A conduit for response, command
From head to heart and heart to hand.
Nourishment swallowed, breath exhaled,
My voice intoned in whisper and wail.

A pillar bearing heavy weight
Of all my thoughts, both small and great.
The pedestal of my whole being,
The noble base of all my seeing.

art art art

I absolutely love the artist Brian Kershishnik.  I still remember encountering his painting of the nativity in April of 2007 at an exhibit at the BYU museum of art.  They have since acquired the original for their permanent collection and it is exquisite!  Matthew and I talked about getting our own print, but we spent years trying to decide which size would be best.  This past year for our anniversary we finally bit the bullet and then a few months later we also bought a print called "Climbing Mother."  I kind of wish we'd gotten the next size up for the Nativity, but oh well!  We finally just had them both framed and I think they look quite nice in our living room -- the colors fit right in with the rest of my favorite things.  

Piano Recital

It is gray and snowy here today.  And I am soooooo tired!  I've been getting up at 5:45 to take Lucy to seminary and it is wearing on me.  And even if I am tired all day, I am rarely tired at night.  My hormones are all out of whack!  So I can't go to sleep very early and the cycle starts again the next day. 

Yesterday the girls had their piano recital and Matthew joined Lucy for a duet!  It was really fun and was the last piece of the recital.  It was a hit!  And Lucy played a lovely Debussy piece right before that and did really well.  If she just put her mind to it, she could be really really good!  But she keeps talking about quitting piano lessons.  I know that she doesn't necessarily want to become a concert pianist, but she could at least study it in college and teach piano to other people.  How nice would it be to have a natural talent like that?  Ibby did really well, too, but she gets so nervous!  She just hates recitals so much!  I could see the dread on her face the entire time!  Poor Ibby.  The boys were really good, but towards the end, Archie was whispering loudly about how long it was taking and when I said there were only two more people, Phin practically shouted, Yay!   And then promptly assured me that it was his crocodile saying yay, not him.  Andrea Ringer came because she is the YW pres. and super nice.  And Rachelle Simpson came because she is thinking of having her girls take lessons from Pam.  She is also the Primary Pres.  Matthew told them that if he hadn't been at the ward council meeting he might suspect that our family was some sort of project, haha!  It looked that way for sure.

There really isn't much going on here.  Lucy has had some friends over to watch movies a couple of times.  I guess rearranging the basement really made a difference!  So that is fun to have fun and laughter going on.  I've been drawing and crocheting.  I'm almost done with Phin's blanket.  It is funny how they're turning out to be all different sizes.  Ella's and Ibby's are more lap blankets, but Phin's and Charles' are humongous!!!  I just finished the 108th square for Phin's and need to start binding them together today.

how we school

The boys have been loving playing with their trains and it must be good for their brains to be concocting all of the track layouts, right?  And even though it is winter, I've been trying to make sure that they go outside at least once a day.

This pic is dark, but comes with sound effects

I've been trying to do a drawing a day, so here are a couple of them

Sunday Speculation -- yoga at church

A couple of weeks ago in church I was so restless.  And so so cold.  Why?  Why must church buildings always be kept at such a frigid temperature?  Is it a symptom of the male-centric position taken in other parts of the institution that only those wearing a three piece suit are catered to?  There are women with bare legs and babies -- babies, people!  So after sitting through Sacrament meeting there I was, sitting once again, in Sunday School.  It has been years since I haven't had a calling second hour so I'm not used to having to sit in one place for that long.  And my knees were bouncing up and down, attempting to create some semblance of warmth in the freezing tundra that is the relief society room.  I look around and see that everyone else seems to be sitting still and calmly, but then I see her -- my kindred spirit!  She's moving and contorting her body in all the ways that my body is yearning to and I watch her, fascinated, as she moves through one yoga pose after another.  She starts with a little downward dog to get things loosened up and then some squats, mmm that must feel nice.  Then she curls up into child pose for a while -- efficiently stretching and keeping warm!  Then she turns over for a perfect example of happy baby, waving her legs in the air whilst holding onto her little toes.  Perfect, because, of course, she is a baby and has license to behave in that manner in public!  I, however, do not and was left there to simply watch with envy.  And then to start imagining... everyone in the room just getting up and moving in every which way they felt compelled.  Listening to their inner voice, responding to the physical and spiritual prodding that one can only hear when the logical mind is turned off.  Ha!  It would be delightful!  And the imagery of all of the old and/or fat fuddy duddies jumping up and doing yoga poses got me through another hour of Sunday School, yay!

The End of an Era

So last night at dinner, an earnest six year old boy looked up at me across the table and seriously asked, "Is Santa Claus still alive?" I put down my fork and gave him a long look because, well, he's six! With everyone else chattering on around us, I finally just shook my head very slowly back and forth. His face fell and with a shaky, but brave, voice he quietly whispered, "I thought so."