To Realize Life While We Live It

It has been freezing freezing lately.  But it makes it so the radiators keep steaming away and my bedroom gets so hot!  It's positively sweltering!  And then Matthew wants to cuddle and I just can't take it!  There really is no completely comfortable place in my house, temperature wise.  Perhaps if I stood in the middle of the stairway between floors... I could set up a cushion for reading.

We saw Our Town yesterday afternoon. Have you seen it?  It was amazing!  I've read it before and thought it was so boring -- it is, after all, depicting how regular life is -- but seeing it played out was beautiful.  

"Oh Earth! You're too wonderful for anyone to realize you.  Do any humans ever realize life while they live it?  Every every minute?"

Gah!  We laughed, we cried.  So good.

We took the day off from school today so it is a rest day for me.  I still have the two yoga classes, but no schooling is happening and the boys have friends over.  This morning they were being so ridiculous -- just random loud noises for the sake of making a racket and asking questions like, "Mom, how many bowling balls do you see falling from the sky right now?"  There were also lovely things like, "How is it possible that the big snowflakes look so much like overripe dandelions?"  But I finally had to say that I am so sorry, but I just don't have any capacity for nonsense today.  Sometimes that is just how it is!

Seven Heaven

Happy 7th birthday to my bright shining beam of light 🌟🌟🌟

Sportsing

Busy day today with both boys basketball games and then hours of standing at Ibby's track meet.  She ran in three events, but they were very spaced out...  Her relay team placed 3rd in the 4x800 so that was exciting!

Winter Kissed Cheeks

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

::getting those gingerbread houses in right under the wire

::Final creation -- blurry


::two cuddle bugs

Nutcracker Battles

Firsts and Lasts

My baby lost his first tooth!

Sunday Shoot

First Snow

Birthday Boy

Happy happy Birthday to this little bub today! "I'm the happiest boy alive, I've had a birthday and now I'm five!" This is the oldest "baby" I've had in 22 years -- a landmark that we're happy to continue topping

Ode to a Four Year Old

A terribly ripe four year old
likes to ride his bike until
sundown, play the piano
in the early morning quiet,
and ask important questions
before breakfast:

Can I sleep on the pillow
with you? Is it boom de
yada time? Why do people
need belts? How many more
days until my birthday?

things that keep you up at night

4 year old climbed into my bed this morning at the crack of dawn. He was quiet for a while, then said, "I am really excited for birthdays, but I'm not excited for getting old-ness because then you die." 

I & M Canal

Another fun hike with our homeschool friends.  We walked quite a ways so I was glad I thought to bring my Lula toddler carrier so that Archie could comfortably ride on my back, and Phin found a little snake.  It was amazing weather and great company!

Mango Mango

Charles got a job!  We are so happy that he can earn some money... and be away from the house sometimes... They serve Thai style rolled ice cream and claim to be the only place in the state that does so.  We decided to pay him a visit today and there is no denying that it was pretty yummy!

Happy May Day!

I am quite sure that most people don't even celebrate May Day, but our neighbor happens to own a maypole, and if I was the proud owner of a maypole you had better bet your boots that I would use it!  We usually make a little craft with flowers to drop off at other neighbor's door steps and then we attempt to circle the maypole without getting too too tangled up -- it's so quaint.

Sunday Speculation

Sitting in a church meeting and not understanding anything can be quite painful.  The time passes so so slowly and the kids (and I) get very antsy.  This past week I decided to start reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish because I thought it might help me learn some church-y words and aid in my "learning the language endeavors."  So far, it has done neither of those things since I can't seem to retain new words, but it has helped me read the familiar stories with new eyes.  Every year I try to come up with a word to focus on -- and usually it is a word that finds me!  Last year, it was Love.  Everywhere I turned, there it was, in books, movies, articles, people... Usually, the words I've chosen tag along into the next year so I have quite a collection at this point.  This year, the idea of non-attachment, or detachment, is my focus -- perhaps there is a better single word, but I haven't found it yet.  Already, I've had different aspects of the idea screaming at me from all directions and it was no different as I was reading in Nefi this past week.  Lehi and his family leaving absolutely everything behind really struck me -- their house, their land, their gold and precious things -- everything except for their family and provisions.  It could be more potent because, in a way, that is what we've done for a bit.  We're here with just a few things and we're really fine!  Hopefully when we go home I can take a better look at the things around me and let go of some non-essentials.  Or else I'll be so happy to see my things that I'll become extra attached!  It could go either way, haha!  Another aspect of the idea of non-attachment is to not be too dependent on the outcome of any situation -- I'm terrible about this!  So I'm trying to concentrate on simply being in the moment and observing what is happening around me.  This activity has helped immensely at church!  Once I let go of what I wanted to happen, it was much more enjoyable and we've really met the nicest people!  I've been going with Archie, so that is definitely the fun way to go.

The girl holding his hand kept yelling over and over, "Estoy loca!"  and she was completely crazy!  She kept hurling herself on the floor and the kids kept laughing and laughing.  The poor 22 year old teacher had no control whatsoever, but the sun was shining and the kids were happy.  We all let go of our expectations, let some nice love marinate around the room, and it was great.

Today's math joke from the four year old: What is penny + nickle? 
::
::
::
Pickle!

Phin the Flower

We went to Nauvoo on Saturday and Ibby was able to do baptisms in the temple for the first time.  No pics of her on her special day, but I took a couple of the boys at the park we visited while we were waiting for everyone else!

A butterfly landed on Phin's leg and stayed there for several minutes.  He was so still  and watched it carefully.  Then when he was done, he shook his leg around and was surprised that the butterfly didn't want to leave.  It stayed attached to his shorts for a while and then flew circles around Phin's head multiple times before finally finding another beautiful "flower" to perch upon.

When the girls were finished we decided to let Lucy drive for a bit on the country roads around town.  She got her drivers permit the day before!  It is hard to believe that my third baby is that old and I got a little teary eyed at the DMV while she took her test.  It really all goes much too swiftly for me.

spring saturday

The weather has been so beautiful so we spent some time cleaning up the yard and then headed out to the soccer fields for a great, albeit quite windy, game.

"Mommy, is me being nice? I'll go to bed nice tonight, too." Oh, okay, I'll take it! A thank you to the hydrangeas for being a glimmer of loveliness through the long winter.

And another tooth down -- love that smile!

moody mooderson

Abe is chillin' on the couch playing with Sophie the giraffe, but who knows how long that will last? 
I'm trying to think if anything interesting or exciting happened this week... Hmmm.  Fara is here visiting, but mostly visiting her mom, which is completely understandable, but when she was down here last Tuesday and Wednesday, she hung out with us for about three hours on Tuesday afternoon and then said she would text me in the morning with what she was going to do that day.  She was staying at Cherrie's house because Cherries has a guest room and we don't, but when she told me that she assured me that she would still see us, but then she never texted me.  All day Wednesday I kept thinking I should go do something, but what if they wanted to play with us?  So we just waited around, which was stupid.  And when I woke up in the morning, I had gotten dressed thinking I would see her, etc.  Around 3:00 I started getting emotional about it, which I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help it and by the time she did call me (around 4:30) I was too upset to meet her because I didn't want her to know I was upset and I couldn't stop crying!  Besides, Ibby and I are doing Celebrate America (the thingy at Miller Park on 4th of July) and we had practice at 5:30 -- a fact I had informed Fara of the day before, so we didn't have time anyway.  Blah!  It was so stupid!  I know Fara likes me and she wasn't purposely trying to hurt my feelings, I was slathering my neck and arms with happy, feel good essential oils, I tried to distract myself, and still I couldn't stop being upset.  Matthew was very nice about it, but I'm sure he thinks I'm crazy.  Around 10 p.m. I was sitting at the kitchen table sobbing and Charles came in from work.  He asked what was wrong with me and Matthew told him that I found out about his secret.  He stopped and his jaw dropped, his arms went up, what???  I started laughing so hard and couldn't stop -- it was hilarious!  And finally broke my silly mood.  So then I saw her on Thursday morning and she never knew.  Yay!

On Saturday night I went to a baby shower and was talking to Melissa McLauglin telling her how much I love all of her clothes.  She said she liked mine, too and we should share.  I mentioned that it was too bad that we are not the same size and Sarah Patten exclaimed that since Melissa is pregnant and her belly is growing that maybe we'll be the same size soon.  What the heck?  I looked right at her and pointed out how rude that was then mentioned to Melissa that now I'm fat on top of being loud.  We're waiting for the next insult so that I can have a trifecta of unfortunate qualities.

I took some pics of the house for a type 1 facebook thing:

 

And a cute bub