Camouflaging

Gunnar LOVES animals and has a great mind for remembering all kinds of details about them. His favorite TV show is Wild Kratts on PBS, which teaches him all about animals and all the special features they possess that help them survive. Lately, Gunnar has taken to dressing in all the same color and then "camouflaging" himself on or by like-colored things. It's hard to see him on this blue chair isn't it?

Love this boy.

Here's his other favorite camouflaging outfit and position.

Why I Look Forward to Sabbath Rest

The following rundown of the last few days, though while a little busier than normal, is still pretty typical:
Thursday
6:45 a.m. wake up feeling the worst of any day since beginning to suffer from a cold on Sunday, shower and get ready, eat breakfast, make 3 lunches, make sure 4 children are dressed and ready for the day (with husband's help)
8:00 a.m. say goodbye to husband and 2 older children
8:25 a.m. say hello to friend and her son, who is dropped off for carpooling to preschool
8:35 a.m. buckle 3 children into van and drive to preschool
9:00 a.m. drop off 2 children at preschool, proceed to do errands, drive around until youngest child falls asleep, park and take a nap, wake up, and grocery shop
12:00 p.m. pick up children from preschool
12:25 p.m. drop off one child at his home
12:30 p.m. arrive home and unload groceries, eat lunch, let 2 youngest children watch nature movie, check email and then try to coordinate last-minute pick-up of a silent auction donation, try to rest, putter around house tidying up, check Facebook and email some more (let's be honest)
2:45 p.m. walk to school, pushing stroller and guiding 3rd child, to pick up 2 oldest children (raining)
3:10 p.m. return home, supervise snacks, playtime, try to nap on couch (feeling very sick now)
3:45 p.m. second child's violin teacher arrives for lesson
4:15 p.m. violin teacher leaves
5:00 p.m. begin making dinner
5:30 p.m. husband arrives home early having canceled usual Thursday evening plans to stay home with sick wife [that's me]
6:20 p.m. eat dinner, clean up
7:30 p.m. get children ready for bed
8:30 p.m. finally get all kids in bed, pull out Silent Auction gift certificate display sheets and start mounting on colorful paper and affixing logos and clip art while watching a movie (same events as previous 2 nights)
12:59 a.m. turn out light, put head on pillow, and immediately fall asleep
Friday
6:09 a.m. wake up when 3rd child comes in bedroom; notice youngest child is in bed next to me; try to fall back asleep
6:45 a.m. get out of bed feeling surprisingly better than the day before, shower and get ready, eat breakfast, make sure 4 children are dressed and ready for the day (with husband's help)
8:10 a.m. say goodbye to husband and 2 older children, sending husband out the door with his two homemade apple pies for the auction
8:35 a.m. leave house with 2 younger children and drive 10 minutes to drop them at friends' house
9:00 a.m. finally arrive in school gym with all my supplies, having made birthday phone call to sister-in-law; begin my portion of silent auction set-up: hanging up the approximately 250 gift certificate display sheets that I have cropped and mounted in the previous week
2:00 p.m. sit down for the first time since leaving the car
2:15 p.m. stand back up
2:55 p.m. pick up 2 older children (plus a few more) in front of school and return to gym
3:25 p.m. leave school to pick up 2 younger children at friends' home; express extreme gratitude to friends for watching children all day; enjoy about 45 minutes of visiting while sitting on their floor
4:40 p.m. arrive home, change youngest child's and my clothes and freshen up
5:05 p.m. arrive at school, rendezvous with husband in parking lot, deliver 3 older children to their parties (Dr. Seuss, Earth Day Celebration, and Button Bracelets), walk into fully decorated and set-up 20th Annual Whitson Silent Auction and begin bidding, eating pizza, visiting with friends, and trying to keep youngest child happy and out of trouble
7:15 p.m. bidding ends; send husband home with children; get in line to pay for won items (Soup of the Month from the principal, 10-swim pool pass, 3 Rivers Grill gift certificate, 1-hour horseback riding [for oldest child--shhh! it's a surprise!])
8:20 p.m. arrive home to find husband and four children raking dirt in front yard [another story]
9:20 p.m. finally get all children tucked into bed
9:30 p.m. watch Tuesday's "Biggest Loser" episode while relaxing on couch with husband
11:00 p.m. turn off light and immediately fall asleep

Saturday
6:50 a.m. children wake me up, say goodbye to husband [off to help install cabinets at one friend's and then help other friends move], read Sabertooth book to two youngest children (son practically has it memorized), get dressed, make sure 4 children are dressed and ready
7:50 a.m. leave house
8:05 a.m. arrive at Underwood Fire Department Pancake Breakfast and rendezvous with friends (1 fireman and his wife), eat pancakes, chat with a few friends and husband's boss
8:50 a.m. leave Underwood with friend and return to White Salmon for annual plant sale fundraiser, buy 3 varieties of tomatoes, many annuals, and 1 perennial
9:30 a.m. drive up the street and drop off plants, let children use bathroom, put youngest child in stroller, walk back down the street 1 block
9:45 a.m. arrive at the most crowded garage sale I've ever attended, a fundraiser for a local woman with cancer
10:25 a.m. leave garage sale with 2 tennis rackets, binoculars, 4 books, Cabbage Patch Kid, and plush bugs in a bug catcher (cute kid toy), say goodbye to Underwood friend
10:35 a.m. make phone calls to coordinate playdates
10:45 a.m. drop off 2 middle children at friends' house, return home and put youngest child down for nap, watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with oldest child and her friend, pausing to pop popcorn and slice apples, and eventually get youngest child from bedroom
12:45 p.m. say hello to husband
1:15 p.m. drop off oldest child's friend, pick up middle children, drive to Hood River and buy grass seed and fertilizer [that other story], return to White Salmon, get ice cream cones
2:45 p.m. arrive home, direct 2nd child to make birthday card, wrap birthday present, and plant flowers in window boxes while husband, full-time missionaries, and children spread dirt and plant grass seeds
4:00 p.m. put two youngest children in bath, clean up pools of water on bathroom floor spilled by youngest child [which 3rd child did try to clean up], shampoo, scrub, rinse, dry, and dress children
4:45 p.m. babysitter arrives while full-time missionaries are heating up leftovers in microwave and husband is showering
5:00 p.m. missionaries leave, husband takes 2 oldest children to birthday party while I get in shower
5:19 p.m. drive to Hood River with husband
5:28 pm. go into restaurant/movie theater and get in line to order food while husband parks
5:32 p.m. husband sits down with friends in theater while I order food
5:35 p.m. sit down with husband and friends to watch the traveling Banff Mountain Film Festival and eat yummy calzones
8:30 p.m. leave theater after excellent entertainment and friend giving me backpack he won in drawing
8:40 p.m. get ice cream cones (2nd time in one day!)
9:00 p.m. arrive home to find babysitter has mopped the floor, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned up all toys, and tidied the living room; pay her extra; listen to oldest child (only one awake) tell me about the reptile man at the birthday party
9:30 p.m. clean up more water on bathroom floor, vacuum family room
10:00 p.m. sit at computer to relax and reflect on my busy couple of days

I love the principle of the Sabbath. It is a joy to have a day to rest from my daily labors. Even though my full-time job is being a mom, which means I don't really get a day off, I do look at Sundays as my day off. On that day I don't worry about housework. I can lounge on the couch completely guilt-free. I can really enjoy playing with my children without the nagging feeling that there's some task that needs accomplishing. Most importantly, I can attend church where I can worship the Savior surrounded by my family and by good friends. I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning.

Easter in Our House

In our house, we really believe that Easter is about celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and on Easter Sunday we attend church (as we do every week) to remember and worship Him.

We also believe in fun and traditions, so in our house we also do Easter baskets, and candy, and colored eggs. We just try to do most of that on Saturday so that we can divide the secular fun from the more spiritual implications of the holiday. Easter doesn't hold the same anticipation as Christmas, but the kiddos are still pretty excited to wake up Saturday morning and find their baskets, hidden by the Easter Bunny (otherwise known as Mommy and Daddy--no secrets on this holiday figure in our family).  We've hung them from the shower head, put them inside the clothes dryer, underneath piles of stuffed animals, or any other silly places we can think of.  The children each have their own basket and inside they get some plastic eggs filled with candy and one present. Half the fun is the search, but the presents and candy are pretty great, too.

This year Maggie got this little stuffed animal that is all white and came with a blue marker. She can draw on the stuffed animal and then wash it clean and do it all over again. "Marshmallow" is her name and she's a big hit with my artsy girl.

Holly got her own ball--one of those ones they sell in the big cages at the grocery store. She sees them every week doing errands with me, so I surprised her with one.  Gunnar got a set of Lego Duplo blocks that have Luigi and Guido from the movie Cars.  He already has a few other Cars sets, so this is lots of fun to add to the other characters.

Adah was given a choice this year to get a small Lego set or to contribute some of her own money and get a larger set. Lego has recently started a new line geared towards girls, and Adah wants to be a vet when she grows up, so the Heartland Vet set was perfect. I thought we ordered it on time, but unfortunately her gift didn't arrive in time for Easter. It arrived a few days later and she's loved it.

After our own basket hunt at home, there were a few local Easter Egg hunts to choose from on Saturday morning. And it was also sunny (a big bonus for springtime in the Northwest). We chose the hunt that didn't have an age limit that excluded Adah and set out as a family.

Here's everyone waiting to get the go-ahead:

 

Holly wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she caught on quickly enough to grab a few eggs. She got one plastic egg that is a shaker. I thought it was great--no candy! But all day long Holly kept bringing it up to me and crying and trying to get me to open it. After opening that first M&M-filled egg earlier in the day, she was sure that any shaking noise meant candy was inside. Poor girl.

 

Gunnar was happy with his loot:

 

Adah and Maggie were in the same age group (the whole park was divided into different sections so toddlers wouldn't be trampled by older kids) and helped each other grab about a half dozen eggs each. I had told them that they shouldn't expect too much since there were a lot of people there, and I was happy that the egg hunt didn't end in tears for any of children.

 

Afterwards we stayed on in the sunny playground for a bit. But, despite the sunshine, it was still COLD. It was a windy day, so we didn't stay too long.

 

Holly wouldn't put down her basket and go play anyway. But, whenever I pull out the camera she beams, "Cheese!" She then immediately says, "I see. I see." Geez, the kids growing up with digital cameras don't know how great they have it, eh?

 

We ended up dying eggs after church on Sunday. Gunnar only dropped, oh, pretty much all but one of his eggs. Sigh. He dyed them anyway. No choice.

 

 

 

The culmination of Easter weekend in our house is Christ-centered and egg-centered. Years ago we got a great lesson from some friends that we have used every year with our children to help go through the story of Christ's crucifixion and Resurrection. We have a carton with numbered plastic eggs. Inside each egg is a small object and we read a scripture as we open each egg. Inside we find, for example, a bit of bread to represent the Last Supper, a piece of scarlet cloth and thorn to represent the clothes put on Jesus as the Roman soldiers mocked Him, a nail, and eventually, an empty egg to represent the empty tomb.

I agree with the Twelve Apostles who said, "We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world. He rose from the grave to 'become the firstfruits of them that slept.' I know that Christ did live again and because of that, we all will live again. I am so grateful for the Resurrection and for Easter each year to remember and celebrate and honor the Lord. In our house, we are trying to follow Him.

Desert Refreshment

I got a great present from my family and friends in early March: I flew to Tucson, Arizona for five days to visit one of my very best friends, Erika. I say it was a gift from family because Damon agreed to me using a bunch of frequent flyer miles for my ticket and to going solo with the kids for a loooong weekend. It was a gift from friends because when I first mused about the idea while amongst some girlfriends, they all piped up and said, "Go! We'll help with your kids!" Without Damon's acknowledgement of my need for a getaway and my friends' willingness to watch my kids while he was at work, my wonderful trip would not have been possible.

Jillaire & Erika all dressed up for the Viewmont High Christmas Dance in 1995.

Erika and I met in the seventh grade. Our friendship really hit its stride when we were in high school, and we've been close ever since, despite not living in the same state (except summers) since we were 18.  She's been my most loyal friend and has visited me in almost every home I've had since we met. (I think she never came to Arizona, but her parents did!) She even visited us when we lived in the UK. (Erika and her husband were en route to their new home in Germany.) AND, she once tracked us down in the middle of church when we were visiting a random ward in Reno (while back in the US for Damon's brother's wedding in Lake Tahoe) and she happened to also be visiting her parents there that weekend. That's dedication, I tell ya.

Erika has lived so many (and so many international) places that I have rarely been able to visit her in her home, so this trip was a real treat for us both. We got haircuts and pedicures, watched movies, ate lots of Mexican food, attended the symphony, hiked among saguaro cactus, and went shopping. It was fantastic and relaxing. I slept until 10:30 a.m. the first morning I was there. It was heavenly.

Just about the only tourist-y thing we did, other than eating tamales and ogling giant cactus, was visit San Xavier Mission on the outskirts of Tucson. This amazing church and complex is literally set in the middle of the desert and is the oldest European structure in Arizona. Construction of the church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797, almost a century after the mission was first founded.

I loved the sunshine and the companionship I found in Tucson that weekend. Monday night I returned home to rain and a happy family: home sweet home.

Side Note: As a bonus, I had a layover in Salt Lake City on my way home that was nearly 3 hours long. Peter's fiancee Adrienne and her son were visiting him that week, so I got to meet them when they all picked me up for dinner!

Final (?) Snow Days

We had a mild, wet snowstorm on Leap Day. While Adah and Maggie were at school, Gunnar, Holly, and I played in the front yard. You can see how little snow there was from the trail we created in the grass when rolling up our snowman. There wasn't a ton, but it was wet and great for packing.

 

Here's our guy. Like his mustache? That was my favorite part.

 

Yummy snow!

 

See my snow, Mama?

 

Three weeks later, on March 21, we had another snow storm, what I hope will really be our last. Maggie built an adorable little snowman, complete with necktie.

 

Neither of these two storms brought much snow. We had fun while it lasted--and were happy it didn't last long. Snow, we hope we don't see you again until, oh, say . . . November or December.

Cuddling Kids

Just some pictures of kids being cute together:

My girls all on my bed:

Gunnar wanted to get in on the photo op:

Then the girls thought it would be fun to get blankets and "sleep."
Check out Holly "closing her eyes" as Maggie and Adah fake slumber.

We all love sitting by our wall heater and getting warmed up.
Adah and Maggie fell sleep one night in their matching PJ pants:

All the kiddos by that cozy heater on a Sunday afternoon:

 

Black Eye Please

The kids have been digging a hole in the backyard. Gunnar started it and one Saturday the girls joined him. It's just big enough for them to stand in and it's deep enough that Gunnar goes in past his knees. Eventually they'll need to fill it in, but for now it's quite a diversion in this cloudy, often-wet weather.

Well, on that Saturday, Maggie hit Gunnar with a shovel! It was an accident, truly. She didn't even realize she'd made contact until we called her inside for an inquiry. She was tossing some dirt behind her and Gunnar was right there. It actually cut him near his eye just a little, so we're really lucky that it wasn't worse. He almost immediately began to develop a black eye.  Cool.

Two days after the incident:

Four days after contact:  

 

It's now been about 12 days and his eye is pretty much all better. The cut even healed nicely. Whew! It was a great conversation piece though. He loved showing people, and he was always very careful to add that Maggie "hit me with a shovel by accident." No grudge on his part. I'm actually secretly jealous because I've never had a black eye and have kind of always wanted one. Okay, maybe not always, but I've had a couple sports injuries (gym class, soccer game) where I got hit in the face and it really  hurt. I thought I deserved a black eye so I had something to show for the pain. So I told Gunnar his black eye was so cool. He wore it proudly.