TV

I always appreciated the idea of living without TV never thinking we really had it in us to let it go . Four years ago finances required we let it go, and I'm so grateful! I can't imagine trying to find the time to squeeze TV back in now that it's gone. Our lives are fuller without it. Life's way too short, turn off the TV and find a leaf pile!

Practicing Contentment

This is just another day at Trader Joe's for us- the kids barricading themselves in the playhouse. The picture's not very clear b/c I walked around with the plastic covering on the back of my phone for two months before realizing it was meant to be removed. Even the simplest things can be a challenge for the likes of me.

Anyhoo, we are at Trader Joe's a lot, and Target, and the chiropractors office, and various other errands that come up throughout the week. I don't always manage them with a cheerful attitude, it's more like how quickly can I get these done before the kids self-combust. I've carried myself this way so much that it's now my norm for running errands with them. I don't even consider actually trying to enjoy the time with my kids, be in the moment with them. I just want to survive it.

When I live like that I miss these little gem moments like the one in this picture, my kids happy, playing with each other, actually being quite sweet, and in a public place. I don't want to miss this, I don't want to waste my mommy years in a blur of errands that I just want to get over with, I want to savor each bit of it.

I wrote this week about a wake up call I received at this very Trader Joe's. I suspect I will need several more as I am thick headed, but I don't want to give up on trying to learn to carry myself in contentment and gratefulness for the present.

My New Venture

I had been harboring a small dream for the last few years of writing a small, weekly column about the sweetness and challenge of family life for our local newspaper. I always thought, "wouldn't it be cool..." never thinking it would really happen.
Well last April it did:) It's exactly what I'd been hoping for- a small, weekly column where I get to write about the four most important people in my life and what we're learning through our relationships together. It has been a challenge for me, but I'm starting to relax into it and trust myself just to write from where I'm at. It's not always a master piece, but it's honest and real, and I'm having fun with the experience.
My blog has suffered as a result. A few friends have suggested I link my column to my blog each week. So if you are still interested in hearing the tales of our family, the soccer escapades, birthday parties, shopping trips gone very wrong, conquering the Vernal Falls trails at Yosemite, etc, then continue to tune in and I'll be faithful to link the columns.
My latest column is one of love:) I hope you like it.

Our Adventure

We headed to the mountains the Saturday after Thanksgiving to get our tree this year. The morning dawned rainy and cold, we even saw some of the raindrops turn to snowflakes outside our window. I knew it probably wasn't the BEST idea to drive into the mountains if it was practically snowing outside our own front door. But I really, really wanted to. I tried to look nonchalant when I asked Trav what he wanted to do, after all, he would be the one driving in the snow and putting on the chains. Really it was up to him. He said yes God love him. We bundled up and piled into the car.

It was incredibly beautiful driving up. It was a bit crazy on the roads, we saw a few cars sliding around and one almost took out our car before ending up in a ditch (everyone was fine and they were easily towed out) Perhaps that would've been a good point to turn around, but we didn't. We just kept smiling at each other and saying it was an adventure!

The drive took two hours in the snow instead of one.

Heading out on the hunt in fresh snow.

The snowdrifts were fresh and deep, perfect for frolicking in.

I swear Davey had a blast.

Our little snow angels.


Is there anything more amazing than my ruddy face on a cold day? No, no there is not.

Our prize.

Hot cocoa to warm the belly.

It was a very lovely day and another happy Christmas memory. Yay for the North State!

Belated Halloween Pics

We had a Star Wars themed Halloween this year. My mom made Payton and Jonah Jedi robes and Davey a Sith robe. Payton was Anakin Skywalker, Jonah Qui-Gon Jinn, and Davey was Darth Maul. It's sort of weird to have your baby dress up as the epitome of evil, but Davey was quite cute.

I had so much fun painting Davey's face on.

He was quite pleased with the results!

I'm not sure what's happening here, I think Jonah may be trying to "force push" Davey. As you may remember, Darth Maul ends up killing Qui-Gon in Episode 1. Davey made sure to remind Jonah of that at least a few times.

Payton is forever creating and crafted this R2-D2 unit out of a plastic jug, aluminum foil, and construction paper. Amazing.

Halloween night was awesome, the weather was perfect, and the kids were happy with their booty. This sweet old lady answered one of the doors to the kids and exclaimed, "Oh! What cute little monks!" So awesome:)

Davey's Morning Ritual

Davey loves Frosted Mini Wheats. He loves them in his own special way. He can't just simply pour a bowl of mini wheats for breakfast. Each mini-wheat must be chosen individually for maximum frostiness. This process takes anywhere from 10-30 minutes, and I'm not exaggerating. It makes for a very interesting morning on school days.

These are the chosen ones that will be placed carefully in his bowl. He usually chooses twelve.

My sister Vicki used to eat mini-wheats for breakfast when she visited us until she found Davey man handling all the cereal. She lost her appetite for them immediately. It was so normal for us that none of us ever thought about Davey touching all the cereal we ate, but it is sort of gross when you think about it. Maybe we'll keep a separate box for him from now on.

Best Day Ever

We had our last soccer games of the season last weekend, and it was an AMAZING day.

Payton has been crazy aggressive on the field all season, and she didn't disappoint this last game. As soon as the opening game whistle blew she did a cartwheel before going after the ball. I don't know what she's thinking half the time, but her undisguised joy makes her incredibly fun to watch.

Payton scored two goals, one unfortunately was off sides and didn't count, but here's a picture of the second one that did count. She fell going for the goal, the ball bounced off the goalkeeper as she fell, and then Payton hopped back up and made it in on the second attempt. It was all very exciting, I know my voice was getting pretty shrill:).

Davey and Jonah played on the same team this year. I couldn't really get any clear pictures of Davey on the field b/c he was always in the thick of the players, but here he is playing goalkeeper. He was very disappointed because he didn't get much action this game. We assured him it was b/c his team was so good the ball didn't make it down to him. He didn't buy it.

The boys' team had played really well every game this season, but no matter how closely matched the teams were, they lost or tied all their games. They wanted a win desperately. We wanted a win for them desperately, and they finally got it this last game.

Jonah had been working really hard all season for a goal, and Saturday was his day. He did it! It was such a high for all of us. He was over the moon, and so were we. More shrill cheering from me of course. I was so proud of him. Here he's being congratulated after the game.

Jonah came home and immediately made about five different sketches of his goal. He's #11 making the corner kick. He cracks me up.

Seriously, such a great day. There's something truly amazing about sharing your kids' triumphs together as a family. We're still celebrating.