17 months

enjoying clementines!

I feel an urgency today to capture these moments of my life with my little one.  Lea is 17 months old...nearly a nursery-age toddler and getting further from 'baby' every day.  Oh how I love this girl of mine.  She is funny and talkative, busy, endearing.  Her latest trick is trying to wink...DARLING! She has finally figured out walking and is going great guns, walking backwards and trying to climb steps on her feet.  She loves to dance, color, wrestle, read books, rock her babies, brush her own teeth, sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Wheels on the Bus," eat treats and fruit and peas, 'help' with laundry, play the piano and imitate her older siblings.  She doesn't like riding in the car, having mom or dad brush her teeth, getting her diaper changed, or sharing toys with Davis.  She is the worlds GREATEST hugger and kisser, always has a smile, is my best sleeper (by far), and loves her binky.

...xoxo to little sis...

sailors take warning

Mom always used to quote the little poem...
Red skies at night, sailors delight;
Red skies at morning, sailors take warning.

This is what took my breath away this morning:

Tonight, the wind sounds like it is trying to blow my house down.
We were warned.

Happy 2012

A little thought shared by a friend that I hope to remember this year....

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” -Neil Gaiman

Our Holiday, in pictures

ornament memories IV

Dallin's 2nd grade teacher used to play music when they were doing their work, and one song that was on her disc was "'Tis a Gift to be Simple."  Dallin clung to this tune and sings it often.  He proclaimed it his favorite song and when we heard the Tabernacle Choir singing it one Sunday morning on TV, Dal was ecstatic.  "They are singing it just for me!" he declared.  (At least one member of the choir definitely WAS singing it for Dal...it is nice to have a Grammy in there, just for those occasions).

I think it is appropriate that my sort of simple boy loves this simple song about enjoying life's simplest gifts.  He isn't the top student or the best player on his sports teams or the fastest runner or, really, the best at anything that is measurable in that way.  But, his simple ways are definitely a gift.  He simply enjoys each day for what it is.  He has a hard time pinpointing favorite foods or books or activities or friends, because he loves whatever he is doing, and who he is doing it with, at the moment it is happening.  His best times are while doing simple things: making paper airplanes with Kate, chasing Davis around the house, reading a book to Lea.

Dal's life is a gift.  He has a wonderful, simple way of loving his siblings, obeying, waking us all up for scripture study in the morning, laughing a big, hearty laugh at something funny on TV;  He is simply a good kid, trying to do what his Father would have him do.

Chad and I picked up this ornament on our 5th anniversary.  We spent the day in a historic town called Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.  We enjoyed the simplicity of the beautiful summer day, watched as our cute one-year-old Dallin reached through the fences to pet the horses and sheep, learned more about the simple life of the Shakers, and felt the blessings of the past 5 years.

Our life now seems so much LESS simple than it did back then, but the gifts really are found in the simple, special every day moments.  And I'm glad I've got my Dallin (and his favorite song) to remind me of the gift simplicity is.

ornament memories III

Chad served his mission in the Czech Republic.  He, of course, loved it, and he brought home many little treasures to remind him of his 'best two years.'  My favorite of his finds is a set of egg ornaments.  The eggs are painstakingly blown out and hand painted by amazingly talented artisans.  The eggs in Chad's set of 5 are all different, completely unique.  The Czech's decorate Easter trees with these beautiful eggs (we like to do that, too), but I also put them on the Christmas tree because they are so lovely and meaningful.

Last year, like every year, we hauled the Christmas decorations up from the basement and, as a family, decked the halls...but mostly the tree.  We always start with the garlands, then the ornaments.  And, as we pull each one out, memories are shared.  I think it is like that in most families.  

Since we have little fingers that live in our house some ornaments are automatically 'top of the tree' treasures, hung far away from the pint sized crowd.  The Czech eggs fall into this category, so last Christmas, Dallin picked up the box of eggs and started to hand them up to Chad, who was on a ladder, to be hung.  Somehow, in a split second that I can't fully comprehend, in the transition from one hand to another, a miss-step, lost balance, something happened.  Two of the eggs were crushed.  So was my heart.

But, the amazing thing was, Chad didn't get upset.  I'm sure he was sorry, too.  Maybe even angry. These were HIS eggs and HIS memories.  But, he knows his boy is more important than eggs and as Dal's tears immediately fell when he realized they were broken, Chad's forgiveness came just as instantly.  My first reaction would have likely been accusatory or questioning, "what were you doing?" or "why can't you pay attention?"  Chad simply said, "It's okay, Dal.  It was an accident. We'll just have to go back to the Czech Republic and get some more."  

This year, when I pulled out the remaining eggs and put them on the tree, the memory that came wasn't of missions or Europe or an unfortunately accident, but of forgiveness and compassion...the real spirit of the season.  The spirit of Him whose birth we honor and whose life we attempt to emulate.  Joy to the world!  He did come and I can choose to be like He is.  The eggs remind me of that now, too.

ornament memories II

One year of college, above all others, stands out in my mind because of the fun memories made with the wonderful roommates I had.  The Babes of 301A were perfectly matched (hand selected).  And, we had fun.  We stayed up too late, ate lots of junk, consoled each other and celebrated with one another, dedicated movie moments and songs, laughed a lot, and sometimes, we even studied.  

And we danced.  

Someone would throw on the tunes and all inhibitions were tossed out the door.  At some point in the year we decided that our dancing habits merited our throwing a HUGE disco dancing party.  We visited the DI for the perfect ensembles.  We made fliers to hang in our complex and pass out to our friends.  We made fondue.  We rented a disco ball.

I don't remember how many people came to our disco party.  We filled up our tiny apartment as we jammed to the songs of Gloria Gaynor and ABBA.  It was a night of memories that always make me smile. 

One of those fabulous roommates, a few years post-301A, gave me a tiny disco ball at an ornament exchange.  Every year, when I pull it out to put it on my tree, the strains of "Dancing Queen" pop in my head and my heart remembers these girls, my besties, from back in the day.  So glad to call you mine.

Merry Christmas to Mar, Lar, Les, Nat and Nat!