snow

Well, that was fun. A few days home from school due to lots of snow was a great thing, but now it is time for the children to go back. Hope tomorrow is the day. Thank goodness we can play outside, or we might have seen a lot more of crazy Mom. Cooper took fourth at the pinewood derby last Friday and had a great time. I survived the Stake Enrichment class I had to teach with a heaping dose of humble pie. Tony and I persevered through the hospital foundation dinner thanks to friends (drunk and sober) who made the evening hilarious.

It seems death always comes in threes. Tony's nurse Margaret lost her husband on Saturday. It broke Tony's heart to hear her say, "well that's the end of that." Hopefully an opportunity will arise to talk about life after death. President Hinckley has also passed away and although we shed tears, we are so happy he is with his sweetheart. The last death was a terrible, unexplainable, tragic accident of a friend of Eliza's. Hayden fell into the family pool and through a series of freak events, drowned. His passing has shaken our community and has made me reflect deeply on how the Savior's atonement will help my friend Jill regain footing and ever breathe again. I don't believe the Lord caused this to happen, but I know He will heal hearts. Buried under all this ice and snow and cold, there are beautiful living things. I can't see them but I have hope for things I can't see and most certainly can't understand.

momma duck

The weather has been amazingly beautiful, but so cold I have been running the kids to school in the car. Inevitably I grab a few neighborhood kids too. My favorite little kindergarten boy popped out last of the car full of kids and exclaimed, "Thanks Momma Duck!" What a fantastic compliment.

I think Tony may be on to something. Basketball practice was going to disrupt Family Home Evening on Monday night so he suggested we have Family Home Morning instead. We had cookies for breakfast (we like treat first) then lesson and activity. It worked of course, because the kids had the day off, but seems like a great alternative. We talked a little about Martin Luther King for lesson and had an all black and white dinner (black beans, rice, olives, pears and Nutella on white bread). I was snuggling Max on the couch and the sunlight was hitting his curls. I could see every color of the rainbow in his shiny hair. For the millionth time I was amazed at how strikingly beautiful he is. Will I always be fascinated and awed (and secretly envious) of my son's skin? Someday I will personally thank Martin Luther King for his part in my chance to be the plain white mom of a beautiful black boy.

Marcos starts occupational therapy tomorrow to reshape his cranial bones. The OT will work with he and I in the pool. I can't wait to be in the water. Yesterday the silly boy fell in the tub with his clothes on. He and Max had a lovely time, fully clothed and sopping wet.

snow day

Because I was one mean momma, I actually prayed that school would be cancelled so I could have a chance to repair the damage I inflicted yesterday. Thank goodness my prayer was answered. It was a bummer to miss Spanish preschool, birthday parties and dance class, but it was so fun to play in the snow, eat hot-chocolate with ice cream for lunch, play board games and cease the incessant nagging that is my ugliest habit. It donned on me tonight that I need to define a successful day on what relationship I strengthened rather than on what tasks I checked off my list. Even my 6 daily goals should be motivated by strengthening relationships. Today when I was reading in the scriptures I noticed that Lamen and Lemuel spent a lot of time trying to separate the spiritual from the temporal. Nephi tried to convince them that there wasn't a difference. I think I'll study Nephi's words carefully so maybe he can convince me as well.

We've all had a stomach bug; Cooper threw up at school and I went to bed last night with a fever and chills. Poor Marcos sounds like he has croup and Wilson smelled so bad he had to be quarantined.

Max is so excited to be a preschooler. When I told him he has school tomorrow he asked, "Mom, will this night take a long
time?" We are being courted by St John Preschool, but the Lundbergs love Steptoe school. Maybe next year.

It is so fun to have Marcos crawling. He is terribly proud of himself and always comes around the corner to find us with a beaming smile on his face.

The bad roads prevented Tony from going to his church meetings tonight so we held a family council on how much media we should be having every day. It went really well and the kids developed some guidelines that will help them self-regulate and prevent me from becoming the game cube Nazi.

It is beautiful outside, the prettiest winter we've had in years. I 'm feeling very thankful.

best year yet

I don't think our family has ever ended a year with more happy memories. My favorites include:

1) Ivy snuggled in with her family on their usual pew at church. Max made a beeline for her right after the closing prayer to feel her hair and match skin color. Tony said he didn't hear a word of the lesson in Priesthood meeting because he was so enthralled with Ivy's sweet raspberry sounds. Tony is taken with Ivy and broke all rules of etiquette by snatching her out of Betina's arms.

2) The most beautiful winter day I've ever seen at Mt Spokane with absolute marshmellow perfection on all the trees contrasted by blue skies and bright sun. After a few practice runs (until the "mommy chair lift" got too tired) Eliza joined Cooper on the lift and they skied the rest of the afternoon together. Cooper gave me frequent glowing reports about Eliza's progress. Wilson loved hitting the jumps. Max gave skiing a great effort, but enjoyed playing in the day care with Jack and Anna more than anything. Tony had several great runs on the snowboard and most importantly sustained no injuries. Even I took a few runs down the bunny hill and was happy to discover that it was nowhere near the horrible experience I had as a kid. We didn't see much of Hughes or Hainsworths on the slopes, but Tony was impressed with James' skiing--his Jackson Hole upbringing was very evident.

3) 16 kids sitting around our kitchen table eating stew and cinnamon rolls. It was obvious as they laughed together, that they feel totally safe and accepted. It's a contention free time that I cherish. I hope Jackson knows how grateful we are to him for setting a great example. Wilson and Cooper watch him like crazy and would follow his lead anywhere.

4 Snuggled up on the couch with my sweetheart and a cup of tea to watch "Hairspray." Lucky for our house, every day is negro day and we have embraced the checkerboard lifestyle.


2008 has begun beautifully. Tony has added SuperHusband to his already stellar SuperDad title. He spent all of New Year's Day helping me put away Christmas and get the house back in order. The kid's started back to school on the 2nd, but it will take us a bit to get back into our routine.

Today Max attended his first day of preschool in Steptoe. He loved it and his teacher commented that she could tell I had been working with him because he is doing so well and is so bright. HaHa--I've never worked with him, but being number four does have it's advantages. While Max was at school I took my new snowshoes up Steptoe Butte. I have found this to be the most effective way to recharge my batteries, even when falling head-first down the hill into waist deep snow.

My goals this year are simple, and dare I say, achieveable:
1. Finish the Book of Mormon in Spanish
2. Be consistent about teaching money management to my kids
3. Show more gratitude for my parents
4. Find one name to take to the temple
5. Host a family for dinner once a month

Andrea had a great idea to find a phrase or word to focus on for the next year. The phrase I need to focus on is: "It's not about ME." If I could keep the focus off myself and teach my kids to do the same, 2008 will be our best year yet