find joy in the journey

30 day photo challenge // 18, 19, 20, 21

18 - in my bag

The contents of my Sunday bag . . . working clockwise beginning with my bag

• tote bag from Ann Taylor LOFT for $3!
• a scripture that I was asked to read in Sunday School
• Stride Spark gum
• my sacrament meeting talk on Joseph Smith -- Scott and I both gave talks the the kids sang "In Quiet Grove".  Everyone did great, but I'm glad that one is over.
• giant hymn book - because I play the piano in Relief Society meeting
• keys
• package of sight savers for my glasses, which I didn't wear today
• Coconut Mango lipgloss from Bath & Body Works
• Bliss hand lotion that I took from our hotel room during our Portland vacation
• random hairclip from Anna
• CTR ring
• Coconut Mango lipgloss from Bath & Body Works
• Bliss hand lotion that I took from our hotel room during our Portland vacation
• a heart punched from paper -- I'm guessing this was Anna's doing
• pen
• wallet
• ipad and ipad case (from Rogue Theory)
• zippered pouch for private items

19 - where i slept

and I woke up 3 separate times to Anna's feet in my face.

20 - what i read

Dowloaded this on my ipad (thanks to itunes gift cards).  So far . . . the characters are really interesting.  I think I'm going to enjoy this one.

21 - pretty pattern

This stack of pretty fabric has been sitting on top of my dryer for months.  Some of it was purchased at a fabric store closing, some purchased online.  I had high hopes for all of it.  Summer dresses for Anna, a skirt for me, a receiving blanket, and that red Amy Butler print was going to become cafe curtains in my kitchen.  I'm sure my procrastination was all for the best . . . now I'll have fabric on hand for projects in our new home.

30 day photo challenge // 14, 15, 16, 17

14 - flowers

Puzzled?  Well there are flowers on my dress.  :)  Today I got a haircut and color.  This is just part one of my birthday week theme . . . "pamper."  (Last year the theme was "indulge" and I chose to eat everything in sight without guilt and drop the exercising)

15 - my shoes

Basic black flip flops.  Not so exciting.  But the place that I'm wearing them to is pretty exciting, or rather, relaxing . . . a local spa to receive a 90-minute facial.  Ahhhh.  I left that place so relaxed, loose, and smooth.  Facials are great because you get soothing skin rejuvenation and a great neck and shoulder massage to go with it.

16 - what i ate

Yup, that's what I had for lunch.  Thanks to our beautiful and thoughtful friends, Sheila and I enjoyed a delicious lunch birthday-date with all our girls, following a pampering pedicure date (we share the same birthday).  I love this little tradition, thank you so much girls.

Hair style, facial, pedicure -- When I pick a theme like "pamper" I don't mess around!

17 - on the shelf

It's my birthday!  I always collect my birthday cards on the window ledge above my kitchen sink.  I love having them out to give me a smile as I pass by, or to stop and re-read all the sweet notes.  It makes me happy.

And while we're on the subject of my birthday, I just have to share 2 totally creative gifts that really made my day:

First, it looks like an ordinary book . . .

 (I was scratching my head for a minute . . . The Forgotten Legion, hmm . . . Sheila reads a lot of books, maybe it's a good one?)

But then you open it up . . . 

And there's chocolate!!!!!!

And a picture of friends.  Awww.  And the page which the book opens to is titled "friendship."  Double awww.  See what I mean?  So creative.  And I'm so glad that Sheila did not injure herself in the making of this gift.  There was a box cutter involved so it was risky.  ;)

And then I checked my mail yesterday (the 19th -- too busy on saturday to get to the mail box) and found this . . . . 

. . . A Moving Survival Kit!  How awesome is that?  Becca had the most creative ideas:  a notepad for all my lists; a sharpie and packing tape for the moving boxes; lots of chocolate and of course Swedish Fish for snacks; Ibuprofen for my sore muscles; a water bottle; tissues for, well, you can guess; chapstick for the dry Nevada air; and "because you'll probably need to take an ice cream break" a couple dollars in cash.  Creative, huh?  Thanks so much Becca.

Birthdays are fun.

30 day photo challenge // 10, 11, 12, 13

10 - something I made

This is one of those rare times when something I've seen on pinterest becomes more than just a "cool project for someday".  These bracelets are made from old t-shirts.  That I have been saving in pile for 5 months.  See, I knew I was going to do this project . . . someday.  And that someday was late August.  For a couple weeks I stowed the supplies (old t-shirts and sewing scissors) in a basket and carried them around with me to swimming lessons and soccer practice.  I think I made 25-30 of them.  They were actually pretty fun to make.  I've never knit before but I think the technique is pretty similar, just using your fingers.  I found a great video tutorial here.

11 - something fun and 12 - close-up

I'm playing the part of "party planner" this month and having lots of fun with it.  :)

13 - from a distance

Piano lessons are over.  There are no soccer practices on the schedule for today.  So the kids get 45 minutes of beloved video game time while I prep dinner.  You like our afternoon tornado?  Let's play a game of I spy.

I spy . . . . a jar of glitter, a deflated beach ball, a homemade volcano, 2 socks, sunglasses, a stack of receipts, and one of the above-mentioned homemade jersey bracelets.

my memory of 9/11

For a long time I've wanted to record my perspective on the tragic events of 9/11, where I was, what I was doing, . . . . so here goes.

In September 2001, Conner and I traveled with Scott for a lengthy business trip to Michigan and Ohio.  He had work reviews that would last 3 weeks.  So rather than having him fly home across the country every weekend we decided to go with him -- and because his company was saving money by not flying him back and forth, they paid for my ticket.  :)

We arrived in Detroit on a Sunday night and drove through the dark to the first review site in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  It is on the upper peninsula of Michigan, right on the border.  All you had to do was cross a bridge and you were in Canada.

Our daily routine:  Scott gets ready, read scriptures together, Conner and I go back to sleep for a little bit longer, spend the day piddling around the hotel (he was just 10 months old so there were naps too), walk to lunch at the McDonald's next door or heat up leftovers from dinner the night before, Scott returns after work, and we'd go out for dinner together.

(I dug out some really really old digital pictures . . . from our very first digital camera.  The thing used 3.5 floppy disks for memory!  Yes, one of the originals.)

  Life in the hotel room with a 10 month old.  Luckily, Conner was a very happy baby so he was very easily entertained.  Even by exposed plumbing.

On Tuesday morning (day 2) we followed the usual routine.  Scott left around 7am, I fed Conner and we both went back to sleep.  I woke up a little after 9am (EST) and turned on the tv while I laid in bed.

And there it was on every channel.  Both towers of the World Trade Center had been hit by planes.  I was shocked, stunned, and aching for all those innocent people.  I needed to talk to someone so I called Scott at work -- we spoke for just a minute or two but he had to get back to work.  My eyes stayed glued to the television and I gasped as I watched individuals jump out of the high-rise windows.  Talking to the tv wasn't working, so I called my dad at work.  We talked for a few minutes, sharing our disbelief at the situation.

Tears came to my eyes as I watched the situation unfold, the smoke rise higher, the desparation in the streets grow, and then one tower collapsed, followed by another.  I couldn't believe I was watching this on live television.  And here I was, sitting alone in a hotel bed with an infant, in a strange state, a strange city . . . taking this all in.  I'll never forget that experience and feeling.

We continued with our trip, but there was definitely a different air about everything.  The border to Canada closed for a while, but on Friday it re-opened and we were able to cross over to get some dinner and take some pictures.

The following two weeks Scott worked in Cleveland, Ohio.  Over the weekends we took day trips to Kirtland, Niagara Falls, and Palmyra, NY to see Church history sites like the Sacred Grove & Hill Cumorah as well as the Palmyra temple.  There was heightened security at the falls as well as just a heightened sense of awareness everywhere we went.

During most of this time, all airplanes in the U.S. were grounded.  Airports were closed.  No one was flying anywhere.  We probably should have been more concerned about this, considering we were 2200 miles away from home, but we weren't.

It was near the end of September when our trip ended, and luckily the airports were open again.  We entered the Detroit airport with our luggage and stroller, checked in, went through security, and walked to our gate.  We were both in awe . . . the airport was empty.  A handful of people here and there, but by and far it was desolate.  It felt really creepy and eery.

We made it home safe and sound.

One year later we were back east again, following Scott on business for a 2 week stint.  This time we were in Massachussetts so we spent a Saturday sight-seeing in New York City.  We stopped by Ground Zero and took a picture (with my film camera).  It was impressive to see what they were able to clean-up and accomplish in a year.

This morning I watched part of the 9/11 Memorial service while eating my breakfast.  The kids sat on the couch with me and I tried to explain the events of that day while getting choked up.  Payton looked at me funny.  But I think it's important for the kids to understand this part of our country's history because it has definitely shaped who we are, and what we are fighting for today.

"Remember" was a theme throughout much of the Memorial service.  I know that I will never forget.

30 day photo challenge // 7, 8, 9

7 - something new

Back to school shoe shopping happened at the Converse outlet this year.  Everyone picked their own color/style.  Everyone was happy.

8 - technology

Noteshelf app + my shiny new stylus are taking my list-making to the next level.  Technology is awesome.  One cool feature is that you can take photos and paste them directly onto your notepaper, write notes around them, etc.  I can already see this coming in very handy when we're house-hunting.

9 - faceless self-portrait

My faceless self, baking zucchini bread after the kids have gone to bed.  Our garden exploded with zucchini this year.  There are two bags of shredded zucchini in the freezer, I've tried several (mostly mediocre) zucchini recipes from the web, given away one, and made a batch of chocolate zucchini bread.  If you look on the left, you can see 2 more big ones on my counter top (next to 3 grenade shaped cucumbers, which you can't see).  And the garden is trying to grow a few more.

Also, it appears that this top is my Friday shirt.  (Wore it last Friday on my golf date as well.)  I told you I loved it.

post note:  I tried a piece of the zucchini bread and it is yum-my!  Recipe here.

first day of school - 2011

Okay, I couldn't wait until the end of the day to post these pictures.  They are way too cute to keep to myself any longer!

First we have Anna, starting Kindergarten!

What a cute girl!  And I really don't think I'm biased just because she's mine.  :)  We started taking pictures and then she said, "wait, how about I go like this" and then pointed her toe forward.  I never knew that ballet training would come in handy for back to school photos.

Then, Mr. P who is entering 3rd grade.  I think he grew up quite a bit over the summer.

The bonus of starting school 30 minutes earlier this year was that the blaring morning sun hadn't hit our front porch yet.  Every year we struggle with back to school pics because of the sun in the eyes.  Although, Payton was the last of the crew to get his picture taken so the sun was teasing us as it crept up behind the tree branches.  Hence the orange glow on his face.  No, there were no spray tans before the start of school.

And finally, Conner is a big 5th grader this year.  How and when did he grow up so fast!

Conner is in such a good place.  10 years old.  Helpful.  Great at initiating and carrying on conversations.  Funny.  Confident.  Thoughtful.  Just a good boy.  I think he is going to have a great year.

And now for some jumping pictures . . . . 

Payton is super excited for school.

And he's about to launch . . . . 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, we have lift-off!

It is pretty fun to have all my kids at the same school this year.

I look at these pictures and they make me especially happy.  To see their relationship -- they laugh, joke, pick at, and love each other.  (Well, most of the time).  In the father's blessings that Scott gave the kids on Sunday he touched on this sibling relationship and encouraged them to strengthen it and to be each other's best friends.  With the upcoming move and all the changes it will bring, if they will look out for and help one another, and be each others' friend then it will be okay.  I really feel that more and more.  Our little family unit and the relationships in it, are really all that matters.

Have a great first day, kids.  I love you!

all by myself

Well, I've reached another milestone.  All 3 of my children are in elementary school.

People have asked me if I was doing okay, how I was feeling . . . But the past week has been so busy I haven't had a chance to really think about it.  Really, I haven't been too worried because Anna only attends in the mornings, she'll still be with me for lunch, and so it's almost like a continuation of the preschool schedule.  Just 5 days a week rather than 3.

The bigger question has been, what am I going to do with my time.  Again, being so busy I haven't had a chance to think of it until yesterday.  A fellow soccer mom asked me if I had planned something fun for my first "free" day.  The thought had never even occurred to me!  Shame on me to pass up such a great opportunity to celebrate.  :)

She suggested that I should go get a massage.

So I posed the question to a few others . . . 

Conner said that I should go shopping for clothes and shoes because that's what girls do.

Scott said I should mow the lawn.  Boo!

In passing at school drop-off this morning a cute 4-year old girl from church said, "She can do whatever she wants."  That's right!

And in his bedtime prayer last night Conner said, "Bless mom so she can figure out what to do while we are gone."

Thanks, bud.

So what am I doing today?  Scheduling doctor appointments.  Doing laundry.  Picking up around the house.  And paying bills.

Something is seriously wrong with this set-up.  I think tomorrow needs to be a fun day.

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{a report and pictures of the kids' first day of school coming this evening.  Or tomorrow morning.}

 

30 day photo challenge // 4, 5, 6

4 - favorite color

I have lots of favorite colors -- aqua, red, coral, navy, white, grey -- but I quite enjoy watching Anna in her pink-ified soccer clothes.  At each practice she has worn a different headband, including one with a big flower.  And when the ball goes out of bounds she giggles with her hands up to her mouth. Ahhh, the girlishness.

5 - someone i love

The kids at the school open house / ice cream social tonight.  I think Anna is finally excited for kindergarten after seeing her classroom, desk, teacher, other kids she knows, and going crazy on the play structure.  (Which, according to Conner and Payton is the best play structure ever.)  Payton is sitting next to one of his best friends, which may or may not be a good thing.  :)  And Conner picked up with Mr. B right where they left off last year in math class -- joking & teasing.

6 - childhood memory

{ taken at OMSI today}

more like a highschool memory . . . my first try at a VDG generator was in my freshman year Physical Science class with Mr. Frago.  I had put my hair in rollers that day, as I often did, for a light bouncy curl.  When it was my turn to stand up to the dome everyone in the class ooo-ed and ahhh-ed and made a fuss about how cool my hair looked.  All these wavy strands sticking straight up and out . . . like a flower, some said.  I never got to see it -- no mirrors, no pictures.  But it felt cool to be special about something . . . even if it was for hair that stands straight up.

spirit week at the pool

The second week of swimming lessons also happened to coincide with Spirit Week at the pool.  Usually there's a silly theme each day and the lifeguards will dress up.  But when Conner's teacher told him that he would get extra jumps at the end of the lesson if he came dressed for Pirate Day on wednesday . . . oh boy, it unleashed an enthusiasm for spirit week that I'm sure the staff has never seen before.

Wednesday: Pirate Day

Friday: Crazy Hair Day / 80's

But Thursday takes the cake . . . . Super Hero Day

Let me introduce you to Flower Power - 

And the man of steel, Superman -- 

Finally, the one and only Bionic Booger Boy -- 

Bionic Booger Boy was created this last year when Conner began drawing comics.  All of his stories feature this green super hero, fighting his nemesis Mr. Clean.  I love his creativity & imagination, but after a while I have to put the "lava boogers" talk to rest.

Conner came up with the design and materials for his costume and I helped him put it together.  An old day camp t-shirt became a cape and mask.  An undershirt + fabric markers and he was all set.  Oh my goodness, he was absolutely giddy.  He wore the costume all day for 2 days.  It was pretty fun to see his excitement over this character coming to life.

Who knew that swimming lessons would be such an adventure?

30 day photo challenge // 1, 2, 3

1 - self portrait (one day late)

2 - what i wore

   navy blue top - Ann Taylor LOFT (love it - need to get another one in a different color)  *  stretch khaki capris - Gap Outlet  *  grey converse - Target

And yes, that is me about to tee off on hole number 1.  Golf date with Scott was awesome.

3 - clouds

No clouds today.  Just smoke.  Lots of wind today is carrying smoke from the Mt. Hood wildfires in our direction.  Took this picture at 3pm in our backyard.  Now the sky is completely covered with smoke.  No more blue.

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30 day photo challenge

summer fun #26: swimming lessons

it's official.  Our children are fish.  

The kids did awesome in their swimming lessons this year.  Both Conner and Payton moved up a level.  And Anna is doing great with her beginner arm strokes and back floats.

Here are some photos from the last day of swimming lessons:

Payton -- So proud of this kid.  He worked really hard in swimming lessons to improve his arm strokes and floats.  He set a goal for himself to take the swim test on the last day of summer.  At our city pool you have to pass a swim test (one lap arm stroke, one lap elementary backstroke across the width of the pool -- no stopping, no touching the bottom) in order to swim in the big lap pool.  This big pool also holds the brand new giant, twisty water slide which he has watched Conner enjoy all summer.  So after swimming lessons on friday, we went back to the pool in the afternoon for one last swim.  Payton headed straight to the swim test line and was raring to go.  Conner and I watched with baited breath . . . excited/nervous for him.  But mostly so proud that he made the decision to do this all on his own.

Oh, and during the test you can't wear goggles.  Which is huge for Payton.  Remember how sensitive his eyes are to the sun?  Same goes for the water.  

He closed his eyes tight, took a deep breath and pushed off from the edge.  Stroke, stroke, stroke, breath . . stroke, stroke, stroke, breath . . . and pretty soon he had reached the end!  Then he put his skills to use and did his very best elementary backstroke, even bumping into and re-routing around kids who got in his way, and finally made it to the finish by the lifeguard chair.  Woo-hoo Payton!  He actually made it without stopping on his very first try.

But . . . as I suspected (and what was the best decision for everyone) the lifeguard didn't pass him.  He made it back and forth, but he still needs to work on becoming a stronger swimmer.  His little body was exhausted at the end of that test, and I know that I would not feel comfortable sending him into the big pool.  

Conner and I congratulated him on a great job and tried to lift his spirits with lots of encouragement.  A little disappointed and a lot tired, he spent the rest of his time swimming in the small pool and had a great time.  I think it was great for him to see that he could do it, but also to realize that it takes some work to build up the stamina to safely swim in deeper waters.

Like I said, I was so so proud of him that he set a goal and with drive & desire he did his very best to follow through.  Super champ!

 

Anna - As I've mentioned before, this girl's biggest achievement this summer was ditching the water wings.  She doesn't have free reign in the pool, but when we are there she spends half of her time underwater diving for rings, watching her brothers do silly tricks, and swimming like a mermaid.  

 

Conner - Last summer Conner was in the level 4 class.  When we went to sign up this summer they told us that they have changed the numbering of the classes and a 4 was now a 3 1/2.  Conner was not happy.  He was really proud of his level 4 rank and had worked really hard to earn that.  For this over-achieving boy, being bumped down to 3 1/2 was a major bummer.

But . . . it was all good.  He had a fantastic teacher -- Rachel, one of our favorite young women from church (we have quite a few favorites).  She helped fine-tune his strokes to where they are strong, smooth, and precise.  It is so much fun to watch him glide through the water.

This session he finally figured out the diving thing, from a standing position.  And he has got all the strokes down.  It is high on my list to track down a swim team or club when we get to Vegas and sign him up.  He is a swimmer.

Oh, and he easily passed all the requirements to re-enter level 4.  :)

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I've said this on facebook and I'll say it again . . . . it makes this California girl (and former swim team member) so happy to see my kids love and thrive in the water.

cub scout carnival

I've been a den leader for a bit over a year now, which means its time to recycle previous den meetings for the new bunch of boys.  Yesterday it was time for the Cub Scout Carnival!  It is my very favorite activity and I think the boys love it too.

Each boy is asked to come with a game or activity.  They can take ideas from their Cub Scout books or do something totally original.  We set up in the back lot of the church and once everyone is ready we walk around as a group, stopping at each game/station to let the boy who brought the game tell or demonstrate how to play it.  Once that's through it is open play time!  We invite the little (and older) siblings to come play as well . . . the more the merrier.  :)

I put Conner in charge of the snack bar.

I think he really enjoyed having that authority.  And unlimited access to the Twizzlers.

At the beginning each kid was given 10 tickets which they could use to purchase popcorn, Twizzlers, peanuts, and lemonade.  It was perfect.  Everyone got some of everything, without going overboard on the snacks.

Anna was in charge of the petting zoo.

This is the game Payton put together . . . marble sharp shooter

Lots of creative games were shared, including this one inspired by "Minute to Win It" . . . 

How fun is this!

The water balloon launcher was a big hit . . . 

here are the boys waiting to catch, or rather dodge, the water balloons

And my favorite of all . . . the pie eating contest!  The rules are simple: try to find the gummi bear in the whipped cream without using your hands.

Love this victorious fist pump . . . 

The younger siblings love playing too . . .

Everyone had such a great time.  Most of the kids played 2 or 3 times.  (Except for Payton -- he prefers to stay out of this one.)

Another successful carnival.

Now to plan next week's activity.  I think we will learn how to fold a flag and perform an outdoor flag ceremony.  That's just as fun, right?