Super Hero

I heart weekends. A lot.

I have a nephew who will be leaving to serve a two year voluntary church mission in just 10 days. That is not a lot of days. But, he has been preparing for this mission for 19 years. 19 years=6935 days. That is a lot of days, but still not enough to prepare for a two year goodbye.

He is the oldest nephew on my side of the family. And he is awesome. He loves a lot of things- is passionate about a lot of things- I love his enthusiasm for his passions. He is a drummer. An awesome drummer. And he plays the piano. Awesomely. And he likes to hang with his old aunts and uncles. Which is awesome.

He has some new glasses that he believes make him look a little like Clark Kent. I must say that I agree. I think Clark Kent could be considered a Super Hero, which is perfect- especially in the case of this nephew. Definitely a Super Hero.

This weekend was especially meaningful because we celebrated one of the most favorite of favorite Christmas traditions. And this will be our last time to celebrate this tradition with our awesome nephew for two years. It was our annual desert bonfire party.

Oldest daughter and me as the evening was getting underway

So, we lit the desert bonfire and gathered around and shared dinner, stories, songs and tender feelings. Each member of the family who has already served a two year mission shared memorable stories of Christmases spent in the mission field, in honor of the nephew's upcoming departure.

And then the nephew shared his feelings about getting ready to leave on his amazing adventure. And of course, we cried. And marveled at the maturity of our cute nephew. He is going to be one awesome missionary.

the nephew, in Clark Kent glasses, sharing his feelings

And then, middle daughter requested that my oldest sister recount her very own personal experience of witnessing Santa Claus's boot as he exited our home via the chimney when I was just 4 years old. This story is legend. It never ceases to mystify my children.

And then we returned to the business of celebrating the nephew and the choices he has made in his life which have led him to this point. He has set a tremendous example for his cousins.

I am excited for my nephew. He has the gospel of Jesus Christ to share. For two whole years. 24/7. For many in Latvia, this means they are about to meet someone who just might become their Super Hero. Luckies.

Tallying

once upon a time, i was born. and since that day, every 365 days i have commemorated my birth by adding one to my year tally- and the total is adding up in a grand fashion. maybe you can relate.

just recently, i tallied up- again. because 365 days rolled around. and in keeping with tradition, i added one to my tally.

of all the traditions that are observed in my little family, i have one that just might be my favorite. the husband has made it a tradition to take the day off work whenever a birthday is to be celebrated in our home.

however, just days before my traditional tally addition, i was informed by the husband that he was required to be in a meeting on the day of my birthday commemoration. and he had tried everything he could do to get out of it. to no avail. to make matters worse, the meeting was to be held in another state and it would be necessary for him to travel, which would mean he would be absent the days preceding, including and following my birthday.

pout. (inwardly, so as not to appear unsupportive and self-centered)

and then the happy surprise: the husband had made arrangements for me to accompany him. three days. no children.

but it did mean that the husband would still be in meetings on my day. but, it also meant that we could get away, just the two of us and spend the evenings together- uninterrupted.

plus, it meant that on my birthday- the day of my grand tallying- i would have the day all. to. myself.

bliss. (inwardly, so as not to appear that i didn't want the children gathered around celebrating this most special of days with me)

we traveled. and arrived here

as the snow was gently falling. it was beautiful. and romantic.

we stayed in a charming suite with vaulted ceilings and a ridge-pole loft and fireplace.

early the next morning, the husband was off to his meeting after wishing me a happy birthday. i stayed in bed as long as i could- only til 8:00- which was a little disappointing because i would have thought i could sleep in a little longer. so, i got out of bed at 8:00 am.

i opened the curtains and was greeted by this breathtaking scene:

it was so lovely, i got dressed- and smiled to myself because i only had to dress myself and not 3 little people- and walked out into a winter wonderland. i tried to breathe in as much of the surroundings as my lungs could handle.

and then i enjoyed a breakfast by the fireplace, at my own little table. a breakfast i didn't have to prepare- with no one asking me to pour them some juice and no one needing their breakfast items cut or cooled. and it was quiet so i was able to gaze out the windows and lose myself in the winter scene, uninterrupted.

and then i hiked in the mountains. and had no cell phone reception, but every so often as i entered a clearing, my phone beeped at me to alert me of a voice mail waiting. one from my dad and one from my mom and one from my sister- all wishing me happiness on this day. and then other messages smattered throughout the day when i wandered into a patch of cell phone reception.

after my hike i made my way back to my room and got ready for the day- and i admit, i took some mirror pics to text to the husband- because without children, one can really have a good hair day and look amazing. then i attempted texting the best ones to him, although, i had no text reception whatsoever, so the texts never went through. no texts. all day.

i spent more time out of doors. and the day carried on. relaxed.

i believe it was the best birthday ever. i loved spending time alone. thinking. dreaming. hiking. resolving. contemplating. having no responsibility. just being.

it was a good day for tallying.

before we left sundance, the husband purchased a little memento for me. a little something more to tally up.

c + s = 1

i kinda like birthday math.

and that was my birthday. it was heaven. heaven.

and the day following was just as lovely- spent by myself as the husband attended meetings.

and when it came time for us to make our way home, i returned home to my children a better, more relaxed mother. because while i was away, i tallied my blessings.

three of which are my sweet children.

p.s. a million apologies to all our family and friends in utah for not letting you know we were in town. next time, i'll be less selfish. and probably stay at your house.

When a Ninja Visits...

...you know it's time to carve your Halloween Jack-O-Lantern.

Tune In Tuesday

Tune in Tuesday

over at Holly's place

for a guest post from moi.

All about Thanksgiving Tradition.

Thanks to Holly for inviting me to add my 2 cents.

Tune In Tuesday Giveaway

So glad you decided to

Tune in Tuesday!

In honor of my birthday yesterday AND the thousands of RVs and NASCAR fans that are rolling in to my town with their window flags flying for the big race this weekend, I am pleased to announce a giveaway!!! (If you are one of those race fans in the RV, hopefully you have internet access so that you don't miss out on this one!)

And not just any giveaway. A holiday giveaway. You know, a giveaway to get your holidays off to a great start. A holiday giveaway that just might inspire the beginning of a new tradition in your household. Because, the great thing about traditions is that any time is a great time to start a tradition. Any time.

But, there are a few conditions if you win this holiday giveaway. (Is it okay to have conditions with giveaways?) (I suspect that even if you can't abide the conditions, you could still win the giveaway)

Conditions / Suggestions:

1. Welcome this little guy into your home, give him a name and make sure that he appears in a conspicuous place the day after Thanksgiving.
2. Inform your children that this little guy is here to whisper to Santa all the good deeds of the children.
3. Every night when the children are asleep, move this cute little elf to a new location.
4. On Christmas Eve day, the elf should be placed on the Christmas tree to wait for Santa to come and to whisper all those good deeds to Saint Nick.
5. The elf goes back to the North Pole with Santa after he helps Santa deliver the gifts and goodies to your home.
6. Be sure the elf returns next year on the same day.

Fun new tradition, no?

How do you win? Just leave a comment. And if you want another entry, be sure to send your friends and family members over to enter themselves. If they mention that you sent them, you will receive an additional entry.

Contest closes Saturday, November 14 at 11:59 pm.

also...

Thank you for all the sweet birthday wishes. I truly had a wonderful day yesterday. My family made sure of that. I am so blessed. You'll know exactly what I mean if you happened to read the husband's beautiful words to me yesterday.

I love that man.

A Little Weekend Miscellany

Remember that Halloween donuts are a tradition in my family? They are. And this year was no different. The husband and I loaded the children (and the canine) in the car and traveled on over to Grandma and Grandpa's casa (after two small stops- the first at Sonic for slushes and the second at the Crocs store) where we enjoyed soup that was too good (in the words of one adorable niece) and donuts that can't be beat.

As we all consumed unreasonable amounts of donuts and soup, ooh's and ahh's were in plentiful supply as each family arrived and we marveled at the ingenious costumes that each family assembled.

emo, emo, pumpkin, Wolverine, Arizona Cardinal

Oldest daughter proved her commitment to piano and was rewarded with the Cleopatra costume she had been working to earn all month. She was on cloud nine, swimming laps in the Nile, if you will.

The family gathered for a Halloween portrait. Complete with goofy faces and zero percent loveliness.

Can you guess what the husband and I were?

As we were trick-or-treating with all the cousins, my sister was recalling how three years ago this very holiday, she was receiving a precious little bundle into her home as they were adopting my adorable little nephew. She recounted how emotional the holiday was as she was waiting for that little boy and hoping and praying that the birth mother would decide to go through with the adoption and not cancel it. My very own little middle daughter was listening to the whole story and predicted that through the whole process that cute little baby was probably thinking,

"Yay! New parents!"

I think she is right.

That does it for the Halloween recap. How about a little Miscellany?

First of all, huge thanks to Megan who notified me of my erroneous BYU Football post. For some reason I thought the Cougars were matching up with the Cowboys this past Saturday. Even though I read the date of the game, it just didn't register. So I posted a football post. And sweet cousin Megan (or was it Eph?) alerted me that I had been a little trigger happy. Look for a correct post on Saturday. K?

Middle daughter is pretty motivated by the Internet. Anything we have a question about, she replies with a, "just go to ________dot com!" For instance, we were wondering a bit about Cleopatra's history- since she has been something of an anomaly in our household of late. So, that brilliant middle daughter told us to go to Cleopatra dot com. Got a leg ache? Check out leg ache dot com, won't you?

Plus, she is pretty astute about passwords. She knows that my password for everything is dot dot dot dot. (maybe you already saw that on the husband's twitter feed- he scoops me on everything with that silly tweeting of his)

You will be happy to know that my OB/GYN is pleased to report a normal mammogram. Also pleased? The husband.

Some of you may recall my escapades regarding one Barta Heiner. I have a new visiting teaching partner. Her maiden name is Heiner. I was chuckling when I found out. And of course I regaled her with the entire Barta saga- after inquiring if she knew Barta and if she were a relative. She is not. Not gonna lie- a little bummed.

Today during fast and testimony meeting, oldest daughter asked why I wasn't bearing my testimony. So I told her I would if she would. We waited for the person who was at the mic to finish and then I stood up to take my turn. Oldest daughter didn't follow. Middle daughter did. So, I was duped and had to bear my testimony without oldest daughter. It was ok, though, because little son was sitting on my lap and kept trying to lick me- bearing my testimony was a great way to escape the licking. Thank you oldest daughter.

Finally, our evening was spent swapping riddles. Two hours of made-up riddles with the children. It was enchanting. I highly recommend doing it with your own little offspring. They are pretty clever. And the husband has discovered that he is riddly-gifted. Who knew?

Woo Hoo!!! Bring on the holidays! This is such a brilliant time of year- so. many. traditions. I hope you can handle traditions. I've got a bundle to share. Look for them throughout the next couple of months. And also, Tune In Tuesday for I don't know what yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with something. Suggestions?

Jingle Bells

I can't help it.

I'm thinking Christmas.

We are just three months away

from a visit from Saint Nick!

Do you remember my post last year about

The Santa Claus Book by Alden Perkes?

I just wanted to plug the book again.

Because now would be a great time to order it on Amazon

so that it will be here for the holiday season.

And you can spend your chilly evenings

cuddled up with little ones

while you read from its pages

and fill their little minds with wonder.

It's magical.

Do you mind if I make just one more

itty bitty suggestion?

K.

Hop on over to twitter.com

and sign up to become a follower of

SantaClaus25

It's the real Santa, you guys!

And when you get tweets from him,

share them with your kids.

And they will feel the magic.

Last year oldest daughter's favorite tweets

were the ones where he told how many

kids went on the naughty list

for a particular day.

Middle daughter loves when he

writes beautiful things to people.

And little son loved hearing about those

crazy elves and their shenanigans.

And we made sure that we

tweeted Santa to let him know

our Christmas list.

Just a few suggestions

to make your Christmas season

even more enjoyable.

You're more than welcome!

P.S. Today middle daughter is being presented as

Student of the Month.

We have not purchased a

cell phone

for her.

What kind of parents are we?

Lucky Number 13

I have a friend who reads my blog who told me that it seems to him that I have a perfect life. Perfect marriage, perfect family.

*

It was never my intention to portray perfection- because I am far from it. But, I was hoping to achieve a sense of reality on this blog, and that means taking the good with the bad. Naturally I have a tendency to focus on glasses 1/2 full. There are times I experience perfect moments with my family. And I love those. But, there are also times when our experiences are less than perfect- times my mom card is in serious jeopardy of being revoked. This past weekend, however, was not one of those. It was perfect.

*

The husband and I celebrated 13 years of marriage yesterday. Over the weekend we snuck away to a beautiful resort in Scottsdale, while my kind sister watched after the children.

*

We had moments to reflect on our 13 year journey and came to the conclusion that we have been blessed beyond our wildest comprehension. But there is always room for improvement. And so we set goals and committed to do better and to be better.

*

And we talked. The deep soul to soul discussions I so desperately want to have everyday but are often interrupted by the children when we are at home. And I told the husband that I often feel a sense of pride when he succeeds. Or when he is able to solve a problem. Or when he is entrusted with sacred responsibilities. And I often find myself exclaiming,

"THAT is my husband"

in those proud moments.

*

And we played basketball in the pool. And I remembered what a hottie athlete the husband is.

*

When I was in high school, I penned an impossible list of qualifications for my future husband.

Some of those qualities I set for the imaginary man were:

someone who respects his priesthood and family

self-respect

sense of humor

kind thoughtful

sincere

good listener and talker

love for the gospel

active in the church

goals

spontaneous

respectful

gentleman

responsible

understanding

adventurous

creative

good looking

intelligent

share feelings openly

hard worker

respects my decisions

spiritual

friendly

supportive

and on and on and on

*

The day I got married, I had only known the husband for just under 4 months. And it didn't take me long to discover that I had been given the bonus husband. I came to find that he not only matched, but far exceeded, every quality on the list. Daily, as we interacted, my internal dialogue went something like this:

"WHAT?!? He has that quality too???

I never knew he could do/ say/ be like that!!

How am I so blessed?"

*

And I am. Blessed.

*

This evening as we celebrated our family's 13th birthday with the children- a tradition we have had for the past 4 years- I looked at their sweet faces, thrilling at blowing out the 13 candles and thought to myself,

"Yes, this is pretty nearly perfect!"

*********

*******

Post-edit (9/1/09): this morning oldest daughter said, "I can't believe our family is a teenager now!"

winner, winner chicken dinner

so, i gotta give a few shouts out to the peeps who've been pimping my blog lately. i recently received a blog award from cute jordan at mean mommy academy.

she gave me this award:

i feel so unworthy. my blog is not that lovely. quite plain, really. and so i am quite flattered. i now get to nominate 15 people for this same honor. and so, without further ado, i nominate the following:

1. aMAYzing: Wonder Woman taking on the world


2. An Eagle's View


3. The Misplaced Americans


4. Trying to Stay Calm!


5. if i were really skinny...


6. Talkaholics Anonymous


7. Little Grumpy Angel


8. Mere Motherhood


9. Fairly Fishy


10. Smushed Goldfish in the Cracks of Life


11. Life is to be enjoyed!


12. ...Of Toddlers And Teens


13. Come. Sit. Enjoy.


14. Everyday Miracles


15. The Frosted Cupcake

these are all awesome blogs. check 'em out. pass on the award if you like. if not, be sure to brag about it.

and then, cute trina had this giveaway:

and i won! so trina brought it to me this week. and i love it! and my house smells all yummy.

have you used scentsy stuff? i love it. and my fave scent is *flirtatious*. i recommend a visit to her scentsy site, and then order something from trina.

last item,

this is a tradition that i loved and looked forward to growing up. on the morning of every day of the last week of school, my mom would hide a number for each of us kids to find. and then, when we got home from school that day, we would have a surprise waiting for us: candy or some special treat. it was magical.

monday begins our last week of school- and the children can't wait. so, since there are only four more days of school after today (thursday is the last day), monday morning i will hide #4s for my kiddos to find. and then when oldest daughter gets home, they can claim their prize. it's magic. magic, i tell you.

happy friday to you all!

A tiny visitor

Tonight brings with it another favorite tradition. As 2008 turns into 2009, Baby New Year creeps across the threshold of our front door and brings surprises for all who leave a shoe to be filled.

The children have carefully placed their shoes at the foot of the front door in hopes of a visit from Baby New Year. Their little minds haven't figured out that they should search for the biggest shoe they can find and then leave that one for Baby New Year to deposit candy and treats. So, there near the front door sit their little size 8, 11 and 12 sized sneakers. Just waiting for that special New Year's visitor.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

May 2009 be filled with the best treats and surprises ever

and may your shoe be big enough to hold it all!

Christmas Eve Gift

There's a favorite Christmas tradition that my family shares- it involves no preparation and no cost and can only be carried out on one day. But, if executed properly, you win bragging rights for the season.

For as long as I can remember we have played this game in my family. This is how it goes: as soon as it becomes Christmas Eve, you search out another family member and say, "Christmas Eve Gift!" before they can say it to you. The legend of the game says that if someone says Christmas Eve Gift to you, you owe them a gift. Of course, we have never given a Christmas Eve Gift-- the fun is in the thrill of being the first to say those special words. Often we will say the magic words to someone as the clock strikes midnight of Christmas Eve Day- and sometimes we aren't able to speak to someone until we gather for Christmas Eve dinner. But you can bet as you walk into my parents house on Christmas Eve, there is someone waiting around the corner, just inside the door to greet you with a "Christmas Eve Gift!" And then you say, "Ah, man!"

I don't know where this tradition began, just that my mom was taught this as young girl and introduced it to my father on their first Christmas together. We have been partakers in this fun tradition ever since.

This morning for the first time in our married lives, the husband "got" me before I "got" him. As I was groggily rolling over and contemplating getting out of bed I heard him say to me, "Christmas Eve Gift!" And I said, "Ah, man!" I'm so proud of him.

So, to all of you I say,

Christmas Eve Gift!!!

And, Merry Christmas tomorrow!!!

Anyway, this is definitely one of my most favorite traditions. What are some of your best Christmas traditions?

All the Answers

The children ask lots of questions about Santa this time of year. And luckily, we have all the answers. We do. Because we have The Santa Claus Book. Have you heard of it?

When I was little my parents had this book. And with all the curiosity of young minds, we would consult the book to find out how Santa makes toys. It told us the kind of games that elves play and how the elves first met Santa. And it laid out the Christmas schedule and told us about Santa's clothes. And we knew it was the truth. Because it was in the book.

The book was pure magic growing up. Because it taught us all about Santa. And answered all our questions. And we couldn't get enough.

A few years ago my mom and dad gave each of my brothers and sisters and me a copy of The Santa Claus Book for our very own. I was so excited. We brought it home and read through its pages. I was reminded of all the good memories of Christmas wonder. It took me back to snowy evenings when my dad would read to his family from its pages by the light of the twinkling Christmas tree lights.

The other night middle daughter asked how Santa makes it down the chimney. I told her I didn't know, but I knew how we could find out. And the husband read to the children from our Santa Bible. And the children marveled at all the knowledge the book contained. And he read some more. And now the children run to it multiple times each day as some new question arises. And they are intoxicated by its illustrations, just as I was as a child.

Like I said, the book is pure magic. And I'm glad we have it because it has all the answers.

The Desert Party

It's the most magical night of the season. We pack up the kids and the blankets, camp chairs and coats and travel many miles to the other side of the valley to the remote desert location that has become a family favorite.

When we can no longer see the lights of the city- but only the stars and the giant moon- we know we are there. Our car almost knows its own way. It pulls off the paved desert mountain road onto the bumpy dirt path with the potholes and makes its way to the desert grove where we meet cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents who are all assembled in the chill of the desert for the annual event.

Everyone huddles together in anticipation of the giant bonfire that the dads and older boys help to construct, while some of the moms set up the tables and make ready the food as other moms cuddle their little ones in bundles of blankets. The children soon begin to spread their blankets on the ground and excited giggles and little cousin sounds fill the mountain-flanked desert valley.

Once the bonfire is lit the magic begins. Smiles spread across glowing faces. Little ones scout out sticks perfect for poking the fire. Grandpa calls everyone together for a prayer of thanksgiving. And then yummy food is gobbled up. Hot chocolate is poured. Hot chocolate is spilled. Paper towels are passed. More hot chocolate is poured. The fire crackles as logs are added.

Following dinner we all listen as each family takes their turn telling a Christmas story. Usually tears are shed, and more logs are added to the fading fire. Uncle Dirk favors us with his classic "Stuff" story and then carols are sung.

The family in charge of the Yule Log passes out paper and pencils to each person so that we can write our worries and cares that we would like to get rid of. Once we have each rolled our paper and stuffed it into the log, the Yule Log is tossed onto the fire and we bid farewell to our worries. Ready to start a new year fresh.

The night air suddenly turns colder and blankets are shaken, folded and placed into cars. Little ones are made ready for the trip home. The fire is doused. Hugs are exchanged and goodbyes are made.

Our little car makes its way home. We talk of our favorite stories shared by the fire. The yummy food. The warm fire and delicious hot chocolate. The year of the perfect fire poking stick. And then one by one three tired children nod off to sleep- and dream of the desert party only 364 days away.

Tradition

WARNING: this post may contain (at some point) some serious girl talk, so if you can't handle it you might want to click on a link- maybe the time out ones to the right. whatever you want.

Every General Conference my family has a giant Jeopardy tournament. It is the event of the 1/2 year. We look forward to it. We train for it. We take awesome notes on the Sunday sessions for it. And we have a trophy for the winning family that they may proudly display for 6 months until the next General Conference rolls around and the trophy is back up for grabs.

We gather exactly an hour after the second Sunday session has concluded. We eat a yummy dinner, visit, engage in a little cousin mayhem, and then begins the tourney. The husband has created a brilliant (I love that word, brilliant) computer-generated presentation that closely resembles the real Jeopardy game that he projects on the wall of our loft family room. Each family in turn chooses a category and point value and then answers the question, using their notes. It gets heated. We are a competitive family, what can I say. But I think we all love it. Oldest sister and her family were the victors. They took home the coveted trophy for the third time in a row.

However, this whole General Conference Jeopardy thing is not the point of my post. My point was that after dinner, my younger sister, my mom and myself were talking while the children played a rousing game of soccer in the backyard. Younger sister divulged that one of her two bras was damaged. The underwire had poked through. Now she must go bra shopping. Mom and I each gave opinions and strategies on how to work around this issue, including pulling out the wire for both cups. Then I shared that of my three bras (yeah, I only have three), the underwire has poked through on one, and another has been MIA for A LONG TIME, making it seem like i really only have one bra. Then I saw their faces fall and I could sense the concern they were feeling for me and my insufficient bra supply and the lost brassiere, I was able to relate the following happy news.

The husband, being the hero that he is, found my missing bra on Saturday. I was ecstatic. Then he told me where it had been. It had been prisoner in the toy box amidst the white high heel dress up shoes. Because that is where missing bras can usually be found. In the toy box, by the heels. I don't even want to know what the children were playing.

We had a good laugh. A girl laugh. Girls need those every now and then and there is no one better to share a good girl laugh with than your mom and sisters. I love these ladies.

Now, someday you may find yourself a bra short and I will offer you some invaluable advice: try looking in your toy box. Children like to play dress up and later you can have a good girl laugh about it with your mom or sister.