Home for the Holidays

UTAH

December 24, 2009- January 1, 2010

It had been one year since I had returned home to Utah. I was eager to take it all in and remember how lovely it is. The mighty majestic mountain peaks, the dry crisp cold air, the familiar sights, the memories, all made my heart skip a beat, but I was most excited for FAMILY. As we drove from Salt Lake to Provo and then to Salem I took a few photos of the place I will forever call home.

Gymnastics!

After four months of ballet and tap, we decided to change things up. I signed the girls up for a gymnastics class on Fridays that runs from January until the end of March. Kaitlyn misses dance a bit and thinks forward rolls are impossible, but still enjoys jumping and running around. Brynn loves it all and is quite fearless, which we all knew beforehand.

There are three other children in the class- one 5 year old boy and a brother (3) and sister (5). It will be a great activity to get us out of the house and moving over the cold, bleak remaining winter months. StretchingMiss Kayla and their classBalance beamTricks on the trampolineUneven barsFree time

Missing the "y"

During a mad dash to the bathroom during one of the boys' basketball timeouts, Brynn grabbed a stall door and exclaimed, "It's not llla-ocked."

My ears suddenly became sharp and keen. I looked to her face. There she stood, tongue on the top of her lips as she carefully and deliberately sounded out an L.

My heart sank.

Next, during a Krispy Kreme drive thru run she scrunched up her eyebrows and struggled to properly pronounce "gllla-azed."

Oh no.

Over the next few days, it was "Kait-la-in" instead of the cute "Kait-yin", "love" instead of "yub" and "la-ike" not "yike."

I am dreading hearing the word "little" escape her lips instead of my beloved "yittle."

I am missing the her "y" already.

I certainly was not hoping it would last forever. Speech therapy was not on my dream to-do list, but it's one more solid fact that my girls are getting big.

I seriously might be having an emotional breakdown, but with a baby in my arms during nearly every waking minute, I know I still have one more "yittle guy" I can snuggle and kiss and watch the baby stages progress a bit longer.

She did treat me to one "yaugh" today and I got kick when she gobbled up her dinner and announced it was "la-ummy."

Seems she might still be "yittle" just a bit longer.

Thank heavens!

Snow Days 1 & 2

It was the talk of the town- the BIG one was coming. A huge winter snow storm was approaching Lexington set to arrive on January 7.

If you anything about Kentucky, they LOVE their weather. It was the big story, the middle story and the end story of the news program. Toss in sports and a short blurb about some break in or car crash and there was your 30 minutes.

The weather man talked big. They predicted big. 4-6 inches to be exact. Around here, that's like a true Mt. Everest of snow.

And so they thought ahead big. Notes came home from teaches asking how they could get a hold of you if they decided to have an early dismissal from school. I knew the next day, at some time, school would be cut short. In my mind I just planned on a phone call around 11:30 AM informing me that the boys needed to be picked up.

Instead, they just went nuts. They called off school at 5 AM, a full 7 hours before the first snow flake fell. Clear roads, no snow and my kids were home for the day. Crazy, folks. Crazy. The first flake fell around noon. The roads were find until 1:30 PM. Now we get to make it up. Nice.

School was also canceled on Friday.

The boys LOVED their snow days. They played for hours outside in the bitter cold with their friends. They used push brooms and shovels to gather up every bit of white to make two forts in the yard.

They cleared my drive way and sidewalks in trade for hot chocolate and cookies. Sounded fair to me.

Gymnastics was canceled and we huddle in. We watched G-Force and Cloudly with a Chance of Meatballs. We baked pizza and played Boggle.

From December 18 until January 11 my boys were in school for exactly THREE days. Might be the longest Christmas break ever.

While I don't love making up the missed work, I never mind sleeping in, forgetting about homework and enjoying watching the lovely snow fall here in the great land of Snow Days.

Diamonds in my yard

The snow that fell on Friday, January 8 was magical snow. It was the most beautiful snow I can ever remember. It was glitter and diamonds. It was airy, fluffy and light. You could actually see individual snowflakes, each catching the light creating a glow and shimmer that caught your eye and held your gaze. I wish I could have properly captured its beauty. Thankfully its was so lovely, it will be something I will never forget.

Sunbeams

It's official, the girls have joined the ranks of primary and are now Sunbeams.

It seems like yesterday I was the primary chorister in Louisville and Josh and Matt were on the front row, new Sunbeams learning how to sit still, sing and listen in class. Now they are on the second row back in senior primary. How the years fly.

The girls LOVE their class and teachers and can't wait to show me and Rich the pictures they colored, the stickers on their dresses and their crayons with their names on it.

Oh, to be three again! The world is a very, very exciting place!

rolling, rolling, rolling

Zach has mastered one tough trick- rolling over. I captured this video a week ago. Since then, he's became a rolling speed machine turning over as soon as you put him down. It's hard to believe he's already moving, but at 5 months, I shouldn't be surprised.

Eating Good

First feeding of rice cereal. Big sis Brynn happily lent a helping hand.Zach's Verdict: Not too bad

Going to the chapel

Brynn wearing: "Ariel's married dress."

Piano Men

My two musical fellas.

Sunsets

December 24, 2009 Utah County

Every night when the sun sets, I realize how fleeting time is. 24 hours. The length of day never varies. And yet, when the day draws to a close, if often feels like the moments were but seconds and I'm often not ready to say goodbye to another piece of my life.

Yes, there are the endless lists that rarely get fully crossed off, chores waiting to be redone and tasks that have to be put off until tomorrow. Homework must get signed and checked and lunches are packed and placed by the pile of coats and backpacks ready to be hastily carted off the next morning. It's an endless cycle of busy and at times seems like a treadmill I can't get off. Those are the simple, daily things life brings to us all.

But those are not the things I think of when I watch the radiant sun set over a snowy field or over a lush green grassy hill. They are not what my mind goes over and over as I see the brilliant glorious light streaming through the clouds, changing the sky into a swirl of color, which takes my breath away.

My sunsets have one focus- they bring to mind the things that are close to my heart. The people I love. The ones I get to share the sunsets of life.

They are my children, who are growing like a magic bean stalk- small one day, big the next. The days are ticking by, turning into months, passing into years and I often get a glimpse of what is to come- my children won't be under my roof forever. My weekly school lunch dates are limited and are not infinite as I would hope they could be. I only have years until they venture out into the world for college or missions. I wish I had a lifetime to prepare them. I know I will always be their mother, but it won't always be like it is now. I won't be there to hug every hurt, heal every wound, talk through every problem.

I hope that they know what I think about as the sun sets. Do they now how proud I am to be their mother? How much I pray for them. Love them. Hurt when they hurt. How they teach me patience. How them humble me. Bless me. Stress me. Do they believe me when I say the sky's the limit, if they dream big and work hard? Can they see how they make my life rich, joyous and happy? I hope when they are grown, they remember the special time spent together, having fun and laughing and not just recall the times when life got hectic, crazy and their mother got frustrated and mad. I hope they know. I hope they understand. I hope they realize that their successes are my success. I hope when they walk out into that big scary world, they can see themselves through my eyes. That they can have the confidence and strength to make the right choice. I hope they see the vision I had, the one where hard work, honesty and striving to fulfill your dreams turn into that happily ever after.

Life is hard for everyone and sometimes I feel like too many of my sunsets have passed, and I haven't enjoyed them enough.

My tiny babe is 19 pounds, rolling over, eating rice cereal and is ticklish to the touch.

My girls are Sunbeams. They hold hands in the parking lot and actually pick up toys when asked.

Josh and Matt are nearly nine and Trey is well into ten.

Where are my tiny baby boys I snuggled in Louisville?

Where are my baby girls I rocked to sleep in Lexington?

Where are my years going?

Too quickly, I'd say.

That's life for you. Day after day, adding up to a lifetime full of moments and memories. These become the very essence of what we are, what shaped us and molded us into who we've become.

I pray for many more sunsets, many more years to grow as a person, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. I hope I can help my children see the beauty of life, the power of goodness and the blessing of family. I hope that when I look back at the end that I focused on the good, didn't dwell on the bad and helped others along the way. That I always can see the sunsets for what they truly are- an introduction to a new dawn and new day.