Lines Family Enquirer 2011 Edition

 Our newsletter, 2011!
(click to enlarge)

Love this song, love this performance

I'm ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!  Happy Holiday Season Friends.

here is the link if you can't pull it up:

http://youtu.be/8Ap_cqhitto

10 Random Thoughts

1. Thankful that this week will be a bit slower.  Love holidays, love days off.
2.  I purchased something from Amazon today, then cancelled the order 2 minutes later.  Changed my mind.  Then I put 10 items in my basket at gap/old navy/piperlime and came up to pay for it three times, then changed my mind.  I'm so indecisive today.
3. The more money we make, the more frugal I become.
4.  I've been i-phoned.  I'm loving it.
5.  Do we rake the leaves now, or wait until every single one has fallen?  
6.  Laundry...why do I dislike you SO MUCH?!?
7.  When I'm asked what I want for Christmas I have the hardest time deciding.(a loft in NYC, a camera lens that costs more than my camera, a summer in Paris, a chef to cook for me every night, and world peace...am I dreaming too big?)
8. I'm so happy my family makes me laugh. Love laughing.
9.  Love the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street" (the newer one)
10.  Love peppermint hot chocolate.


I'm always having thoughts like these.  It's like my brain never turns off. Anybody else feel that way?

Christmas Wish List Conversation

Me (speaking to the three younger kids):  What do you want Santa to bring you this year?
Elias:   A remote control train track, and a remote control airplane, it is only $17 mom.
Soren: A wooden castle with wooden people.
Eden:  A shot gun.

Awesome.

The Flood and After the Flood

So happy to be back in our church building.  After a pipe broke and flooded the entire building, we are finally back.  9 months later.  Derek has a bishop's office once again, and he can zoom right down the street and be back home in 1 minute.  Lovely.  Feeling very blessed.

Traditions

Tis the season of traditions.  Sometimes I find it a bit overwhelming, but I do love having traditions in our family.  One of the favorites...breakfast in bed on your birthday.  Here Noah is celebrating his first morning as a teenager.  Traditions rock.  I love how excited everyone is...not just the b-day boy (and G, who is still waking up).

I think I will make a list of traditions for each month, just so I can make sure we are doing a lot!!  Love this photo, it makes me smile and reminds me of a great day.

A TroPicaL VacaTioN to the Riviera Maya

10 days ago, this was my view:

and I had this man all to myself

 We relaxed a lot, snorkeled a lot, ate a lot, read a lot, went kayaking and bike riding and did a little sightseeing to some Mayan ruins.  It was lovely.  Very lovely. (except for the part where i jumped off a rock, landed wrong, and chipped a bone in my hand!!)

 

 

"Shoe-less" Moments

E's favorite thing to do at the park.  

Years ago, I sat through a church meeting where a young mother was asked to get up and share her feelings.  I could tell the mother was taken back, not expecting or knowing that this would happen.  Her very first words out her mouth were, 'I have felt so oppressed lately."  It was something about  her honesty that struck me.  She was extremely busy raising 4 children.  She felt pulled in so many directions.  Every day was busy, running kids to lessons, school, etc.  There were younger kids at home that needed attention and nurturing.  A busy husband who worked long hours.  A home that needed attention and love as well.  She shared about a day that past week that she had some extra time to take the kids to the park to play for awhile.  She sat there, watching them.  It was the first time in a long time that she sat and watched, noticing her children. She started to sob....and explained that she took off her shoes, let the tiny granules of sand run through her toes, stood up and began to play, shoe-less with her children.  That moment meant so much to her.  That moment made her feel alive again.

The feelings and thoughts she shared have stuck with me.  I often ask myself, "How can I create more shoe-less, play in the sand  moments?"

Sometimes, I feel like I'm treading water...not really getting anywhere, but expending a lot of energy. The daily tasks of parenting and life fill up my time and zap my energy.  I personally have found that if I want more 'shoe-less" moments, I'm just going to have to make them, and notice them.  In fact, sometimes they are happening right in front of me but I do not see them.  One day, when Eli was trying to get my attention, he looked at me and said, "Mom, it's like you are looking at me, but you aren't really seeing or listening to me."  He was right.

I just really don't want time to slip too quickly.  So, I'm pledging to myself to have more "shoe-less" moments this week.  Savoring each molecule of time.  Savoring the moments, however small and precious they may be.

Oh Halloween....

I love to see how my kids act in a costume.  Some of them are a bit shy, perhaps even a little uncomfortable, and for others, they become lively... and almost transform to their "character" for the evening.  For a moment, they live outside of themselves, and I love to watch on the sidelines...oh how blessed I am to be a mother!!!  These kids rock. Seriously. 

 Eden was quite the poser...asking for more pictures, then asking to see them immediately.  Oh my.  She is adorable, I still can't believe I have a daughter, who can wear a cute witch costume like this one that Grandma L.  made years ago for her youngest daughter.

 It took some persuasion to get N to wear the wig.  I think it makes the costume.

And Halloween hasn't even happened yet!!

Rhythm

I stood in the kitchen the other day, listening to music, preparing dinner and thinking to myself, "This has been a really good day."

I had spent the day finishing up a few chores, taking my two youngest kids to the museum, reading to them, sending a few e-mails, cleaning my desk, and taking a few minutes for myself.  We had nothing on our calendar that evening.  And, it just felt good.  Really good.

The following Sunday, my bishop (and husband) shared his testimony about finding the right rhythm and harmony in our lives.  He happens to be one of the most sensible people I know.  His eye is always on his and our priorities.  He has a clear sense of what really matters to him, us and our children.  For me, it is easy to get caught up in what I feel pressured into doing with my children.  Or, thinking that it really is possible to do it all. But, really, is it?  Can we be all things, with our kids in all places, doing all activities? Does it really matter?  Where should I place my energy and time?  Soccer?  Baseball?  Music?  Homework?  The Gospel?  What is lasting?  What matters?  (Yes, the answer is obvious...)

Every time I schedule a family member in an activity, it really effects the time and ability I have to do other important tasks and spend time in lasting, eternal activities.  Last May, I went to a Power of MOMS conference with one of my dearest friends (Beck, you rock and you know it!).  Ever since then, I've been implementing many ideas that rooted from that conference.  Little things, like organization skills, chore charts, meal time ideas, etc.  Yes, it has been helpful.  I met many moms there who have bigger families and after asking how they do it, this was their reply:  "My kids do not participate in a lot of extracurricular activities".  In fact, in one instance, the mom allowed her (8) children to only do church activities, after school activities held at the school,  and anything they could walk to.  It was so different than what I was used to, and honestly, refreshing.  Not that I think that mold fits everyone, but the perspective was brave.  Really brave.  There must be those who think she is crazy, or that her kids are deprived.  But, I admired the SIMPLICITY.  It was nice.  There was something so basic and nice about her approach.

It makes me wonder what kind of adults our children will become.  Will there be such a thing as sitting down and doing nothing?  Quietness?  Calmness?  Being Still?  Saying "no" to more and more on the calendar.  And saying "yes" to simplicity.

I want more days of standing in the kitchen, listening to music and thinking, "This has been a really good day!"

10 Random Thoughts

1.  I love "60 Minutes".  I record it every week.
2.  Springtime and wind should not be allowed to mingle.
3.  I love my church ward (congregation for those that don't speak LDS lingo).   It's a very nice ward and I smile when I think about all of the good people.   We are extremely blessed.
4.  I love coconut shaved ice.
5.  I love my house.  We've had rocky relationships sometimes, but we've worked through them.  And, I think we might be together for a very long time to come.
6.  I love summer.  Today, my kids finish their school year and I get to see them much more.  That is the best part of summer.
7.  I love my friends.  Thank you all for being so good to an imperfect person like me.  I learn so much from each of you.
8.  I think every home should have at least two washers and two dryers.
9.  I love the colors red and yellow. In general, I love color.  The more, the merrier.
10.  I love flat shoes.  I wouldn't say I despise heels, but I have a special place in my heart for flats.

Pagosa

or, in other words....pretty close to heaven.  Wow, is it beautiful there.  We spent a long weekend soaking in the mountain air....and we didn't want to come home.

When your vacation starts with reading this sign, you know it's going to be a good one.

 THE LAKE

 

THE HIKE TO THE WATERFALL

D watching his children playing "DAMN IT" which is building damns in the streams, then letting them go.  Upon arrival to the trail head, E saw a bunch of streams and yelled, "Damn it, Damn it."  

 THE GEESE 

(or maybe they are ducks...I just don't know)

The boys kept bothering two geese...one was sitting on her eggs, the other was protecting his goose wife...the kids were so scared of the angry gander...here's a video clip of them running away.

 FISHING

This family of boys loves to fish, especially D, G and E!

 

HOT SPRINGS

The Hot Springs sit right on the San Juan River....it's so fun! And warm...

THE ALMOST FULL MOON, 

RISING AS WE WERE DRIVING HOME

The two people I spend the most time with....

I'm one lucky person.