2013 recap

When we first moved here 3 1/2 years ago, I remember thinking that 2014 (and graduation) was so far away. And now it is tomorrow. In less then 6 months Dave will be a doctor. Crazy.


Some of the best Vermont memories will be from 2013. Here is a recap.

*The "They Might Be Giants" concert Dave took me to in February.

*Eating real sugar and snow and watching Jack guzzle a bunch of syrup.

*Ana ice skating.

*Going home to Idaho.

*Katie playing in the mud all summer.

*Riding bikes on the Burlington Bike path.

*Jack learning to ride a 2-wheeler in no time. (But I don't have a picture of it.)

*Birthday parties.

*Beach trips

*Seeing Monsters University at the drive-in

*Going to Lake Placid

*Camping with the Morey's

*Going to Shelburne Museum

*A visit from my awesome sister Kelli and her girls.

*Adirondack hot air balloon festival

*Jack's collections

*Jack playing soccer and scoring a goal. And then throwing it out of bounds when it was his turn to throw it in.

*The day Dave and I ditched the kids at school and took a beautiful fall drive without them.

*Going to DC

*The day I was going crazy so I took Katie to the lake and the museum and Panera.

*Dave's residency interviews. Especially when we did FaceTime while he was at the Seguaro National Park.

*Green Mountain Flyer train ride

*Our awesome Thanksgiving Week with our friends. Seriously, I will miss that.

*When me and my friend Heather went on a whirlwind trip to California to visit our friend Christy.

Seriously, this year was unforgettable.  Here's to a great 2014!

family pictures

There are some people that make you feel cooler just by being around them. We have met so many cool people here. One of those families is the Dahles. Even our kids know they are cool. Ana one time said, "The Dahles can do anything."  Any time something is broken Ana thinks we need to call them because they can fix anything. They are also amazing photographers and they took our family pictures for us this year.

 I had a very specific thing in mind. I wanted to dress up, but I also wanted them to look cozy and warm. And I wanted to take them in my house.  Maybe that is weird, but Heather totally made it work and I love how they turned out.

This is the one we chose for the Christmas card. I love how Ana is leaning on my shoulder and I love Jack's face.

The classic formal shot.

They look like they love each other!

I am totally in love with the genuine smiles and happiness on their faces here. I could eat them up.

This one is the closest to real life. It really shows personality.

I really like doing family pictures every year. I am not quite sure why, but ever since Ana was born I have made sure we have taken a current family photo every year. I like to document the passing of time. I like the snapshot of what our family looks like at different phases. I like to see the change and think about the growth that has happened over the year.  And I think it is important for my kids to see pictures of us as a family and pictures of me and Dave together with them - both formal pictures and informal. I am not a great photographer, but I love that it is so easy to document life by taking pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words, and taking pictures can be a powerful way to send a message to the next generation. I love the pictures I have of me as a child and of my family when we were young. They are treasured possessions. I hope my children feel the same way.

christmas 2013

Christmas came fast. I don't know if it was the late Thanksgiving, or the fact that Dave or I were gone for 9 collective days in the December, or what, but this December has just flown by. There were some things we just didn't get to this year, like making gingerbread houses. I guess some years are like that.

I love our quiet, small, family Christmases. Christmas Eve we cleaned house, made Santa's cookies, and watched The Muppets Christmas Carol with hot chocolate and popcorn. Then, of course, the kids opened their jammies and we read the Christmas story and tucked the kids into bed. They were all asleep by 8:15 and were told not to emerge from their room unless it was 6 or later. 

True to their word, the kids didn't emerge until Jack came in after 7 and said, "Mom, the clock says, 7:11. That's after 6. Can we go open presents?"  I loved that. It was really fun for him to go wake up Ana and hear them whispering in the hall about Christmas morning. What is it about Christmas the brings a whisper. I think that Christmas wants to be quiet and still. And something about those moments of anticipation call for whispers, even in my only-has-one-volume-and-it-is-loud middle child.  We didn't really take any pictures that morning. We just watched and smiled and enjoyed.

I went into the kitchen to make breakfast after all the presents were opened and it was 9. I thought, "Oh, good we will have a nice, long, wonderful day." And then suddenly it was 3 pm and I was rushing to get potatoes and pie finished so we could go do dinner. We had dinner with our wonderful friends and came home late. As we were leaving their neighborhood, we saw 2 deer in a front yard in their neighbor's house. We sat quietly and watched them. I love quiet Christmases.

We had ourselves a Merry Little Christmas. I hope you did too.

how an ice storm didn't ruin my weekend

And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls. - Moroni 6:5

 
On Sunday Church was cancelled due to an ice storm.

Being home all day as a family on Sunday really made me think about the 4th commandment,  as we read in Exodus 20.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Now, I know everyone interprets that a little differently. For us, Sunday is a day for worship. We go to church, we serve God through our church responsibilities, and we spend time as a family.  We try to make Sunday different. One of the ways we have done that is by not shopping, doing play dates, and especially by not working or studying on Sunday. (Obviously as a doctor there will be times Dave has to work on Sunday, but when we have a choice, we choose not too.)

I am so glad we have done this. I love having a day where we can relax. A day where we can push aside the things that worry and stress us and just focus other things. Sometimes those things are really important. Sometimes they are not. (Like football). I know it has actually helped Dave do better in school to take a break from studying.

I love going to church. It feeds my spirit. (Even when the kids are crazy and I can barely make it out the door.) And I especially love going right before Christmas because it keeps me focused on the real reason for the season. So I was disappointed that church was cancelled. However, because it was Sunday, I didn't have a long list of to-dos in preparation for Christmas. I wasn't planning on cleaning house or running errands, so the ice storm didn't throw me off.  We went outside and marveled at the awesome ice. We drank hot chocolate and played games and watched football and video-chatted with Dave's parents. I even found time to pause for just a minute and think about the life and mission of the Savior. I talked to Jack about it for a few minutes. 

 

 

I am so glad for the reminder I got this weekend of why I love Sundays.

I typed this entire thing on my iPod.

It is 11:36 pm according to my iPod.

 Katie is still awake. Dave and I have been trying to get her to sleep for approximately 3 hours. Dave tried lying down by her and the only one who fell asleep was him.

The thing is, she fell asleep in the car today at 2:30 and stayed asleep when we took her into the library at 3:15. And kept sleeping until 4:15. So here we are.

Now is the part where I tell both of my readers why it has been 2 weeks since I posted and talk all about how busy December is and how I just couldn't find the time or emotional energy to write, but you don't want to read about that. Or maybe you do, I don't know.

I have spent most of my at home hours the last little while being annoyed. When I am out and about doing things I don't feel it so much, but in my home there had been a general level of annoyance and I don't like to write when I am annoyed. For one thing, I don't like to write about negative things. Not because I am trying to hide it, but because it isn't uplifting. For another thing, I don't seem to write very well in that state. And if you are wondering why I was annoyed and with whom, the answers are I don't know and everyone, but mostly myself.

But I feel better the last couple days and Katie seems to be coming out of her 3 week stint of not wanting to be potty trained any more even though she was perfectly potty trained for a good 6 weeks before that and that is awesome. Plus, she is hilarious and always says funny things. Things like:

*"Mom, your supposed to be in your bed!" When she wakes up at 11 and I am still awake downstairs.

 *And also insisted that "My (meaning I) not Kate. My Katie." every time we call her Kate, which is pretty often.

Sometimes I just can't believe how big she is. She wanted to wear a particular dress today because it spins so well. I put a different one on her and she said, "it doesn't spin." So of course I let her change.

I always laugh when my kids do funny things. Is that bad? They probably get confused because I don't laugh when they think I should and I do laugh when they aren't trying to be funny.

 Katie is asleep now. It is 12:04. Happy Thursday.

The only picture I took of our amazing thanksgiving weekend.

Christmas is upon us.

So is snow.

If it going to be cold, it might as well be snowy.

I think my kids agree.

magnificent seven

I went to pick up the kids from school today, as usual. Except, they thought I wasn't going to pick them up but I got the days mixed up so I was there today when they weren't expecting me. I took a moment to explain the mix-up to Ana's teacher, who afterward took a minute to tell me how Ana is doing in class. In a word, she is doing AWESOME.

Last year was rough. She didn't want to do her work in class and then wouldn't do it at home either. She didn't want to read and many mornings it was a battle to get her to go to school. But this year is different. She is thriving. Her reading has taken off. She likes to go to school. She has totally mellowed out. (Not to say that she is a mellow person, but she is more mellow for her.) A lot of her bad habits are stopping. She is more helpful and more responsible. I actually enjoy talking to her about things, too. I can't even explain how much of a relief this is for me.

If I could go back to last year when I was so worried about her and certain that I was either going to have to home school her or have her repeat a grade, I would tell myself, "Everything is going to be fine. She will mature, and all these things you are worried about will work themselves out." Perhaps 6 is just one of those "terrible" ages and now she got through it.

So, if anyone out there is struggling with a 6 year old girl, I hope you know, that it is going to be okay. Just do the best you can. Love that little girl. Pray for her. Do what you feel is best. And don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Seven will be much better.

be thankful

There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we can see and appreciate it. -source

I am thankful for eternal families.

I am thankful for children that teach me so many things. Like when Ana came in to the kitchen the other day and asked to help and I told her "no, go set the table" and then when Katie asked Ana if she could help Ana told her "no" and I realized, "Holy crap, I just set that example." And then I let Ana help roll out the pizza dough.

I am thankful for a great husband. I know that sometimes I get all annoyed and frustrated about little things, but really, he is great. He loves me. He loves our kids. He is a good father and keeps his covenants. And he is, like, super smart and stuff, which is great when it comes to medical school stuff.

photo credit: heather dahle photography

I am thankful for this awesome place we live and the awesome people we know because we are here. We are going to be spending an awesome Thanksgiving with some of these awesome people and I am super excited.

I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the doctrine that teaches that we have Divine potential within us, to be loving and compassionate, and that we have access to personal Heavenly guidance on Earth.

a child of God

Dave got home last Saturday. I was planning a post about how happy I was to have him home. I also have a list of other things I want to write down, but I haven't been able to sit down and write quite yet.

We have met amazing people during our time here. One of those amazing families is the Clark family. For 3 years they lived just down the street. Our kids played together all the time. Over those 3 years, we became like family. In May they moved to California. They are close to family, which is great, but we sure miss them. On Saturday they lost their sweet little baby Jane (13 months old) to meningitis. To say we are heartbroken for them is an understatement.

All the other things I was going to write about seem trivial. There is little that brings peace stronger than the hymns and the scriptures. This is what is running through my mind:

Sweet is the peace the Gospel brings.

Families can be together forever.

I know that my Redeemer Lives.

And this scripture found in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 11:17)

"And I said unto him: I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things."

Sunday was our annual Primary Program and it was so comforting to hear almost every child declare "I am a child of God." What a powerful knowledge that is.

We will miss sweet baby Jane.

soccer

I just have a minute here before I have to go pick up the kids from school but it occurred to me that I never mentioned Jack's soccer "season." I have to admit, most of the games I sat and laughed and laughed at the way the little kindergartners ran around and followed the ball in one big blog. Jack was always running after it with an intense look on his face, but he was never aggressive enough to actually get in there and kick it. It was still awesome to watch, though. What he really wanted was to be the one chosen to throw it in, but he wasn't loud enough to get the coaches attention. We finally told them he hadn't had a turn yet, so he got a turn. But he threw it back out of bounds. Dave and I just laughed. And Jack didn't care.

One time, things seemed to align and there he was, with the ball at his feet, right in front of the goal. And he kicked it in! It was awesome.

Right after his goal.

Getting ready to go.

I thought soccer was a lot of fun. I like being a soccer mom and can't wait to do it again.

survival mode

I was discussing with my friend the seasons of Vermont. Of course there is winter, winter and more winter. I love it in December and January with their fresh layers of snow dressing the world in beautiful whiteness and me curled up by our fire with hot chocolate. About mid-February and March it is still too cold and overcast and gloomy to go out, but the beautiful snow is gone and you have "mud season." The only good thing to come out of those late-winter/early-spring months is maple syrup. Then For about 6 weeks in May and early June we have a beautiful spring with blooming lilacs and the florescent greenery as the new leaves bud. July and August likewise are wonderful as the green deepens into an indescribable thickness. September and October come with cooler weather, pumpkins, mums, apple cider and, of course, the wonderful color of the trees. Then comes November. It isn't snowing yet, but the trees are bare. It is "stick season."

So, "stick season" is upon us now with morning window scrapings and crunching leaves beneath our feet. It isn't too bad, particularly with the upcoming holidays. It seems even this early the holiday anticipation begins to build.

October went quickly. Dave was doing his "AI" (Acting Internship - in which they take on nearly resident workload and hours) in the NICU (which he thoroughly enjoyed) so we didn't see much of him.  With it I went into survival mode with lowering my expectations and trying to soak up as much of the fall as I could. He is now off interviewing for residencies, so survival mode continues. I am actually enjoying my evenings, though, as I am listening to "The Count of Monte Cristo" while doing up some chores. Plus I have great friends who help me fill up my time during the day. So, we are surviving. Even if Jack did decide to dump out his cereal milk tonight for no reason and Ana sneaks my iPod away to take a bunch of selfies.

But that's kinda awesome.

halloween 2013

I really really like Halloween. I won't say LOVE because that is reserved for the 4th of July, Christmas and Thanksgiving. But I like it. I like making my kid's costumes (either sewing them myself or putting together stuff) and I like dressing up myself. And I like taking my kids trick-or-treating. I loved the look on Katie's face this year when she walked up to that first door and realized what was happening. It was pure kid happiness and it was awesome. And of course, Jack, my candy-loving kid, could have gone on forever.

Ana was invited to go trick-or-treating this year with a friend, Anna, that is in her class. They came and picked her up before dinner and brought her home a few hours later with a bag full of candy. She had a great time!

Our Ward Halloween Party and Chili Cook-off. These photos are by Heather from Heather Dahle Photography. If you want to see some cool Halloween pictures by Heather, check out these.

Pre- and post- trick-or-treating. We had a great time and have more candy than we need. I am still trying to figure out what to do about the insane amount of candy we now have in the house.

I didn't get pictures underneath our traditional tree this year. (HERE, HERE and HERE.) Time restraints and the weather prevented it. My favorite moment of the night was when someone asked Katie if she was a Native American and she answered, "No, I  Indian." I guess we aren't very PC around these parts.

random ordinary moments

I uploaded all of the pictures off of my iPod the other day. I love what I find on there because it is full of ordinary moments. I always have it with me, but I don't always have my camera, so my iPod captures simple moments that speak to me of happiness and joy and life. It seems those moments are often the ones we don't plan on taking pictures of.

Katie ends up in our bed a lot. It bothered me with the other kids, but it doesn't so much with her.

Katie and her best friend Kenzie run around together as often as they can. We had wonderful weather this fall and this was a common sight.

Our neighborhood park was torn down and new one built. We loved the Brown Park. This was our last time there.

A few weeks ago, to break the monotony of dish doing, I washed my cups in color order. I loved seeing all these colorful cups in the sink. It spoke to me of toddlers and times and seasons of life. There will come a day when I have a cupboard full of nice glasses, but I think I will miss this.

I chopped my hair off.

This is the view my friend has from her front door. Or rather, it was the view a few weeks ago. Gorgeous.

Jack went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch. I adore his teacher this year.

Our first time at the "new" brown park. It is a hit.

A few weeks ago I was feeling very Blah! I mentioned it to Dave and he suggested that I just get out of the house. So Katie I went downtown. We stopped by the hospital to see Daddy and another friend to the waterfront to the local science museum, then grabbed a bagel at Panera. It was just what I needed.

Ana reading to Katie. I love this!

The day the kids were home from school for Parent Teacher Conferences, we went to the museum again. They had these animal masks the kids could color and cut out. Of course they chose The Fox.

One of Jack's random creations. He called it "Vermont in the fall."

And one more thing: Katie is potty trained! She's doing great and it was by far the easiest potty training experience I have had to date.

I love my ordinary life.