Quincy turned 7

We are in 7th heaven around here. 

At the request of the birthday girl, we had a gingerbread house decorating party.
…which meant the mother elf stayed up all night long assembling a zillion of these bad boys.

 The party was all things Christmas goody themed. Again we had a bother of a time scheduling and rescheduling the party because of snow and that just wouldn't quit, but it all worked out fine in the end.
(L-R Phoebe, Reese, Landan, Quincy, Hannah, Corbin, Emma sporting the little aprons I made for them.

A christmas wreath cake. This turned out to be really delicious. Who knew christmas themed confetti cake could taste so good? Half was eaten at the party, and the other half was finished off after dinner (when I remembered Aaron had signed up to feed the missionaries, 15 minutes before they arrived. Cold cut sandwiches on Sams Club croissants and pre-packaged salad anyone?  Good thing there was cake! And good thing our missionaries are good sports and couldn't care less what we feed them. We sent them home with a ginger bread house and fixin's to decorate their own and they were happy). 

 Back to the party, sprinkles, frosting, and candy everywhere, oh my! These kids don't mess around with house decorating and there wasn't a square to spare of unlicked frosted graham by the end of the night.


Quincy was a gracious host this year and every present she opened was "exactly what she wanted" and "my favorite thing ever!" It was really cute.


After presents and cake, the kids made hot cocoa and played Christmas bingo.

 It was a little (a lot) crazy and chaotic, but the birthday girl had the party of her dreams and everyone took their sugar highs home. :)

QB, you are a special girl.  You have an aged spirit that makes you wise in your thought and questioning process, yet you are young at heart and fearless and unfiltered in the way that you speak to others. You aren't afraid to talk about how you feel about what you see and experience.  You hollered at Landan as he left our house, "you love me, I know it!" and Landan hollered back, "You couldn't pay me a hundred dollars!" and it was if he'd shouted of his undying love for you to the world. You just beamed. You're a funny girl with a spirit made of steel that doesn't crush easily. When I think about what you might choose to be as an adult, I see how unlimited you are with your perfectly cocktail of free will to take on new challenges, and unique ability to question everything.
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.  You have questions about why I don't have the answer to some of your questions. You want to know about everything, but the part that makes you special is that you never use your knowledge or opinions/ideas to change others. You let other people be who they are you continue to be you and I love that about you. You are an angel daughter. You work so hard at school and you've recently made it your responsibility to help your brother Corbin be obedient. You model righteous behavior, and guide and encourage without being overly controlling or bossy. It's a gift I wish I had. You don't care if it's raining or freezing on your parade. You clean up and do chores because you're asked to, but not because you care about order or cleanliness in the least. You like to look at things from more than one perspective. You still play with dollhouses on their sides and use toys for different purposes than their intended use. You read pages of a book, then turn it upside down or sideways to look at the illustrations from a different angle.  I admire the way you see the world, Quincy.   You see many sides to a story, many pieces to a puzzle and notice sub-artwork in the tiny particles of large pictures and landscapes when the rest of us only recognize one whole picture. I see how these gifts make you a delightful and witty child to be around, and I look forward to the fascinating adult you will become.
I love you very much Little Sweet and I'm thankful that Heavenly Father trusted me to raise you.

Reese turned 9

I'll eventually back date these posts so they're in order of when they happened, but for now, I'm busting out a bunch of December posts.

8 was great and 9 is just divine!
Over our snow/Christmas break Miss Reese had a birthday.
Usually a lover of all things chilled and wintery, Reese found herself a little bummed out when our world became a sudden ice cave and spoiled her birthday celebrating festivities. She had planned to go see Frozen at the movie theatre with her 4 best girls: Quincy, Emma, Madi, and Finley for her birthday, but when the first snow week hit, everyone took advantage of being out of school and hit the movie theatre to cure cabin fever.  Not wanting to be the only one who hadn't seen the movie yet, Reese opted for a last minute party at home with an opposite-of-winter theme.

Our creative girl came up with Summer Camp and her favorite gal pals came over with sleeping bags and pi's for a late over and indoor camp fest.

They roasted marshmallows and hot dogs in the campfire

Told "embarrassing" stories around a "fire" inside a huge tent that luckily fit inside the living room next to the Christmas tree. I burned a pine scented candle to up the whole 'camping in the forest' sensory experience. ;) The stories were hilarious and a few of her friends' stories began with, "ok, this one's about my mom…"

Camp themed movie: Troop Beverly Hills. One of my faves from tweeny years.
WOW. the language. Let's just say it's been a LONG time since I've watched this movie…or the version I watched before was edited for tv!  At one point in the movie, Shelly Long is in the woods and looks down at a skunk and says, "Oh you are just a little $#!&." Reese's big round eyes moved from the tv screen up to my face and said innocently and inquisitively, "What's a $#!& ?" loud and clear, like she was asking what a curling iron or a jumprope is.  

Mother of the Year. Don't mind me, super moms, I'm just teaching your daughter's expletives at the birthday party over here. I died. Anyway, my response was, "uhhh, it's a very bad word you shouldn't say. Ever.  Ok pause the movie, it's time for cake!" 

 Hot dogs and s'mores were a hit and the girls also had a canteen of hot cocoa, and "campfire flames"

Archery practice took place in the loft

 We raided the sweet streets and polly pocket toy bins for the Camping Cake. Walmart bakery cake + crushed oreo "dirt" and personalized party theme toys stuffed into frosting on top = totally homemade, right? Right.  The girls loved it and that's what matters. Reese picked out a sweet street girl that looked like each of her friends at the party to be on the cake.

 (below, L-R) Q, Emma, Madi, Reese, Finley

To get their candy for the movie, the girls went "fishing" and collected baggies of gummy worms and sweedish fish.

It was winter outside, but warm with love and friendship indoors. I'm thankful my daughter has such sweet friends. This is a great group of girls.

Reese, I love how obedient you are. You're a mother's dream child, and a wonderful example for your brothers and sister. You are compassionate and you take initiative when something needs to be done.  Just last week, you saw that your bestie was crying at church and you called her that afternoon to make sure she was ok, and give her comfort and assurance that the next week would be better.  

I found this blanket folded at the foot of my bed the other day with a little lovey sticky note.  This is exactly how you are. You are exact and constant and reliable and full of goodness.  You are independent and fun to be around. You are thoughtful and creative. You are a dedicated, hardworking student. You are a loving and patient sister. 

You are a giver of you, and you are one marvelous gift to receive. 

Happy Birthday, Dolly. May you never grow too old for pigtails or books on your mama's lap.

Re: Re

Re: as in, a response to the post about taking a "Re" day.

First, nothing terrible happened.
I used to take a lot of time on Sundays to lie around being lazy, nap, read, cook a big family dinner and reflect on the week I've had and the week that lies ahead.  Now it often feels like Sundays are very full that time is not my own. I am fine with this arrangement as Sundays are really not my day of rest to begin with, but God's day. I am a happy servant doing His work on the Sabbath and I hope He is pleased with my efforts to help Primary run smoothly.  I have a lot to learn and am humbled regularly by my lack of knowledge and leadership skills, but the many miracles I've been privileged to witness during the past few months testify to me that I am serving in the right calling.

Rescind then Recharge: 
Aaron has always been a wonderful example to me of someone who labors willingly for the Lord on Sundays.  I am inspired by his enthusiasm to fill the Sabbath with service. I am someone who still craves that whole "day of rest" (read: sweatpants and a lazy Sunday nap.) concept a bit and mourns the slow mornings/afternoons and time to do some of the things that recharge my spirit. For balance, I'm simply rescinding some of my mid-week availability and choosing a few days each month to just black out my calendar and be "unavailable" so I can do all the Re things that I used to do on the day of rest.  So far, I haven't managed to keep those days totally free and clear of responsibility, and I do have a husband and four children that I'd like to keep, so these days are not a vacation by any means, but Sundays never were completely restful either, so using part of an additional day to finish recharging is working out just wonderfully.

Rescue:

When I bake bread I feel like myself….nay, I feel like the woman I want to be, and that feels good because doing what we want to become is what gets us there, right?
Who cares if that's the right way, in this case, there is bread involved, so of course it is right. 

 

After Soren's birth, a week of dinners came to my door, courtesy of my angel friends. This service played a significant role in a speedy recovery and I try to pay it forward/return the favor when friends of mine have babies. Who has time to cook when there is a newborn to snuggle and an ice pack to sit on?  Giving and receiving of compassionate service feeds my testimony with a feast of love and charity for others.  I took meals two two friends with newborns this week and the pleasure really was mine. 

Reading:

I'm not usually one for the "self help" genre, but I have to say that there are treasures of wisdom on every page of this book, so far. I borrowed it at the advice of a friend and it was perfect for my Re day last Tuesday.  This book is a useful tool for defining boundaries to avoid feeling stuck in or abused by toxic relationships.  Do you have people in your life who leave you in a perpetual "fog" (fear, obligation, guilt)?  Even if you don't, you might know someone who does and the gems in this book can help liberate them from the slavery of unhappiness.
For me, I needed to read this as a reminder of the difference between being brother's keeper and feeling responsible for the choices of others. Well written, uplifting,  empowering, encouraging, and most importantly it isn't driven by "rightness" like so many books in this genre do. It's not about being justified or in the right and doesn't use anger as self preservation but instead uses values of love, respect, and awareness as tools to help you (me) cultivate peace and balance.  Many of the examples revolve around marriages and parent/child dynamics, but the concepts are all the same for friends, coworkers, etc. Anyway, good book. 

Another thing in the Read category is just a fun little thing and I thought I'd share because it might be just what someone else is looking for to add a little more uplifting substance to everyone's favorite time wasters: Facebook and Instagram. I "liked/followed" bofm365 and they post a quick daily Book of Mormon scripture segment (we're talking 10 verses average. Not kidding when I say "quick") and a thought provoking question or two. Anyway, usually when I'm scrolling through my phone it's because I have a few minutes while I'm waiting for the bus or for Corbin's preschool to get out or something. This isn't a time I choose to delve into some deep scripture study or anything, but reading a few verses and grasping a concept or two or sparking a train of thought based on gospel principles…well its just much more uplifting than one of the 100 buzz feed articles that I could be filling those 2 minutes with. Don't get me wrong, I love me some quality time wasting but it's nice to have a little prompt and reading assignment right in your face at the top of the news feed every time I turn to my phone for entertainment.  Find bofm365 on IG or FB and add it, even if just to have something more meaningful in your newsfeed for all those times when you "just have two minutes". 

Repent, Receive. 

The sharing time lesson last Sunday was about the Atonement. In preparing for her lesson, my friend shared a quote with me and the theme was to "just keep trying." The Visiting Teaching message this month was similar. Failure and disappointment are a part of God's plan so we can grow and gain knowledge, compassion, patience, long suffering, gratitude, perseverence and forgiveness.  Sometimes, I feel like I'm failing to be the kind of mother, wife, friend, daughter, neighbor, servant that I want to to be and that feels like I am failing God with my inability to fill the measure of my potential. I remembered this week that He knows we will make mistakes---it's supposed to happen. It's part of the plan! All we can do is repent and try again to do our best.  If we were all perfect, we wouldn't need Jesus. But we aren't perfect, and we do need Him and he is there for us, all of the time. 

I'm thankful for the Atonement.  It doesn't just cover my own sins and shortcomings, but every hurt that happens everywhere to everyone, even the unfortunate things that happen that are totally beyond my control. I feel happy when I accept the gift of weightlessness as I hand over the heaviness of burdens I do not wish to carry any longer to Jesus Christ and trust in Him to bear them.

Update (yeah, an update before even posting, since I started this post over a week ago…sad!): I gave the sharing time lesson today, also about the Atonement and ended up crying as I was overwhelmed with the Spirit testifying of the truth in what I was teaching the kids.  I kept it together enough to continue teaching, but probably not enough to keep them from feeling uncomfortable as I sniffled away up there.  Those poor kids! I don't mind crying, but I don't like making other people uncomfortable, which I'm sure they were as I stood up there crying. It's just that as I prepared to teach 100 children from ages 3-12 about the Atonement, and searched for ways to make the concept of a Savior understandable to them, the more I realized how perfect this gift really is and how it truly covers all sins, sadness, shortcomings, suffering, and sorrow, for adults and children alike. 

Redo: 

Last week I said, "see you never" to the many shades of green paint in the loft, which my children appropriately call "the green room"
Before: 

After:

The "green" room is now Sherwin Williams Aloof Grey and will soon come to life with family portraits, the children's artwork, and a built in book case that I'm designing to fit into the nook of the cape cod ceiling. 

While I was at it, I threw some grey up on the other walls and I'm sold. I did something I've never done before and hired someone else to come to the vaulted ceilings for me. DIY was no match for opportunity cost. 

Before:

After

I liked the results so much I burned some midnight oil and painted the kitchen on thursday night. My home is finally starting to feel like it's mine and reflects my personality a little more.

Rest: 
A mother of 4 can easily forget what rest is. Anyone can. My visiting teacher came by last week and shared an old quote about wearing business as a badge, as if it it something to be proud of or awarded.  I've been finding a better balance between running around non-stop and taking time out for silly things, things that bring my family peace, and things that are totally non-things. We could fill any day up with useless idleness. I'm trying to make my "rest" time more effective by scheduling it, and staying committed to not booking appointments or adding "to-do's" to that time. I like to create, read, or nap for rest, so rather than just plopping down anywhere, I've spent a little more time indulging in things that make those activities more enriching and enjoyable. A cup of hot chocolate and a fire. Putting my phone on silent. Reading motivating and uplifting material.

Recognize: 
It's been a really good month. Some hard things and some wonderful things have happened and I'm just grateful I set aside some time to take it all in and process.
-I got to hold and smell the freshness two newborns that were just days old.
-I felt blessed with patience and empathy as my children as they each went through a round of the 12 hr tummy bug in the last month.
-I went for a run for the first time in months and got a haircut (also for the first time in many months)

-I chased a wild little chicken and dog fight through the woods. It was sort of hilarious. Poor Nugget. She's a scrappy one, that hen. 
-We threw a dinner group that felt like a flop (people went home at 8:45pm…that's NEVER happened before! Where did we go wrong?) Everyone seemed to have a good time, but then it ended early and a little abruptly, and very unlike any other social gathering we've ever hosted.
-I watched a few friends experience great stress or sadness and handle it with grace and gratitude.
-I hosted a spontaneous girls night/baby shower and helped a new friend build a network of women to harvest support from.
-I watched a friend who was once deeply hurt find love again.
-I watched my baby become a not-so-much-of-a-baby-anymore as he learned to walk.
-I surprised Reese and ate lunch at school with her. 
-I made homemade meyer lemon custard, raspberry sauce and baked french toast bread pudding for days at 1am Sunday morning for the Mission Prep class, and then left the house for a meeting before getting to try any of it. Aaron saved me a piece and it was heavenly. Diabetes on a plate for the win! 
-I added an adorable new student to my preschool.
-I'm happy that my best friend has her husband home for the week after a long time apart because of work schedule. 
-I soaked up a bunch of sunlight over a windy but SIXTY degree weekend, baby!  Take that -6*!
-I got to see a friend's new house

-I am inspired by my presidency and some choice primary workers who come through each and every week, going above and beyond what is asked, all to bless the children in my ward.
-I had lunch with a friend who has been too sick lately to do most of the things that bring her happiness, but seeing her out and about and feeling good brought me hope for her that more good days are in her future. 
-My dad walked a 5K on saturday and felt great, after having new stents put in his arteries only 2 months ago.

-Aaron and I worked together as a perfect team today as we got to all of our meetings.

This post is all over the place but I'm jut going to publish it because I'm out of time. So much has happened in this whirlwind month to people I care about. I could never list them all.

Here is what I do want to say: 
As I witness or experience all of these really really good things and really really bad things, and make time to take them all in for what they are and what they can teach me, two recognizably common threads between them all is that the moments are all fleeting and the final result is always joy.  Even the friends experiencing long-suffering and what (to them) must seem like an eternal misery have experienced breaks of happiness to give them a hope that will help them weather the rest of their personal storms. The worst things I've seen happen lately were pretty terrible but still followed with great happiness.  What would all of the trials be for if we did not take some time to rest and recognize the blessings and accept the offerings of joy that are given to us.  I'm so grateful that bad things do not last forever.  My days of rest are giving me peace and perspective and those things, partnered with gratitude recharge me for another week of hyper-speed.

W

What's this? Actual stuff on the wall? Could I actually be finally settling into life in our home? Yes! It's happening! 

Last week,while I painted, one of the blue settees from the parlor ended up next to the tv. Funny how a little change can make you fall in love with a space all over again. The blue settee has been returned to its home in the other part of the house and I'm now on the hunt for a cozy little love seat or fainting sofa to fill its absence here.

I also got around to putting up more of the W's I had sitting on top of the tv cabinet. There are 3 others to hang still and need to stitch a monogram on the burlap canvas. Some of these are just from hobby lobby but others came from fun places and people I love and the memories I see when I look at this wall make me really happy. The scrabble piece reminds me of playing Take 2 with my family, the metal siding W is a sugar creek craft fair find with my Mom and the book W is from War Eagle. The gold W hung on the living room wall in my old home for years and reminds me of the place I grew my babies, the stain on the tall W is from Laura the great, the tiny bronze W was a teacher gift, etc. 

When Aaron went to his Grandma Wini's funeral, I gave him the charge to ask for the cool wooden W that was in her home that we've always loved. It would've been the perfect addition. The W was nowhere to be seen and surely it has been given to the person it should belong to, but I'm determined I will find another one similar to it when I'm out thrifting one day to add a touch of Wini to our wall of Willy. 

I also need to find a W from an old Walmart marquee. 

I love collections. Yes, it's just "stuff". But  the stuff represents people and places that are a part of our lives. I'm glad I married into such a good family. The Willys are some of the best W's there are. 

Blending

I have about 10 half finished posts that I will get to when I come up for air. Moving forward.

I'm in love with my blendtech. I've been making smoothies like crazy for months, mostly because the kids (ahem and Aaron) will drink them and I can hide nuts and greens in their diets. I got some new ideas at our enrichment activity a few weeks ago and had to share our new favorite recipe. The measurements are approximate. 

Cheery Chocolate Cherry

8oz milk

1/2 c whole raw almonds

2 c fresh spinach

1 fresh banana

1 1/2 - 2 c frozen dark sweet cherries. 

1 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder

Enjoy! 

Assorted See's

Kasey brought over this box of See's last week and we sat around my kitchen laughing and playing chocolate roulette, hoping always for the elusive nutty caramel, and fearing we'd chose the one McNasty jelly filled dirty trick confection of grossness that somehow sneaks it's way into every box of See's assorted chocolates. It's the fruitcake of chocolates. If we bit into something gross, we'd show off the insides to everyone, who would offer sympathies, and then we'd throw it away.  

Need some happiness in your life? Call a girlfriend over and tear into a box of See's.   

There's probably a deeper Forrest Gump edition to this post, ending with a carpe diem theme, but I'm sticking with my basic tried and true "don't give up on blogging/ power through it with 100 photos of catch up that your readers will hate you for, but your posterity will someday thank you" method of bringing us up to speed.

We'll start with a mix of Assorted See's…meaning things I "See's" that make me happy: 

1) packing nuts and life with boys. 
No matter how our anti-gender society tries to spin it, my life with boys is a different world than it was with two little girls at home. I didn't push delicateness and pink/purple princesses on my daughters, and I do not push destruction and physical play on my boys. It's how they are wired and I celebrate the difference. These boys are ruling my daytime world right now. It's awesome, and I ask myself "is that poop" like ten times a day after finding mysterious marks and smells anywhere and everywhere that poop marks and smells should not be.

2) ginger spice. 
I love Soren's red hair in a way that isn't even normal.  If he ever needs a haircut, I'll probably save every lock and keepsake it in a corked bottle and rub it for good luck.  I love looking down at the little down of auburn feathers as my little duckling follows me around the house all day. I've said it a million times before and I said it 10 minutes ago, but I REALLY hope it lasts.

3) I see my students!  I loved having my own children for winter break and the almost never ending snow days, but I missed my students. Yesterday my classroom came back to life as 7 personalities learned about the months of the year with me. We read Chicken Soup with Rice (I love children's poetry) and The Night Before New Year, and danced through the year with dinosaurs to Dinosaur Pet. We did watercolor W's and handwriting samples and shared things that are white in circle. We ate white foods for snack, talked about traditions, goals, and celebrations, and had an old fashioned New Year's Eve countdown.   I do some of these themes every year and it never gets old because it's has the same excitement as my first year of teaching every time I get to experience it with a different group of children.  2 new students joined our class in December and January and they've already become pals.

4) Tweenage Dream
Yesterday, Reese put down her book, walked over to Soren and picked him up for no reason and said, "I love you little buddy. You're going to grow up and be my friend someday, but you can still be a  cutie baby for a little longer." to him. She looked at me and I swear I saw a teenager staring back at me.  Who is this woman child, loving on the babies in the house and sounding like a mother grieving the growth of her children? It was a tender moment, and the image of her face burned into my mind like a mini movie.  I don't often think about my children growing up, because I want to enjoy every stage they're in right now and not worry about whether or not they'll be amicable teenagers.  If the glimpse I caught of Reese yesterday was a preview of coming attractions, please buy me a ticket to the show. A must see.  Five stars.
Below is a pic of our young lady offering to help with dinner on Saturday night. She washed and scrambled 10 eggs with Aaron while I got dressed for our date.

5) a shot of real life. 
Not all family outings end in smiles and warm fuzzes.  I took the big three out for a bike ride on Saturday.  The girls have gone many laps around the lake, and Corbin proved he was ready to ditch the pink big wheel and give his real bike a go. He's been afraid of it for so many months (years?) that he's outgrown the 12 inch tires. But he took it for 2 laps around the cul-de-sac and decided to give the lake a go.
Fail. It was colder than we'd anticipated, and Corbin REALLY is too big for this tiny bike.  I don't know how I didn't notice it during the cul-de-sac riding, but out there on the lake trail he looked like a circus bear perched precariously on a tiny tricycle and he roared like one too. He was cold, uncomfortable, and the 20+mph frigid wind gusts off the lake just pushed him over the edge.  We made it maybe 40 yards before he got off and and erupted with frustrated nonsense talk and tears, "I can't ride this bike because it cost twenty dollars I've ever seen in the entire world and I'm not your buddy anymore, Mom!" I surrendered the ideal "mommy and us" bike ride and got off my cruiser (snapping this pic for posterity, first) walked my bike with one hand and helped him walk his bike with my other hand, and we headed back to the van.  The girls admitted that they were freezing, too and were ok wit the fact that our outing lasted an hour and 3 minutes, including the hour long trip to drop off a get well gift for their friend in Bentonville, first.  Both Corbin and Quincy will be getting bigger bikes in the spring.
What I see Corbin's face here is a reminder that things don't go as planned. But we ended up being happy anyway. We were laughing by the time we got home. Bike ride: Fail. Fun Saturday: Success.

6) a good deal on something pretty
Went to Hobby Lobby with Katie last week and she found this pretty artwork and said, "you need this on your mantel next Christmas.  I picked it up and put it back down, $160!  It's SO pretty! I love it and need to find one just like it, but on sale.
Oh, it was on sale, alright. 90% off for the scratch in the matte means this massive holiday lovely was under twenty bucks. It is 3'x3' and has so more depth behind the glass than my camera allows to show without a glare.  Wanna see it in person? Come visit me next December!

7) New dining chairs and kids with legos. 
We've been eyeing a set of aluminum NAVY chairs for years.  Aaron found these Emeco style chairs online and two days later they were in my kitchen. Great design, lightweight, easy to clean, indestructible. I love them.  Those cute kids aren't half bad either.

8) No caption necessary. 

9) Crustache
On the first day back to school after a nearly three week break, we opted for the PB&J crustache assortment for lunch to lighten up everyone's day. It worked.

10) paint by water
On one of the many snow days, these two spent over two blissful, contention free hours painting every last page of a couple $1 paint by water books. Who says money cannot buy happiness?  Quincy and Corbin would have to disagree.

11) Climb every mountain, 'till you find your dream.
Baby has started walking, but we might as well fit him with a rope and some climbing gear because this little 16 month old mountaineer thinks the floor is weaksauce and is ready for a challenge!

 When our baby chicks were just 5 days old, they would play "king of the mountain" chicken style. If I placed an object that was even just a 1/2 inch taller than the ground in the brooder, the chicks would all take turns getting on top of it to be the tallest chicken. They had a roosting instinct at just 5 days old.  Soren has a "get to the cereal box on the counter" instinct at 16 months old.

I think he just likes seeing things from our perspective.  

12) I see children doing dishes
To a mother, this gift of service is as sweet as chocolate.