I love this blog...

I love this blog. It makes me so happy.  I started it about a year after Stacy died, and it really helped me cope. Some of the pictures are so beautiful they make me cry. I have such a sweet life. Lately, I feel like I'm not treasuring my life nearly enough.

Tonight I discovered that Boo really hates wearing her Daisy vest. I also discovered that she is pretty good at math facts. We are reading On the Banks of Plum Creek together right now, and she is delighted by it.

Bardo is hilarious. He sat and giggled as he read out-loud a health quiz that I got from the gym over dinner. Maybe a medical career is in his future if he can get that laughter under control. He's quite the book worm lately. I thought Pippi loved to read. Well Bardo never wants to stop reading. He walks home from school with a nose in a book. He probably reads at least one book every day. Granted, that the majority of the books he read are from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series or somehow related to Captain Underpants, but today he was pretty stoked about the biography of Milton Hershey and requested that we go to the Hershey factory this summer for our family vacation. Bardo's got it all planned out. He says we can even stop by the Liberty Bell.

Pippi is a busy, delightful, busy, crazy, busy and did I mention busy teenager. I didn't anticipate how her high school career with it's early mornings and late night would affect my sleep schedule. She made drum line, as a Freshman, and we are oh so proud of her. She's also on a competetive soccer team that plays out of Rush soccer program in the Woodlands.

And guess who started school?! MEMEMEMEME! I love it. I feel like my brain has been shaken awake. I really love study and getting good grades. I'm attending University of Houston's post-baccalaureate teacher certification program. I'm excited and scared to be a teacher. But, so far, everything is going quite well.

Cramped Spaces

This will be fun.  I'm so grateful for clean, running water.  Oh look!  I can clean this kitchen in 15 short minutes.

We are well into our 2014 Home Life Disruption Project.  We sold our Quiet Summer Ln home earlier this fall, after signing a contract to build a Ryland home in Summerwood.  It's the Vivace floor plan, complete with a guest room, extra garage and a launch pad for Rebecca's drum set that we really hope she'll start using.  We drive by everyday to check on the progress.  I have so much respect for the craftsmen that are putting our home together, bit by beautiful bit.

Breakfast every morning in our apt. is like an episode of Cutthroat Kitchen.  We can squeeze 4 people into our kitchen, but it's tricky.  I'm afraid times like these reveal my uglier side.  We're watching record amounts of TV. We used to have a shoe shelf.  Now we have a shoe/backpack/coat pile.  It's glorious.

Luckily we have friends.  We have friends dogsitting.  Another friend's catsitting.  And another friend loaned us her digital piano when we discovered that our upright would definitely not make our home life better.  So Quinn continues his piano study.  It's something he can do while he recovers from his broken arm, which he obtained while walking and then tripping and then catching himself.  And then of course, we needed a piano sitter, a service provided by yet another friend.

So you're having a hard time, you ask?  I guess.

My Butt

This year I've had my rear end photographed at least a dozen times.  Never again will parents be allowed to take pictures from the coach's side.  Never again.  However, I look at this picture and I think the argument could be made that my rear is indeed my better side.  What do you think?

Days 3, 4, 5

I'm grateful for Nick.  He is so thoughtful and generous.  He carries so many burdens so that I don't have to.  He's amazing.

I'm grateful that Daphne was hugging my leg happily instead of crying in Target today.

I'm grateful Quinn rode his bike to school today.

I'd be even more grateful if I had more time to write.  Everything feels abbreviated because I have to do it so fast.

Gratitude Days One and Two

I'm grateful for soccer.  I love the way it gets us out of bed in the morning on a Saturday.  It keeps us outside 3 out of 5 nights a week.   It makes little girls laugh.  It feels good to little boys to run run run run run run and the running is only made more fun by the focus on a ball.

I'm grateful we have finally successfully nuked Quinn's sinus infection.  He woke up today, the first time in weeks, with no headache.

Homemade Costume Part 3: Grim Reaper

Homemade Costumes Part 2: Nymphadora Tonks

My Harry Potter

Homeade Halloween Part One: Rapunzel

The trick to Halloweek sewing is to let go of perfectionism and to just enjoy the journey.  I feel kind of sad that this was the first year I attempted any homeade costumes.  It would've been good to practice my sewing skills once each year.  The dress and the braid were sewn  from the Simplicity Rapunzel pattern.

T

Daphne Reads, Quinn obeys, and Rebecca is her lovely self

Today Daphne read a little book for me for the first time.  She read with confidence, her voice bold and strong.

Quinn did his homework after I asked him just one time today.  Amazing.  Truly Amazing.

Rebecca went to young women's.  This was her third time going to mutual and her first time with a combined activity with Fall Creek Ward.  She plopped herself with the sewing service project in the middle of the other ward.  I love that I can watch her.  Over the past year I've watched most of the young women really hesitant to socialize with the girls outside our ward.  And there was Rebecca, completely at ease with...everyone.  She is amazing

The BEST Halloween Party Ever

Last night I dress up Daphne in an old too-short Snow White costume and Quinn donned last year's Ninja costume and headed to the soccer fields.  Texas Heatwave Soccer was throwing a party, a soccer party.  They divided the big fields into several segments, divided the kids into random 4 person teams, and threw a ball in the field and let them have at it.  Daphne wasn't quite old enough though she did play one round with the 6 and 7 year olds.  She even scored a goal, but it was hard.  Quinn was put on a team with a boy that, as it turns out, lives 3 door down from us.  And he has a 4 year old little sister.  Hooray!  New Friends!

Obligatory candy was distributed, but mostly the night was about playing soccer--in a costume.

Wanted: A Life Photographer

I'm failing at the picture taking.  I even left the camera on the kitchen counter this week.  Did I snap even one shot?  No.

This week has been eventful.  All of the children now have their Halloween costumes ready to go.  I decided to pretend like I was a seamstress by profession and had hired help to take over the housekeeping.  I sewed (drum roll please) a rapunzel dress for Daphne, and I promise that I will post pictures soon.

Quinn has a sinus infection.  I guess that explains the bad attitude about going to school and intolerance to music.  On Wednesday he threw his bike to the ground halfway to school and refused to go to the rest of the way to school.  I had to run back home, grab the car and pick him up.  I took him to school, and then I went home and called the doctor.  She put him on an antibiotic and he got to stay home from school for 2 days.  He actually did quite a bit of homework at home. He's doing much better now that his infection is subsiding.

So maybe I don't want a life photographer for this week, come to think of it.  The house was messy, children were cranky and sick.  So next week I will take pictures.  Next week.

Quinn started piano this week.

We've been waking up to his experiments for months now.  I finally talked him into starting lessons with our friend who's 11 years of age. Should be fun!

Rebecca

Daphne

Daphne is rapidly approaching  5 years old now.  She is so pleasant to be around.  I just love her.  She loves "homework" and sits down with Quinn each afternoon while he is doing his homework.  When I asked Quinn if he wanted to take piano lessons from a family friend, she jumped up and said she was ready, too.  She's overcome much of her shyness, and when I was jogging at the dog park she walked around socializing with all the dogs and adults like they were her best friends.  I can always count on her to make a new friend wherever we go.  I can also count on her to remove her shoes and take the hair tie out of her hair.

She's playing soccer again this year and doing much better than last year.  She still tends to be naughty while I'm trying to coach the team.  We need some loving fatherly attention on the bench I think while she learns to behave appropriately. Hint. Hint.  She also doesn't feel like she's good enough to score a goal, but I know she is with all my heart and I'm hoping she'll find that within herself.  But if not, she's learning to dance.  And she can sing.  And she loves her bike.  So she's gonna be ok.

 "Every run has challenges," the Sakyong says. "The challenge is to be brave, not trying to escape boredom or discomfort, but relaxing with how things are."

Just the Way Daphne Likes to Start the Day

Two Girls, One Tricycle, No Problem

Old Phone Pictures: Abundant Rays of Sunshine