Birthday Hobo baggie

I made my first "Hobo" bag last week for Micah's birthday. He'd been asking me for one for quite a while, but I wasn' feeling motivated to try something new, so I kept putting it off forever.

My Mom taught me how to make Hobo bags. She sells them at the Hana, Maui farmers market, sometimes. She makes them in all sorts of funky, cool Hawaiian fabrics. She does custom orders for friends. My mom often finds something she likes to sew, then goes crazy making a million of them. (Like her homemade Christmas pot holders) I'm the same way, and have been wanting to make something else besides my millions of baby slings.

So, I attempted the Hobo. I started cutting it out several days before the birthday, then was calling my Mom frantically asking questions about how to piece it together!
Well, here it is! It was actually really easy to do, and Micah loved it. Phew! It's really fun trying new things!




And a matching pen role holder! (More on those later)



HAPPY BIRTH OF MICAH!!

Proud milestones

It seems that every time I am having a hard time understanding the changing behaviors of my kids, and then after letting myself get all frustrated and caught up in the woes of parenting, they suddenly reach these huge developmental milestones!

I've had this discussion with several friends who feel the same way; Right when you are exasperated beyond belief and think your children are going to go through these rough phases forever, they suddenly hit you with all these amazing new skills. All of a sudden they are doing, and saying, and behaving in new and exciting ways! And now you're going, "Who is this kid? He's all grown up and awesome!"

Maybe that's where the term "growing pains" comes from. I can relate to it, in my own adult life. I know that the months or weeks before I reach some new epiphany or a much needed realization in my life, I am almost always going through a challenge or trial. I'll find myself frustrated as I go through that difficult learning curve, then WHAM- I'm a whole new me, with new ideas and understandings!

That must be what it's like to be a kid, because you are constantly learning, growing and changing! There must be moments of struggle and frustration within yourself as you are discovering who you are and what you can do in this world. And then-WHAM- you've reached new milestones!

I hope I can remember to be patient and understanding, as my children go through these hard phases, and then reach the amazing milestones. That's all part of growing up, I suppose.

Here's a few of the big steps Zadok has taken this past month, as he's been growing and changing before our eyes:

*He's taken crayon-coloring more seriously, and has been focused on completing an entire page in a coloring book.

*He's become less shy and more extravert. (He made up a song and sung it for his entire class at church.)

*He wants to do more things "all by himself." (like build a snowman, put on his own clothes, make his own food, and play toys (gasp!) alone)

*He's been playing with his little brother more, and finding fun things for them to do while Mom is busy. (Like teaching Odin how to fly)

*He wants to be a different character every day (not so new), however, his characters have become more descriptive and complex. (Like, "today I am a Ornithomimus dinosaur, who is a carnivore, who has the defense mechanism to run fast.")

*He makes up funny stories and songs, that make us laugh.

*He says beautiful, heartfelt prayers all by himself. He knows that his Heavenly Father loves him very much.

*Last week, he wanted to give our weekly Family Home Evening lesson all by himself. He talked to us about snails, did a puppet show, and had us sing songs. It was fantastic, and brought tears to my eyes.

*He has a favorite friend who he can spend hours and hours playing with.

Our little baby is grown up! He's not a baby anymore, he's not a toddler anymore, he's an actual kid! And we are proud parents!

Excited for Recycling

I learned a sad fact last Earth Day, which was, that only 30% of Utahns recycle their unwanted waste. This number has haunted me terribly, considering there are 2,736,424 Utahns living in Utah, all consuming, using, and disposing of waste each day!(July 2009 census)
Utah is one of the most`beautiful, most natural, States in the U.S., yet there are people taking advantage of this beauty, and not thinking of the effects their trash has on the world. It doesn't seem right. It seems like you should need a special permit saying, "I RECYCLE," in order to go skiing in the mountains, hiking in the forests, or boating on the lakes. I cringe when I go upstairs to throw out my garbage, only to find my neighbors have filled the trash can with plastic bottles and cardboard boxes. I wish that they knew how simple and effective it would be to just recycle.

To make recycling even easier, a big recycling plant, called Pure Recycling, just re-opened here in Cedar City! They had a grand opening party, with free food and music. But the greatest part was touring the recycle plant. Just seeing the great, big machines, and piles of bottles and cans, made my heart happy!

Inside the recycle plant here in Cedar City.

Some more bottles to recycle!

Dancing and grooving to some live music.

Micah gave Z a tour of the plant. Recycling is something that we will teach our children, is a normal part of life.


Recycling is much like getting the chance to birth something new and beautiful in the world. It's definitely something to get excited about. This pile of junk really struck me as we were walking out. All this stuff is going to be sorted and turned into something new. Now imagine this junk in our landfills instead; seeping into our rivers and oceans, polluting our soils, and turning this beautiful world into a giant junk pile itself. That's not what I want, do you?

BIG BLUE

When I was 11 years old, I lived down the street from a place called Sharks Cove. This particular cove is world-famous for it’s snorkeling and scuba diving. It’s coral reefs are filled with bright, tropical fish, and underwater beauty, which can only be seen once you plunge beneath the deep, blue waters of the pacific ocean.

As a child, my brothers, sister, and friends spent hours and hours exploring these reefs. Our entire summer months, and even after school days, were spent swimming and diving amongst these breathtaking reefs and corals. Once we dove beneath the calm waters of this cove, we entered into a beautiful world apart from everything else.
Sharks cove became a second home to us, as we practiced diving deep; swimming with the sea turtles, poking at the vibrant colored sea urchins, collecting sea shells and other treasures, swimming circles with the massive schools of fish, and letting the sun warm us as we lay on the rocks.
One of our favorite pastimes was swimming through underwater caves. There were quite a few caves at Sharks cove, all different lengths and sizes. None of them were very long, and we could all swim through them with minimal diving experience. After so many years of swimming, holding our breath underwater became second nature to us.

There was “crab cave”, which was a tiny cave with an air pocket at the top, filled with black crabs. There was “turtle cave”, where all the sea turtles took their naps. It wasn’t very long, and you were almost always certain to bump into a turtle as you swam through. There was “elevator cave”, which you had to swim down about 10 feet, swim through a small opening in the reef, then shoot up to a small hole at the top of the rocks. There was”L” cave, shaped like an “L”. This was my personal favorite, because there was a sea current that pushed you through it real fast so that you never had to hold your breath very long. All of these caves were fun and brought us hours of enjoyment.

However, there was one cave I didn’t go through. It was called “Big Blue”. My brothers went through it, my sister went through it, my friends went through it. Even the tourists coming to the cove for the first time went through it. But not me.

This cave wasn’t much unlike the others. It was rather short, you didn’t have to hold your breath long, and was right there in the cove. But there was one BIG difference. In order to get to the entrance to the cave you had to walk over the rocks to a crevice. Then you had to sit on the edge of the crevice, with your legs dangling into the opening of the cave. Then you had to slip down into the water of the opening of the cave, which was pitch black, and to an 11 year old girl— this spelled scary.
Everyone told me, til they were blue in the face, that it looks scary at first because you can’t see where you're going, but once you dive down into the blackness, a tiny blue light appears. Just follow the light until it gets bigger and bigger, and you're almost out.
Okay I thought, “Dive down into pitch blackness, keep swimming, hold my breath, see a tiny blue light, start swimming towards it....” Yah right! I might as well die right now!

Years went by and I never did Big Blue. I would keep telling myself,“I can’t do it because I can’t see where I’m going.” “I need to see where I’m going and then I’ll know I can do it.”

One Saturday Morning I woke up before everyone else. I grabbed my diving mask and headed down the street to the cove. I started walking out to my usual jump off point then stopped short. It was a beautiful, calm day. The water was crystal clear and sparkling. The breeze was calm and peaceful.
I walked out upon the rocks to the opening of the Big Blue cave crevice. I sat on the edge, I dangled my feet into the pitch, black water, I put on my mask and I dove down. I was so nervous. I was so scared. I wanted to stop myself. I wanted to say, “You can’t do this, you have no idea what’s going to happen, you can’t see ahead, you are going to fail.” But something changed inside me that day, and I jumped right in.
Swimming down into the blackness felt like forever. It seemed I was just swimming deeper, and deeper, and deeper, until finally--the tiny blue light. I swam towards the light, it got bigger and bigger. I stopped for a moment and looked around and saw why this cave was called BIG BLUE. The blue light illuminated the cave so brightly, that I was suddenly surrounded by the prettiest, blueist, ocean colors I have ever seen, on every side of me. It was a moment I will never forget. I then swam towards the light of the sun and finally popped my head up on the other side. I DID BIG BLUE!

From that day on I couldn’t understand why I had been so scared and so hesitant to do it. Once I had done it, I could just keep going, and do it over and over. I never questioned myself again. But I know why I was so hesitant, because I couldn’t see where I was going.

There are many times in my life where I can’t see where I am going, and I feel myself tense up again, just like I did in those days of Big Blue. Right now, as Micah is finishing up school, and we will be applying for jobs, I can honestly say I am scared. We moved to Cedar City without knowing what was in store for us here, and fell in love with it. We made plans to stay here forever. However, the hope for a job opening for Micah is really...just hope. We don't know where we will end up, and I feel like my legs are dangling into deep blackness again.

I know there is something beautiful, bright, and wonderful in store for us, wherever we go, I just need the courage to take that jump again....deeper and deeper until we see that tiny light.

Happy, crispy, children, please!

I used to think I was a natural chef, with a distinct eye for the culinary arts. Some personal favorite recipes I had developed over the years as a single woman on my own, were waffles, lasagna, oatmeal cookies, and bean soups.Mmmmmmmm!
So when we first got married I would try making all sorts of delightful goodies for my new husband. However, over the course of several months, I noticed that he would turn up his nose at my cooking, or even worse, offer to cook every meal!

I realized one day that I had been living a substandard lifestyle when it came to cooking. Somehow I had trained my taste buds to like dry and crusty waffles, runny and tasteless lasagna, brick-hard oatmeal cookies, and undercooked beans! (To name a few.) I was a horrible cook! My pans were always burned with black charcoal, caked to the bottom, I never followed the recipes correctly, or payed attention to the time, so my food was never quite done right, I let my noodles overcook until they were mush, and I didn't know I was supposed to drain the grease from the browned meat...and on and on. Poor Micah!

It's funny to look back on the past and see how much you've changed. I am a much better cook these days, and realized that all it took was some knowledge, some practice, and the right inspiration to want to do it right. Even though my foods had been edible, they just weren't the best they could be.


Maybe this is a far stretch for an analogy, but I've been feeling like a rotten parent lately, and was wondering if I am living a substandard ideal in my parenting, without knowing it.
When I became a Mother it was natural for me. I immediately fell in love with my babies and wanted to nurture them and care for them. I really want to be with these little guys every day, and help them discover their world. They are amazing!
However, sometimes I feel like I am doing a tremendous job, then I get into a situation where I have no idea what I am doing! Like I am confidently cooking a delicious sauce, only to discover it's burnt on the bottom! I don't want to feel like Super Mom, only to find out my kids are doing pretty good, but are slightly burnt on the bottom. I don't want to keep doing what I'm doing, only to look back on my past to discover how
much better I could have been. (even though I know this will happen regardless, I still want to be better now, darnit!)
I have been struggling with my 3 year old lately, trying to figure out his changing behaviour, and how I can handle things the best. I guess I am on a personal crusade to have yummy, happy, crispy children who grow up to be happy adults, rather than crusty, burnt ones who hate their lives and despise their Mother.

I got online last night and ordered some books that I think will help immensely. I've read every Dr. Sears baby book about sleeping, attachment parenting, breastfeeding, and mending boo-boos, but I realized I haven't read much about the development of independent, and obstinate 3 year olds.
I got Elizabeth Pantley's "No Cry Discipline Solution", "Raising your Spirited Child" by Mary Sheedy, and "Playful Parenting" by Lawrence J. Cohen.




These books I trust because they are approved by the La Leche League International board, whose leaders are big on being gentle and loving in all we do. And that's the direction I want to go. I've been feeling angry, frustrated, and often mad, and all because of my lack of understanding in how to handle certain situations that come up.

Some good books, some great talks with my husband, some natural-born instincts, some love, and lots of prayers....this is the recipe I am following right now.

What tools do you recommend for becoming the parent you want to be?
Any good books you've been inspired by and would suggest?

Halloweeny

Witchy, Witchy
Screamy, screamy,
Happy Happy Halloweeny!

Our camera broke about a month ago so we became completely dependent on friends to capture our Halloween Day for us. (Thanks Erika for the pix!)

We had such a fun day. Zadok decided 2 weeks prior to Halloween that he wanted to be a Robot. So, we got a cardboard box, spray painted it silver, then went to the thrift shop and picked out all kinds of gadgets and circuits to glue on. We even found a real push-light so he could light up at night. He loved it!

Unfortunately, we found out the hard way that trick-or-treating with a walking box isn't the most pleasant. First of all, he had to walk very slow because the box confined his legs. Secondly, when walking up steps to retrieve candy from doorsteps, he couldn't lift his knees very high, and often tripped and fell forwards. At one point he fell onto his back and couldn't get up. He lied there on the sidewalk frantically waving his arms and legs before a parent could rescue him.
It reminded me of the little boy in "The Christmas Story", who is stuck in his giant snow suit. I tried really hard not to giggle because he was just so upset. Zadok was just the cutest robot ever. Sufficed to say, we didn't stay out too long, which is probbly better because we don't really need all that candy.


What a fun Halloween! A party for the littles at a friends house, trick-or-treating, and a good nights sleep at the end! Can't wait for next year!

World of Knowledge

"Only read and study what is pertinent to my life. The world of knowledge is overwhelming, and gets in the way of necessity and truth."

I've been thinking all day what my statement means to me and thought I should clarify for myself what I mean by it!

Basically, there is so much out there to learn and discover in this great world, that I find that I get overwhelmed easily if I try to do it all. I go the library and check out 8 books that I'll never find time to read, I get on the Internet and bookmark 15 articles that I want to research and learn from, then go on to meet new people and wanting to pick their brains until I know every last thing about them. But there just isn't time. There just isn't necessity to know it all. By sticking to the most pertinent things, I am learning and doing what is most basic and necessary for me at the moment. I love to learn. However, I know that now is not the time to learn to play guitar, or read all those novels stacked up on my shelf, or run a marathon. Not with small children. Oh no, no, no, not with small children!

So that''s what I mean. Usually I am led to the things I need to know and learn. This past month Zadok has led our family to learn more about dinosaurs, because of his intense interest in them. It's been a fun journey to the Mesozoic era. I am currently trying to teach myself to sew these pencil rolls for Ugandan children. Odin is learning his colors. He gets so excited about the colors blue and yellow! As for Micah, I think he already knows everything. :)

I don't think I will get to learn everything I want to in this lifetime, but for now I am learning the most necessary and truthful things I need to. (Like if you leave Odin in the kitchen for 5 minutes unnattended, there will almost always be a huge mess)

30 days of Happiness-- The End

Well, I started this 30 days of happiness journey 30 days ago, and I have to admit that, (If I could give myself a scholastic grade here for a moment), it would be a C+. I did the assignment, but didn't follow the directions completely. Not that I couldn't find 30 days of happiness in my life, I just couldn't find the will to blog like I used to, for 30 days straight, nor could I find any reason to be happy on one particular day. Ahhhhhhhh. Oh well.

It's been almost a year since I started my blog and I've really quite enjoyed it. It has definitely been a big adventure for me in so many ways, and it came into being at a time that I needed an extra creative outlet. It has been a lot of fun.

I've learned more about how the world wide web works, for example. I've also learned about the world of blogging and bloggers, and blogs galore! I've learned that there are some really neat blogs out there to read and learn from, but I don't have the time in my life to read them all. I like to read my friends blogs the most. :) I've learned that there are people who read my blog who I don't even know, and people who read my blog that are my neighbors. I've learned that my most devoted blog readers will always be my parents. Awwwwwwww....so sweet. I've mostly really enjoyed the feedback I've received from my writing. Writing has always been something I've really enjoyed doing, and I have loved the outlet that blogging has provided for me, in that way.

I've also learned that there is a season for everything in my life, and it's a good to learn when something needs to come to a close, or slow down considerably. More and more I find myself being pulled in so many other directions, and feel less and less of a need or want to write on my blog. (Quite literally, Odin is pulling me into the living room to help him put all the caps back on the markers as I write.)
So, perhaps I will just post every once in a awhile. Okay? Okay!!

(a happy picture of yours truly)

So, back to happiness. This year is my 30th year, and it has been great. If I live to be 90 years old, I have already lived 1/3 of my life. Isn't that a good reason to find true happiness and stick to it? I feel like the past several months I have been sorting out the nitty gritty of it all: what I truly need, to be, and to stay, happy for the next 6o years. I'm sure this list will add-to, as my journey continues, but this is what I have figured out for the first 30 years, and will continue to believe and do for the next 60:

*God is my foundation for everything good in life. My relationship with him is an absolute priority. I need to trust Him, love Him, and talk with Him every day.
*I need my Husband to live with, to laugh with, to cry with, to discover life with.
* I need to raise my children and give my all to them; with love and tenderness.
*I have to be outside every day, to feel the sunshine, breathe fresh air, and enjoy nature.
*Friends bring such joy to my life. I want to spend time with those who care about me most.
*Keep good relations with my family, and let them know I care.
*Be conscience of neighbors and associates around me who need my help. "Charity never faileth."
*Only read and study what is pertinent to my life. The world of knowledge is overwhelming, and gets in the way of necessity and truth.
* Don't develop a cyber life. I am most happy when I stay off the Net and stick to simple things like reading a good book, playing with my kids, and cooking a good meal. (Although fascinating, fun, and informative, If my time starts to get too sucked into cyberspace, I start to feel depressed.)
*Physical exercise is my happiness fuel. I don't ever want to under-play my need for exercise. It's an absolute daily priority for me.
*The word of God is as necessary as water for me. If I don't read my scriptures, I feel an unquenchable thirst inside my soul. The word of God has the power to nourish me daily.
*Teach my kids what is most valuable to me through example.
*Be consistent in everything I do.

May you all have a very happy day!
(a photo of some Jacksons. Check out Micah's bad-ass motorbike in the background)

30 days of Happiness-- Mothering Magazine

Today I snuggled in with a cup of Orange Spice tea, a fleece throw, and my favorite magazine...Mothering. I was able to read my whole September/October issue from cover to cover. yea! In my opinion, this is the last parenting magazine you will ever need.

This magazine speaks to me like nothing else. It is about real people, real Mothers, real babies and children, doing what feels most natural and instinctual.

Most parenting magazines are filled with ads and marketing campaigns, trying to persuade the reader to buy things they don't need. I've flipped through "Parenting" magazine several times in a doctors office, and I was appalled by how much marketing and advertising persuades the content of the articles. After reading these articles and glancing at ads, I am left with an uneasy, anxious feeling--overwhelmed by the enormous load I carry as mother, who can't keep up with all the latest parenting trends and products.

Mothering Magazine isn't about buying more stuff, it's about being Mothers, and doing what feels right. Peruse the pages, and you will find a feeling of happiness and simplicity; a feeling that will empower you to love and nurture your children, like no one else in the world is watching.

The advertisements you find in Mothering are for products designed to bring you closer to your children, and facilitate a healthy lifestyle in your family. To name a few, there are ads for baby slings and carriers, co-sleepers, natural toys, birthing classes, breastfeeding products like Lansinoh, nursing-friendly clothes, and Milk Diapers, natural Menstruation supplies, vitamins, healthy and organic foods, music for children, cloth diapers, herbal remedies, alternative schooling options, and more.
I enjoy looking at the ads, without the pressure of feeling like I need them to be a better mother, or to make happier kids. (however, a Gypsy Mama wrap is on my dream list)

The articles written are amazing, and usually exactly what I need to hear.
I've found strength and solace through reading about families just like me, all over the world, who want to live a natural, simple lifestyle with their children.
You'll find uplifting and inspiring articles on gentle discipline, attachment parenting, co-sleeping, babywearing, truthful vaccination info, crafts and fun things to do, nature walks and exploration, gentle birth choices, breastfeeding research and experiences, whole foods recipes, organic eating, homeschooling, public schooling, fun family activities, working Mothers, stay-at-home Mothers, working Fathers, and stay-at-home Fathers, good and informative book reviews, inexpensive ways to vacation, to eat, to dress, to shop, and to live, to be more environmentally conscious....to feel good about ourselves as Mothers and Parents, to help our children love and preserve our Earth...and on and on..... Real life.

This magazine makes me happy because in a sense, it is about......me. When I am having a hard parenting day it reminds me that I am real. When I am having a great parenting day, I can rejoice with millions of others. When I need a boost or need a like-minded friend, I can pick up a Mothering, and there it is.

The people at Mothering Magazine inspire you to be yourself and listen closely to the true, deep instincts of your heart. That's something we need more of in this world.

30 days of Happiness-- It's Winter!

Totally fine, now. Feeling the Winter spirit! It really helped yesterday to just get out there and embrace the snow; wipe it off my car windows, drive around in it, pull my kids in the sled, throw a few snowballs.
Later in the day we threw a Halloween party for our church girls, and that really made my day. We made Monster cards, did balloon races, listened to spooky music, and ate Hot chocolate and donuts! Mmmmmm Winter, and laughing, silly, happy friends!

Things that made me laugh this week:
*My older brother Joe and his girlfriend and kids live in Tahiti. She is from a small island called Faaite. We were laughing because this island is so small, that when you google search Faaite, his and his girlfriend's pictures pop up. Ha ha! Go see if you can find Joe.



*"When life gives you dilemmas, make dilemonade." (A quote from a facebook friend.)

*Odin not only runs away and screams when I want to change his diaper, he now yells, "Help me! Help me! Help me!", in a loud, shrieking voice.
It always sounds great to whoever is passing by.

*Micah is busily working at his school work, and taking his Praxis in two weeks! The tunnel is getting lighter!

*My aerobics classes are going awesome! Zadok has been content to let me exercise while he plays with his friends. I've really noticed a difference in my mood during the week, just knowing that I get to have that time to myself, and then feeling more motivated to give my all, to my kids, the rest of the time.

*Doing things for other people always makes me happier. Note-to-self: when I am feeling down, sew a mei-Tai and give it away....or something. It really works!

*It's Halloween in 2 days!

Snowy Day

Today is our first day of snow. It is purely white, and soft, and beautiful, and we can see it falling onto our concrete steps through the window of our apartment. I put chairs next to the window so the boys could stand and look up, to see the snow as it falls from the sky. "Ooooh ahhhh--It's snow mama! It's snow! When can we go out and play in it?"

"I don't know," I reply. I know they look out and see a Winter wonderland of possibilities.
When I get up to see the snow falling, I see a cage. It's as if a big, black, ugly cage is falling down and closing up all around me. Its white, soft and tempting flakes welcoome me, yet at the same time seem to be pushing me back, and keeping me in, like a beautiful demon, tricking my soul.

It won't always be like this. As the snow keeps falling all Winter long, I will adjust to it, learn from it, play in it, enjoy the sparkling beauty of it, and have many happy days covered head to toe in pure, white snow.

But for some reason, this first day of snow is really awful.

There's a car down the street that has a bumper sticker that says, "WINTER SUCKS>"

It makes me happy.

Flashback Friday- It's Halloween again?

I decided about a month ago I wanted to be a witch for Halloween, because I've never been anything spooky. And I like the idea of walking around with a large, warty nose, cackling at my children. However, each time I've tried on my costume, (at Zadok's request,) Odin has freaked out! (I'm not scaring him-he freaks out when I put on a baseball cap any day of the week)
So, we don't know what we're going to be. Zadok is back and forth about a dog, or a Ninja, or Spiderman again. Odin could care less. Micah might paint his face. Is this really important? Yes! I love Halloween! It's always been one of my most favorite celebrations. Why? Because the dramatic actress in me gets to dress up and imagine I am another character for a whole day, using funny accents, fake hair, cheesy lines from movies....and nobody will stare at me funny-- because it's Halloween!

This is Halloween last year.

Spiderman, our friend the BumbleBee, Spongebob and Patrick, at an Elementary school Carnival In Enterprise, UT:


What are you going to be????

30 days of Happiness-- Snippets

Last year I emailed a dear friend of mine that I have been buds with since I was 16, and vented all these hard things I was going through at the time. Her instant response was, "This is awesome Sally! I was starting to think your life was one, big, Utopia and mine was just constant chaos!" She thanked me for being real and honest about the things that were troubling me. It made me realize that it is important to be honest and open about the hard things in life. We all go through them, and every day is not a happy utopia.

Here's a few snippets of finding happiness in chaos, from my week:

*It was total chaos in the grocery store today with my kids. Kids were whining, crying, clinging, screaming, and I really lost all patience. However, there is always this 30 seconds of happiness after loading groceries in the car, and buckling car seats, where I get to walk the cart back to the store all by myself. I breathe in, breathe out, smile, and feel the sun on my face. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. I really enjoy that 30 seconds.

*A good friend of mine dropped a book off at my house while I was gone today, that she thought I would love. When I got home, I got to sit in the car and read it while the boys slept in their carseats. For 45 minutes I laughed, I cried, and I thanked God that she was inspired to bring this book over. It was exactly what I needed today.

*I started going to an aerobics class with some other Moms in my community who want to work out, but don't want to leave their kids. We meet in a church gym, let the kids run around, blast the music, and get a kick-butt workout. My first day was on Tuesday. I got 15 minutes in when my little 3 year old appendage started to attach to me. I was frustrated and angry at first, then reminded myself that I have a very tender-hearted boy who loves me. It may take us a few weeks of sitting on the floor watching, to get him used to this new environment, and sharing Mom, but that's just the way it is.

* My husband bought a motorcycle. It doesn't make me happy, but it makes him happy. To be honest, I am scared out of my mind that he is going to crash, and die, and leave us here all alone. But I love him, and trust him, and I am glad he is riding again. I imagine his longing to ride is comparable to my longing to surf. I hope he has many, many happy rides on his new bike!

*Yesterday the house was so stinkin messy, and I was in such a grouchy mood. So what did we do? We turned on Abba Gold and danced, danced,and danced! I was able to tidy up while doing the running man. The boys would stop mid-rumba to eat Cracker Jacks. And we all lived happily ever after.
Hope you can find happiness amongst the normal chaos of your day!

30 days of Happiness-- These days

Today was an absolutely beautiful, sunny, Autumn day. The wind was so strong that it was blowing all the leaves off of the trees in humungous quantities. As we were coming back from the park, and down our street, we had to stop and stare at this amazing view in front of us!
There were leaves being torn and pulled from every tree lining the street, flying through the air like torpeedos, twirling through the air like wild dancers, charging wrecklessly down the street like castrated bulls, blowing uncontrollably in every direction! It was a phenomenal sight to see, with yellows, oranges, browns and reds, mesmerizing our very eyes!

We decided to follow some of the leaves. They took us on a zig zagging trail, back and forth and down the street, until we came to a small hill, covered with....more leaves!

Zadok and I raked the leaves into large piles. Odin sat in the middle, smiling a big smile. We ran and jumped in those leaves. We rolled in those leaves. We threw those leaves into each others hair. We buried Odin in leaves until all we could see was his big, brown eyes. We three sat there and sang a silly tune,

"If I were a leaf, a leaf, a leaf,
If I were a leaf,
I'd twirl in the air like this!

If I were a leaf, a leaf, a leaf,
If I were a leaf,
I'd blow through the air like this!

If I were a leaf, a leaf, a leaf,
If I were a leaf,
I'd fall to the ground like this!"

We spend our days much like this one; Wandering, exploring, and finding silly things to do. I love my children so much (so much!!!) and I feel so lucky that I get to play with them like this every day. These are the greatest days of my life. We don't need anything special to do, or anything special to buy. Most days we just walk out the door and find a sidewalk to sit on, or a patch of grass to lie in, and there we find happiness, because we are together.
And when Micah gets home, we have the most fun lying on the carpet watching our kids play. I love these days.

30 days of Happiness-- My Man!

I am so extremely proud of him!
He's been working so hard, almost beyond the limits of his ability-

Working away from home most of the week, to come home to his father and husband starved family, only to turn away from us to finish drudging school assignments. Which is, something he absolutely hates to do, but has to force himself to do it, for the welfare of the family.

Pretty soon this nonsense will be all over and he'll have his real job. We can't wait!

It's been a long road, through an often-times very dark tunnel, since he decided to go back to school. It wasn't an easy decision. He was forced to fore go his first career life as a Zookeeper, and his second career life as a free-wheeling wilderness guide, to meet the financial demands of a growing family. It would have been so easy to just do what he already knew he loved to do. I often imagine what our lives would be like, had he accepted that last Zookeeper job he got hired for. We would be living in Central California, in a cozy, little beach town. Our kids would go to the Zoo everyday to see their Papa work. I'd be surfing on my free time. Awwwwww, beach life. But, we knew in our heart of hearts that we were supposed to do something else. When we turned down that job, we did it with such fierce reluctance, that although we knew it was right in every way, we would look back with regrets sometimes, anyways.

Micah in the height of his Zookeeper days.


It takes a lot of courage to jump into the unknown; to leave behind the comforts that you are so used to; to sacrifice yourself and all your time and energy for others. But he has managed to do it.

This week has been a particularly hard one for Micah. He had some serious deadlines to meet, which would determine if he's able to start student teaching on time, like we had planned.
He just informed me that he passed the deadlines, so I am just really, really happy for him---and all of us! Life goes on!