I Love My Life

There is a man that lives down the street. He is old and slow. The houses around him look a bit neglected. He usally wears a white tank top and he seems a bit rough and worn. Every morning and afternoon, I find him outside tending his flowers--weeding, watering, trimming, watching. A perfectly ordinary man creating beauty and goodness in his life. I have only noticed him recently because Miriam has requested we walk/ride bikes to school lately. Her requested pace has allowed me to see something great.

I have such a small, ordinary life. I vacuum my floors, I cook dinner, I drive here and there on various errands, and I care for children. Such ordinary things that I could fill with beauty and goodness if I choose. I can be like the gardener's neighbor and let weeds take over and leave litter around, or I can tend to my garden. And when I do take the time and care, such beautiful things grow in my life. Miriam expands my sight, Sam enlivens my imagination, Ben opens my listening, and Spencer shows me how to love.

Thank you Sarah Starr for asking me to "love my life."

New Year

You know, the start of school seems to be more of a new year than New Year's Day. It's a time of change and newness, whereas the New Year happens in the middle of a winter. Nothing is really changing.

As I walk Miriam to school in the morning, there is the whisper of the coming fall-a crispness to the air, a change in the type of flowers blooming. She has started first grade. I need to stop being so amazed that she's growing, but first grade? She isn't really going to be gone from 8:45am-3:25pm every day, is she? Oh dear. She seems to like her teacher ("her hair is just like Aurora"), her new classmates, and most of all, the newness of her schedule. On the way home from her first day she said, "Mom, I didn't miss Sam. I didn't miss anyone." It doesn't seem like I would be happy to hear this, but she had been worried that she would miss us too much while at school.

With the start of the school year, I find myself feeling more motivated to create a new and better schedule for my life. So....here are my new year hopes:

~Dinner at the same time everyday

~Consistant bedtime for all (meaning me too, which is what I struggle with the most)

~On that note, a consistant waking time for all (again, more for me. Ben's like an alarm clock constantly stuck on 6:45am).

~Consistant housework (like cleaning the shower in my bathroom on a regular basis and not just when it desparately needs it)

~And, lastly (for now), treat myself with more kindness.

Wish Miriam and I luck in our new endeavors.

Uncle Baby

Nice facial hair, eh?

Balloons at Sunrise

Our day started at 5:30am today. We packed a breakfast, loaded the kids in the van and headed up to Eden for the Ogden Valley Balloon Festival.

The balloons were beautiful. We sat down on our blanket and watched as the pilots set up their balloons, slowly filling them with air. As more and more balloons started filling up, we hopped up and wandered all over the field. We got close enough to the balloons that we could feel the heat of the flames.

Sam and Miriam thought it was great to wake up while the stars were still out. We watched the sky get lighter and lighter. At one point, amidst all the filling of and taking off of hot air balloons Sam said in excitement, "Mom, look, the sun came out!" I was delighted that the sunrise brought just as much wonder to Sam as the balloons.

In No Particular Order

Ben had his first birthday in July and is now officially a toddler.

Miriam had her sixth birthday this month. It was full of princesses, tea parties, treats, and presents. As it should be. Two days before her birthday she said, "I wonder how I will look when I am six?"

Spencer finished and sold his first project for his business, S.C. Edwards Fine Woodworking. It is a captain's bed for his cousin's handicapped son (the reason for the crib-like sides). I am so amazed at his courage and hard work as he starts this business. He's a good, good man.

It seems that I always have so much to report about everyone in the family but me. Hmmm... I need be a bit more interesting. I'm just doing the usuall mom stuff. It's been a bit crappy lately as all the kids have a stomach bug. Lucky me.

Oh, I do have something new. I've joined a choir that meets on Sundays in SLC. Right now we are enjoying such greats as Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. I feel my mind and heart enlightened each week. Music has always been so important to me throughout my life. I have to say that I enjoy the private practicing much better than the performances. I like the space of it.

Little Fairies

Miriam has been leaving me little surprises on my bed lately. After we put her to bed, she sneaks into my room and plays fairy. The first night I found a rock. When I first found it, I wondered, "why on earth is there a rock in my bed?" The next morning, a smiling Miriam asked me if I had found the "treasure" she left me.

Miriam adds such magic and happiness to my life. Because of her, I always have fresh flowers on my counter. These little moments, make me think of the story my mom often tells of my sister Jessie. When she was very young she put a single rose petal on the doorstep of each house on the street. I wonder if anyone noticed their gifts? It seems that there are many little moments in our lives that could bring us joy, if we just opened up enough to see them. What are some of the little things the children in your life have helped you to see?

Won't you be my neighbor?

The neighbors on either side of use are brothers. One brother has a five year old girl and the other has a three year old boy. Miriam and Sam want to live here forever. They are constantly trying to find ways to go to one or the other's house. I love to listen in on their playing. To hear their little adventures. To see Miriam walking arm-in-arm with her blond friend. It takes me back to my childhood summers.

I ran free as a child. My sister and I would walk all over town, and often come home with some pet or another. Why the pet store owner thought it was appropriate to sell pets to small children, unaccompanied by an adult is beyond me. Can you imagine your little ones coming home with a lizard or a mouse or a duck, none of which can be returned? Nice policy, mister resposible store owner.

I don't think I ever wore shoes in the summer and always feel a like a lame adult when I insist that my kids put on their sandals. I sincerely believed that I could run faster in bare feet. I'm so happy that it finally warmed up. I'm so happy to have children around me so that I can experience childhood summers again.

Nothing much to report, except Sam claims I need to shave my legs.

. . . And they lived happily ever after.

I had a good chuckle while reading Cinderella to Miriam and Sam the other day. It says, "Long ago in a faraway land, poor Cinderella lived with her mean stepfamily. They filled her days with cooking, scrubbing, washing, and chores of every kind." Good thing she found a prince with a castle full of servants, eh.

Mother's Day Surprise

I am the proud owner of a Kelty, hiking backpack thanks to my lovely family. Now, I just need to toughen up enough to use it for long distances. We broke it in by taking a walk at the bird refuge in West Layton.

Mmmmmm.....yes, that does help.

May 1st

I looked out the window and what did I see? Not popcorn popping, but snow. SNOW! Remind me why I left the beautiful coast of SC. Hmm......Maybe I ought to make some chocolate chip cookies to cheer me up. I did splurge and get some See's, semi-sweet Chocolate chips. They make the most delectable treats. I hope those of you not living in Utah are enjoying a delightfully warm, but not too warm, spring.

Miriam said....

"Mom, it's spring outside. I wish it was even springer."

Little Ben

My baby isn't a newborn anymore. He is one delicious little guy. My favorite Ben moment is when he reaches his little hands to my face and pulls me close for a slobbery baby kiss. Ben has been a terrible sleeper this month, but somehow I've had more patience; he charms me even at 12pm, 3am, and 5am.

Just this

I can't believe how cold it is here in Utah. I just want to stay inside, bake delicious things, and soak my feet in hot water. I have been avoiding the cold, but my mind needs the space of outside so I have been feeling trapped. I lose a bit of myself when I spend too much time inside.
I haven't done the New Year's resolution thing yet so maybe I should start with, spend some time outside everyday (walking to the car to take Miriam to school doesn't count). I'll just have to add resolutions as I feel they need to be added. Instead of new year's resolutions, maybe I can have new month's resolution. That's a bit more manageable for me. I'll still bake delicious things though--my next baking venture will be sour cream chocolate cake and red velvet cake (yes, Sarah, from scratch. You were right from scratch is so much better).

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat....

We've finally put up our Christmas decorations. The kids think it's great. They enjoy arranging the nativity scene and moving around the Christmas ornaments. It's fun to see what they do. Miriam is more interested in Santa this year. I found out that she's also a little scared of the whole thing. At the Wright family Christmas party, the cousins had Miriam crying about pinching elves and noises on the roof. So my singing Santa Claus is coming to town isn't helpful-- "You better watch out.....Santa Clause is coming to town." Maybe Santa is only magical for adults and older children.

Around the Bend

We were so excited to make it home. I cried when we crossed the border to Utah and I cried when we finally got to the familiar parts of Utah. Ah, home. There's nothing like it.

The border-cross was a bit disappointing for the kids. They don't quite have a sense of time and geography yet. After getting to Utah, we still had to drive to our actual house.

Ames

Next stop: Iowa. After visiting Sarah, we stopped off and stayed with my sister Jessie for a night. We weren't able to stay as long as we wanted, but that's kind of how long roadtrips go. We tried to get all the kids together for a picture, but they weren't quite as interested as we were.

The Cleve

On the way back to Utah we took a bit of a detour to visit my Sarah-friend in Cleveland, Ohio. It was so good to see her. It was nice to have a break from driving (we stayed two nights).

The kids loved sleeping in the finished attack space up-up-up stairs because it had a "Captain Hook" window. For those of you who don't know about these kinds of windows, you need to re-watch Peter Pan.

We had delicious food (s'mores and apple pie) and good talks. Thanks to the Smith's for a great time.

Last day in SC

We are home. Yeah! I am finally feeling a bit settled so I thought I'd finally post. I'm going to back track, so for those of you who are all caught up, you can ignore.

My mother-in-law came out (one last time) to help us with the move. It was a huge help. We took one last trip to the beach (Ben's first trip to the beach). It's sad that I had to be pregnant for most of our time in SC. It would have been nice to be able to enjoy it without the huge tummy. Ben did not enjoy the beach because it was very windy. He mostly stayed in his stroller.

Our actual moving day was kind of horrible. The truck we rented was too small and the next size up was unavailable, so we ended up breaking a few rules and pulling a U-haul trailer behind our Penske truck. We still had to leave our washer and dryer, entertainment center, and grill behind. My dad drove the truck to Utah for us and my in-laws drove our Subaru. Family's good like that.