Best of 2009, December

This face. right there. that one. He is a baby ninja who steals my heart everytime I see him. He has to wear protective gloves--not for him, for us--he's got some crazy ninja skills.

Don't look into his eyes too long or you'll be under his baby ninja powers...

No gloves...get back Jack!


And this is Carol Merrill at Downtown Old Colorado City...an ice sculpture fireplace! Right smack in front of The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!

A trip thru Winter Park, Colorado

--look at that "Moosen" would ya?

Colorado Adventure Park

Snow tubes, helmets, magic carpet, and groomed hills....$14.00

Screaming down the hill tethered to your whole screaming family: Priceless!

And finally:

The Golden Child was blessed and the whole HeeHaw Gang was there--can it get any better than this?

best of 2009 Pt 1

Homebirths

Dani's PG

Spring!

Thanks! Nan & Kelly!

Dakota aka Oprah!

Spring Break!

Moving my Bahooey!

Camping!

Sick Days!

General Conference!

Eight is Great!

She's Edumacated!

Love those nametags!

Boofdog, Nationwide, & Ockword!

The Rocky Mountains!

Spring!

Life!

Water Balloon Fights!

The Crags, 4 miles and some pennies!

David Archuleta!

Saturday Mornings are better with them!

New School!

Barefoot and Pregnant!

Fall in the Rockies!

Did You Think to Pray?

Scene: BYU, Off-Campus Housing.  I'm a brand-new convert to the LDS faith, First day in apartment.

My new roommate was a Masters-degree-seeking student of Microbio-something-or-other, named Kim. 22 years old.  I was 18 and intimidated.
The first night sharing a room together, we say our "good nights", flip off the light.
I get on my knees to pray. I hear her do the same.
I say what I need to say, and am up in my bed within a few minutes.
I see Kim is still kneeling,
but it had been a long day, and I was tired, so I roll over and go to sleep.

I wake up hours later
and see she is still on her knees!
"Oh my goodness. She must have alot to say to her Heavenly Father! I am so lame! I will try harder the next time I pray to really think about my prayers!"

The next night, the same thing, we say our "good nights", flip off the light, and hit our knees.
This time, I make sure my prayer is more meaningful.  Still, when I am finished, I know she is still on her knees!  I lay there waiting to see how long she will take to say her prayers. 
I fall asleep before she is finished.

The third night, and fourth night are no different. 
I try to make my prayers even more earnest,
praising, repenting, pleading--
I wanted to be better or at least be as good as Kim--
seeing that she was being carried off in a vision
or something!

Still, as I finish up, and get into bed,
there kneels my roommate at her bedside!
I am thinking,
"She is going to be translated in the night!
She is so righteous! I am so unworthy to be here!"

Because of our different schedules,
we never see each other all day long.
Not until Sunday morning,
do we even have a chance to visit,
as we're getting ready for Church.

So we're standing at the long bathroom counter
in front of the mirrors,
primping ourselves,
when Kim says, very non-chalantly,
"Oh, can you do me a favor?"
I said, "Sure."
"The next time you see me on my knees longer than, like, 5 minutes, would you just tap me or something? I keep falling asleep while I'm praying and my knees are killing me!"

A Full Moon Homebirth

~Birth is not only about making babies, Birth is about making mothers--

strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength.~

It's just after 5 am this morning.
I've been home from a birth for about 30 minutes.
Mr. W was getting tready to leave for work
just when I was coming upstairs.

I'm just glad I got to see him.
I wasn't here when he came home from work.
And I missed him.
So now, I am tired but awake with time to reflect.

The birth was beautiful.
First time Mom, at 37 years old,
labored so well. so confidantly.
Mostly in the labor pool
sometimes on the toilet
sometimes on her hands and knees
Always with her sweetheart near.

Towards the end
the delivery got intense--
 a very big baby was on the way
and while the Midwife and Emily
worked on the birthing part of the Mom,
I was at her side,
talking to her quietly,
while she squeezed the life outta my hands
and her eyes penetrated my own with deep
 questions:
"Am I okay?" her eyes asked mine.
"Yes, you're fine. You're almost done!" I answered outloud.
"Is my baby okay?" her gaze asked again.
"Your sweet baby girl is doing so well! She will be in your arms
before you know it!" I replied.

Labor is such hard work.

After the delivery,
Mom was in the bathroom,
while I stood nearby
in case she needed help--
I heard her voice crack a little and
poked my head around the corner--
Mom was feeling emotional,
 little tears fell down her cheeks,
as she said to me,
"thank you so much. I couldn't have done it without you.
I didn't think I could keep going on, until I looked into your eyes.
Then I knew I could. Thank you."
I rubbed her shoulders and told her
that she is a very strong woman
and she could've and would've done
just fine in any case.
And that's the truth.


I drove home this morning
with a full moon shining above
my Rocky Mountains.

My heart is full.
NOW, I can go to sleep.

Is Your Tree still up?

I'm sitting in my front livingroom
yesterday afternoon
in my pj's...
and just then,
3 days AFTER Christmas,
I really just sat there
and enjoyed it...
all the lovely green boughs
and ribbons, ornaments,
little white twinkly lights
and the creamy white angel
blink
blink
blinking
at the top
and the deep burgundy velvet
tree skirt
with it's puffy white felt doves
circling the bottom.

The Season is nearly over
and it is a bittersweet notion
that this time next week
all of the holiday decorations
will be packed away
and life will be back to same ol
same ol.

I loved Christmas this year.
It was the best one we've had
in a long long time...
I love that my grown children
still want to come to my house
and spend their holidays together!

We laughed until our sides ached!
Hanging out in the kitchen,
baking, mixing, story-telling.
Whispering back and forth
about Christmas surprises--
oh, it was just a slice of
heavenly peace
for me.

I have dear friends
who take the tree down
even on Christmas day...
they are plum.wore.out.
and to take down the tree
signifies the end of the holiday stress
they've been feeling.
I get that.
I think I may have even done that a few times
in my life too.
"Thank goodness it's over, time to get back to real life!"

But this year was different.
It was sweet
with the many homecomings
and celebrating this new little baby in the family
really made it special.

So I'm not anxious to take the trees down
or the garland,
weaving in and out
and up and down the bannisters...
let them stay for a few more days
I say!
The magic of the season is not lost on me
this year.
We were filled with it
indeed smothered in it!
Yes, I was busy as ever--
shopping
cooking
cleaning--
but today,
I am still in my pj's
resting and reflecting,
with a full heart
not ready to go
"back to normal"
this year.

Once I went into a home
where the Christmas tree
was up in July!
The mother in the home was old
enough to be my mother,
and I stood there looking at the
fully-decorated tree
wondering why it was still up.
Then I looked around the rooms
and saw literally dozens of nativities
displayed everywhere.
Oh, I thought,
this has a deep meaning--
perhaps it is the message to keep
Christmas in your heart all year round?
So when the sweet woman came to greet me
I asked,
"How long has your Christmas tree been up?"
"Seven years.", she smiled.
"Wow, is that to remind you to keep the Christmas Spirit all year 'round?"
"Oh heavens, no!", she laughed. "Nobody wants to take it down!"

So what about YOU?
Is your tree still up?

The Sacred Altar of the Home

Heavenly.
Recently, I met a lovely, enlightened woman,
who described her dinner table
as
"sacred".
That really struck my heart.
It's true.
Of all of the furniture in my home,
it is the dinner table
that has become consecrated
to the building up of our
Family.

All the work my husband does
to provide for us
so I can prepare and serve
meals to my family
has a grander meaning
when I see this table with
eternal eyes.

It may be dotted with
strawberry jam,
maple syrup,
bits of salt and pepper,
bread crumbs and cheerios--
But that food is a blessing to us.

At times,
there are pages of homework,
library books,
gym shorts,
church books,
pens, pencils, crayons,
even a dog leash
laying about the long wooden slats
that have been carefully carved
and crafted into our dinner table.
Those things are also blessings to enrich
our lives,
as individuals
and as a family.

To find it completely cleaned,
with nothing on it,
is to find it right before dinner,
or right after dinner...
but usually
it is laden with the stuff of our
family's
comings and goings.

We dedicate it daily
to serving our family's needs.
We eat at it,
Serve one another around it,
laugh around it,
gather our friends to it
and
Pray to our Heavenly Father at it,
asking for His Love to protect us
and guide us
and teach us to be better people.

This Christmas Season was no different--
I prepared my family's favorite treats
with my sweet daughter-in-love, Tisha
by my side.
We chopped
and stirred
and mixed
and tasted
and Served.
And we loved.

The smells coming from the kitchen
pulled the family
from the corners of the house
to "see what's cookin'"--
everyone eager to taste and share
the bounty.

We pull out our best red dishes
with the moose
and bear
on them
and we sit in our favorite wooden seats
waiting for all to be filled,
even when we have to "go find" the missing person--
we wait.
Then we pray.
We express our gratitude
for all that we have
and acknowledge His hands in everything.
And once again,
dedicate our hearts to Him
and one another.

Looking at my dinner table
with eternal eyes--
fills my heart with joy!
It is not a new or even nearly new
expensive wood--
it's just a long oak table
with dents
and scratches
from years of daily use.

It is MY altar.
It is where I bring the fruits of my labors
to serve
my family
and my Heavenly Father.

Now, go look at your dinner table with new eyes...
tell me if yours isn't as divine as mine.
I'm sure it is.

Yeah WE are THAT Family....

just a snippet into our day today
as we visited Dani's ward
in Golden for the baby blessing...
it shouldn't be a "ward"
but a "branch"
because
our family
plus Mr. Idaho's family
doubled the attendance today.


While the Sacrament was being passed:
the water tray comes to Dean
who is sitting next to my left,
he takes a cup
drinks it
and gulps so loudly
that Mr. Idaho can hear it at the pulpit
from where we are sitting,
third row from the back.
::: Laughter::::


With the speakers
and musical number
finished,
and 20 minutes left on the
schedule
and the only Priesthood conducting
was the 2nd Counsellor
and the EQP, Mr. Idaho--
the 2nd Counsellor
said he's always wanted to sing
his favorite hymn--
"all seven verses"--
to "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief"--
to which my 14 yo let out her thoughts
uncensored:
"You're kidding!"
::::Laughter filled the Chapel::::
and THEN the 2nd Counsellor added,
"Standing up, please."
To which my Deano laughed,
"No Way!"
:::More Laughter::::
Dani leaned over to me,
"I have stupid siblings."

I don't know if they will ban us forever from coming back,
or if they're hoping we come back every Sunday
just for the entertainment.
If you can't be a good example
at least be a horrible warning.

So that was our Sunday...
how was yours?

Christmas Day 2009

I'm alive and well.
Worn out.
Lots to tell.
Lots of pictures.
Need sleep.
Be Back Soon.

Christmas Birthdays

Alot of babies are trying to do their parent's a
huge tax favor
by coming before the end of the year.
There was a birth on
Saturday.
And another yesterday morning,
And yet another later in the day.
We still have one more to come.

When I was a kid
I used to wish my birthday was on
Christmas Day.


As I was driving to the early morning home birth,
it was beautiful.
The landscape was inspiring--
rolling snow-covered hills,
twinkling Christmas lights
beaming from houses and trees
along the way...
so lovely.

The home itself was decked out
for the holidays--
the tree, the lights, even a little pink stocking
with a little "L" on it--
to celebrate a new sweet little girl
arriving in that family!
It just seemed so perfectly suited
for the birth of a child.

For many of us,
we are celebrating the birth of
the Babe in Bethlehem...
the Lord, Jesus Christ
as we light the lights
fill our homes with lovely carolls,
enjoy our family and friends
with gifts and yummies--
reaching outward to show
an inward
gratitude
for the Gift of God...
that began with a little baby
lying in a manger.
But for these families
who have the blessing of a new child
fresh from heaven-
I just can't think of a sweeter gift.
And for these mothers,
they may be relating to Mary
in a new way this Christmas season.

I watched "The Nativity"
with Dani last weekend...
she commented that she has a whole new
appreciation
for what Mary went through---
"I wouldn't want to ride a donkey
while pregnant. All those miles!"
"Can you imagine giving birth in a stable? ugh."
And I was thinking of Joseph too...
We don't know if he had a donkey too,
or if he had to walk the whole way.
I love Joseph's example.

I love the blessing I have been given
to be doing what I'm doing...
helping in any way,
a woman give birth
is the most rewarding thing I can do,
other than being a Mother myself.
I love it.

So Happy Birthday, all you December babies!

Twas the Weekend Before Christmas

It's Saturday,
the last Saturday before Christmas.
And I am wide awake at 5 o'clock in the morning!
Visions of sugar plums aren't the only things
dancing thru my head!

I have got stuff to do
as I prepare for the whole family
to be together this coming week!
David Scott and Tisha are on their way
from Boise
arriving here tomorrow!
Dani and Mr. Idaho  and the Golden Child,
will be here Monday
and Deano joins us Christmas Eve--
along with Brother and Sister Boise (Mr. Idaho's folks)
and their yahoos!

I am so stinking excited,
I just can't even sleep!
Aside from meal plans,
I am also getting things lined up for some fun activities:
the Whole Hee Haw Gang is going  snow tubing,
and we're having a White Elephant gift exchange
and a family picture taken!
We are going to be busy!

Plus, there are 4 babies who've yet to arrive!
And we're expecting snow this next week!
I wonder if we'll have a White Christmas,
like the Boise Famlies want?

My Honey-DO list is long too.
And the missionaries are coming for breakfast.
Is it too early to rouse the troops
and get this show on the road??

It's the last weekend before Christmas!
I can't wait!

Our Family Council

Sometimes
Sometimes
This Momza has to grab the reins
to harness in her family.
Things start going amuck around here

and I start looking for the EXIT signs.

This week has been building up
to one of those
Sometimes...
the kids in my house
showed signs of alien-abduction:
forgetting all good manners,
arguing like OJ Simpson's lawyers ("You must aquit if the glove don't fit!)
and in all other ways
behaving as though they've been raised by wolves.
In Wyoming,
because we all know how they are.

Mornings have been uncivilized...
like prisoners of Azkaban
they begin the day by stating their demands
and clanking their cups on the sideboards,
Whining turns into outright fussing
and fussing mutates into
every manner of rotten-ness...
and there I am in the middle
wracking my brain trying to
say the "magic spell"
that will turn these would-be criminals
into law abiding citizens.

We've had moments of peace--
usually when their mouths are full
or their noggins are resting on their wee pillows
but lately,
I tell you what,
there's been awhole lotta fussin' goin on.
Afterschool has become less
"I'm so glad to see my children,
the offspring of my soul--
to
"Shoot! It's 4pm--they'll be here any minute!
Where can I hide until the madness is over?"

So last night,
I. had. had. it.
"FAMILY COUNCIL AFTER DINNER!"
I announced to the whole house,

loud enough for every unruly ear to hear.

Oh that got everyone's attention...
the "Ugh-Mom's-gonna-lecture-us" moan began.
And guess what?
I didn't care.
I was determined.
In the name of Survival
and Self-preservation
I was thinking
time to take control of this wayward Circus!

So they dragged their guilty bums to the sofa
and laid about like they have no backbones--
just skin-covered forms of children...
I normally pull out a diningroom chair
and sit in the middle of the room,
but this time
I stood up
in front of them
like a force to be reckoned with!

I pulled out my cheatsheet--
the notes I had made earlier,
that had the outline I wanted to follow--
and said
"Is everyone having a good time? Do you like coming home
to a bunch of grouchy people? ...something's off-track around here, and
we need to take a look at what's going on around here.
Does anyone know what respect means?"
Ari raises her hand--she ALWAYS raises her hand--because she is 8. Nuff said.
"Respect is when you are kind to others. It's an IB Attitude. And our house needs to be an IB house not a regliar house! An' I go to an IB school and it's great! An' if I went to a regliar school, I would not like it. But I sit next to Iliana an' she doesn't act like an IB kid, an' Mrs. Z says Iliana has to sit by her at the front until she learns her IB attitudes. SO WE need to be an IB Family!!" (hands waving wildly, body contortions all over the loveseat, where she ends up with her legs wrapped around her neck)

That's right, Ari. We show respect for others when we are kind and when we care about them. We listen to them. We may not agree with them, but we don't shout and we don't hit, but we listen. And we are careful about their feelings, right?

Okay, let's talk about HABITS...Joseph, what's a habit?
He grimmaces.  He's boycotting in silence the meeting as a whole.  He's 10.
Ari raises her hand again.
Okay, Ari, what is a habit?

"Something you do all the time."

That's right, it can be something you do at school too...what's some habits, or things you do every day at school?

"We have bell work--we get 10 seconds to hang our coat, and like 10 seconds to pick our lunch, and we haveta take a seat and do spelling words."

Does anyone ever say they don't wanna do it?
She nods her head, "Oh yeah. Marcus. Every. Day!"
And what happens if he doesn't do it.
"He's in TRRRRRoubbble!"
Does he end up doing it?
Raising her eyebrows, "Oh YEAH."
And who made up the bell work?  Who taught your class how to do that stuff?"

"Mrs. Z. She's so AWESOME! I LOVE HER!"

OK, thanks Bee.  Next I wanna talk about another word
Responsibility.
Dara, what's that mean?
The 14 year old favors a zombie...and mumbles out

"Stuff you have to do."

OKay, and let's think about that for a minute.
Can anyone tell me
What is Dad's number one Responsibility?
Silence.
Dad, what's your first responsibility?

"To take care of my family."

That's right.
We all have responsibilites--
Ari interrupts, "WE HAVETA DO OUR PART!"
she is half-laying on the sofa, upside down.

So we talked about it a bit longer
until I got a verbal commitment
from the whole heehaw gang
that they would try harder.

Hugs all around and they were off like rockets!

And I felt cleansed.
I let go of the reins and sighed relief.

The course correction had been made,
we may just have this Circus
on the right track again.