Recess

Chloe went with Matt the other day to take a painting into his school class at UNM. As they walked across campus, Chloe looked up at Matt and asked, "Daddy, where do you go play at for recess?"

Made in China

Carter came to me and said, "Mom, I think everything in our house was made in China...see (he shows me his light-saber) it says here...Made in China." Wow, so observant. I wonder how many things he has noticed that actually were made in China. :)

Tender Moments

I have been thinking this morning about some of the tender moments I have had as a mother. I am grateful for these moments, because they give me the strength to endure the many challenging ones.

*Carter recently told me that we should do away with our presents this year for Christmas and just spend our time thinking and talking about Jesus. I am sure that this 7 year old boy will soon forget...and desire his presents, but I will treasure his moment of thoughtfulness.

*Chloe has been really sweet lately when asked to help with small chores. She quickly responds with an enthusiastic "Sure!" and goes about to help. It makes me feel so happy to see her desire to serve. She is such a determined little hard worker. When she sets her mind to doing something, she goes full force.

*I was laying down with Mason for a nap and I started to sing "I Am a Child of God" to him. The next thing I know he is humming a sweet tune along with me. This is my sweet little boy who struggles with his speech. It was so tender to hear his precious voice.

*Josie recently turned one and I am in the process of weening her...which is always a sad time for me. It means my little babies are growing up. Josie has started to look up at me while nursing, raise her sweet little hand up to my face and start waving to me. It is precious...like she is telling me how much she loves me and is aware of our special bond.

I am grateful to be a mother. I love the opportunity to serve these very special little spirits in our home. I know they are not all mine, I have to share them with a loving Heavenly Father, but I will share, since he has blessed me with each and every one of them.

I want them to know how much I truly treasure all the memories I have with them.

Bug

I have a nickname for my love. When we first got married I referred to Alice as my "Love Bug". As the years have progressed I have abreviated it to just "Bug". I just want to make a quick post and tell Alice that she is a special part of my life. She is a large part of who I am today. She makes me want to be better. She helps me realize my strengths and encourages me to improve on my "not so" strengths. She is a beautiful person, wife and mother. Someday I will post my first impressions of her...but for now, I love her eternally.

I love you Bug!

A Christmas Tag

Here is a little Christmas Tag. Copy and paste this post, change your answers and then tag 5 people.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper...too worried that people will sneak a peak with gift bags...

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real tree by choice, but artificial tree for easier clean-up...but ready to retire the artificial one...it has served us well for many years.

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as I can get it out of the attic. This year it was up before Thanksgiving...yeah!

4. When do you take the tree down? When I get tired of it and feel ready to move on with life.

5. Do you like eggnog? No, I used to drink it with my dad when I was young. When he told me the story of him drinking homemade eggnot as a kid and swallowing a chunk...that was the end for me. Haven't drunk it since.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't remember anything specifically. I just remember the feeling of Christmas morning...warm and cozy with the wood stove burning and sitting around with my family anticipating their expressions when they opened their gifts from me.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Matt. I can never decide on the "perfect" gift for him.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Chloe. I can give her everything I always wanted when I was a little girl.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Several...maybe more. I love them and have a bit of a collection. My favorite for the kids is the "Little People" one that they can play with safely.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Am I supposed to be doing that? Well, I have tried over the past few years to mail cards...well it just hasn't happened. Maybe this year. I have sent out New Year's cards before...:)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Again, I can't remember. I have good memories from Christmas, so I can't think of a bad gift.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life. I guess because it is a wonderful life.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I feel in the mood. It seems to be later each year. Ideally I would shop all year...but that just hasn't happened yet.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Of course, hasn't everyone?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Everything sweet! and everything that people give me. I don't want them to feel bad.

16. Lights on the tree? Is that an option? Don't the lights make it a Christmas tree? Otherwise wouldn't it just be a pine tree?

17. Colored or White? I prefer white, it's not so busy.

18. Favorite Christmas song? I think I decided this year that Silent Night is my favorite.

19. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I like to be home for Christmas. It just depends on what feels like "home" that year. I can't wait to be in Idaho this year...my home.

20. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes, can you sing along with me?

21. Angel on the tree top or a star? Does it really matter? We haven't had either...just haven't gotten around to it.

22. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both, we open new pajamas Christmas Eve and save all the good stuff for Christmas morning. There is nothing better than sleeping in a nice new pair of cozy pajamas.

23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The chaos.

24. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love the classic country look...snowmen, gingerbread men...etc.

25. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Everything that is hot and delicious. Ham, potatoes, you know...the good stuff. :)

26. What do you want for Christmas this year? To remember what is most important in life. Family.

I tag:
Memaw
Matt
Rebekah
Krystal
Zonnie

Thanksgiving Turkeys

This year for Thanksgiving, we had Memaw, Grandma Polly and Krystal come for a visit. It was a lot of fun. We spent Thanksgiving morning making a Hamilton favorite treat. These cute little Thanksgiving Turkeys. We couldn't find any candy corn at 2 different stores, which is what we usually use for the feathers. We decided to try Mike & Ikes and they were very colorful and were a good replacement. Grandma Polly was a great helper. Chloe couldn't resist tasting the chocolate...do you blame her?

Memaw is the old pro at these turkeys...she made them with us many years growing up.

Aunt Krystal and Alice took turns taking pictures.

Mason and Mommy couldn't resist sneaking a treat every once in a while...:)

Then Mason helped Grandma Polly cut up onion and celery for the stuffing.

Good job helping, Mason! :)

Chloe sitting at the table after helping Carter and Mommy set it beautifully.

Carter made these little name tags for the turkeys to set on.

And then it was time to cut the turkey...Who's the turkey in this picture?

We had a really nice thanksgiving. It was relaxing and more enjoyable having family around. Thanks for coming to visit and share in our delicious meal. Oh, we had all the yummy trimmings. We had a deliciously juicy turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, stuffing, Memaw's Cranberry Salad, broccoli salad, veggie tray, 2 pumpkin cheesecakes and one chocolate pie. I think we will be stuffed until next year! :)

Almost Comical

I will be laughing in a few days...hopefully sooner. Today has been a bit of a crazy day! Matt called me mid-morning fretting his minor mistake...he had taken my suburban keys with him all the way into ABQ, a good hour away. The problem is that we have been meaning for a while now to get a spare key...do you understand the "minor" part now? He asked, in high hopes, if I had anything to do today. I didn't even check my calendar...because it is a given that the most important things I had to do today were to take Chloe to the school to catch her preschool bus and pick her and Carter up from school. We live a little less than 2 miles from the school.

My first feeling was disgust...but at least he gave me an hour warning and didn't leave me to find out while in a mad rush out the door...or frantically trying to get out the door while turning the house upside-down trying to find the keys. I was also feeling aggrevated.

My second feeling was hopelessness. I just decided that Chloe wouldn't go to school because I didn't want to figure out how to make it work. I was still feeling aggrevated.

My third feeling was a tiny bit of relief when I realized that I could walk the kids to the school and silently feeling a little gratitude that I had enough time to walk to school. I figured we would need at least 30-45 minutes.

The gratitude quickyly faded when I remembered that the stroller was in the back of the suburban...felt a little hope that maybe the door was unlocked...called Matt and found out it was locked. Ok, back to feeling aggrevated and hopeless and getting very angry.

My next feeling (I forgot by now how many emotions I was feeling!) was a glimpse of excitement to ride my bike with the bike trailer...but too angry to allow myself to feel excited. (I will mention that I have thought about riding my bike with the kids to the school on several occasions, but hadn't had the opportunity...yet) I decided Chloe could ride her scooter and I could fold it up and bring it home in the bike trailer.

I began to feel like I needed to release some of these quickly building emotions, so some exercise sounded great...yet still allowing myself to escalate the frustration, anger, aggrevation and excitement inside me.

We quickly had some sandwiches and loaded the kids in the bike trailer for our begrudging journey. Part of me wanted to feel self pity and the other part wanted to make Matt feel horrible for his tragic "accident" of taking the keys with him across the country, or so it seemed.

Well, after the long journey, which Mason and Josie thoroughly enjoyed (riding cozy and snuggled up together in the bike trailer) we survived the lovely experience. Chloe was totally thrilled that she got to rider her scooter to the school where she told her preschool bus driver all about her scooter-riding experience.

After returning home from the first round-trip, the kids didn't take naps because they slept all the way home. I was exhausted and wished I could lay down for a nap with them...but nobody would go to sleep...which added to my frustration. By now, I had burned up a lot of unnecessary emotion and was feeling better...mostly just tired.

So, as time went by, it grew time to get back on the bikes to go pick the kids up from school. It was a long uphill journey that seemed harder than the first time. I think part of it was that I didn't have any rest periods because Chloe wasn't with me to take breaks. Somehow I made it to the school...by now feeling like I am seriously out of shape and need to start riding every day just to get in shape. I felt a little shakey, but everything was good when Carter saw me on my bike and realized that he got to ride his scooter home from school.

As we waited for Chloe's bus to arrive, Carter and his little friend rode the scooters around for a while. It was a great energy release for them. I think I might bring the scooters for them to ride everyday during this wait. Well, when Chloe finally arrived, we started on our final journey home. It seemed to be a slow journey, but mostly downhill for the kids. We had to take a few breaks...thankfully. As we got closer to home we stopped to get our mail. We still had about 1/4 of a mile or less to go before getting home...when all of a sudden my bike pedal decides to break off...so I end up walking the rest of the way home.

By now, I don't even know what emotions I am feeling...other than total exhaustion...mentally and physically. The great thing was that the kids got home and were exhausted also. It took about 45 minutes to get home.

So, the moral of this very long story...is "I have no idea!" :) I think I got all worked up over nothing and deep down inside thoroughly enjoyed the fact that I was out on my bike getting some much needed exercise! :) I think that I just might do it again someday.

Oh, and I did forgive Matt, since he really did make an innocent mistake. I think we are going to get another key made soon! :)

I think I am about ready to laugh about this silly...way too long...travel log! Sorry for wasting some of your precious time. :)