They came, they finally came!

The Son

Today I had a moment of pure joy.


All day yesterday was a cold, windy, dreary day. Canada sent some of it's air our way and we didn't climb past the mid teens for our daytime high. Clouds hung heavy in the sky. Snow fell late in the day and the sun hid it's face. I love those kind of days. Days when all you want to do is snuggle up under your blanket, read a good book, and sip hot cocoa.

But even more than that I love days like today!

The tomorrows that Annie loved to sing about when the clouds clear out and the sun lights the earth and spreads it's warmth. The sun came out today! Bright and brilliant and warm!

Driving home from Walmart, listening to Christmas music, I felt it! My Joy! I was thinking about the sunshine, how it lights the earth. How it warms the earth. My heart swelled. Peace pierced my heart. I took a deep breath and inhaled the joy around me. The sweetness that the earth feels when it's sun comes out.

My thoughts were then drawn to The Son.

The light of the World.

My warmth, my light, my peace, my Savior in all things. The joy I will one day feel in His presence

My heart swelled to overflowing.


He knows me!


He loves me!


And this Christmas Season I'm grateful for the chance to celebrate Him!

Man of the House

This year for the Acres Organic conference Larry traveled to Minneapolis Minnesota.

But unbeknownst to me, before he left, he left Braden in charge. The day he flew out he took Braden aside and told him

"Son, I'm going to be gone for a couple of days. You are going to be the man of the house. You need to take care of your sisters and mom and make sure things go okay."

"okay dad" was Braden's four year old reply

This conversation took place without my knowledge

Braden was his usual helpful self so I didn't think anything was out of place until Thursday when he announced he needed a glass.

I asked him if he wanted water in the glass.

"No"

"well, do you want ice in it for your soda?"

"no ice, just a glass with noffing"

As our strange conversation goes on I get more and more confused...a glass, no ice, no water. Maybe he isn't thirsty...then why does he want a glass.

Once I'm clear as mud about what he wants I give him the glass. I try not to stare and wonder what he is going to do with the glass because he gets kind of shy when there is unwanted attention on him. So I watch him out of the corner of my eye and see him spit into the glass.
I look at him and say "what are you doing bud?"

He says"I spit in glass like Daddy"

I think, "oh no"

That night he climbs onto my lap to watch a movie, with his cup in hand, and spits throughout the whole movie.

I told Larry about this on the phone that night and he felt a little bit alarmed that his little boy might pick up on his bad habit. Maybe this will be a catalyst to helping him quit chewing.

One other way Braden thought it was important to "man up" was in the wearing of his apparel. Again Thursday night, he was walking around the house with his pants low on his hips. His bumcrack is hanging out and when I pointed this out to him he says

"me just like daddy now"

You won't find a litte boy anywhere who wants to be just like his daddy more than Braden.

This Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we went to Grandma Cindy's house in Nampa. We spent two fun days with Grandma and Aunt Kresta eating and decorating.

Since Grandma isn't a big fan of cooking we were treated to Thanksgiving dinner Marie Calendar style! The great thing about eating out for Thanksgiving dinner is that there is no clean up! No piles of dishes, no hours of cooking, and cleaning while everyone else watches football.

Highlights from the trip include:

*No dishes after dinner

*Aunt Kresta wrapping Gabby in her coat with her because Gabby was cold.

*helping decorate Grandma's house for Christmas. Braden had a blast.

*the kids snacking all day on Grandma's good stuff

*taco dip

*apples to apples

*Ally and her sticky notes

We had so much fun with Grandma. Kresta cracks me up with her wit and innocence. She says "I love you mommy" whenever she knows she about to be in some hot water....reminds me of Ally a few years back who would always say "I love you" quickly after getting into some kind of mess.

Thanksgiving seemed to sneak up on me this year. Actually this whole year has seemed to really fly by. This Thanksgiving I was keenly aware of how grateful I am for my family. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people in my life.

Ticket Nazi

One Saturday last month Larry and I decided we would do something we have never done before. We wanted to see two movies in one day... back to back.

Larry really wanted to see the movie "2012" and I wanted to see "New Moon" one more time (and Larry did to, just don't ask him to admit that).

We checked our show times and found out that if we went to see 2012 first then we would only have a fifteen minute wait (long enough to stretch our legs) before New Moon started. So, eagerly we bought tickets for both shows at the ticket counter. Larry held on to the tickets as he always does and I bought a very large Dr Pepper, both of which contribute to my story.

In looking at our movie times and trying to decided which movie to see when, I discovered that both of these movies were over two and a half hours each. A fine length for a movie...I'm not complaining... I want to get my eight bucks worth. But if you know me, you know that I drink like a camel saving up for a long dessert hike and consequently I have to use the bathroom quite a few times in a two and a half hour period.

About an hour into the first movie I decided the movie was in a good lull, I could tell what would happen next, and that it was a great time to empty my burgeoning bladder. I walk out of the theatre down the hall, past the ticket taker and into the bathroom. Afterward, on my way back to the theatre I pass the ticket taker standing dutifully at his post.

He puts his hand out toward me and says "ticket please?".

I say "huh?"

I have been to this movie theatre maybe seventy five times since we've lived here and not once!....not once! have I been asked for a ticket stub on returning from the bathroom. The boy was standing there when I left my theatre for goodness sake...he saw me leave, so what was this business about needing a stub? You of course understand my dilemma....Larry had my ticket stub with him. So here I was a thirty three year old woman cowering to a very tall seventeen year old boy asking for my ticket.

"Ummm, my husband has it with him" I stammered, feeling guilty even though I knew I could provide proof of stub if he would allow me.

"okay" he says and lets me pass, but not without giving me the suspicious stink eye first.

I get back into the theatre and tell Larry, " I need my ticket stub"

"huh? why?" he asks

"ticket Nazi's" I explain

"okay?" he says just a little puzzled.

Over an hour later the same need to empty my bladder. The ticket taker was there! I went in to the bathroom, came back out and viola...he was no where to be found.

2012 turned out to be a fun movie, if not improbable. So we went out to the parking lot to stretch our legs and call the kids at home.

After a short break we went back into the theatre to get our seats for New Moon. Again after the first hour and a half or so I still had some Dr Pepper left (it must have been a forty ouncer) and had to take one more trip to the bathroom.

And again, there at his post was my ticket taker. By now he was looking at me very suspiciously. Not very many people come to the theatre in Twin Falls and stay for almost five hours apparently. On my way back to the movie he sticks his hand out and says "ticket please"

I proudly produce my ticket stub for New Moon but in the process drop my other ticket stub for 2012. He, quick as lightening, bends over to pick up the stub and stuffs it in his pocket. I could have been offended that he still didn't' believe me, and was thinking that I was trying to pull a fast one. But I wasn't offended, instead I thought to myself "well, that's just what Nazi's do" and went happily into the movie, knowing that he had the proof in his pocket that I had indeed paid for two movies that day.

Ticket Nazi's aside, it was a great day! Larry and I had fun doing something we've never done before. I don't know what it was, maybe it was feeling again like we had all the time in the world to just hang out with each other...no worries...no schedules...just us. It sparked a small spark of excitement again in our hearts for each other.

It was fabulous!

Halloween.....just a little late

So I've been a little lax.

I've been busy.

I painted, cleaned, moved furniture, redecorated and tried to stay on top of my life this last month.

But I figured that since I want to make this blog into a book for my family to enjoy the rest of our lives, I didn't want to leave anything out. No matter how out of season it is.

Here are a few pictures from Halloween this year.

This year Courtney went as a 1970's basketball player....she rocked the fro! And got the most attention from the candy givers. Check out her form.

Ally's costume was kind of a last minute idea. We had this great cape and black dress so we decided that she could be Jane from the Volturri. It worked out to be a great costume and she looked just like Jane (her eyes are even glowing red from the overexposure on the camera...cool trick huh?). Sadly there weren't very many Twilight fans in Hazelton because only two people recognized her.

And our very own little superhero. Braden went as Spider-Man. He loved this costume and wore it every day for about a week. He also didn't want mom to put it away with all of the rest of the costumes in storage. He insisted I keep it out....so I did...it's hanging in his closet to be worn at his next whim.

Trick or Treating was fun. We walked around our small town for about an hour then walked back to the church for some trunk or treating. The weather was really nice, high fifties, so it wasn't a bad evening for walking.