giving thanks

Us at Thanksgiving, 2015.  I'm a little overwhelmed by church obligations and was planning a miminal-effort, no decorations dinner, etc, but Emma insisted we get out the china and candles.  Most of the kids helped out with cooking the various dishes which made the whole shebang go quite well.  Much to our sorrow, we only had 6 pies for the 7 of us.  Don't tell grandma.

Deanna caught a ride home from a neighbor, so we got to have her home this weekend.  We all enjoyed having her here.  Except maybe Morris, who wasn't happy at getting snuggled so much.  Poor cat.

This morning D left around 7 and I was supposed to help out a friend to plan her visit tomorrow to the cancer center.  My friend canceled so I was tidying up the house this morning (surfing facebook) feeling at loose ends when I heard a blood-curdling "MOM!"  yelled from my garage door.  I had quite a few moments of disorientation until I realized it wasn't one of my little cookies, but the nieghbor's child who couldn't find her mom and wandered over to my house to look for her.  I wrapped her up in the tardis blanket and returned her home, explaining that her mom was in the shower.  Boy do I remember those days when grabbing a bathroom break was a major accomplishment.  Luckily I know how to start their DVD player and peace was restored.

It made me remember one particularly interesting day in California when I got out of the shower to find that one of my kids was missing.  I completely panicked, running outside in a towel, screaming the kid's name, to find one of my angel neighbors coming up the street with her.  I am so grateful that my 'village' at that point in time included sympathetic and helpful friends.

How grateful I am for friendship and family and the ways we choose to be in each others lives.  Thanks for being in mine!

Attack

This is Zak, mere minutes after he was born.  He doesn't look very happy about it, does he?  

Even now, when he is really disgusted at something his mother does his smile is a perfect grumpy cat half moon.  

Happy 14 Zak attack!

August

Bandelier National Monument is just a few hours away from us and has cliff dwellings where you can climb the ladders and go inside to explore.  I've wanted to go there ever since we were living in the TLF (2012) and finally we made it!  

Mighty cozy on the insides

We climbed 4 tall ladders to get to the cave at the top

We kept seeing this guy, whose shirt reads 'keep calm and don't regenerate'  The kids loved it

The abundant rain this summer meant the creek at the bottom of Bandelier was running high and everything was amazingly green.   The kids all agreed that frijoles was a good name for the creek since it was the exact color of refried beans.

The kids started school on August 13.  I only got one picture which wasn't fuzzy and it's of Noah.  I bet the kids will say it's because he's the baby and the favorite.  They might be right.  

I would like to point out that at 7:20 it was already 80 degrees.  Wearing his new jacket nonetheless

the cub scouts visited a police station.  

wilson arch, on the way to deliver D to her freshman year at BYU

This year 2 of our kids have headed out to be on their own.  For the first time ever in the history of our marriage, each kid has his or her own room.  Plus a guest room.  The weirdness of this would be overwhelming if I hadn't just spent an entire day trying to clean the house and do the laundry which didn't get done while I was driving D up to BYU.  We drove up one day, spent that night with Aunt Holly, then spent one day getting D moved in and settled.  Here's what she accomplished in that one day:

checked into housing
moved in
got a bike
got a job
grocery shopping
boots for winter
ID on campus
Books
Walked all the way around campus
Bought every flavor Stephens hot cocoa (oh wait, that's all for me)

My pedometer says we did 5 miles that day.

One advantage of not living in the dorms would be the welcoming committee when she moved into her apartments.  The EQ presidency unloaded my car--I didn't have to carry anything!  And then, after grocery shopping they helped carry everything again.  I saw them helping other people throughout the day, so it's not just the cute Ms D they helped.  Her roommates seem nice (she was freaked out because they're SO OLD (maybe 20))  I only cried a little bit. . .

Until the drive home where I actually stopped in Redmesa to the cemetery to tell Grandma and Grandpa Slade how proud I am of their great granddaughter.   Maybe I just needed to give myself permission to be all sad and stuff, but I bawled for a bit and then when I felt better got back into the car.  10 hours is a long drive to make all by my lonely.

Now I have to learn to count to 4.

July

By July I was mostly able to walk as long as it wasn't too far.  So we did stuff.  

butterfly house at the botanical gardens

Hiking down in the Bosque.  

Playing ultimate with friends.  

Or maybe Cole was dog piling on Deanna and Lia and Nathan joined in

Zoo.  Elephants.  

Dad had a birthday

There were more swim meets

road trip to Jemez

Jemez is kinda pretty

June

Noah went to cub camp

Talia finished up her driving hours on our way to Idaho

Grand Tetons visitors center

Noah, junior ranger

Tetons!

Animal watching in Yellowstone

The last time we went to Yellowstone we had fun hikes and visited everything I wanted to see--except the grand prismatic springs.  So, this was my one must-see place.  Ben thought he would just piggyback me up the boardwalk, but there were so many tourists who would just barrel past him, he nearly got pushed off, so I crutched my way up.  If I had bad feelings about tourists before, being temporarily less able certainly has increased my lack of respect for the respectless hordes.  

 Our big trip this summer was up through Utah to spend the day with my sisters (mani pedis and a facial) then up to jackson, WY to drive up through the Tetons and Yellowstone on our way to the family reunion in Idaho.

There is a lovely little gravel road between Teton Village and the Teton's visitor center, and we took that road on our way north.  I was driving due to Talia's lack of experience on gravel roads.  However, the people ahead of us were going maybe 5 mph, and even a brand-new driver can handle those kinds of speeds.  Frustrated with their tortise pace I traded places with Talia, and while walking around the front of the car (and while calling the people ahead of us names) I stepped into a hole and rolled the ankle.  I seemed doomed to always be injured at reunions.  I guess I'm glad I had plenty of books to keep me happy while I elevated my foot and everyone else did stuff.

The reason I was on crutches.  

My view of the reunion.  Lying on the couch watching the pool sharks

On the way home we visited Colorado Springs for a day.  It's pretty in that part of the country!

garden of the gods

 This summer Emma joined the Y swim team.  She is actually a fast little swimmer and in her first meet got 4 firsts, and one second place--which is impressive because it was a 4x25 freestlye and her lap took her team from last place to finish second.  Go Manta Rays!

Swim cap hair.  Pretty!

 The week we got back from Idaho Isaac went to scout camp, Ben, Lia and D went to girls camp.  The picture doesn't do justice to the amount of filth this boy brought home with him.  He had a good time.

Girls camp YCL's

May

In May, Emma's Cool Cats club put on a play.  She was a princess.  

Talia got her eyes checked and dialated

Emma 'moved on' from 5th grade.  You can't call it graduation, because. . . reasons.  

Noah gave himself a haircut

We got to skype with J on mother's day

Feb-April photos

Noah and Sis Adolf at his baptism

J and I spent a day driving to the Salt Mission ruins.  

Happy St Patrick's day!

Paige wrote a book.  Talia read it.  

zoo

zoo

zoo

zoo

Grandma and Grandpa spent the day at the zoo with us

and the aquarium

Zaky, the straight A honor student

tent rocks

slot canyon at tent rocks

Lego club