A Dad and His Boy...

July 2010:

Once upon a time there was a boy, a very grumpy boy, a boy who felt wronged by the world at large. When his mother asked him "why so glum", he hrrumphed and said he didn't want to talk about it. When his sister tried to make him laugh by singing silly songs he claimed that he needed to be alone and stomped outside. He sat alone upon a back yard swing and contemplated how very unfair life was and vowed the he would NOT let his foul mood go, no matter what. 

Enter DAD. 

Dad made his way to the boy's side and after a few moments in hushed conversation a change slowly settled over the angry little boy. He became less angry and more sad. It turns out that the little boy realized that he only had one week left with his dad and then they would be separated for three long months. 

 The boy was sad that his dad wouldn't be there to play with him all summer long, that he wouldn't be there to have adventures with him and wouldn't be there to teach him things that a boy should know before turning 7 by the summer's end.

I don't know what magic words the dad spoke, that is between a man and his boy, but I know that some how the boy felt less weighed down by life's circumstances and even found it in his little soul to smile. 

 The dad and the boy wasted not another minuet in sadness and instead got to the work of playing. First up was sword fighting.

Thrust, parry, swipe!

 Next on the agenda was an adventure. What better adventure than to pretend to ascend into a magical land of the tree dwellers?

From this vantage point all problems and concerns seem miles away. 

And finally the teaching of an essential 7 year old skill...the throwing of the spiky weed. Dad showed the little boy how to pick the perfect stem and remove the weapon from its sheath. 

Then you take aim and flick the pod so that the very pointy end pokes into clothing and hair.

This is a skill that the little boy thought was simply wonderful and worked to perfect his precision marksmanship over the next several months (mom and sisters usually being the targets of choice). 

It just goes to show, that sometimes, when life feels really tough, a boy just needs his dad. 

 and lets be honest...often times, a dad just needs his boy.

China Cup Party...

June 2010:

Every 6 months my mom hosts what she calls a "China Cup Party". She sends out invitations inviting her grand daughters and the Anderson girls over for a themed afternoon of finery, decadent snacks served on china, and music fitting the event. The girls are encouraged to dress as fancy or casual as they want and to please RSVP in their own  voice. Ella wanted a VERY fancy purple dress. She would not be swayed from this. Do you know how hard it is to find an ALL purple dress? We ended up buying a totally inappropriate prom dress in a women's size 2 and cutting the padded bra out and fixing the neck line so it would fit. Alas she was pleased with her outfit and ready for a very grown up party. 

When the girls arrived the room was decked out in Indian tapestries and my mom let each girl choose a Sari to wear for the afternoon. She then gave a lesson on different spices and herbs and how they are valued and used through out history and at present.

 Ella told me later that she learned that God made plants for the good of people and that they can be used for medicine and to smell good. I'm assuming that there was much more but as she is 4, that is as much as she retained. 

At some point during the luncheon the girls each picked something out of a "treasure box"

a small trinket for them to take home.

 They were also each given a special pair of indian slippers.  

Beautiful Courtney all glammed up in her Sari 

 Lovely Ashlyn bedazzeled in layers of fabric direct from mom's trip to India a few years ago

 Sweet little Baylee with golden hair all done up for the occation

 And my little Ella, who could not be convinced under any form of bribery to cover up her purple frock. Side note, she was REALLY tired by the end of the party so she looks a little out of it. She was telling me about the party as her eyes drifted closed on the ride home.

I am so grateful for a mom who has always aspired to be a "teaching grandma". She brings culture and diversity to my children's lives in ways that really leaves an impact. 

So this time it was India and the glory of herbs and spices and although she hasn't shared the topic of the next China Cup Party, she has already started planning and gathering the treasures that will be the keepsakes for these sweet girls. 

The Halcyon Days of Summer...

So I am trying to work in some back blogging in an effort to get caught up before the craziness of the holidays. It may become a bit jumbled going back and forth-sorry! Here are the happenings in our lives over the last couple of months...

When school got out I knew that there were long summer days with kids running crazy through my house and realized that I needed to come up with ways to entertain them which would take them out side as much as possible.  We are so lucky to live in Silverdale because we are surrounded by parks and play grounds, rivers, lakes and even an ocean,  so I figured we should utilized our resources. On this particular day some friends met up with us for lunch at a local park and lake. After eating and chatting we took the kids on a scavenger hunt. We made a list of random things you can find along a typical Washington trail, things like "find a pine cone larger than your hand and one smaller than your hand". We also put things on the list like "find a tree larger than your house". The kids did great and had a really good time completing all the tasks on the list.   

 The end of the scavenger hunt led us to the beach where my kids thought it was warm enough to put their feet in the water, you know, because the sun was out and the thermometer read over 65 degrees. Let me tell you something about my little ones, they LOVE water in NEARLY any form. They will run head long into a lake without looking back, a river provides fresh moving water which they think is boss, and don't even get them close to the ocean because they don't believe in hypothermia.

Pools are another story...Lets just say that their love of all things liquid most certainly does NOT apply to pools. Swim lessons this summer involved lots of tear, but that is another post...

By the end of this summer day - of nearly 67 degrees - the kids were soaked and sleepy and I was looking forward to planning out the days that followed. Boy do I LOVE summer break!

On a side note, this is one of Ella's favorite people, a girl who knows how to play dress up, who values the beauty of red shoes, and who has a spirit of adventure that takes her into a lake on a mildly warm day in her dress. 

Mess maker, mess maker, make me a mess...

MIss Danali has turned one and somewhere along the way she has become like this little tornado tearing through the house. I can't even be annoyed because she is so stinkin cute! She likes to be my big "helper".  She unloads the dishes to floor if giventhe opportunity, she loves opening the art drawers and dumping the colored pencils, crayons, and construction paper all over, her delight is finding the DVD cabinet open so that she can re-organize all the shiny boxes so neatly lined there, and finally her greatest ambition is to see the pantry door open just a crack so that she can snake her little finger into the opening and make it wide enough to squeeze her body onto the bottom shelf where she is a champion of dumping out pasta, flour, rice and her personal favorite...sugar. It is so reminiscent of my Ella that really I'm not much phased by it.  You would think that I would have gotten smarter and purchase more advanced baby proofing supplies but then how would she spend her days???

I haven't forgotten about you my little blog...

So I have been neglectful of my little family blog. Honestly, I can't believe how long its been since my last post, but here we go. I am going to do a bunch of back posting so that it will all be here at the end of the year when I make a book.
I am starting working backwards...
August 15th marked mine and Jon's 12 year anniversary. We have known each other since I was 14 and have been best buddies for almost 14 years. He has been and still is the best friend I've ever had. He is my light. I find my greatest peace and strength in the circle of our marriage. As our marriage matures year after year, I realize that he and I, our relationship, is the thing that matters most in life and after. Everything and everyone comes and goes over the course of a life time, but your spouse is your partner, your companion. We help one another progress through this life. We grow together in the face of great challenges and delight in life's great joys. I love this man, scratch that, I cherish this man and the amazing husband and friend he has been to me for so many years.
 I flew down to Texas to be with him for the weekend of our anniversary. I was only there a couple of days, but it was wonderful and so needed. We have never been a part for any length of time so not being together for two months was really hard and we knew that if we didn't break up the 12 weeks it would be nearly unbearable.
So we went shopping, explored the city, stayed in, and ate out ... a lot. Jon has been watching what he eats to make sure that he meets the height /weight requirement and I have been cooking for children for the last two months so we decided to really give our palates a treat. You can get some great Mexican food in Texas folks. We stayed in a beautiful hotel called the Westin in the picturesque River Walk area. This was our first night out...after we finally made it out of our hotel room ;) and we were so lucky to stumble into this great Mexican restaurant. The virgin Pina Colota I had still makes my mouth water. The restaurant was complete with a mariache band.

 After dinner we walked around down town and just enjoyed the warm night and the activity of people and river boats, live music on the streets, the little shops selling all sorts of touristy goods, and there was even a big fountain that squirted water up in random intervals where kidswere playing even though it was past 10pm.  The next day we went to brunch  at a Brazilian place and it too was just sooo yummy. We had the whole restaurant to ourselves so I took out the lap top and showed Jon pictures and videos from all of our summer adventures up to that point. He got a little teary seeing pictures from Danali's first birthday and Caden's 7th. It was hard on him knowing how much he was missing with his family. 

Jon was getting ready to go out into the field for three weeks and he had to get all his stuff ready to be loaded on the transport truck. When we went back to visit his barracks I found all his stuff laid out on his bed so I helped myself to the items that interested me. Can I tell you that the Kevlar helmet weighs a TON. I can't believe that they don't give soldiers headaches. 

I did however find the many pockets and water canteen quite useful. 

On the night of our anniversary we had dinner a beautiful restaurant that looks something like the Space Needle (which is where Jon purposed to me) only taller.

 ooo...and I had the most amazing crab dish and a lobster bisque that was to die for.

We got there in time to watch an amazing sunset. It was so romantic to just snuggle up to my love and watch the horizon as it lit up with reds and oranges then fade into the beautiful deep blue of night. 

It definitely was an anniversary dinner we will remember.

He also took me a movie at the most unique movie theater I have ever been to. You sit down and have a menu where you can order not only popcorn and nachos, but all kinds of diner type things. The waiter comes around during the movie to refill your drink or take orders. We stuck to popcorn and lemonade but knowing that I could have a Caesar Salad if my heart desired was kind of cool.

One of the things I have missed most about Jon is the little moments we share while we are getting ready for bed at night. I wash off my makeup, we take out our contacts, and brush our teeth, throw on a comfy pair of jammies, and snuggle in bed together all the while talking over our day, sharing the funny things the kids did or said, we talk about plans for the day ahead and basically just connect with one another.When I am aching for my Jon, this is what my heart longs for. Him, all tousled and simple and ready for bed.  So I will say, good night my sweet. Only 3 1/2 weeks until we will be snuggled up together laughing about Danali following the dog around saying, "no no no no no doggie" and talking about needing to go to the bank and the post office. I can't wait. 

Hair today, gone tomorrow (pun intended)...

Today was a good full day. Enjoyed having the in laws over for lunch, loved watching a childhood friend baptize his daughter then going back to their house and hanging out with a big group of people who I have known my whole life, got the kids to bed w out any struggle, finished watching "Leap Year" then decided to check my e-mail. The first e-mail I opened was so unnerving that I don't think I will be getting to the rest tonight. My love sent a pic of himself sporting VERY short hair and I don't know if it was the lingering romanic feelings from the movie or seeing Jon in a shirt I didn't recognize, in a room that I have never seen, or realizing that he looks different then he did 2 weeks ago, but he has never felt so far away from me as he does right now. I feel homesick for him. Is that weird, to feel homesick for a person? I haven't seen or touched him in 2 weeks and it feels so unnatural. We have been lucky that we were able to communicate as much as we did this last week, texting as his schedule allowed, and talking when we are able to, but man, I MISS him. I enlarged his picture and just stared at it for a bit.  Giving myself permission to cry a little now. I have been really disciplined so far. I don't let myself think to long about the fact that he is across the country, instead, I pretend that he is having a long day at work or is just gone for the weekend at a pharmacy convention. I don't allow myself to acknowledge that little ache of longing for him that hums about in the background of my days and nights and when the ache threatens to come to the fore front, I actively distract myself by being busy mentally and physically. But tonight, I am going to allow it, in fact, I am going to indulge it. I am going to let myself think of all the little things I miss about him; his laughter and playfulness filling our home, the way that he always treats me with kindness and is so quick with a compliment, the feeling of absolute peace that I find when I am held by him, but mostly, I am going to think about his hair. I am going to think about the way it stubbornly refuses to be parted anyway but one. I am going to remember the countless hours that I have spent idly running my finger through it as we watch TV or as we are laying to together talking. And just to really do myself in, I am going to go up stairs and bury my face in his pillow and hope that it still smells like him, because I love the way his head smells. Kind of mixture of his shampoo, styling products, and his own natural scent. So tonight I am going to cry and ache and long for my husband, I am going to be overwhelmed by the number of days that are stretched out in front of me until he comes home, and I am going to let every sadness wash over me, but in the morning, I am going to pretend, and get busy, and have another good full day. 

It only takes one careless moment....

I didn't want to write this blog post. It has been nagging at me all day to the point that I got out of bed at 12:24am to finally quiet that voice of persuasion in my head. 

Today was like any other. There was a house full of children all running in and out playing in the water in the back yard, riding scooters in the front, sword fighting and wrestling around the play room, and me running around keeping everyone fed and entertained while keeping the house from looking like a tornado hit it. It was almost lunch time and I shooed the 5 older kids out of the house so that I could make lunch while feeding the baby. I put Danali in her high chair, fed her some yogurt, and got out the supplies to cut her up some strawberries, her favorite fruit of all time. The whole time she was eating I was bustling around the kitchen pulling out plates, drinks, food, and utensils and she was content to just chat away with me. After a bit though, she started getting frustrated that she could see the strawberries on the counter but I hadn't gotten around to cutting them up yet. Just as I was pulling my stool up in front of her to give her my full attention one of the kids called me out side to referee a dispute so I put a few gold fish crackers on her tray and off I went.

I was out back for several minuntes and didn't give Danali a second thought. I was having fun coming up with a game for the kids to play where they rip post it notes off one another-the post it notes had different symbols representing different super powers- to gather as many super powers as possible. I was loving hearing the powers the kids wanted represented and hearing them come up with the back story for the kingdom they were defending, what would happen to those who lost their powers, and how to figure out the supreme victor in the battle for all the magical powers in their land. It was only after I remembered the I had water boiling did I dash for the house. 

When I came through the back door, I saw Nali laying face up on the floor in front of her high chair. Not making a sound, not moving, and really all I could see for one terrifying moment were her chubby little baby legs and feet. For one half of a heart beat I was frozen, afraid that if I continued into the kitchen my whole life would change. After that half a heart beat passed, I raced over to her, scooped her up, and realized immediately that she was choking. I flipped her over and thumped her back and a huge piece of strawberry popped out of her mouth.  

When it came out she just fell against me, coughed a little, whimpered, but didn't even cry much. I kept trying to pull her away so that I could examine her, find where she was injured, make sure she was breathing okay, check her pupils, but she just buried her face in my neck and trembled a little. 

I was trembling too. From the inside out. I left my baby alone in the kitchen and I didn't strap her into her high chair. At some point while I was out side, not even thinking about her, she must have crawled out of her chair and managed to get a strawberry off the counter and into her mouth before she fell to the floor. I didn't strap her in...how could I not have strapped her in? How could I have been so careless?  I KNOW that she tries to climb on top of her tray every time she is in her high chair. I know better. How is it that I walked out of my house and forgot about my baby for several minutes while she was falling and choking? My blood runs cold every time I think about what could have happened, what would have happened if I had decided to make just one more post-it note.

I checked her over from head to toe and couldn't find any bumps or scrapes. Her eyes were dilating  evenly and after I held her for quite a while, she seemed fine and ready to eat. I put her back in the high chair, strapped her in, and tried to unload the dishwasher through tears and with trembling hands. As soon as I had a moment I locked myself away in my bedroom and fell on my knees thanking Heavenly Father for the guardian angel who watched over my sweet daughter today. I will never forget that moment; the one where her baby legs lay unnaturally still upon the floor and my heart nearly stopped with terror for what might be. It makes me realize again how precariously life is balanced. We do our best, and when that isn't enough, the Lord steps in to make up for our weaknesses and in my case today, my carelessness. Like I said, today started off like any other but it is ending with me not taking for granted even one breath taken by these precious souls. I am also ending my day with a renewed determination to not let any distraction, any bout of laziness, or misplaced sense of  invincibility keep me from taking all safety precautions with my children. So to all the mommas out there, be ever vigilant. Don't cut corners when your child's well being is at stake. And to my Heavenly Father, thank you for entrusting these cherished souls to me, I promise to do my best to return them to you in one piece.