Last night I laid in bed listening to the rain just pouring down thinking of the sun that I so badly want to see.  I'm not sure how many days it's been dark and overcast.  That's one of the things about the Pacific Northwest.  When it's winter and daylight is short, the overcast days seem darker and more dreary than normal. As I was coming home from picking up Job from school we drive down this road that usually has water on it from heavy rains.  I told the kids that we were getting on our rain boots and returning for 10 minutes.  There are these great reflections that I've been wanting to take.  It seems as though life gets in the way of taking pictures sometimes.  Well we headed back to the little side road, I pulled over and the kids jumped out.  While I was taking photos of cattails and reflections the kids were stomping in the water, finding bottles and generally having fun.  What I really wanted though with them was a car to go barralling through the puddle and drench the kids.  A truck came, and he slowed down, another car, same thing.  Every car and truck that came through there slowed way down so they would cover the kids with water.  Finally a lady stopped and rolled down her window.  She had a highschooler in the car with her so I had a feeling she would be game.  I asked to spray my kids.  She was a little shocked but sped up and created a spray.  As soon as she passed them Job exclaim, "THAT WAS AWESOME!"  And it was.  He next announced that he was going to take a bath when we got home.  This is my boy that complains about bathing and thinks that he only needs one bath a month.  I might have to take him there more often if it means he volunteers to take a shower.
Something else I heard was that people were too polite - no one splashed them.  Job talked about the puddle for the rest of the day.

I have subscribed to a photography magazine called Click.  I love it.  I have realized that I love to learn about photography and push myself to know more but I get so nervous shooting for others.  This issue had some low light images that were dreamy and mysterious and emotional.  So I needed to try it out.
We bought this yarn about a month ago and she started some fingerless mitts for a friend.  She carries them around and works on them when we're waiting to pick some one up or going to a doctor appointment. It's fun to watch her.  I tried when I was in high school but gave up before a project was completed, I didn't have the patience that she has.

I didn't even know that such a thing existed.  A geography bee?  really?  Job had participated in a class geography bee and won.  I had no idea until I looked in his backpack and found a note saying that he would represent his class in the school geography bee.  Um, "Is there something you want to tell me Job?"  He rolls his eyes upwards trying to think and say no.  He forgot.  The other day his teacher called home to let me know that Job would need to be back at school by 2:15 for the school geography bee.  I normally pick him up at 1 pm so we just stayed there and did our school work in the library.  At 2:30 the fourth, fifth and sixth grade classes filed into the cafeteria along with each class finalist.  They were asked a bunch of questions and given 15 seconds to answer each question.  Two wrong answers and they were out.  Some of the questions were tough.  One question that stumped him was about Lake Clark National Park.  It is located south of Anchorage in which state, Oregon or Alaska?  Well we had been to a Lewis and Clark interpretive center in Oregon and I thought he had said Lewis Clark National Park.  Job picked Oregon which was south of Anchorage too.  I had a hard time hearing over the basketballs being bounced behind the removable wall to the gym.  I'm partial to Job and thought that he did a great job up there.  He said that he was nervous going up in front of half the school. He doesn't like being the center of attention.  When he came and sat down he let out a loud sigh.  It has been a learning experience for both of us.

I love this profile shot of the two of them.  They look alike.

It is fitting to ring in the new year with some changes in our house.  The changes have been coming alone quietly, slowly, steadily.  I can't stop the changes and they will continue.  I don't necessarily want the changes to stop.  I'm actually liking them but this change was a little more visual than others have been.  This change was to the face of my young son.  We have been noticing it more and more so we did what every parent does, purchase a razor for him.  Then John took him upstairs and they shaved together.  The younger ones cheered him on with taunts and teasing and of course I knew that I would need some dirt for later on in his life.

Job and Lona participated in a soccer camp over the break.  It was everyday, one hour of conditioning and then somedays they played soccer and some days they didn't.  Because Job and Lona are different ages they had different time slots.  Some days Lona would be at the sportsplex from 2 to 4 and Job would be there from 3 to 5 or vice versa or Job would be there from 2 to 4 and Lona would be there from 3 to 4.  I thought that it was going to be only three days a week but it was three days the first week and then everyday the following.  I made it through that.  The day after Christmas Lona had a tournamnet in the morning.  Then the next day Job had a tournment in the morning and John that evening.  Unfortunately I don't have photos of Job playing soccer.  I would just stand up and yell.  He did good and had some assists and gives and gos (passing the ball to another player then run up the field to take the pass back).
Isaac on the other hand has been going to a chess meeting everyday.  He's been the only one out of his group to make it and so has had an hour a day of one on one coaching.  He spent the mornings reading his chess books, and moving pieces on a chess board then was coached and then spent the afternoons playing online chess games and working on tactics.  His friend would come over and Isaac would try out the moves on the chess board with him.  It was a varied Christmas break.

 

I always have in my mind how I want Christmas day to unfold.  I have these visions of perfectly dressed children who are kind and laughing and excited.  I have an expectation that when I rise from bed the house will be clean and after the presents are opened we'll pick up the mess and be ready to get on with the day in a clean house and maybe even have some people over to play games with.  That is my idea.  Reality:  The kids are up way to early and into their stockings.  I figure that's what stockings are for, to entertain the kids until there is nice light to open presents.  I awake with a rat's nest in my hair and puffy eyes from not enough sleep.  I barely drag myself downstairs and bumble into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Then with coffee in hand I hunt for my camera.  I have to say that I'm glad I'm the one with the camera because I know how I look Christmas morning.  The kids can pull off pjs and hair sticking up but I don't look that good.  Traditionally John reads about Jesus' birth from the Bible complete with his voices for the different people.  We love it.  Then the kids open their presents.  I have to say that it was hard to shop for Isaac this year.  He's at the age where he doesn't want toys except for electronics.   He received my old touch and a new diabetes pump.  I think he was more excited about the touch.  He uses it, not the same way I do.  Job wore his rollerblade backpack all day.  He kept bumping into things with it.  I finally made him take it off.  Lona is obsessed with Doctor Who this year and her favorite was a sonic screwdriver pen and her Dr Who shirt.  Reality about the house, we don't have places for some of the gifts so the house stays a mess.  Someday I'll get that figured out, but not this year.  I spent the day reading books and putting together a puzzle while the kids enjoyed their stuff.  John has been cooking ever since he's been home on vacation.  When he's ready to eat he just jumps into the kitchen and starts cooking.  I haven't done much in the kitchen except to clean up and Christmas day was that way as well.

This is our third year in this production.  I didn't realize it but Dancing for Joy has done this production for 10 years.  I have to say that it has totally replaced the Nutcracker for me.  I like the story of the nutcracker but I think that this story has a power that the Nutcracker doesn't.  It is so moving and emotional.  We've seen it three times now and each and every time John and I cry.  It gets to the core of us.  Oh we love watching Lona dance and we get excited to see her but it's the story that holds us.  I can't imagine Christmas with out this ballet production.
Lona was an Angel again this year but this time she was one of the older girls.  There were two of them and they had some special parts.  The dance was essentially the same as last year.  Lona and Grace knew the dance already so Grace came out and danced with the Angel Gabrielle before the other Angels.  She did a fantastic job!  Then the rest of the Angels came out and did their part which was so graceful.  Then there was another time that Lona and Grace danced with Gabrielle before their dance ended.  It is fun to watch her perform and I think that her Dad is a wee bit proud of her.
We attended the Sunday performance and unfortunately the Seahawks were playing at the same time.   Isaac needed John's phone. As soon as the curtain came down, he would grab John's phone to check the game. I think there were many dads doing the same thing. John said that at intermission the talk in the bathroom was how the Hawks were doing.







I helped out backstage Saturday night and the sheep and donkeys were my undoing.  It's been 7 years since I had a three year old.  Getting the donkeys to stay out from under the mirrors was nearly impossible.  They were in their "stables".  I was waiting for a mirror to break.  Then we were told that the donkeys were on one side and two of the took off, one was still getting her ballet slipper on and the boy looked at me while we were chasing down the two and said, "I peed my diaper."  The grand finale was about to happen and the donkeys were on the loose.  We catch up to the other two, and the boy decides to head out on stage.  Luckily the shepherds came by and I asked them to grab that donkey.  We get lined up, I catch a glimpse of the last donkey to arrive backstage when I'm told we were on the wrong side.  So we "herd" the donkeys back to the other side of the stage when they decide it's time to go out.  I tell you, keeping sheep and donkeys together is a huge job.  I hear just then the boy say he's done, he wants to go home.  Finally it's their turn and they go out on stage but the boy heads to his mom and dad instead.  But it was almost over and the sheep and donkeys give it a light hearted touch to an emotional heart wrenching rendition of the true Christmas story.

I love how these "stars" where watching the older girls - the shepherds and angels, like one day they might get to do that.  Passing the torch.

When I was 9 or 10 years old and we were living in the Salt Lake City Valley my Mom decided to make a gingerbread house with one of her friends at Christmas time.  They built these beautiful houses after rolling out the dough and baking.  Then they decorated the houses with all sorts of candies.  At least that is what I remember.  After Christmas my brother and I tore into the house and ate it all up.  I think that I was told later, much later that my Mom glued it together with elmer's glue because the frosting wouldn't hold.  I'm not sure if that was true or not.  We ate it anyway and I don't remember it tasting funny.  We've tried the ginger bread house here at home with my kids.  My gingerbread doesn't work all that great and to get the kids to roll out the dough and wait for it to be cooked and cooled and have it fit together doesn't work so great.  My friend Marie has mentioned one year that Costco sells a gingerbread kit.  It comes put together - all you have to do is decorate it.  It comes with frosting and candies and even a pure sugar snowman.  So we've done that the last few years.  This year I bought the kit from Costco and then found one at Trader Joes so picked that up too.  When we opened the advent card about the gingerbread house Lona was so excited.  The boys not so much.  I figured the boys could work on one together since they don't stay focused on it too long.  Lona picked out the Costco house because it was preassembled and the Trader Joe one wasn't.  She looked at the box and came up with a plan and worked on it and worked on it and worked on it.  The boys are in the middle of construction.  They mixed up the frosting and put the pieces together.  Finally after the frosting because a thick pile of glue they were coherced into finishing their house. 

busted!