Sunshine in Winter

It was 2:00 pm and I finishing up some chores so that I could get Oliver and Gabe ready to leave for the daily school pick-up.

Chad called to let me know that he was leaving work a little early - would I like him to pick the boys up?

And so, all the sudden, I had more than an hour freed up in my day - an hour that is always otherwise occupied. An hour that didn't have dishes or laundry assigned to it.

An hour to just play on the trampoline under sunny blue skies.

All the more pleasant because it was out of the routine, just like the 60 degree weather - a gift when none were expected.


Really, I can't tell you how happy this made me.

(the helmet was Gabe's request and is more of a fashion statement than a safety precaution, in case you were wondering about it :)

Sleeping soundly

I can't get these images out my head tonight:

My sturdy, spacious home.

Rubble everywhere.

My three precious boys curling their little bodies in bed, fast asleep.

Thousands of children out in the open, many without parents there to hold them. Little bodies strewn on the streets or hidden under concrete.

Tonight I want to gather those children in my feeble arms, sit them in front of my fireplace with a buffet of food, and tuck them in, under quilts, to sleep on every empty square inch of my house - let them sleep and forget for at least one night.

I can't be there, but my prayers and heart are in Haiti.

(We are such fortunate people. How can we forget that?)

Belated Thank-You

Back when New Moon opened, my cousin Olivia* rented a theater out with her friends, sold the tickets, and had an awesome showing. After it was over, she had a give-away with some of the swag bags they had leftover from the event, and I won one!

I was so excited when I came home from vacation to find it in the mail. Along with some hilarious New Moon memorobilia, there were a few extras thrown in, like some homemade pepper jelly, which disappeared a long time ago when I made some Texas Egg Rolls to go with them. SO delicious Olivia and so adorable too!

Thank You Thank You Thank You!

I'm trying to think of a cool place to put my stickers....maybe my Primary binder?

*For those of you who aren't familiar with her blog, check it out and get with the times. My brother-in-law James actually just won a book in another give-away!

More belated thank you's coming tomorrow.

When Pizza Hut says "Unlimited Toppings"....

....I go for the gusto!

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

Sitting here at my computer tonight, this is what I am asking myself:

Do I have a headache and feel like crap because I over-exercised today, or because I need more sleep, or because I am getting sick?

If I get sick, can I let my house fall apart completely? Maybe I want to be sick.

Can I go to bed without putting away the laundry that was big goal for the evening?

Is it really that horrible to let my pots lay dirty for one more night?

Can 10 pm-6am somehow add up to 10 hours of sleep?

Will I feel better in the morning?

I know the answer to that one. Thank goodness. Goodnight!

Winter Wonderland

Colin braved the record-breaking cold yesterday to go outside to play with his friend, and soon came to the front door yelling, "Mom! Come outside RIGHT NOW!"

This is what he had discovered!

Our hose was turned on because we have a timer set up (set to never go off right now), and the connection between the timer and the hose was leaking and spraying a thin stream of water out. It was enough to create some Chihuly-ish ice sculptures for the boys to crunch over and a neat story to tell Dad when he called.

Gabe

Gabe: What's it called when you pack a gun?

Me(baffled): Uh, I don't know.

Gabe (thinking for a few moments): Oh yeah, PACKIN' HEAT!

If you can't tell from the picture, that's a sword, spy binoculars, handcuffs, a gun, two lightsabers, and of course, some 3D glasses.

Peace from a box

When Chad first announced that he was going to have to travel with his new job, I felt a lot of initial sadness, sure. But I have to admit that I then I started to picture quiet evenings by myself. Curling up in bed to watch Pride and Prejudice yet again, maybe finally watching My Sister's Keeper, or getting completely absorbed in a book for a few hours. I was going to pamper myself at the end of the day for parenting our children solo.

It hasn't exactly gone that way. Not one bit, actually. I just watched half an hour of Anne of Green Gables (Christmas gift) while scrubbing down my kitchen and loading a third round of dishes and very soon I will be collapsing into sleep. Does that count?

I have found one way of treating myself that has become a bit of a Katie tradition. Every Monday when Chad leaves for Houston, when I go grocery shopping I buy myself a couple of Kashi meals - meals that I normally don't buy because they are on the pricey side. After Ollie has gone down for a nap, I get to sit down to a very tasty, very healthy hot meal and maybe a few moments of quiet. It actually helps a lot.

What are some surprisingly relaxing ways you have found to deal?

Chad Vs. The Waves

Right when we got to the beach the first time in Daytona, Colin kicked his brand new ball and it went into the water. Chad, being the good Daddy he is, went after it.....in jeans.

If the camera is a little shaky, it's because I was laughing so hard.

Before the New Year comes....

.....I really just need to wrap this year up by posting about our Florida trip. We have been home for over a week and it has been hanging over my head. I won't do it it justice, but oh well...

A couple of weeks ago (on the 18th) I surprised Chad by telling him we were leaving for Florida that afternoon. I had planned and packed everything and we took off for the Sunshine State in the rain. It rained the whole way there -didn't let up for one minute, which I felt really bad about because Chad hates driving in bad weather. "Happy Birthday Chad - let's drive in nonstop rain for six hours!!!" We stayed the night in Jacksonville and then drove to Daytona Beach the next day, where we stayed at a condo that we had gotten through Chad's grandma's timeshare exchange. It was across from the street from the beach and it felt soooo good to unthaw a little.

Ollie loved to chase birds.....

And eat sand.

The boys built a great sandcastle that first day.

After church on Sunday (where all three boys embarassed us in sacrament meeting. It was really bad folks), we walked around Main Street in Daytona. It's weird but I really like my van in this picture.

On Monday (the 21st - 30 days before Chad's 30th - get it?) we went to The Magic Kingdom.

We used RideMax again for Disney World (*and let me just state real quick that I LOVED it. It was super crowded there but our longest wait for 20 minutes and we did everything we wanted and some rides multiple times*), and one of the main suggestions is being there early early early. We were! Here is Colin showing off his mad hula-hooping skills before the gates opened. Several people managed to get in the gates before us, but by the time we got to Cinderella's castle, no one was in front of us! I love jogging down Main Street with all the workers waving their Mickey hands at you.

We paused for just one picture before hurrying along - notice I didn't even stop long enough to turn Ollie's stroller around!

Ollie and Gabe on the first ride of the day - Dumbo.

Gabe's absolute favorite ride - Tomorrowland Speedway. He was so excited on this one that he spontaneously burst out singing "Oh My Darlin' Clementine." It was priceless. He had been so tense up until this point on the trip - he HATES being out of his comfort zone - that we were worried he wouldn't even enjoy DisneyWorld. This was the second ride we went on and I was so glad to see that smile come out!

We talked Colin into going on Splash Mountain for his first time. Despite my careful watching, I didn't get a picture of them on the big drop, but Colin said "it wasn't too bad." He did decline going again later with me though :o)

The steamboat at sunset - always a good way to unwind a little and let the boys take it easy - although Oliver didn't allow us to sit still. He still hadn't taken any sort of nap at this point and was just wild whenever he got out of his stroller.


Oliver finally fell asleep at around 6:30 and took about an hour "nap." He was up in time to go on the Haunted Mansion with us - which is the ride Gabe claims was his favorite. I was sitting next to him and I would claim differently.

We watched the fireworks right in front of Dumbo - it was perfect, we had a clear view of everything without a crowd.


Riding the carousel one last time before leaving.

I really loved being there with all the Christmas lights up. I couldn't take my eyes off Cinderella's castle at night, and as we were walking down Main Street to leave (towards that big Christmas tree) it was "snowing." Perfect way to end the day.

Spent the next two days chillin' on the beach. I wish it had been about 15 degrees warmer (which would be have been Florida's average December weather), but it still beat the cold weather back in Charlotte!

Colin insisted on boogie-boarding again, despite the cold. I couldn't believe that kid!

Got home at around 11:30 on Christmas Eve Eve to a home that was 55 degrees inside. When can we go back?

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

To person who owns this black car parked outside of Krispy Kreme in Daytona Beach:

I try to stay relatively positive on this blog, but I'm just gonna say it:

You are a tool.

Not just for having these sentiments,

Not just for choosing to express these sentiments on your car window,

but for having these sentiments and choosing to express these sentiments on your car window
WITH A DECAL THAT USES THE INCORRECT "TO"(twice) and "YOUR."

Come on.