Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving...

For the love!!!
Of food that is...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My parents and my brothers came to our home and celebrated gratitude with us.
A friend of the familyl and his wife came as well, they have no family close...what the heck...the more the merrier right?

I have so many things to be grateful for. Lots of people do a list, or send around a fill it out thing. Not me. Not my style.
I simply try to live each day like it's the last. Maybe that's why the kids at school think I am a cool Mom. Maybe that's why little old women at church squirm when I sit by them. Maybe that's why I love life like no one else I know... There is so much wonder and beauty in this world. In times filled with uncertainty, war and rumors of war...God has given us the greatest gift. Salvation. Man, if that doesn't make you want to live, I don't know what to say. Salvation. That's all I have to say. So, perhaps you should run outside naked. That always works for me. Hee hee. You should see Sam tearing after me. THATS a sight to behold. Lay outside on a cold night wrapped in a blanket and look at the stars. Run through large piles of leaves and scream at the top of your lungs. Drink hot chocolate and scald the hell out of your tounge. Catch snowflakes on your nose. Throw the football IN the house. ( That's always a good one ) Try to understand baseball. Try something new. Read a really good book. Hug your family. Kiss someone you love. A deep passionate kiss, the kind that makes your head spin. Ride down the stairs in a cardboard box...with your kids. Don't give up. Life hasn't given up on you. Enjoy the moment. Savor the present. Eat Indian food. Go to the ocean in the dead of winter. Smell salt in the air. Ponder life's mysteries. Ponder life's wonders. Ponder life.

Happy Thanksgiving.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE

Well today is the day it all started for little miss Ellie.

Here is a shout out to the grin queen of the world!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE


We had a party on Saturday with 10 little girls all dressed up.
It was a blast and a half. Lots of pink, barbies and princesses.
Man oh man.

Anyway, Thanksgiving is next.
Cya later...

I know, I know...

It has been a while.

So here are all the updates I am sure you are dying to read.

Sam has had two recent events. One on top and one on bottom.
He took Riley to the last 3 games of the World Series. For those of you who don't know, um--Sam is slightly a Red Sox fanatic. I stress the Fanatic part. Sam played baseball until he had steel pins in BOTH elbows. Soooo needless to say He was on cloud 109!

When he got back he had sinus surgery. Can you say ouch, yuck and that's a lotta blood my man. The first couple of nights were rough, but he is doing much, much better. He can breathe, and his headaches aren't so bad. That is ALWAYS a plus.

October is pretty much a blur. Sam's Mom got really sick and was in and out of the hospital. To make a long story short, it wasn't the cancer...she had an ulcer in her small intestine and it took FOR-EV-ER for the Dr.'s to find it. Meanwhile, she took the worst chemo RX of her life. Ugh. I hate cancer. But I hate Chemo worse. So between the shadows of life, we went to the hospital, cooked, cleaned and helped care for Mom ( and Dad ).

Halloween snuck up oh so quietly. And here we are marching toward Thanksgiving.
On the 20th Ellie celebrates her 6th birthday. She is stoked!!! She is really excited and talks about it constantly. I don't blame her, everyone has had one this year...'cept her.

So here it goes again. Between the barbie cake, the pumpkins, the plain craziness of it all...Life stealthily moves on. Quietly, Forward.

Here's to Life and all those wrapped up in it.
Oh and a big fat bow on top!

Musings about life and stuff

We celebrated Sam's birthday on Tuesday. Oct 2, 1972...a good day.

Sam is offically 'getting older' as he puts it. HA! Whatever...
The kids helped me decorate and hang balloons. I made a home made german chocolate cake, cause that's his favorite! He got a couple small presents and a giant hug from his family.

It is funny how I can't really remember what life was like pre-Sam, pre-kids, pre-such. Perhaps it wasn't all that great...or maybe I am getting older. Whatever it is, life sure is good isn't it? As each year closes I find myself pondering what made the year a success. Without my little family...it would be so empty. Being part of this craziness is more fulfilling than I could have ever dreamed. Even in the tough times, I always know we have each other.

Sam is working too much as usual. I am just balancing everything in between...Sam, kids, school, yoga...dinner, laundry... Riley is doing really well so far this year. It always makes me feel better when I sit in his class and realize that all the kids are goofy. Not JUST him. Katie is finding her niche. She really, really wants to be an artist. And just like the artist soul, she wants her hair curly, straight, long and short, pretty much all at the same time. *ugh*
Ellie is really enjoying school, and friends that come with it. Our phone rang about 4 times last night with her little friends calling. I thought it was cute. Sam didn't. Probably because it was the same little girl. LOL!!!

Things are moving along here. Life doesn't hold still often. Or is it us? We don't hold still long enough to see that life is...what it is!
What we choose to make it. What will YOU choose?

All our love,
Amy and crew

Macaroni and Sneeze Please...

Well it is officially Fall Ya'll. The air is crisp at night, the leaves are beginning to change colors and float through the air...and allergy season is back.

I have sneezed, coughed, hacked, and rubbed my poor face half to death. ( Not that there was much to start with... ) Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Sam tells me that I say that about every season. I am afraid he may be right.

I have so many reasons to love fall...here are some of them:

My anniversary
Riley was born in the fall.
So was Sam
So was I
The pure joy of seeing a season melt into the next...
Watching the golden leaves fly up behind my car
Feeling the pink in my cheeks from the nip in the air
Two words---HOT CHOCOLATE ( need I say more? )

There are many reasons that I SHOULD love fall most.
All of the reasons are good ones...but somewhere in my
heart I am past the summer of my life...past hot summer days, loud music and
running around barefoot all over ( ok, some things never change...)

On to a new and more profound stage of life. Where things in my mind and body wind down. It is evident in my pant size, but beyond that is my mind. The stillness. Realizing that each day is a rare and precious gift beyond measure. The beauty of the sunset, the joy of sunrise, watching as my children grow and learn. Seeing Sam and I grow older together. Moving into the next phase of our marriage. A deeper love takes hold...and I can't imagine my life without him. We have truely become one. Somewhere in the madness the line between us blurred, and I became we. So, as we step into this next stage of life...it is so nice to know we are doing it together. Sunday we celebrate 13 years together. We have had some tremendous ups and downs. ( Like a roller coaster ) We have endured, and hope to endure all things in our life. Hand in hand...through the autumn leaves. Best friends. Always. Forever.

Musings of Life and Laundry

Back to reality, and laundry of course!

As I drag myself from beneath the pile, it is nice to be thankful for a nice, long weekend. ( Camping produces insane amounts of laundry )

We had a terriffic time up the canyon with the family. The kids had a blast running through camp and the outer perimeter ( which they have dubbed 'their' kingdom ) terrifying all of the chipmunks and occasionally the horses. They built huts, forts, and who knows what else back there! The big boys...Sam and his brothers were archery hunting for Elk. No luck yet! But it should be cooling down this week, which pushes the elk down into the mountain valley. Good for hunting...not so good for the Elk.

Mostly we just hung around camp enjoying the fresh mountain air,
the milky way by night, and each other. Nothing is quite like sitting around the campfire looking at the stars. Wow. Just wow. How did God make the world so beautiful? There were several shooting stars, and howling coyotes. *squeak* That was my cue to come home. I am NOT a camper. So I just mosey myself home and shower, sleep in my own bed AND use a real bathroom. AHhhh.

Other than that, the real joy is watching all the kids learn about the world. Seeing the babies pet the horses, the toddlers trying to feed them, and the kids pretending to break them...watching all of them work together to have fun and get along is just the coolest ever! Well, and being a family. That is the best part altogether. Family.
Isn't that what life is all about?
And don't forget those piles of Laundy.

Dog Days of Summer...and school days blues

Well, the dog days of summer are winding down.

The past month has been a whirl-wind of activity. Sams work of course has been insane. With the 2nd hottest summer on record beating at his heels, all he has done is work. Work, work, work no play. There have been countless days of him leaving before 6 am and not getting home till past midnight. [and you know he has to squeeze in those golf games somehow!] Well Sam the man is on the side of a mountain today.
The Elk hunt opened on Thursday morning. He and several of his buddies are up there running around with bows and arrows...I have said it before and shall say it again... The secret to men is the fact that they do not get a day over 12. Really! I talked to him briefly last night. He said he missed a BIG one...whatever that means. LOL! I love him and for his sake I try to understand. All I know is they will be tracking and trapping a bear on Saturday. One of his buddies brother drew out a bear tag. So off they go. For a bear. I may never understand!

In other monthly news...Katie my sweet was baptized. What an amazing experience.
I will try to post pictures as soon as I can. She turned 8 in June. That is the age of accountability within our church. She was baptized by immersion, and recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost. Oh if you could have seen her face when she came out of the water. I had to clap my hand over my mouth so I didn't cry out...it was so beautiful.
She came up the stairs and I wrapped her up in a big, white, fluffy towel...she looked at me and said... "it's just like a shower, only way better!" Couldn't have said it better myself! We had a wonderful celebration at the house after with all of our family. We ate all of Katie's favorite foods too. Cream puffs and chocolate dipped strawberries. All in all it was a perfect day!

And down to the wire...we rushed through the rest of the month with Dentist check-ups, shots and Dr. visits. We stumbled through the facade of routine and counted down the days to school. Registration came and went. Bus schedules and teacher lists were mailed to us. And just like that...school started.

BAM. Just like that. My baby is now a 1st grader. Eeek. I could hardly stand it. The house was so quiet. I moped around a while...then got dressed and drove directly to the school. I had to see the whites of her eyes...I needed to check on ALL my babies. I know that they are 9 almost 10, 8 almost 18, and 6. But they are still my babies. How strange to be reaching the next phase of life. It came so quickly. Well, Ellie was just fine. She wouldn't even come hold my hand or ANYTHING!!! Katie has a guy teacher, which kind of freaked me out...but she loves class. He reads funny stories, teaches ALOT of science and makes the kids aware of the world around them. Riley is in 4th grade and approching the "book report" stage of school. I know he will be fine, but he is a little concerned. Reading has always been a struggle for him. He excels at Math...so much like Sam. His teacher is a hoot! She is always laughing, and somehow is able to keep things under control.

So, I step into the unknown. I have been home for the last 10 years. My whole existence has centered around my kids. From babies, to toddlers...to pesky little kids. I have seen them take their first breath, first steps, cut teeth, held them when they were sick, kissed owwies and held their hands for so long. How do mothers do it? When you begin to feel the little hands be not so chubby anymore...how do you let go? Don't get me wrong...I want them to be independent! I am overjoyed to see them step into life and school with their whole heart...I just miss them. The chubby cheeks, ok not the temper tantrums, the sticky kisses, bugs and all...

Well here is the next phase. The School Years. All of them. Kids and School.
I can do this!
I'm a Mom!!!
And Mom's are Heros!