The end of my favorite things....

My two most favorite things in the world are vastly different from each other.

One grabs you by the seat of your pants when you aren't looking and takes you on an exciting ride. This one learns the hard way, the most intense way, is very perfectionist, and particular about every detail. This one is inquisitive, thrilling, explosive, sensitive, demanding, always seeking the most out of life. This one is one who everyone watches, everyone wants to be around, one who everyone wants to emulate (for good or bad.) This one is DYNAMIC. Lives life to the extreme. One whose life would make a great novel.

The other one is charming, gentle and patient. This other one is sweet, easy going and forgiving. This one says sorry, often. Anytime anyone could possibly need to say sorry, this one says it for them. This one cries for an hour if you yell. This one is sensitive, empathetic. This one could care less about most details. This one loves to have fun, but usually thinks first. This one is a constant, loyal type. This one is the perfect balance I needed in my life.

These two have taught me the law of opposites. These two have taught me my limits. These two have taught me about me. These two have taught me about love, patience, survival. These two have made me laugh. These two have made me dance like a fool. These two have made me scream. These two have made me cry. These two have made me proud. These two have made me a mother.

Another favorite thing....

...is steep fresh powder runs through the trees, especially with best friends....one I haven't seen in many many years. It is a disgustingly fun thing to find little hidden spots and pick lines through trees and have it all be steep enough that the only way you get stuck is if you hit a bush and crash (which i did) and then your best friend laughs at you, and crashes herself. (Which she did.) It was an awesomely cold and fun day....so cold that there were actually frostbite warnings, and my nose turned white, but is back to normal now. My fingertips are still sore from getting so cold...but how often to I get to go home from work 6 hours early, on a powder day? Not often enough that is for sure!

So far on the list: satsuma tangerines, peonies, wonderful people, petroglyphs, blue sky, and snowboarding. Only one more to make a complete 7 days....gosh....I have too many.....but I think I know what will top the list! Maybe tomorrow I will decide on a photo.

Update on favorite thing number 4....

Thanks Ginger, this is MUCH closer to the color. Especially toward the upper right hand corner of the picture.

Another thing....

One of my least favorite thing is having a stomach ache. Which brings me to another of my favorite things, a day late. Petroglyphs. I can't really explain or articulate it, but seeing them and hunting for them makes me giddy. I get so excited. It is awesome and wonderous to me to think of someone being in that same place, so long ago, and leaving a mark for us to know they were there and to try to interpret. I can't wait to go to see some more petroglyphs this year. Definitely one of my favorite things....

Another favorite thing...

In keeping this week long tradition alive, day 4. My favorite color is the blue in the sky on a powder day. I really don't think it is the circumstance that makes this my favorite color in the world, although possibly it is. It is just the deepest blue in the perfect shade. A blue I have only seen in the winter, the day after a storm. This picture is the closest representation I can get of the actual color, although it doesn't do it justice.

Inspirational People...

Okay I have thought too much today about what my favorite thing should be of today....untracked snow in the backyard, snow on bare trees Ansel Adams style, cinnamon rolls, chubby babies, certain smells...there are of course plenty of those things, and maybe I will return to them another day, and probably I will. But I keep coming back to this:



It was emailed to me by my sister, who found it on a friend of hers' blog. I totally could have written this quote, in my mind a thousand times, but never quite as eloquently. The best writing, art, photography, acting, music, all inspires me to create. To fulfill the measure of being human and do something to make the world more beautiful. To attempt to capture inspiration in a unique creation of my own, that in turn will hopefully inspire others...or maybe be left in a drawer or email box for only me to see. But just the act of creating something does wonders for the human spirit. Or at least for my human spirit. To use my talents, or lack thereof, or to try to develop a talent I wish I had (music)...makes me a happier person, whether or not I am successful at it. Whether or not I actually inspire anyone but myself, or fall short of that and only make myself laugh at myself.

But on a different side of the coin, I keep thinking of those friends and family members in my life that inspire me to be better. To be more myself, to keep in touch with what is really important. To remember what I love. To remember to follow my own path. To think, way too much, and then think some more. The ones who inspire me to be myself, complete with all my faults and strengths, and keep going on. The ones who listen, truly listen to me, and don't judge, just understand, or listen even if they don't understand. The ones who inspire me to create things...even if I fail miserably. The ones who inspire me to live in this moment, even if it is a moment of agony, but to experience it, not run away from it, learn from it and go forward. The friends who teach me. I couldn't live without you.

You are a few of my favorite things...and there are only a few of you....I hope you know who you are. Some of you are old friends, some are newer, but all have clicked, instantly and I have felt as if I have always known you. And then there's my family, I know that I have always known you. Love to you all. You are my heroes.

Crazy Cat...

Okay, funny story, the other night I was in the shower and kept hearing crazy noises that scared me enough that I got out. It sounded like there was someone in my house, and my kids were asleep...and it was late at night. I walked out into the hallway and the outlet plugs for childproofing were on the floor.

I thought my house was haunted, which isn't too big of a deal because I always thought this house was haunted, and loved it anyway. So...a few days later and I have solved my problem....detective work pays off.



After noticing that the video is sideways again, I have been stalking the cat to catch him again. He will only do such crazy things when he isn't being watched. Otherwise he poses for the camera. Seriously, maybe cats are smarter than we think.

These are a few of my favorite things....

After yesterday....and the satsuma post, I thought I would continue the tradition for a week. So, my favorite thing today is the vase on my kitchen table and the peonies that are filling it up. How do I get peonies in December you ask? Well, I have a florist job and get an email that says for a limited time we can get peonies from Chile. I of course jumped on it, since peonies are one of my top 5 flowers....and everyone else (customers) didn't get the memo (blog)....So, they have to be thrown out....today is the second day I have brought home peonies for free! Oooh la la.

Loving the peony for me is trusting in the disorderly order of nature. They are beautifully messy and at the same time perfectly put together. It's a calm crazy.

Just in case you were curious...I think the others in the top 5 are: philaenopsis orchids, indian paintbrush, columbines, and lupines. Or maybe wisteria, but that would be 6. Hmmmm.....maybe I am in the right line of work. And this is the actual photo of my peonies on my kitchen table at this very minute.

Ode to the Satsuma

Now if this were the only reason to live through the winter (which of course it isn't) I would do it....all year long. If you don't know the goodness I am talking about...you are TOTALLY missing out (and more for me!) Go to Whole Foods (not a shameless plug by the way, if I knew anywhere else to get them, I would tell you) and buy a stem and leaf tangerine....They are SO SUPER easy to peel, juicy and tangy and fabulously wonderful. They are even cute with the stems and leaves still attached. No seeds. You can impress your friends by peeling the whole thing in one piece, it's really easy. Seriously. Wonderful enough I am making a blog post about a fruit. It must be THAT good right? Santa will probably have to throw these in the toes of the stockings instead of old boring navel oranges.

disco elves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It's official!

I have the cutest kids ever! And for the record, these pictures were taken December 7th with NO SNOW.

For Tina T.

From the mouth of Will....

Today driving in the car in the early morning,

Will: "Mom, the sun is hiding behind the mountains!"
Me: "You are right, how'd you get so smart?"
Will: "I am smart about suns mom."
Me: "Yes you are."
Will: "Because I ate my carrots once."

The other day, I was talking on the phone and said how Will was so cute, then I asked him if I should keep him forever, he said, "Yeah mom, don't ever sell me."

Another driving moment, I asked Will what he wanted to be...(he references the fact that I want to be a midwife, or a "doctor" that helps babies come out.)

Will: "I want to be a doctor first, like you mom."
Me: "Like me? Oh, what else?"
Will: "Then a race car driver, then a volcano scientist, then spiderman, then batman."

I am learning...

How to post videos!!!

Just when you thought life was uninteresting....

The economy and some lovely unethical employers decided to half lay off a single mom right before Christmas. So....to keep things interesting we are moving...AGAIN!!! We love moving and we can't get enough. We love boxes and U-hauls and packaging tape. We love vacuuming under couches and cushions and lifting and unpacking and repacking. Reallyi t's the only way I will actually get rid of crap and take loads to D.I., so I thought I had to do it again so soon. Okay the only truth in any of that is that we are moving and someone is a bit sarcastic, oh and the employer is a bit unethical, but not at all lovely.

Thanksgiving...

I LOVE Thanksgiving. I have decided it is my favorite holiday. Why? Turkey, cranberries, the smell of fresh, hot buttery rolls. Family, gratitude, glass is half full time. No one asks you to say all the things you wish you had. Time to snuggle up, eat pie, take a nap. Time to smell fall leaves, or watch snow fall, you never know, this is Utah. Not too much decorating, or cooking...(okay in 10 years I may have to eat those words, trust me I am grateful for whoever cooks each year, and this year it's me and the yams). No financial commitment. No extra debt. Apple pie with crumbs on top. Sweaters. The emphasis on getting together as a family, not too early or too late. Cheese balls. Olives and carrots. Cranberry orange sprite punch. Okay maybe I just love to eat all year and this is the only holiday that celebrates that. But really it is much more than that.

Yeah well....

I am obviously a total slow poke. I have been busy of course...but really that's no excuse. Actually it's a wonderfully good thing that I put those pics on here of our Yellowstone trip because my computer hard drive crashed soon after that and we lost everything. So, those ones are all I have. Disappointing, but not as much as that I also lost nearly all my photos from my trip to Hawaii. I have learned to get a seperate hard drive and back up everything, especially photos. I would cry if I lost all my kids' baby pictures. So, it's time to invest in a new hard drive.

Well, to catch up, WAY up, we moved at the beginning of September. So here is a picture of our house, complete with the construction paper decorations we made for Halloween in our window.



And then we went to Yellowstone, then after that I went to Hawaii. I need to go back on facebook to get the remaining photos, then I can post them here.

Right after I got back from Hawaii, we got a cat. Eventually we named him George, after Curious George. Our kitty is full grown and very silly and curious. Fully grown only in size, mostly he is still a kitten. A frisky stupid kitten. We love him. It took him weeks to come out from my box spring when the kids were home and awake. Once in a while he will get brave and let the kids check him out. Here is Rowen showing the cat his toy car. Rowen calls the cat "Dawah". You ask Rowen to say "cat" or "kitty" and he says "DAWAH"...who knows why, but the cat is named George and Dawah.

Here are a few pics of the cat.





Other interesting things that have happened lately are that William almost knocked out a couple more teeth. But the dentist said they can stay in. Woo hoo, Will can still eat corn on the cob and apples. At least for now.

I have begun the process of applying for school teaching jobs again. Just waiting for the right opportunity to open up, in November that can be hard. But at least by next fall, I should be all set, weekends and holidays off, summers too. That will be SO nice to have a routine with my boys.

I would like to say I will keep you posted on all that stuff, but who knows, it might take me two more months. :)

Our little trip...

So...the boys and I went to the Tetons and Yellowstone a couple weekends ago. I had four days off from work and the boys aren't in full time daycare yet (starts on monday), so we took advantage. Here is our trip in photos and captions...


It rained on and off the whole time, but here is the rainbow we saw the first evening on our way back to our little cabin from the grocery store.



Boys watching movies and posing for mom in their matching glow in the dark dinosaur jammas.


The weather did make for some interesting low clouds.


William being silly by a lake in the Tetons while we were hiking, String Lake, I think. We didn't see any bears, thank goodness. We had treats in our backpack...hmmm....didn't know that was a no-no, and no bear spray. We got lucky.


Pretty lichen on the rocks just below Leigh Lake. Nice name for a lake, eh?


Just in time, we met a little family with two girls, who snapped this photo for us.


The boys enjoyed their snack, thankfully no bears to share with.


Pretty red plants and the Tetons in the background. There were too many clouds we never saw the summit of Grand Teton the whole time. Oh well. It was beautiful anyway.



The boys at Granite Hot Springs, just south of Jackson.


Eating lunch waiting for Old Faithful to erupt, we just missed it and had to wait about an hour and a half. It was VERY cold at this point and we were freezing.


Me and boys waiting some more.


William smiling, while waiting.


Rowen playing with the buckle on his backpack. I swear get this kid some buckles and he'll be happy forever.


Will and his new friend. Will is a really outgoing kid, he draws people to him wherever we go. Within minutes he had a few friends at the Teton visitors center who kept showing me things, saying "Has William seen this yet?" This kid is electric.


And at long last, she blows.


William and his "scary hands"...Dad...where did this come from?



Thankfully the boys took a nap at the same time as each other every day. In the car though, so no naps for mommy, just a few quiet scenic drives, which are pretty fun too.



The boys and I at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the lower falls of the Yellowstone River, gorgeous and dangerously steep. We mostly drove around in Yellowstone as opposed to walking around. William is too fast and too clumsy and doesn't listen well enough, I should have brought one of those leashes for kids that you see people using and you always think they are so controlling, well, yeah, those, I need one of those.


The falls again.


Don't approach the elk. Don't slow down to look at the elk or by any means take a photo of the elk, or the ranger might get p.o.'d at you, even if there are no cars behind you.


On the drive from Mammoth Hot Springs area it snowed on us for a minute and I thought of what a crazy young mom I am out in the middle of nowhere in the about to get dark hour in a snowstorm. But then it stopped and I got to feeling adventurous and fun again. And saw this beautiful sight.


We stayed in West Yellowstone the last night in a little hotel room. It was CCCCOLD there too. We woke up to ice all over the car. Then we tried to go out to get pancakes for breakfast and William's fingers got slammed in the door. He screamed for about two hours. We visited a little medical clinic in West Yellowstone, where some really nice nurses and docs listened to both kids screaming for a while and never did look at the bloody fingers. But they were nice and didn't charge me at all. Then we went to see this grizzly bear and a few others and a few wolves at the Grizzly Discovery Center. It was cool. We got a little set of toys of all the animals that we had seen in Yellowstone and then headed home.


William inside a bear trap.


Rowen inside a tee pee at the Grizzly place. He is such a cute kid.

And that's all she wrote. Tune in next fall for my...guaranteed never fail crazy mom needs to go on a road trip before she admits that winter is coming or she might go insane trip. Oh hell, she'll go insane anyway. But might as well go on a road trip first with the kids.

We moved!

This is catch up blogging time! So, we moved. The first weekend in September. We love the new house and living closer to Jason. We hate not having a washer and dryer. I will post pictures of the house when I can get the camera to load them up...soon.

Other fun and not so fun news...

I got a new computer, the same week we moved. My old one died. New little white iBook, well, not NEW, but craigslist.
I am going to Maui! Yippeeee! October 4.
My dad had triple bypass surgery. Yikes! I am so SO glad you are ok Dad. Love you.
William turned 4....woah, I have a 4 year old.
The boys and I went on vacation to the Tetons and Yellowstone, just got back last night.
Rowen got rid of the binky! But not for good, I gave it back on the above mentioned vacation because he was so whiny in the car and wouldn't sleep well in strange places.

I really need to figure out why my pictures won't load into the new computer and fix the problem. And then catch up on blogging.

There may be even more hope...

So...we finally got a few answers. Well, let me back up. Back in June, Jason was out of town, my niece Amber was staying with me and watching my kids for about 2 weeks. William was being REALLY bad for Amber and REALLY bad for me. I was spanking him a ton and losing it. Amber was losing it, Will was losing it. So, I lost it to my friend who happens to be a social worker, who told me about The Children's Center, or www.tccslc.org. So, I called and made an appointment. Fast forward to September (it takes 3 months to get the actual appointment). William has Sensory Processing Disorder. Which for me is like lightbulbs going off. From when he was born, they describe him when they describe babies with SPD. Even at one, two, basically his whole life. There are sub types of SPD and he probably has 2 of them. Anyway....look up more info here: http://www.spdfoundation.net/aboutspd.html

So, it is nice to have some hope and have someone agree with me that William isn't like other kids and there is a reason for it. I am not crazy or a bad mother. This is one of those, "There is a God" moments... and one of those moments when you know people are in the right place for the right reason at the right time, like my friend Kathleen.

There may be hope...