Who's who? Part II

Okay, so that was too hard. So here it is, redone, with each child's picture taken at 2-3 months of age. This should be a little easier. The order is the same.

a. (everyone agreed that this was Ryan. Correct!)
b. Who is this?
c. At least we know it is a girl...

d. And? e. Now can you tell who this one is?
f. And lastly?

Oh, how fun it is to see all these sweet little ones. Wish I could give you all a hug right now!

Who's Who?

As we anxiously, but patiently await the birth of the newest member of the family, I thought it was time for a test. Who is who? (And it is fun to see all these pictures side by side and see the similarities and differences in each of our children.)
a. b.
c.
d.

e.
f.

I know, it might be a little unfair as three are "hospital" pictures--pretty early in life--and three are taken a couple of months later.

Oh, by the way, no prize. Just personal satisfaction.

Can we be forgiven?

Well Ryan, Justin, & Deborah, this will really make you jealous! On our recent trip to Wisconsin, we went to......

an.....

outlet mall!


I know you'll never forgive us for not taking you with us to the...

Dress Barn!

Bath & Body Works! (They still had Pearberry lotion. I stocked up. Try to look surprised at Christmas.)

Carter Children's Clothes!

And, the real reason we drove the 45 minutes to Oshkosh...

the one and only American Girl outlet store. Alice enjoyed that store.

And it was all the more fun because we had a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old with us (neither of whom thought shopping was all that great). But it all turned out well with a hamburger at Culver's (delicious) and then a mint shake from McDonald's (it was McDonald's--what adjective would you use here? Certainly not "delicious". Maybe, "okay--for the price"). At least it kept me awake as I drove back to West Bend.

Spring has sprung!

Our first crocus bloomed...

on March 21st! Now there will be some flower blooming somewhere in the yard until it freezes next fall. Already the daffodils are up and ready to open. And this year, the rabbits didn't eat the crocuses that Justin helped me plant just after his mission, out in the woods behind our house. It's fun seeing the bright purple out there.

Spring flirted with us for a week or two before making it official. Robins arrived, the snow melted, and the faintest green buds began appearing on the willow trees. Then March 21st came, and suddenly, the air was humid (goodbye dry winter skin!) and warm. We turned off the furnace.

Then, over the weekend, summer arrived!--(82 degrees on Sunday and Monday). I'm not looking forward to the heat, but I hope to get used to it early this year to be ready to visit Guam. I can't wait!

Leisure Time in Wisconsin

We took walks (having to walk in the roadway because the melting snow made the sidewalks pretty sloppy).

We experimented in making "shamrock" cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day. They were delicious! (We used balls of aluminum foil to help form the clover leaf shape inside the tin, but on the outside of the liner. Does that make sense??)

But the best part was all the help from the kids. I think a few fingers got licked in the process.

Then there were more walks--especially to walk the dog. Alice shot this Wisconsin sunset.

We're glad that Catherine and Aaron are willing to put up with us visiting! Of course, we did let Aaron win at Phase 10.

A Visit to the Children's Museum

Last Friday, we drove in to Milwaukee to the Children's Museum. We wended our way through hoards of school children on field trips, but we still managed to have a great time.

First, Brenna picked apples from a velcroed tree (then there were fun things to do with the apples). Connor was the EMT in an "ambulance", with Alice as his patient.
Elizabeth mentored Brenna, and it was nice having the older girls helping. Even though we had three adults (Catherine, Aaron, and myself), there was enough chaos with lots of children and enough places to go that it was a constant job keeping track of Connor and Brenna.
I especially enjoyed looking out on the serene waterfront of Lake Michigan! There were puppet stages and marionettes; a young children's play area with sand piles, and play houses; a TV studio with blue wall ("and in California, there are tall trees and overpriced real estate...") so the children could pretend to do the News or the Weather; an area of puzzles (some of which still have me stumped as to how to solve); and a great variety of machines and ramps that used golf balls to show the effects of gravity; an area on the workings of the body--how the body balances, how digestion works, using a wheel-chair to go through a doorway, and of course the ambulance and doctor's office. It was hard getting Connor away from the little trains.

We packed a lunch and stayed for several hours. Although the museum is rated for 10-and-under in interest level, we adults (and Elizabeth) still found plenty to do (and maybe that is why we sometimes had trouble keeping track of the little ones!)

On a Friday...

Just to let you know we're still alive, and doing well. And spring will soon be here.

We will be enjoying the presentations of Barbara Barrington Jones this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes. Alice and Elizabeth get to go as well.

We probably won't have the sunburn that Justin got on his last weekend, or the applause that Deborah had on her last weekend (on tour with the folk dancers). We're not doing home renovations like Catherine & Aaron, or wondering if our tax return will ever come, like Ryan & Jamie (we know we will be paying this year so we're not turning them in until April 17).

I guess we're just having normal life.

It's been a really long week...

As I got up this morning, with the sun shining, and the snow blindingly white, I thought how nice it was to have Sunday! And we get to go to church today! It was cancelled last week, and although we kept the Sabbath, I really missed church. It seems like this week has been 14 days long!

Of course, in the 14 days, school was cancelled twice, along with a Math Fair, an Honors Orchestra event, music lessons and group lessons, the girls' music recital, a stake youth activity, and so on. So we were home a lot. Really a lot. I think I'm about ready for Spring!

They cancel school for this?

We went to bed last night with the wind howling and snow devils swirling in the light from the front porch. I was hoping school would have a delayed start (it is usually about a 2-hour delay). I like that--we get the relaxed feeling of a no-school day, but don't have to make it up in June.

I checked the cancellation list this morning at 6:30--was school cancelled or delayed? Or do I need to get the girls up because orchestra rehearsal is at 7:20? Drats! Our school district was NOT on the list.

So I woke up the girls, and read a chapter out of "Peter and the Starcatchers"--we read together every morning. I know, I'm spoiling the girls, but it does make it easier for them to roll out of bed when they've had a few minutes to stretch and slowly wake up. I'm just applying the Golden rule--doing for them what I would like to be able to do. But I digress.

Kevin shoveled out the driveway before heading off to work (he has a 7 a.m. meeting on Fridays), and there were higher drifts than he'd anticipated.

Looking outside, with snow falling and the wind still howling, I kept wondering about school. Finally, at 7, our schools were added to the cancellation list (that already had nearly every school system in the state on it). Fine! We're already up and eating breakfast. I would have loved to sleep in another 20 minutes this morning.

Now it is a little after 9 a.m. The winds are still howling, and some snow is drifting, but the sun is breaking through periodically and things don't look as bad as they did at 7 a.m. I'm still wishing they'd just had a 2-hour delay!

By the way, that black dot on the window is a lady bug. A live lady bug. It seems that last week when we had a couple of days of nice temps, a whole bunch of the bugs came back to life, inside our house. On a downstairs window there were about 15 of them crawling around. We've been finding them all winter, but they were usually dead. Or so I thought. I guess they just wanted a nice place out of the cold.

Winter Storm, Part II

On her blog, Elizabeth told about our weekend ice storm (with pictures). Now we're getting it again. It is raining right now, and is supposed to change to freezing rain shortly, followed by snow and then blizzard conditions. "March comes in like a lion..." And we just got all the ice chipped off the driveway!

Who would have thought that winter was going to begin on January 15? We've had snow on the ground since that date. After the warm and dry December (I had daffodils poking their heads out of the ground on January 1st), I was almost ready to believe in global warming (but not quite! I am always skeptical when there is so much hype.). And now winter just keeps going on and on and on...

Yet, we've been luckier than many. We only had power out for about 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon. There are thousands who still don't have power. Many are staying in shelters.

(a road just outside of Waterloo--photo by The Courier)

There were so many power poles that were snapped in the ice and wind that they can't get enough new poles quick enough. Power crews are here from all over--North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota...

When the power went off, we started preparing--we've got lots of candles (including a boxful of kitchen candles--thank you Kim and Ida!) and a rechargeable lantern that I had just recharged a week earlier. We're got water, and we still had natural gas, so our downstairs gas fireplace would provide heat. We also have a battery-operated radio to keep up on the news. Supper might have been bread and milk (and canned fruit), but we have a Coleman camp stove, and a foil oven (but that would have to be used outside), so we could cook if we wanted to. We were almost disappointed when the power came back on--we were looking forward to the adventure of it all!

Still, church was cancelled on Sunday; school was cancelled on Monday. Many area schools have been out all week, because they have no power. While the power was off here, Alice remarked, "I had no idea how many things depend on electricity!"

Welcome home...

It is fun to return home from running errands and find a cute little face anxiously awaiting my arrival. Of course, she's happy to see everyone that comes.

And yes, those are still Christmas decorations in the window box. Up until a couple of days ago, the dirt was frozen solid and there was no way to get them out. Maybe it is now time.

The groundhog was wrong...

On Feb. 2 the groundhog predicted only two more weeks of winter. Well, February 16 has come and gone, but winter is still here. I cannot remember a time when spring really began that early. However, the past couple of days have been nice--42 degrees. The rain gutters have been filled with running water as the snow melted off the roof and it is a welcome sound. The streets are wet--it is definitely not the right time yet to wash the winter grim off the cars. So spring hasn't begun, but it has given us the hint that spring will come. It almost feels balmy outside--about 50 degrees warmer than the last 3 or 4 weeks have been.

On Monday evening, we attempted a snowman. The snow wouldn't pack. We haven't had "snowman" snow yet this winter. It's been too light and fluffy--the type of powder skiiers love in the mountains. But we were in our winter gear and didn't want to go back inside quite yet, so we played a game of fox and geese. Our circle is out beyond the pine trees. That game doesn't take long before everyone is hot and sweaty! It must be the exercise combined with the anxiousness of "not getting caught".

After going back inside we played a couple of rounds of Speed Scrabble before I mentioned that old game of Boggle. Elizabeth and Alice had never played it! We got it out, played a round, and they kept begging for more. I found I had an easier time getting to keep my words than when Ryan and Deborah were playing. I don't think we have played that game since those long school vacations in France! (When it always rained for vacation?!?)

A funny thing happened on the way to Wal-Mart...

A couple of weeks ago, the girls and I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart after school. We had a busy schedule, and it was also bitterly cold with a nasty wind, so we were hurrying out to the car. I turned my head to look at Elizabeth and Alice to see what they were bickering about, and

WHAM! I walked right into a post. (The one pictured here isn't the same one, but is identical, except there was no car parked there. )

I saw stars. I had to set my two gallons of milk down before my knees buckled. A couple of deep breaths later I was able to walk to the car, but I had a nasty bump on my forehead--at least it was on the SIDE of my forehead. I still had to sit for a few minutes before being able to drive home.

The tender spot has finally gone away. And I had to wait a couple of weeks to be able to see the humor in it. Or be able to tell about it.

There's still snow...

A neighbor, over the past couple of weeks has been piling all his "driveway" snow in one pile, and then he dug a cave. With each new snowfall, the pile has grown, and so has the cave. Having snow isn't all bad.

A Valentine's Day Event

Elizabeth and Alice got to help entertain at Ravenwood Health Care Center on Valentine's Day (it was a teacher inservice day at school).

The residents were enjoying a special meal, and a select group of string players were asked to come and provide some nice music--from Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to Hungarian Dance #5. One grandma said she wanted to take the littlest cello player and just give him a hug.

Alice got to lead one of the pieces. She enjoys leading.

Wait, does she look happy here? Does anyone look happy?? I guess we'll just have to educate these young people about the joys of service.

Going to a rest home brings ambivalent feelings. It is nice to bring a change of pace--something new for the residents, but it is almost painful seeing the difficulties that come near the end of life. Almost all the residents were white-haired women, few men. Some were in wheel chairs. All were able to feed themselves, though not always easily. Many had hearing problems and couldn't carry on conversations with others at the table. I wondered at all the wisdom and life experiences that were gathered in that dining room, yet they were no longer "useful". It makes me sad...

Winter Musings

Top ten reasons I find winter “challenging”:
10. All the melting snow on the floor (at least we have tile!) when kids come in from sledding..

9. The dirty, slushy edges of the old snow is ugly.

8. All that dirty gray road muck sprayed on the sides of the car (don’t brush against it or you'll get your coat dirty!)

7. The dripping salty/water off the car flows across the garage floor, until it meets the cold air at the door. Then an ice dam forms, keeping all the rest of the road muck from flowing out.

6. Fresh produce can’t be left in the car—it has to be the last errand.

5. All that gear! Hat (or ear muffs), mittens or gloves, boots, heavy coat, scarf. More or less, each and every time you step outside.

4. All that wet, gray, road muck on the garage floor--we do try to kick off the extra snow from behind the tires out by the street, but there is always more.

3. The sidewalks are slippery and treacherous.

2. The static electrical kisses Elizabeth gives me when I give her a ride to school on cold mornings. She leans over the seat and kisses me goodbye on the cheek, and OUCH! A bit spark hits us both!

And the number 1 reason?
1. Cold hurts! Whether it is Alice’s red, chapped hands that itch and burn, or Kevin’s waxy white fingers in which the circulation has totally shut off (Reynaud’s Syndrome), or just the sting of an icy wind--cold hurts! Kevin’s condition began 2 years ago, and it is so unnerving to see his fingers like that—like the hands of someone lying in a casket! It has happened only three or four times this winter, but he takes a lot of precautions to keep it from happening. It makes me wonder about retiring to Idaho and its winters.

Some Reasons I like winter:
1. That fresh blanket of white, especially on evergreen trees.

2. The sparkling stars in the clear air

3. The crisp crunch of snow when it is really cold

4. The soft pinkish glow on an overcast winter’s evening

5. Playing in the snow (with proper gear of course)—snow angels, snow forts, sledding, etc. And falling doesn’t hurt so much with all that gear on.

6. Extra milk or things that won’t fit in the refrigerator (baked turkey!) can be left in the garage—it's like a 2nd, huge refrigerator!

7. Long winter evenings seem to beg for a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

8. The family is more in a cocoon—fewer outside activities to tear us away from home.

(special thanks to Kevin who was the model used in these pictures. Of course, he was actually shoveling the snow. And it was a Sunday morning. The other ward (with the morning schedule) cancelled their meetings.)

And then there was one...

With a recent visit to the eye doctor, there is now only one person in our family who doesn't wear glasses--RYAN!

Elizabeth got a new pair (for when she isn't wearing her contacts).
And Alice now has to wear glasses as well. Over the past four years we've been monitoring her vision, because she doesn't always focus her eyes together. We've done all kinds of exercises with limited success. She just wasn't using her eyes as a team. She'd use one or the other--switching back and forth, and the eye not being used would wander. It wasn't too much of a worry as long as both eyes remained strong--meaning the brain was still using them both, but with this last check-up, her right eye had dropped to 20/60, meaning it was getting used less and less, while the left eye was becoming dominant. Without intervention, that course would likely continue to get worse.

And, she had no depth perception.
So, glasses.

But not just to correct the right eye's near-sightedness. They have prisms to help her eyes focus together. Suddenly, she is going, "wow! It is like things are jumping out at me!" as she sees things in a whole new way. The doctor explained that the prisms help her eyes relax and work together. It caused a lot of muscle strain for her to always try to force them together. They just weren't made to do that! So she wears her glasses all the time and really likes them. And after just a week or so of wearing them, she now says her eyes ache when she is NOT wearing them.

Thank heavens for cute styles!

The 2008 Presidential Election Has Begun

It is January, 2007, right? I didn't do a Rip Van Winkle and miss a year, did I? So, by my reckoning, it is almost two years before the Presidential election in Nov. 2008, and only 2 months since the political phone calls were mercifully stilled. But they're back...

A week ago, a phone call came from the organizing committee for Mitt Romney, asking if I wanted to attend a free luncheon and listen to the candidate. Ah, there are advantages to living in Iowa! (Since then, I've received a phone call from John McCain's campaign as well).

I've just returned from the lunch (a roll sandwich, potato chips and cookie--obviously they didn't want to sink too much money into the food). It was held at a sports grill. Several Church members also attended--I counted at least 15 there (from both wards), but I think the turnout far exceeded expectations. There had to be 200-300 people there. After eating the light lunch, we all crowded into the banquet room, and listened to a 20 minute speech and 20 minutes of questions/answers. I'm glad it wasn't longer, because it was standing-room-only, and I was standing. But it was something fun to do on a sunny January day!

While we were eating, two different reporters came at different times (one from ABC Radio, and the other from the AP) and asked us all sorts of questions. I guess I should say that I was with JoAnne Swindler and Sandra Wilson, with a 4th woman at our table that we didn't know. The reporters asked all kinds of questions, "Were we here to learn more about the candidate or were we committed to him?" "How did we feel about his position on abortion, considering some religious conservatives have called him a waffler on that topic?" "What qualities did we like about him?" "What issues were the most important to us?" And so on. One reporter had a notebook, and asked if he could quote me (taking my name and city of residence), and the other reporter had a microphone and recorder.

Did you know, it is so hard to think clearly once someone with a microphone in his hand asks you a question? But I think I did alright. At least they didn't laugh at my answers, and fortunately, I do know a few things about Mitt Romney and his positions. (Thanks, Aaron, for those articles!) All I know, I was GLAD when the reporters moved on to other people.

What did I think of Mitt Romney? He certainly looks presidential. It is hard to make a complete judgment based on this public function. He spoke well, his delivery included good jokes and he seemed personable. He touched briefly on illegal immigration (wants a fence, more opportunity for legal immigration, no amnesty--but a legal way to be guest workers), No Child Left Behind (doesn't like the feds in on education, but does like the testing); the challenge of jihadists (he didn't use the term "war on terror", but wouldn't let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and had other ideas); didn't touch on the Iraqi war; and so on. I guess you have to be a political junkie to enjoy this.

So, we'll see how this election cycle goes. May the best one win!

Family Home Evening and a hill of snow

Ah! No one else on the hill (especially no bullying teenage boys with their foul language). Of course, it was after dark, but, no problem! The city lights were reflecting between the cloud cover and the snow, so we could see just fine. We could even tell where Lily was. By the way, she does NOT like sledding down the hill.

And a view of the hill, looking up from the bottom, with our night-vision goggles... Those green lights are actually parking lot lights for the funeral home.
See that hump of snow? Someone made a jump for their snowboards, and Alice didn't see it in the dark. She flew over it and landed hard, but of course, she is putting on a great show of pain for the camera. Isn't sledding down a snow-packed hill ALL about pain of one kind or another, (sore tailbones, cold fingers, noses, cheeks, etc), but diminished by the rush you get?We're so lucky to be able to walk home afterwards--not because there were no injuries, but because we live right by the hill! The dog also had a great time, running up and down the hill, staying away from anyone trying to catch her and give her a ride.

As we walked home the snow was up past her belly, so she had to bound between our footprints. When we got in, she was so encased in snow (her curly poodle hair does not release snow!) that we had to run water over her fur. I don't think she'll be going out to the hill again with us!

(Wow! Our pine tree out by the bird bath isn't so small anymore.)

Sorry, Kevin, that you weren't here! We miss you and hope everything is going well in Mexico!

A 4th-grade Fieldtrip

Last Thursday, Alice's class got to go snow shoeing. Luckily, it snowed 5 inches just a couple of days before. As soon as I found out about this field trip, I signed up! I've never been snow shoeing before.

We had a perfect day--about 27 degrees (not too cold, and not too warm).

The snowshoes were "modern". I was a little disappointed they weren't made of wood and rawhide. But they were effective. Once we got the basics down, off we went. The basics? Just lift your knees like you are marching, so that the anti-skid gripper underneath doesn't catch on fallen tree branches, etc. and trip you.
By the end of an hour in the woods, everyone was hot. I pulled off my mittens and unzipped my coat. Some of the kids were getting a little tired. Not me! All that working out on the treadmill has served me well. No achy muscles, no fatigue. This was an easy workout. (I'm up to doing 2 and a half miles at 12-minute mile pace--not really fast, but I'm running about 25 out of 30 minutes! I still can't believe I am actually running--I always hated running!)