Easter Thoughts

Touch Me Not by Minerva Teichert

This year William spent Easter morning alone, suffering. I know what you're thinking, that sounds quite symbolic of our Savior and His suffering for us. However, William's suffering was nothing like our Savior Jesus Christ, who atoned for all mankind and conquered death to rise on Easter morn. Instead, William's suffering was a back injury incurred the day before at the gym. So he spent Easter morning in bed while the kids and I went to church on the most beautiful day we've seen this year in Idaho.


A friend of mine mentioned today that she couldn't think of an Easter that wasn't a beautiful day. It seems like the earth and heavens all combine to rejoice on this day.

As a family we've spent the past while reading the Gospel of John together. Today, it just so happened that we read about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and I couldn't help but remember time spent sitting at the garden tomb in Israel. What a feeling of reverence and awe I always felt there. I love history and I love tangible things so for me being in a place of such historical significance and touching history made such a profound impact. When I think about my personal relationship with the Savior I often think back to what it felt like to sit in that beautiful garden and to be where Christ once was. But as I grow older I don't need those sort of tangible experiences quite as much. My tangible experiences are the smiles on my children's faces, the discussions about what they've learned about Jesus as we sit around the kitchen table, hearing them read about Christ from the scriptures, listening to them sing the songs they've learned at church all day long. I will always treasure my memories of my travels in the Holy Land, but not as much as I will treasure these moments with my family. I am truly indebted to my Savior for His love and sacrifice and for making it possible for me to have such joy in my life.



Happy Easter.

Heated Blankets and Pink Tinsel

I was thinking about Idaho tonight. I know, that's unusual right? I mean, since I live here why shouldn't I occasionally think about the state? Oh, the irony. No, I was thinking about Idaho and how its April and I'm still sitting in bed under my heated blanket because it is freezing here and the wind is blowing like crazy and I feel like the trees in my yard might be uprooted and blown to the nether lands and that makes it very hard to sleep.

But as I think about these things in Idaho that are a little bothersome I also am left thinking about the rest of it. I had a thought the other day that I will always look back on this time in my life as a really good time. And really it is. I never dreamed I would live in Idaho (I don't really know who in their right mind dreams of living in Idaho but I certainly never dreamed it) but really, there are some wonderful things about Idaho. And one of those wonderful things is indeed my heated blanket. Yes, it warms my constantly frozen feet but more importantly it warms Luke. Literally. Every night. In fact, it is what has lead to somewhat sleep filled nights because before the introduction of the heated blanket Luke climbed into bed with me, not with his dad, he left that side of the bed alone, but with me. And he spent lots of time talking to me and stroking my cheek and snuggling. And while it is very cute and sweet for my four- year-old to show his mommy just how much he loves me, I get very tired and snuggling every night leaves me wishing for one of two of uninterrupted sleep. Then came the blanket. Luke no longer needed his nightly snuggle with mom he apparently also just needed to be warm. So now, instead of nightly snuggles I am vaguely aware of a little presence that enters my room in the wee hours of the morning and gingerly slides the blanket off of me and drapes it across himself on the little bed of pillows he's made for himself on the floor right next to me...and then he usually wants to hold my hand, but just for a moment.

Another great thing about Idaho is that we're only four hours from Provo, Utah where we can go to visit my mom and my sister Cindy and Will's sister Debbie and nieces and nephews and Jimmer. Yes, you read it, Jimmer. We were a little obsessed with Jimmer Fredette and the BYU Cougars this basketball season and we were lucky enough to make it down to BYU for two games and Jane actually loved a sporting event. We may have struck a new chord in her life. Its not surprising that our boys, especially Mitchell who lived and breathed basketball all winter, where enamored by Jimmer and the Cougars but for Jane to actually attend two sporting events and then to say that she LOVED the experience was...priceless. Although, it might have been even more priceless if she had been with William when he flew on the Melaleuca jet to Denver to watch the Cougs play, and beat, Gonzaga. As for Mitchell, he now rarely walks anywhere without dribbling his basketball and its pretty much a daily thing for him to tell me he's heading outside to "shoot hoops." That is, until this week and now soccer has started and the dribbling has moved from the hands to the feet.

The past several months have been some of those super busy, crazy run-around times when I feel like I can't catch my breath. And yet, its been filled with good busy things like my cooking club (that is one of the best things about Idaho!), book club, PTO, teaching F.A.M.E (fine arts and music education) at the school, running my kids to and from tons of activities, trying to stay healthy and make it the gym once in a blue moon, and being the Young Women's President in our ward. Yes, my lucky Christmas present was to be put in charge of 54 twelve to eighteen year-old girls in our congregation and I don't get paid a penny for it. But, oh the blessings. Actually, there are a lot of blessings. They are great girls and I love hanging out with them and I have learned so much from them. Its really a very fulfilling part of life. And they are the reason that I came home tonight with pink tinsel in my hair. I know, I'm really breaking out of my shell.

So one last thought for tonight because the wind seems to be fading into the background and that might afford me the opportunity to drift off to sleep: being in Idaho has really brought our family closer together and that may be the best thing about being here. I couldn't have pictured what a difference William's work schedule could make on our entire family. This is a good community filled with good people and we have benefited from that. And we have benefited from a job that allows us to value family time. Aside from the weather, and maybe the politics, Idaho really is pretty good experience.

Changes Afoot

A few months ago I decided that it was past time for a change. Since I couldn't waive my magic wand and melt those five pounds from my hips I decided it should be my hair. So on a whim I had almost 11 inches cut from my head. I could have died my hair red but as courageous as I am when it comes to scissors and my hair I am equally as terrified of hair color. So the color remained ever unchanged but the long locks went the way of the trash bin. And I love my new hair! So does Jane; who decided that if I got to cut off my hair then she should be able to do it to.


It took a couple of months for her to convince her mother that I was being controlling and I really had no right to determine the length of her hair. After all, as she reminded me, she wasn't doing anything wrong by cutting it. And she was right. She looks fabulous! A little too grown up, but fabulous none the less!

Poetry in Motion

Snack time can be a little difficult at times in this house. Therefore, negotiations have become somewhat of an art form.

Me:
Grapes are good!
Grapes are great!
We like to eat them on our plate.

Luke:
You know what rhymes with eat?
Treat!
And grapes are definitely NOT what I want to eat while sitting in this seat!

Quite literally negotiation as an art form; poetry in motion to negotiate the terms of the food that will be consumed. And if you look quite closely at the following picture you'll see Luke pushing his grapes across the table. He'll have to create an even better rhyme if thinks he's getting chocolate!

A Doozie of a Day

I should have gotten up early for a run. But I didn't. I was feeling a little tired after our exciting weekend (I'm sure I'll get around to a little excerpt from that adventure soon) so I lay in bed until I knew that I had to get up and force three kids into action. We were supposed to make it out the door in time to get to Target and find two birthday presents and a baby gift and to stop by Walgreens for a prescription. We only made it to Walgreens. Because then we had to head to Mitchell's baseball game where we got him in time to warm up with the team and make sure he was settled so we could run over to Luke's T-ball game which was delayed because of a mix-up with the fields. Thankfully William took a little time off from work and arrived about this time at Mitchell's game so he wouldn't feel abandoned by his family. Once Luke's game got into swing Jane and I made a mad dash for the car and headed to the other side of town for her tennis lesson. At this point I would have felt the need to step on the accelerator just a bit except for the fact that I had a police officer tailgating me and just waiting for me to creep over the speed limit. They take things like speeding 2 mph over the speed limit very seriously in this town! At any rate, we made it to tennis.

With no time to waste I headed back to see the final inning of Luke's game. After grabbing his treat we hoofed it over to Mitchell's game, kissed William goodbye, grabbed Mitchell's treat and started back across town to get Jane. She jumped in the car and off for presents we went. Two stores later with presents in hand we raced back home to get Luke ready for his friend Anna's birthday party. He had been counting the days and hours and was so excited. We got him off and I rushed over for the last bit of the baby shower I had only the day before found I was supposed to be attending. And at last I thought I could take a breath for a minute. Except for the piles of laundry and dirty bathrooms and cabinet door that had mysteriously been pried off its hinges that all lay waiting for attention.

So the respite didn't last. Jane needed to head to her friend's house and Mitchell decided that since we were in the car and we needed to pick up Luke soon anyway we might as well get a treat but that meant he had to endure several errands I was putting off but really needed to get out of the way and which were so much easier only toting one child around. Sipping on our Jamba Juice we set off for Anna's house and the conclusion of the party. After wrangling three party-goers we headed back to our side of town to return two girls to their home. And then for a just a little while there was respite from the busyness. The boys played and I had a few minutes of lovely adult conversation. Then off to grab Jane.

I guess I should never leave my boys sitting in a running car. And I didn't think it would take long to gather Jane but it did and by the time we all piled into the car it was turned off and wouldn't start again. Now, I have a relatively new, very reliable vehicle so I was somewhat in shock and the boys were acting very strangely when questioned about how the car got turned off and just what had been doing. But a wonderful little thing about this town we live in is that it doesn't take William very long to leave work and head home, or to wherever we happened be at the moment. So my prince in shining armor saved the day, got the car started and decided that I deserved to not have to cook dinner.

This was a very full day and I was tired at this point and I thought the day should be over. But William was mowing the lawn and we needed to get a little weeding done. And then the dog got out. This dog loves to run and he runs super fast and he's really quite naughty if he gets out the front door and he doesn't come back home very quickly....if ever, unless he gets caught. I was tired so I thought I'd let him run for a minute and if the Animal Control picked him up then I might pretend he wasn't mine. But Luke apparently had a different plan and he set off to find Ruben, but I didn't know that. So a few minutes later when I couldn't find boy or dog I set off, not too panicky, to scout the neighborhood. But after two loops through the neighborhood and no sign of either my calm demeanor was quickly changing into panic. Eventually we did find Luke and Ruben, who had both crossed many streets, and Ruben went into the kennel for a long time out and Luke went into my arms for a long snuggle, albeit a snuggle with a bit of a lecture. He's promised me he will never run away from home again and I'm really glad he's thinking of it this way and I'm going to hold him to it.....I hope.

So as I sit here the nausea is finally subsiding and I'm really ready for this day to be finished but with my luck I'm not convinced that will happen very soon.

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

When the winds howl
When the kids scowl
When the temperature is bad
I simply remember some favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad!


So, a few favorite things..........


I love this picture of my dad. It was taken the day before he died and my little Luke just wanted to snuggle with his Grandpa Dave that day and Grandpa Dave was only too happy to oblige. But he had to tease Luke a little because that's what he always did. He poked and he teased and he was such fun and we loved him for it. May will always be a hard month as it reminds me just how much I miss having him around.




Sister Elaine Dalton, the General Young Women's President (in charge of organizing the programs for the teenage girls throughout the entire LDS church) visited our little ward in Idaho. What a great lady! She spent some time with our girls letting them know just how wonderful they are and she was powerful in what she said. I think every girl in that room felt she was important in the eyes of our Heavenly Father and I think they felt very loved. And I can't think of anything more important for girls to know when they are trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be. It was a wonderful day. However, I felt a little guilty. You see, after Sister Dalton was finished speaking to all our girls she was going to stay in the class with the older girls. But we were having Beehive cake in our class and I didn't think it would hurt to invite her to join us for the last few minutes for cake! Well, she decided she'd simply join us for the entire lesson.....that I was teaching. So I felt a little nervous at first thinking I might not be all that prepared with my lesson, and then I felt a little guilty because the older girls weren't so happy I "stole" Sister Dalton from them. But in the end I think we all really had a fantastic experience. Sister Dalton was speaking that evening to a large group of youth and our girls were invited to sit on the front row. However, the younger girls, my Beehives, weren't able to attend her fireside so their one on one time was particularly special. I truly hope the experience was something the girls will always treasure. I know I will.



My cooking club. Truly a favorite thing. I was quite worried when we moved here that I would have a difficult time making new friends. I had heard about these Idahoans. I had heard they were kind of a closed bunch. But I met Wendy right off the bat and she as warm and inviting and fun as can be. And she started a cooking club. There are only eight of us (yes, we're quite exclusive!) and we meet once a month to share our culinary secrets and finest recipes and witty comments and clever conversation. I have come to really love these women! We all come from varied backgrounds with so many different interests and talents and we come together to eat. There is nothing better. Except maybe when we invited our husbands to a potluck dinner at Sheri's renovated barn. I felt like I was stepping out of the pages of Martha Stewart Living. Wendy called me the following day and wondered if I could have imagined something as delicious and grand and fantastic as our evening had been.....and it all happened in our little tundra town!


My little Irish dancer. Jane looks so pretty when she's dancing a jig and so happy.


Before our move to the tundra William never had time to consider participating in sports himself. He sacrificed a lot of time to coach the kids but that never left anytime for himself. But our move certainly has changed things a bit and now he doing things like sacrificing his toenail in the name of the game.


I love that my boys are best buddies and so creative and fun and active. This picture represents the United States in a heated race on the Olympic bobsled track. I'm sure you can see it when you look closely. It's Legos and basketball and baseball and sword fights and soccer and trampoline wars and wrestling matches all day long with these two and sometimes they slow down enough to acknowledge my existence with a "Hey Mom! Love you. I'm starving! What can I eat?"

And these are a few of my latest favorite things.

Luke!

I love Lukie, he loves me
He turned four years-old, yes sirree
He thinks he's super grown-up and so you see
He so happy he's no longer three!

Just after Luke turned four he informed me that he no longer needed anyone to take him to the bathroom while we are at church. He is perfectly able to leave Sacrament meeting and head to the bathroom, and wherever else he chooses, on his own. I informed him that he may be four and quite grown up but that he would still be accompanied on that little walk to make sure it didn't turn into a loud and long adventure. He was quite displeased.

The day he turned four he also wondered why he would not start attending "Mitchell's school" immediately. I told him that he needed to be five and it needed to be that start of the school year, not the middle to end of the school year, before he could go to "Mitchell's school." He was quite displeased.

Luke also wondered why on his birthday he didn't receive his own iPod touch like his dad had gotten as a gift. I told him that when he was in his late thirties maybe he would have presents like that, until then he would have to make do with a Wii game and lots of other fun toys. He likes his toys, but was quite displeased that he doesn't have his own iPod. He is, after all, very grown up because he's four.


Luke is such a joy. He is such a fun buddy and I will never tire of his hair snuggles. I've decided that as long as he will give me hair snuggles I will make sure I have long hair. There is no reason to cut it off and give him an excuse to stop the snuggles!

On his first day of t-ball he put his mitt on an hour before his practice and told me that he really needed me to help him put his shoes on because he didn't want to take the mitt off in case he wasn't prepared. I mean, you never know if a ball is going to drop from the kitchen ceiling while you're shoes are being tied so you had better be ready for anything. He is so interested in life and notices everything. And he is so excited to be fully living each day.....especially if he's living it while doing things with his older brother who he idolizes. There is some interior clock in Luke and he knows just when that school bell is ringing. He spends the next fifteen minutes waiting and watching for the bus to arrive so he can get down to the really great part of the day: playing with Mitchell. Legos are never as fun as when Mitchell is around. And I'm so glad that Mitchell loves his kid brother and treats him like his best friend in the whole world.


I realize I'm a little behind in posting anything about Luke's birthday, but suffice it to say it was a grand party. In the great tradition of the year the friend party was a pool party, indoor of course because we live in the tundra and it doesn't get warm enough for an outside pool until the end of June at the very earliest. We splashed, we ate, we played we celebrated and I mourned just a little because my baby is growing up.


Love you Luke!