A Joyful Noise…and other sounds

We had a very fun day celebrating Eli’s 2nd birthday, complete with guitar cake.  Eli’s opinion of my cake-decorating skills is rather low.  When I showed him the cake and asked him what it was he said “I don’t know”.  Talk about a blow to the ego!  This coming from the child who eats, sleeps and breathes all things guitar.  Here is Eli at a glance on this, the anniversary of his birth.

Favorite toy:  His guitar, followed distantly by his choo-choo train

Favorite thing to do:  Play guitar

Favorite Song:  currently it is  ‘Jammin’ by Bob Marley, ‘Island in the Sun’ by Weezer coming in at a close second

Favorite Food:  anything sweet that I don’t want him to have

I suppose they all have to leave home sometime.  In Eli’s opinion, that time was two days before his second birthday.  He asked for his coat, hat and boots.  Then he picked up the guitar and walked out the door.  His last words were “Bye Mom!” and he was walking off down the sidewalk.  I guess all a kid really needs is his guitar and the open road.  Good luck buddy.

Ever since Kim quit Moroni Feed and began working at Centracom, we both knew it was only a matter of time before we would acquire some poultry.  You can’t own or handle any kind of bird at all when you work at the turkey plant.  Something about avian flu or some such nonsense.  Well, now we are free as birds (ha ha) to get some birds!  Project Chicken is underway.

Day One:  Kim starts to build the coop with all the leftover lumber, particle board, chicken-wire (hey!) and shingles from our house.

Day two:  I order fifteen Buff Orpington chickens from Cackle Hatchery in Missouri.

On February 17th, our one day old chicks will be put in a box and mailed to our post office.  On February 19th, the good people at the post office will call to say there is a chirping box with our name on it.  There is much to do until then.  Stay tuned for our next exciting update on Project Chicken.

Philosophers, sages, religious and world leaders have been debating the question for years:  what do you teach your kids to do first?  Ski or snowboard?  I have never been skiing in the snow.   I have only been snowboarding a few times.  I have heard that it is easier to learn to ski.  But I feel pretty certain that my kids will end up to be snowboarders.  So, if I am going to invest our time and money into outdoor winter recreational equipment, what do I buy first?  Little skis or a little snowboard?  I would appreciate any input here.

We are doing our best to make it through the January blah’s.  Today we went up Fairview canyon for some snowboarding and sledding.  We definitely needed to get out since all of our kids have been sick with what I can only guess was varying degrees of stomach flu.  Eli had it the worst, poor little guy.  But they are all doing better and we all had fun today.  (but I am going to be SO sore tomorrow!)

At the bottom of the hill

Kassidy (Kim’s sister) and I looking for a good potty spot.  Boys have it so easy.

Kassidy looking good on her snowboard

I went snowshoeing for the first time last Saturday (the 8th).   The sky was clear and sunny.  I got a much-needed dose of Vitamin D, along with some good old-fashioned ‘me time’.  I really hate that phrase actually, but ‘me time’ can be a good thing, when used in moderation.  Anywho, here are some pictures from our snowshoeing expedition wherein some friends and I tromped around the hills for a while above Ephraim canyon.   It was lovely.  I’m hooked!

Sandra, Charlynn, Lisa (and Eli), all ready to go!

Heading back down the trail

Stopping for a photo-op before we leave the top of the ridge.  We probably should have figured out how to use the self-timers on our cameras before we left home, thus avoiding the extra 20 minutes it took to get this shot.

A mother’s job is to tell her kids what to do.  Sometimes, (okay, often) it takes a while for them to respond.  Such was the case last night when I was trying to get April’s attention to tell her to turn off the water in the bathtub.  I think I had to say her name three or four times.  Finally, she heard me, but my tone was a bit exasperated.  I was walking away from the bathroom when I heard Janey say in a sing-songy voice “Bossy lady…”  I’m not 100% sure if she was referring to me, but the timing was too perfect for me to think otherwise.  I wonder if I have any other names?

Here are a few things I will use/consume to make it through the next couple of dreary winter months:

1.  Rosemary & Olive Oil flavored Triscuts.  Yum, and Yum!

2.  Reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

3.  My new slippers with memory foam soles.  Cushy!

4.  ‘Chuck’ is returning!  Yay for geeky super-spies!

5.  I have been teaching April and Janey to sew, and they are totally digging it.  It keeps them occupied for large amounts of time during the day.  Hello, Sanity!

My front door is not appreciating the cold weather.  It groans every time we open it.  Neither are any of my car doors.  Or their steering wheels.  All of which protest when we open/turn them.  Also, my heater makes a faint whining noise in our Suburban. In the Honda, it just rattles.  To say my our vehicles are reluctant to start is an understatement.  Some things just aren’t meant to be turned on or opened when it’s 14 degrees outside.  Also the snow is so cold that when you walk on it, it squeaks too, which is one of those sounds that sets my teeth on edge.  I like the snow, I like the cold weather.  What I am getting a little tired of is the bitter, face-numbing temperatures.  According to weather.com, it’s 29 degrees and they think it also feels like 29 degrees.  I beg to differ.  The sad thing is, we’re in one of the warmer places in the country right now.

2009 was a year of several firsts.
We kicked off the year by getting our first (and last) dog. Then we celebrated Eli’s 1st birthday. I guess technically it’s his second if you count the day he was born. I got my first job in nearly six years. We went to Moab and Disneyland for the first time as a family.  Kim went on a backpacking trip in the Uintahs and I stayed home with the kids for the first time instead of running to my mother’s house .  It’s what I usually do when Kim leaves for more than a day. We began our first official year of homeschooling and the only questionable result is that April says she wants to marry her cousin (but she’s been saying that for years) We acquired our first piano, which tends to sound flat on several notes, so hopefully it is not our last piano. Most recently, Kim quit his first real job and got a better one. Now, for the first time since moving here, we feel some hope that we can stay here for as long as we wish. I’m thankful that we can celebrate the birth of our Savior and am grateful that each year I gain a greater appreciation for his life and sacrifice for all of us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!