Christmas, cactuses, and cousins

Our environment went from this.....

... to this...

...in a quick 2.5 hour flight.  (We'll, it was supposed to be quick.  Our flight was delayed almost 2 hours.)

We spent nearly a week in Phoenix with Jason's brother and his family.  The warm Arizona weather was a welcome change to our drippy, cold, and foggy Oregon December.

It was a bit too cold to swim in the pool (although some of us jumped in to prove we could handle it), but the hot tub was just right for playing.  The girls had fun playing "Zombie Grandma" with Grandma Richards.

We enjoyed another "Christmas morning" with gifts for everyone from Grandma and Grandpa.  

We found a cactus-covered hillside.  A cactus forest?  Cactus grove?  Cactus garden?

Anyway, it's different.

We helped Sarah buy a new car... and took a day trip to Sedona to test it out, of course!  

We gave it it's first coat of dust and it's first bumpy road.

It passed the test, by the way.

After being cooped up in the car for awhile, the kids (and one adult) got out and CLIMBED!

On the way to Sedona, we visited this totally awesome national monument called Montezuma's Castle.  We learned about the Sinagua people who lived there centuries ago and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Sedona and the surrounding area is full of red rock cliffs and big blue skies.  We took a quick hike through the wilderness to stretch our legs and pose for the camera.  I definitely want to spend some more time in this area of Arizona.  It is beautiful and begs to be explored.

One afternoon we went to a local park and climbed the "mountain" that was there.  It ended up being a crazy, rocky climb at the end.  We hauled everyone up, including two kids who are afraid of heights, one kid under the age of two, one kid wearing flip flops, and one mom carrying a sweater, a camera, and two water bottles while she climbed.  It was an adventure!

Our time in Arizona was great.  We soaked up the sun, played hard with our cousins, visited with everyone, and had lots of fun.  It was a great way to spend our New Year's holiday and we can't wait to visit again!

Superhero update: Mariah Lynn

What do you say when your firstborn-superhero crosses over into a more adult-like disposition?  In fact, she's so adult-like that several people we know (who have been gone for a few months at school, moved away, etc and return to visit) don't recognize who she is.  "Who is that lady with the Richards family?" they ask.  Then they realize it's Mariah!  She wears my shoes, stands nearly eye to eye with me, steals my mascara, and uses my hair straightener.  Is she trying to take over my identity?  Maybe that's her secret weapon!

This superhero has a mental will and strength that is quite amazing.  When she makes up her mind to do something, there is no stopping her.  She has the ability to do great things just because of this one seemingly simple trait.

Most of Mariah's time lately has been spent developing her network of fellow superheroes.  Socials, school activities, sports, dances, texts, youth groups, slumber parties, are all common areas of research now.  Recently I sighed in exasperation as she asked me again for permission (and money) to go somewhere.  (I can't help feeling like a superhero booking agent and a loan officer, at times.)  When she heard me, she said, "Mom!  You said you wanted me to do something and not be lazy.  I can't help it if I have a life now!"  It's true.  Her superhero life is expanding beyond our little family and I have to accept that.  Sigh.

Truly, Mariah has taken her superhero abilities beyond anything I ever imagined in one of my children.  She is a superior student with talents and abilities that rise above most of those around her.  Best of all, she is a wonderful person who is kind, polite, and helpful to those around her.  I'm excited to see where she will choose to go in her life.  I love this superhero with all my heart.

A sicky Christmas

Hopefully, your Christmas celebration was filled with laughter and love, 

with no puking, fevers, or tummy aches.

Unfortunately, ours was not.

Merry Christmas!

Crash and burn... and bonk, and scrape, and cut, and crack

Some days just don't go as planned.  Poor Grunty didn't plan on landing on his face when he started riding his scooter.  We didn't plan on spending the afternoon in the urgent care office.  But that's life, right?

I dropped off Jason and the boys at an indoor skate park with their scooters.  They were excited to spend a couple of hours riding while I did some Christmas shopping.  I hadn't gone four blocks down the road when Jason called and told me to come back--Grant had an accident.  When I got there, Grant had an ice pack on his mouth and was talking jibberish.  "What just happened?  What's going on?  I can't even tell if this is real.  This just feels like a dream!"  We sat there for awhile to get the bleeding to stop and to get him settled down.  The inside of his lip was split open pretty badly in two places--I thought stitches were warranted.  We decided to take him to the doctor to see about his lip and to check for a head injury.

Jason said Grant has just started to ride and wasn't even doing anything crazy when he lost his balance and slammed face forward over his scooter and onto his head and face.  It happened so fast Grant wasn't able to get his hands out in front of him to catch his fall.  He landed square on his face.  It knocked him out and Jason had to roll him over and out of the growing pool of blood.

We got him to the doctor's office where he puked all over the foyer floor (was I selfish for feeling grateful he didn't puke in the car?).  He had swallowed a TON of blood and it showed in the mess that was now covering the beautiful tile floor.  After a thorough exam, the doc told us he was one very lucky kid and that his helmet had definitely done its job.  Had he not been wearing it, he would have been in very bad shape.  Fortunately, a minor concussion, a bit of confusion, a really bad headache, and a split lip were the only damages incurred.  No broken nose, no knocked out teeth, no major head injury.  She gave us the option for stitches in his lip, since scarring wasn't an issue and it would likely heal quickly.  Grant quickly vetoed the stitches.  

Once we got home, the puking continued consistently until he went to sleep that night.  That worried me a bit, being unfamiliar with head injuries and wondering what was normal and what to be worried about.  But, in the days following he has healed quickly and is back to being Grunty--with a fat lip and a black eye.

*Sidenote about helmets:  The doc told us to throw out Grant's helmet and make sure to get him a new one since the trauma of this accident will have ruined his helmet.  I scoffed at the suggestion (in my mind) thinking she was being overly cautious.  When we got home, we checked out his helmet more closely, and, sure enough.  There were two cracks in his helmet from the force of the blow.  Crazy!  And now I'm a complete advocate of helmet use AND helmet replacement after an accident.  It saves lives, man!

Superhero update: Karina-bucket

Karina-bucket's superhero powers are developing rapidly--she has been working hard to advance her abilities in several areas.  Her most recent work includes her academic training where she is learning to read at lightning speed, to write about her superhero adventures, to calculate the speed of her enemies (or at least how many weapons or ponies they have), and to draw pictures of her experiences.  Nearly every day I find her holed up somewhere in the house with a book to read, a math worksheet to calculate, or a notebook to fill with words.  It has been really fun to watch her learn and to see that she enjoys it.  A love of learning is a superhero quality of mega-porportions!

Can you see Karina under the hat and blanket coloring?

In addition to the aforementioned mental training, Karina-bucket has added some physical training as well.  Specifically, she is working on the many faces she makes in order to camouflage her presence while amongst her enemies.  She's a superhero of many expressions, which will come in handy as she tries to deceive her foes.

Secret wink

"Let me think about that...."

"Yuck!"

"Boo!"

"Arrrrgggggg!"

Cutie pie

"Are you crazzzzyy?"

"Huh?"

Sassy-pants

Karina-bucket's zest for life has not been dampened in recent years, nor has her ability to "hang with the boys".  She receives daily training from her three older brothers who make sure to keep her active, strong, and sassy.  She can go from playing ponies and princesses to ninja warriors and zombie apocalypse in 0.4 seconds.  I'd say her versatility is a great strength to her superhero profile.

Great things will come from this young superhero, no doubt.  Stay tuned to see which adventures she chooses and how she handles the challenges that come her way!

The Star of Bethlehem

Another Christmas concert in the works!

This will be the second choir and music concert for which I have planned and prepared.

Last year's concert was a great success.

I'm hopeful this year will be the same.

It has been a different journey.  I haven't been as nervous or worried.

I've gotten a little comfortable, which has led to a bit of disorganization and procrastination.

Naughty me.

But, I know everything will turn out splendidly.  I have faith that it will.

I have wonderful people supporting and helping me.

I'm praying the ice and snow doesn't come yet.

I'm also praying I don't get the fever and sickness that is plaguing my children at the moment.

It's a wonderful, BUSY time of year.

I can't think of a better way to spend it than by sharing my talents with others and bringing the spirit of Christmas into the hearts of my friends, my family, and my community.

Hustle + bustle = No blog posts

Man!  Life has been busy these past few weeks.  I only published three blog posts in November and I'm not sure I'll get many out this month either.  Life is just too busy.

Busy with what?  Hmmmmmm... basketball practices, indoor soccer practices, ballet practices, choir practices, scouts, church youth activities, holidays, weddings, funerals, school meetings, church meetings, business meetings.  I guess it's just regular life, but it has been too busy for blog posts.  Maybe it's that I don't feel like anything blog-worthy has happened, so I've put it on the back burner.

Anyway, I'm still alive.  It'll just take me some time to get back into blogging mode.

Apple Bacon Turkey Day

This year we spent Thanksgiving with my mom and my nephew, Shelbie.  We hauled our food, our fixin's, and even the barbeque up to her house so we could cook and visit together all day long.  It was fun!

We had WAY too much food.  It's hard to prepare a "feast" for my normal family size plus two.  I always want to make new food dishes along with the old ones that we love, but there just aren't enough people to eat everything.  So, we ended up with a lot of food.  Jason cooked the turkey on the barbeque grill.  His apple bacon turkey was AH-MAZING!  Very yummy.

I learned a few things this go-around:

1)  Naked turkeys are quite entertaining for the 12-and-under crowd.  When Jason unwrapped the thawed turkey, it was like Christmas morning.  The giggles, shouts, and guffaws coming from the kitchen were hilarious as the boys poked, prodded, and man-handled the turkey.

2)  Quinoa is NOT to be cooked at a 2:1 ratio with water.  We had mushy quinoa salad, which was not as appetizing as fluffy quinoa salad.

3)  When mixing egg yolks into a hot, boiling syrup, make sure they are well-tempered.  Unless, of course, you like scrambled eggs in your coconut-pecan frosting.  Otherwise, you'll have to start over, which is what I opted to do.

4)  Pumpkin fudge is y.u.m.m.y.

Superhero update: Kyle-ee-oh Smile-ee-oh

Nicole Kraus Photography

Superhero Kyle-ee-oh has been hard at work developing his superpowers.  Literally.  Kyle's desire, willingness, and ability to help and work with others is quite amazing.  He jumps at any chance to work outside or alongside others.  Whether it's stacking wood for the winter, pulling weeds in the garden, trimming branches, or anything work related, he is happy to help.  This summer we hired Mario to do some landscaping work for us.  Kyle volunteered to be his assistant and worked hard filling the wagon with weeds and pulling it in the hot sun.  He is certainly honing his worker bee skills, and I'm proud of his willingness to pitch in and work well after the interest has waned in those around him.  He is our little superhero worker bee.

Kyle is becoming quite the stealthy snugglebug.  When Mom or Dad sit down anywhere, before we know it Kyle has quietly snuck onto our lap or draped his arm around our shoulder.  He loves to be loved and never refuses a hug, kiss, or tickle.

Kyle also works regularly on the skills every superhero should have like jumping, flying, catching air, etc.  These activities keep him very busy and he's quite willing to do this type of training.

Every superhero has a secret weapon, and Kyle's continues to be his stealthy smile.  As mentioned in my original superhero post about Kyle-ee-oh, Kyle has SMILE POWER and nothing has changed on that front.  Not too long ago, the bishop of our church spoke with Kyle in an interview.  When they were finished, the bishop said, "I have a new nickname for Kyle."  Curiously, we asked what it was.  He said, "Smiles!"  That's our Kyle!

Kitty Chronicles: The art of weaving

Have your ankles ever been rubbed by a friendly cat who wanted to greet you?

Cats often affectionately rub against anyone who might be standing nearby.

It's the beginning of a fine art, this rubbing.  

A dip of the chin and a tilt of the head as the top of her head meets your unassuming leg.  

A gentle rub down through the neck, as she walks forward to further caress the length of her body.

Near the end, a swish of her tail completes the transaction.

Ah... but a quick pivot enables her to repeat the process over and over again.  

Back and forth.  Back and forth.  

The more skilled feline will take the leg rubbing session to another level, however.

With the promise of food or drink coming from the ankle's owner, she follows the legs as they walk toward the source of food.  

Walk beside the moving legs?  No.

Instead, she skillfully weaves in and out of the swishing legs,
perfectly timing her entrances and exits so as not to harm her benefactor.

Here, it becomes a fine art, this weaving.  

A synchronized dance between feline and owner.

The feline displaying her true sense of grace, beauty, and timing.

Is this ability inherent in all cats?
Nope.  And definitely not in ours.
Beauty, temperance, speed, agility.  Twig has been blessed with all of these.
But with graceful leg rubbing?  Not so much.
As Twig approaches to rub your legs, he lowers his head, moves forward, and....
CONKS squarely into your shin.  It's more like a football tackle than anything.
Then, as he continues his rubbing attempt, his forward movement clumsily bumps along your leg like sticky sneakers on a gym floor.
And then, abruptly, he's finished--ending all too quickly.
Twig's is a dance all right.  But it's more slam dancing than ballet.

Happy Halloween!

From my....

Nerd,

Pocahontas,

Zombie,

Fairy,

Zombie Doctor.

Happy haunting!

House update

In case you were wondering, YES!  We are still trying to build a house.  It has been a LONG road to get everything in place.  There are still more hurdles to overcome.  Progress is painfully slow.  Luckily, I'm busy raising a family which keeps me pretty distracted from the drawn-out timeline.

There are many, many pieces to the puzzle when it comes to putting a house project together.  We are using Adair Homes, which is a company that asks the homeowners to take responsibility for many pieces of the puzzle.  We are in charge of:  excavation, septic/well systems, painting, concrete flatwork, clean-up, and a few other smaller items.  These things, along with our responsibility to get the financing in place, add up to a lot of work--especially when you're a mom, not a contractor.  I'm always up for new tasks and projects, so I'm enjoying the learning process that comes with this project, but I have been frustrated at times.  Most of the difficulties are caused by my own ignorance and inability to know the right questions to ask.  It's a learning process.  

So, where are we with our project now?

1)  We're collecting our final bids on concrete and utility work.  Translation:  I'm hounding, begging, pleading,  and stalking contractors to call me back regarding their bids.  I'm also regularly giving out the stink-eye as contractors tell me they'll be out of town on vacation and I'll have to wait for their bids.  Disneyworld?  Elk hunting?  What?!?  You people have lives?!?!

2)  We're nailing down the final price of the home with Adair.  Translation:  Do we really need granite countertops throughout the entire house?  Should we spend the extra money to install fireplaces now?  To finish or not to finish the basement.... and lamenting to myself, "Why, oh why, do I have such expensive taste?"

3)  We're working with the bank to get our financing in place and our overall budget approved.  Translation:  The bank is asking "Why, oh why, do the Richards have such expensive taste?"  Just kidding.  But the bank does want to know where every penny is going.

Anyway, right now I feel like I have all these giant floating balloons up in the air that I'm tending to, and it's my job to grab all the strings and get them to join into one, cohesive bunch so we can move along together.  The balloons are moving but it's a lot of work to get them all synchronized and ready to go.

Wish me luck as I continue prodding and pulling everyone along.  It's work to realize a dream, but we'll make it happen!

The spice of life

Spice.  Heat.  Burn.

Lately I can't seem to get enough of it.

Seriously. 

I want everything I eat to be spicy.

And not just a little spicy, but A LOT spicy.

I've discovered Tabasco chocolate (not quite hot enough), spicy habanero cheese (just right!), and even spicy mexican hot chocolate (yum!).

I'm adding crushed red peppers, cayenne powder, Tabasco sauce, etc. to nearly all of my food.  

What's up with that?

Is it a metaphor for my life?

Probably.

My life lacks in the "spicy" department.  

Not that I don't do fun things, but sometimes I get bogged down mentally and have 

a hard time transitioning into fun activities.  

Lame, huh?

I need to lighten up.

So, I guess I'll try being more spontaneous and exciting.

Until I get a handle on it, though, bring on the heat!

I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Kyle was baptized this weekend into our church.

It was a special day for him and our family.

He was excited and I enjoyed watching the solemn, reverent, manner by which he carries 

himself during important, sacred moments.  

This boy is truly a mature spirit.

I'm pleased with the good choices he makes every day to be an example to those around him.
He makes my life easy and full of joy, and I'm honored to be his mother.

Congratulations, Kyle!

Superhero update: Grunty Grant

Superhero Grunty is a-growin'.  It's true.  His superpower physique is sharpening--his shoulders are broadening, his muscles are strengthening, his appetite is endless.  How will I keep this boy satiated?  It's a constant question for this mother of superheroes, but one that applies especially to Grunty Grant.

Grunty's training schedule is filled with various activities, as illustrated below.  Scooters, trampolines, lawn mowers--they're all a part of the grand plan to make Grunt into a top-skilled, elite superhero.

He's recently had a few sessions of specialty training in skills such as:

Dodging random shooting enemies from the ground...

... prisoner escape tactics....

... and giving speeches to rally a rebel crowd.  

He's got a few inches to grow before his speech capabilities will be fully realized.

The road to becoming a superhero is hard.  Some days Grunty feels discouraged, but in the end, I'm confident he'll overcome any obstacles that are in his way.  He's currently being schooled on learning to push through the hard times in order to truly enjoy the good times.  It's a challenging course.

I'm certain Grunty Grant's superhero training will make him successful in whatever he chooses in life.  And in the end, his beautiful blue eyes and dashing smile will certainly make up any difference!