Another Day in February

February: Another frigid dreary month.  It seemed like we would be forever locked into the frozen tundra of winter.  How did we make it through?  We tried to stay positive and laugh.  You can either laugh or cry, and I prefer to laugh.

Here are some random things that happened this month.

I volunteered at Jump Rope for Heart at the Elementary School.  I didn't take any pics of Rachel.

One week the kids got to dress up differently every day.  Rachel dressed as Harry Potter on Dress as a Book Character day. 

 One snowy Sunday evening we tried out Shoulder Angels again.

 A view from the bus stop.... Another storm is coming.

 Rachel and Jacob decided they really wanted to earn and share an ipod.  They set out doing all sorts of chores to earn money.

 Every Tuesday night is spent here, at piano lessons.  We love our teacher.  At this moment, I was so grateful for the endless hours of practicing and reminding to practice.  Brayden and David are starting to play real, beautiful songs that I actually want to listen to!

 One morning we drove Daddy into work and had breakfast with him in the hospital cafeteria.  It was a real treat!

I think that I have been able to stay positive this month (or this snowy beginning of the year) is because I have read my scriptures and exercised every day.  I have seen a huge difference in my patience and my attitude with my children and the things that I have to accomplish daily.  There is great wisdom in taking care of yourself: your mind, your body, and your spirit. I am happier when I stay true to myself, doing the things that I know I should do.

I love my 14 year old.

Today our oldest turned 14.  We got up early and had chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup and whipped cream, per the request of Brayden.

We gave him some clothes and a PHONE!  He's getting to the point where he is busy.  We felt like he was mature enough to handle a call/texting plan.  He was very surprised and very pleased.  We think this will help communication for our whole family.

Grandma Enz surprised Brayden and brought him a Monical's pizza for lunch at school.  He was the envy of all around. He and Grandma have always had a special bond.

After school, Brayden had his friends over for a birthday party.  He has some great friends from church. Ethan, Ryan, Brein, Carson,  and Jake joined the rest of the family and made personal pizzas.

 

Brayden unwrapped his gifts.  There were two very creatively wrapped presents.  It took about 5 minutes to get into the one that was duct taped.  Brayden was a good sport and the boys got a good laugh out of it.

Then they all suited up for outside play time.  Jake didn't have his snow gear, so he got to use what we had available.  He looks pretty good in Rachel's snowpants!

 Jeremy drug them around on a sled behind the four wheeler. Ethan fell off and grabbed the back of the sled.  He was then drug around on his stomach.  They boys all thought this was an epic idea, so they all tried.  As they came inside, one of them said, "Your birthday parties keep getting better every year!"  They were frozen but had a lot of fun.   Brayden had ice on his glasses.  This picture is hilarious.

 They all squeezed under one  pink blanket to warm up.  And I won't mention what happened right before this picture to make them all burst out laughing.

Brayden wanted to watch Studio C, a sketch comedy.  There was some wrestling and card playing.  There was some chocolate peppermint torte eating.  And it was a really fun night.

Today I felt so happy and grateful to be Brayden's mom.  His birth made me a mother, the role that I love and cherish.  Brayden is a good boy through and through.  He is sensitive and wants to do what is right.  He sets a high standard for himself.  He is funny.  He is athletic.  He is smart. He is a great pianist. He is a super reader. And of course he is really good at pestering his younger siblings. He is a great friend to his Dad. I love to cheer for him in his cross country, track, and basketball.  I can tell he is always doing his best.
He is not afraid to let me know that he loves me. In fact, this past week he set an alarm on my phone.  At 6:29 pm every day I am reminded, "I love you, Mom!"  He makes me happy.

Kid Town

Every year the third graders in our school participate in Kid Town. With their group, hey come up with a business name, plan, motto, and banner. Then one day and evening, they open their business and earn money to pay for an overnight field trip to the zoo.

Rachel was part of Cool Fun Faces.

 I learned that Rachel was an organizer.  She made sure the business ran smoothly, that everyone was doing the correct shift, and also took care of the money.

 Her friend, Julia was in charge of a photo booth.

 She was busy all afternoon and evening.

Rachel and her bus driver, Mrs. Paige

 Her brothers all had their faces painted.

 Jacob loved the rock painting.  He spent at least 20 minutes on this masterpiece.

It was a great way for Rachel to learn math, teamwork, marketing, and all about running a business.

Bitter Cold

This January has been one for the record books.  It has been SO cold and snowy.  We have had a record number of snow days and 2 hour delays for school. 

Friday night the big boys were supposed to go on a camporee.  It was cancelled due to the cold, wind-chill, and snow. Jeremy bundled up andwent the next day because he was in charge of games. Our sons decided to stay home and play in their basketball games, instead.

As I drove back and forth to all the different activities, I had to face our driveway...the night before the winds were fierce and we had some pretty big snow drifts.  There were a couple of times that I thought I was stuck, but somehow was able to make it.

However, after Brayden's last game of the day, the drifts had enlarged and I got completely stuck out near the fence.  I thought it might happen, so we brought a shovel, but it was  a lost cause. We hopped out and ran inside the house until Bruce could come and help us out.  He and Brayden hooked a chain from our van to his truck and he pulled us out.  Then he maneuvered the van back to our garage.  Meanwhile, another truck and Jeremy's car also got stuck.  So... Bruce got out the four wheeler and plowed away the drifts.

That night, Jeremy, David, and Brayden went to watch the High School basketball game together.

We had another bitter cold day yesterday with a 2 hour  delay.  On my way home from taking Rachel from dance class, the sun was melting into the horizon.  I felt so grateful that we saw the sun today.  I tried to find the positive in this snowy cold situation we are in.  I decided that I was so grateful that the snow wasn't sand.  Imagine drifts of sand, sand blown in your face, sand suffocating the ground... At least the snow will melt!

 

 Ever since the boys got bivy sacks for Christmas, they have wanted to test them out on a REALLY cold night.  Since we knew that there would be a 2 hour delay, Monday night was the night!  It was supposed to be -14 with even colder wind-chill. 
They set everything up while there was still light out and then around 9:30 they went out for the night.

 

Around 11:30, I heard the back door slide open.  It was Brayden.  He couldn't sleep. 

Then at 12:30, in came David.  Soon after, Jeremy followed.  The boys couldn't sleep and Jeremy was worried that they hadn't made it inside and were frozen somewhere. 

So they had a fun adventure and were able to look at the stars on a crisp cold night.

I was very grateful for a nice warm bed.

 

I drove the kids out to the bus stop this morning and had to stop to get a picture of the

ice crystals on the grass. 

Snowed In

Sunday, January 5 church was cancelled because of a huge snow storm and "polar vortex," which means FREEZING cold temperatures, .

Sunday was so beautiful.  The snow fell heavy and silent. 

Jeremy had to try out his new cross country skiis.

 He went down to check on his Dad and did a few laps around the yard.

Jacob loves playing in the snow, so he was in heaven while Jeremy and Brayden shoveled the driveway.

The snow continued to fall all day, weighing down the branches of the trees. It was beautiful.  Church was cancelled, so we had our own little testimony meeting.  I love my family.

Sunday night we drove down to Grandpa's house to watch football with them.  Jeremy spent some time outside plowing the driveway.  He took a break to watch the end of the game.  When it was time to go home, the snow had drifted and the plow got stuck. Our van would not be able to make it back to the house.

Grandpa drove us home in his 4-wheel drive truck.

The next morning Jeremy got up very early and suited up to go to work.  Wind chills were -34.  He put on the skiis and skied to his Dad's house to see if he could get a ride to work in the truck.



Where in the world is Jeremy?

During the night, the wind had blown huge drifts over both of the driveways.  It looked like we were stuck.  As I was watching out the window for any progress, I noticed this beautiful sight as the sun came up.  I later discovered it was called a sun dog.  The sun's rays shine through frozen crystals in the air and produce a prism at 22 degrees on each side of the horizon.  It was so cool.

Soon, Jeremy called to tell us that the truck was stuck in a field.  They thought that they might have a better chance driving out through the field than through the drifted driveway.  He asked that I send the boys outside in shifts to help shovel.

I enjoyed my day in our warm house.  Jeremy and Bruce spent the entire day digging out the four wheeler, trying to plow, and then finally, after the plow overheated and got stuck, digging by hand.
I enjoyed looking outside at the winter wonderland and taking pictures.
I thought it looked like the clouds drifted by and got tangled in the branches of this tree.

Tuesday the wind had drifted more snow in the driveway.  Jeremy hiked out to the road and caught a ride to work.  The boys spent much of today digging by hand.  Brayden tried to plow with the four wheeler but it froze/over heated again.  Bruce asked a friend with a snowplow on the front of his truck to come over and try to plow the last 30 yards.  He got stuck. you can see his red truck and the boys around it trying to dig it out.  Finally, someone came to get them and they had to get towed. 

In this picture, you can see Bruce's truck on the left and the stuck truck on the right.  That area had to be dug out by hand.

These two monkeys had fun playing outside.

By Wednesday night, we were free.  The roads had been plowed enough that Jeremy could take me to the store.  The roads were HORRIBLE.  School was cancelled the rest of the week.  So instead of having a 2 week Christmas break, we had a 3 week Christmas break!  Lots of people had cabin fever, but I loved having the time to spend with my kids.  I did a lot of baking, playing games, watching the Harry Potter series, and reading.
One night we made chocolate snow cream.

It is kind of hard to tell from this picture, but this is the snow drift at the end of the driveway that we had to dig through.  I took this on Friday, when I finally took the kids out of the house and to the library.

Now that was a snowy adventure!