long story short

good for the soul

We're back from our trip to Lake Powell. After a hectic and stressful couple of weeks of moving (ugh), it was nice to just relax. We went with our usual travel companions -- six adults and sixteen kids. We don't get together as much as we'd like to, but when we do, we pick up right where we left off. We all morph into one big family.

         
Trips like this remind me why I like these people so much. We laugh, we talk, we play hard. We moms relax our no-sugar-cereal rules (except for one, who, in real life, allows sugar on everything -- you know who you are!). We are all ourselves -- and love each other for it.

    
     
    
    
Before I left, my sisters pitched in and helped organize the kitchen and kids' rooms, which was such a help, physically and emotionally (thanks, girls!). But, I was feeling overwhelmed as I drove away, knowing there were boxes and furniture strewn everywhere...life felt chaotic, unsettled. 

The boxes and chaos were still here when we got back (dang!), but, after a week of relaxing with my family and good friends, it all felt much more manageable. I was reminded that having everything perfectly put away is not all that important. It'll happen in time.

So, I've unpacked and settled in a little bit each day this week. And while I go about the business of making this new house our home, I'm reminded that, although the new house is fun and will help me feel settled here, "home" is really about a lot more than where we live.

Sometimes, we all need a little reminder that home is where we put our hearts.

 

ps- although it's not all about the house...i'll post some photos of our progress soon. 

walker: the hospital room

I thought you might like a peek into Walker's hospital room. His bed faces this wall:

     
Every day, Walker looks up at encouraging messages from his friends and family. It's awesome, really. I think it's really made a difference.

What you can't see in these photos? The cookies, books and other treats that have been dropped off; the dinners and treats left for my other kids; the texts ("love you, man!" they say), emails and voicemails; the playdates arranged for my other kids; the hugs, the phone calls, the listening ears; one friend even stealthily dropped off a new pair of Walker's favorite-brand lacrosse socks at the hospital. We didn't know he'd been there!

So, next time you find yourself thinking that the little things you do don't make a difference... think again.

Because they do.

renewed

I just spent the weekend with my Book Club Girls. It's funny: what started as a book club morphed into a book & food club, then mostly a food club, then... a sisterhood. One by one, we moved away. Now we try to see each other a few times a year. It's never enough.

This weekend, we spent time reconnecting. Talking, laughing, crying, eating (always eating). Shopping, yoga, running, hiking, strolling along the beach. We shared funny stories and secrets, hopes and fears.

Our hostess welcomed us into her home, then spoiled us with her always-amazing cooking. Mmmm.

Even though we hardly slept, I came away renewed and refreshed... ready to be better, to do better.

I miss the girls already. Like I said, no matter how much time we spend together...it's never enough.

 

 

ps-our token redhead is missing from this photo. she said she didn't feel like having her picture taken -- so was photographer instead. the picture doesn't seem quite right without her. (sigh)

2002-revisited

This picture was taken eight years ago in California. That's Mac on the right, his buddies (twins) on the left, and his cousin in the middle.

I don't remember why my sister was in town, but I do remember that day. My sister, best friend and I took are kids to the park. We laughed when we realized we'd all dressed our baby boys in practically the same outfit.

I never really thought we'd ever all be in the same place at the same time again, but...

fast forward eight years, and...

There they are. Same boys. Still adorable. With eight years of mischief and memories under their belts.

If I'd been thinking about it, I would have had them sit in the same order, dressed alike. But, guess what? Eight years makes a big difference in boys' willingness to pose for a photo.

And dress alike. Ever.

finally...

Did you think I'd fallen off the edge of the earth?

I know I promised to post pictures of our lake trip. Then, I experienced a late-summer blog funk.

Sort of.

Actually, while I was away, my out-of-town sisters came into town and we spent the next several days in I-can't-believe-we're-ALL-together bliss. But, that's a post for another day.

First things first. Lake Powell.

    
Gorgeous. Breathtaking. It's really like no other place. 

Now, Lake Powell with 6 adults and 16 kids on a houseboat... that is an experience described best in pictures.

So, now...

finally...

our lake trip. Enjoy!

 

I have so many more pictures! And I'm sure my BFFs have at least a thousand more. But, you get the idea. It was fun and relaxing. And all those kids! Awesome.

I know that one of my loyal readers (you know who you are) will point out that I'm not in any photos. It's true. We look like a Disney family -- loving father, no mother -- in most of our trip albums. It's because I'm the family photographer. K says he'll take pictures sometimes so that we don't look like a motherless family. But he doesn't. So we don't.

I sound bitter, don't I.

(deep breath)

Loyal Reader, if you look carefully, you will see me peeking out from the back row of the group photo. Oh, and those blue toenails? They're mine. I had to prove my existence somehow.

Even if the pictures don't show it, I had a great time. No access to the internet, no phones, no schedule.

Just us.

All together.

Having fun.

(sigh)

I love Lake Powell.

because my sister asked...

... here are more photos of Hutton's End of Chemo party.

                                                     

Sister, I hope these pictures give you a good feel for the day. I know that you, like me, like to see the party details. It was all great... except that you were missing.

Oh, and Sister? You were right: I should have assigned someone to take photos. Being hostess, emotional mom and photographer was a bit much. Hence, I didn't get as many party-detail photos as I should have. (You would have loved the little brownie sundaes topped with hot fudge and mini gummy bears. Mmm!)

Sister3 and beloved SIL have more photos. I haven't seen them, but shan says hers are mostly of a weepy me -- and who wants to see that?

Um, no one. That's who.

back to real life

I'm back! K and I spent 9 days with our good friends on a boat in the Virgin Islands. Sounds like heaven, doesn't it? It kind of was.

I so rarely have an unscheduled week in my life. On this trip, we would look at the map, consult our travel books and come up with a new plan for each day. The plans would consist only of things we wanted to do. There were really no have-tos on this trip. Like I said... heaven.

The days of lazy fun recharged my battery a bit. It was a week of sleeping in, exploring new beaches, soaking in the beautiful scenery, scuba diving for some, swimming, lounging, reading, speed scrabble and chatting. Lots of chatting, which meant lots of laughing. Oh yes, and food. Lots and lots of food. Too much food really. Although... can there ever be too much food? (I didn't think so either. Until this trip.) 

      

    
You know how some people give off positive energy? Well, that's how these friends we went with are. We've been friends long enough that we're comfortable with each other -- which is good because we charter a boat for these trips and that makes for a lot of togetherness. We had lots of long talks about things that are important to us. We laughed a lot. I came back from our time together renewed and inspired -- motivated to do things better.

So, after a deliciously warm week in the Virgin Islands, it's back to real life. Which means snow and freezing cold temperatures. And a busy schedule.

But, it also means back to my kids (I think they might have actually missed me!)... snowboarding, sports, driving here and there, listening to reports of how good they were for grandma and grandpa, reading stories wrapped in a cozy quilt.

Kind of like heaven.

winter formal

Last night, our house was buzzing with excitement. Brins and her friends were all going to Winter Formal. The weeks leading up to The Big Night were full of wardrobe consultations, shoe swapping, and what felt like dozens of planning meetings where the girls conjured up the perfect date.

You know, it seems like Winter Formal '08 was just yesterday. Things have changed somewhat since last year. Last year Brin was so nervous. I mean, I-think-I-might-throw-up nervous. She was new to the whole dating thing and was so grateful to have a nice friend along to steady her nerves.

This year... no noticeable nerves, just excitement to be going with a nice boy and lots of friends. She's a dating pro now, I guess. (sigh)

Once again, we didn't get to see all the boys. But, we did get to see a few of the girls before they went.

Lucky boys....

sharks!!

There was no kindergarten on Thursday. In Hutton's world, that means it's a perfect day to pull out his favorite book and do another project. This time, he invited his friends to help.

 

I'd had a parent-teacher conference earlier that morning with Hutton's teacher. I was told that:

1. Hutton's reading is really coming along.
2. Hutton is a good student.
3. Hutton is helpful.
4. Hutton is competitive and races his classmates in everything they do -- leading to some less-than-perfect work. (little stinker!)
5. Hutton and his friends are refusing to sing in music, which, apparently has lead to an anti-singing movement among the kindergarteners.

Item number 5 was what most (almost ALL) of the conference time was spent on. Seriously? My kid doesn't sing? He's influencing others not to sing? Okay, I can see that's a problem, I say. I'll have a talk with him, I say.

What I wanted to say: Are you kidding me? He's helpful and smart and kind to others. He's doing great in math, knows his sight words and his numbers and is happy in class. Just a few months ago, he would barely speak outside of our home. Now, he's playing with the other kids and making friends. AND, he has somehow avoided most of the gross kindergarten germs and has been able to actually come to school (most days). And we spent the whole conference focusing on the fact that HE DOESN'T SING??!!!

Now, I'm not the mom whose children can do no wrong. I do realize that my child is not perfect. I did have a chat with him about The Singing Crisis of '09.

But mostly... we made cupcakes. I guess if his outrageous delinquency continues, he'll have something to fall back on.

snow bunnies

We spent President's Day weekend in Park City with our friends. Four "adults" (term used loosely), TEN kids, one condo.

Do you have friends like ours? You know those friends that, no matter how long it's been since you've seen each other, you pick up right where you left off?  These particular friends are like family. They accept me as I am -- and push me to my limits. This time, they had me skiing -- something I haven't done in about a million years. Something no one else could have possibly talked me into. And, because we were together, it was... fun. Really fun. And my kids were impressed (I tried to keep my nervous trembling hidden) -- which was a bonus. 

I have three children that snowboard and two that ski. One of the skiers is hard to get on the slopes. He's a beginner (we used to live in sunny CA, which doesn't lend itself to lots of skiing) and doesn't like to be seen doing things at which he's not expert. But, when a certain sibling suffered a particularly painful face-plant, he was talked into taking her place in the group. I stood in the FREEZING cold -- at night with no coat on -- with my camera at the bottom of the run to take a picture that would mark the moment. (You might be interested to know that the "non-skiing" skier was back out on the slopes on Monday -- with plans to go again this weekend. All it took was a little push).

It was so cold out there that my freshly-washed hair froze into a mass of brunette icicles -- literally. Brrr!

It was a weekend full of skiing, snowboarding, movies, games, tubing, late-night chats, etc. 

 

(the littlest snow bunnies)

The best part? Reconnecting with friends. The worst? Saying goodbye... again. I miss them already.