Bear Lake Escape

On a whim we decided to drive up to Bear Lake on Tuesday before the storm hit. It felt so good to get into the mountains, hike around, feel the crunch of snow under our feet and breath in the fresh, cold air. Keeping the kids on the trail was a challenge as we weren't dressed for exploring but they still had fun.

Timothy, Joe, Ben and Jacob
Sweet nothings ...
Mary was frustrated because Mike and I couldn't quit laughing for long enough for her to take a good picture ... I can't remember what was so funny ...
"Don't put your tongue on it kid!"
This was like peeking into Narnia ...
Mr. Tumnus
Rachel and Mike
Miss Anna Grace with two sweet little braids down her back ... cutie!
Luke
Anna, Mary and Lizzy
Rachel

Last week was busy ...

Last week was a blur. We started the weekend with a new niece and a chess tournament. John and Joanie welcomed their second child into their family, Lily. She's a doll!
And her big brother, Winston, has been so sweet with her. He came by to tackle a PB&J while we admired Lily ...
The chess tournament went very well with 2 seconds and 2 thirds. Luke beat the #1 player which was exciting for him. None of the pictures turned out very well so you'll have to use your imagination.

In the blur of the week I almost forgot to mention my Mom's birthday! Patrick and Marcy (and my little pumpkin niece and nephews) braved the snow and cold on Sunday to come up Sunday for a great party! So, so fun! We had a baked potato bar and fantastic chocolate cake that Marcy made with her very own paws! It was awesome.

Monday began with a big, cold storm. Several inches of snow and temperatures below zero. Our kitchen pipes froze for a day which was a slight inconvenience but thankfully the pipes defrosted with no leaks. Despite the weather nothing was canceled which made for a week of slow, icy driving. Things really picked up on Thursday with the final dance class of the year and the Annual Dining-In at C.A.P. for Joe. Saturday night was also Joe's Winter Formal at Ridgeview. One of the teachers, Mr. Smith, made a fancy Italian dinner for all the students followed by dancing and fun. Joe and Emily had a blast.
What a handsome couple although Emily had to be freezing! While I like this picture, I LOVE the following ...
My baby and me ... wahhhhhhhhhhh ... how can he be so grown up! We finished our week with the kids Christmas program at church. Ben was Joseph, Jacob said a line and Timmy, Anna and Rachel all sang. It was very sweet.

Jacob is behind the girl in the red dress here ... I missed the shot when he said his line.

Tonight is the last BSF until January and this is Joe's last week of school. I'm so looking forward to some time off with no commitments. Mike has a few weeks off as well and I hope to play and rest. I have a bunch of administrative things to do with the older kids school and would also like to get some computer work done. But, before any of that I need to get through this week ... cookies to make for fellowship at BSF, lingering school, Christmas cards (have no idea what I'm doing about this yet) and so on and so on ....

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

I just can't get enough of Fernando Ortega's Christmas Album this year ... the words of this hymn particularly stir my soul this year ... "From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee."

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Friday Nights

We've been inviting the older kids friends and, occasionally, adult friends over on Friday nights for fellowship and fun. It's been a blast. This week we had the Blosser brothers and our neighbor, Kyla, come over. We hid candy in the dark and then handed the kids flashlights and sent them hunting. We also had a roaring fire pit, hot dogs, played triangle football and watched Mr. Bean. It was freezing!

The candy hunt ... the little girls were sent out first ...
Josiah chatting it up with the kids in the basement.
Kyla Box dressing up in with things from our costume and animal bins ... I'll be sure to save this for her wedding reception.
Mary is the reigning Triangle Football Superbowl Champion ...

The Blosser boys, Luke and Caleb, in awe of Mary's Triangle Football abilities!














I'm not sure what they were doing here ... if walls could talk ...

Just when I thought I couldn't simplify further ...

... this fall I've simplified MORE! Meals, school, cleaning and errands have all been revamped to simplify our life. We leave the house at 7:00 AM to get Joe to Ridgeview. While I'm gone a big kid motivates the troops into chores and getting dressed. When I get home we eat breakfast and finish up chores. Devotions and school start at 9:00. I do reward said "big kid" with a homemade latte or cocoa upon my return provided nothing is on fire and everyone is still breathing.

In terms of meals, I've gotten in the habit of tripling recipes so we can eat it for more than one meal AND freeze one. This leaves us leftovers for at least 2 nights per week (usually Thursday and Saturday) and a frozen meal for a future Monday night before BSF. Lunches have been changed to cheese tortillas, sandwiches, ramen, mac 'n cheese or baked potatoes ... which I rotate over and over again. Baked potatoes are my new favorite ... I toss 9 in the crockpot at breakfast and they are baked by lunch! Amazing! For breakfast if I want to make something fun I now do it the day before ... no more french toast assembly lines or little bakers stirring vats of muffin batter at 7:00 AM . I've gotten my bread machine back out which I keep running on any day we're home. I have a new recipe that uses fruit (bananas, pumpkin, applesauce) to make a yeast bread ... it makes the perfect toast.

School has been reduced to reading, writing and arithmetic for the littles (under 6th grade). Reading seems to lead us to all the history and science we need. Gardening, cooking, field trips and house projects help as well. The older kids are using mostly Switched on Schoolhouse which is all done on the laptop. I LOVE this ... they tolerate this. They loved it too initially until they realized the laptop would keep them on track and grade (two things their teacher was terrible at) ... now they long for the days they only used books and I'd get weeks behind on grading losing all track of where they were in any given subject! (Did I just admit that?!) Josiah is thriving at Ridgeview. It's amazing to have a charter school like this in our own little town.

Last year we did Friday chores every week which was wonderful BUT we got really behind in school taking every Friday off. So, this year, we're cleaning as we go throughout the week. I still miss Friday chores but unless somehow God creates an 8th day for cleaning this is how things will work. The house isn't as clean but so it goes.

I'm really trying to keep my errands centered around when I take or pick-up Joe. This works well for the most part. It's a huge pain having to leave the house every day after years of home schooling solely.

When Mike is in town it is a HUGE help. He helps drive, cleans-up way better than I do, keeps the kids on task and, in general, lifts the weight of the world off of my shoulders. Without Mike there is just no way I could be a BSF discussion leader or home school or have a clean house or pretty much anything. When Mike is gone our dear friend Tammy steps in on Monday nights to be with the girls. She has been a true God-send not only loving my girls BUT she cleans-up and folds laundry. I think she should be Sainted.

I'll have to have a future post on my BSF role. Many days I've thought, "oh, Lord, what have I gotten myself into?!", but then I go on Monday nights and Saturday mornings and am so refreshed and blessed I rejoice in the opportunity. I love my little group of ladies, I love leading our discussion, I love leaders meeting where we sing hymns acappella and pray on our knees, I love the children's program where my kids truly dig into God's word and I love seeing God's word in a new light every single week. Honestly, the sacrifice of serving in this way is not on me but on my family and as long as they support me I hope to keep leading.

Off to "Rest and Read" time ... well the kids read while I rest ... in the quiet ... alone ... with no interruptions ...

Thanksgiving Blessings

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. The party grew and grew and just like the loaves and fishes we had more than enough! Uncle John, Joanie and Winston came (I had threatened to not let them in without the new baby but still being over a week from her due date Joanie just wouldn't cooperate), the Fenlason's, the Murphy's, the Newman's, the Dellinger's, the Box girls and our dear neighbor, Kyle. Kyle still had Thanksgiving with his family that evening so we tried not to fill him up too much! The kids played football, the adults visited, the littles made hand turkeys, a few puzzles were tackled and, all in all, it was a lovely day. I didn't manage to take a single picture which I'm disappointed about but I think John did. I'll have to harass him until he e-mails me a few!