8.30.15 Catching Rainbows

Jumping back to raising pre-school kids is always a startling adventure. While I enjoy the slower pace of life and the time to cuddle and read to my kiddos we all miss the entertainment committee and the imaginations of the slightly older siblings. One morning as I was nursing Afton and stretching for something to keep them occupied and not exploring the house for the next catastrophe, I noticed the rainbows streaming through our cut class front door. We began catching rainbows. Millie was particularly illuminated.

Livy was catching them on her hands and tongue. Life is beautiful when we pay attention. It has been a fun few minutes each day now to look for the rainbows in the room. Thank goodness the smoke cleared and we are back to gorgeous blue skies.

And finally a little lesson that netted huge results. In the past we have dutifully had back to school blessings. Always special, always sweet. Always a highlight of our year together as a family, a close time between dad and kids. This year prior to our back to school night I read a talk. The speaker explained that the mom would pray first inviting and invoking the spirit to be strong and that the dad would be able to vocalize and share those impressions. I had never thought of the mom's part in the blessings. Sure I worked hard to provide a peaceful clean environment. I would play the piano and sing with the kids, prep them earlier in the day for being quiet and respectful, but never considered my faith part in the experience it was an unspoken obvious.

Thus began an arduous two weeks. We have been busy and trying to respect school schedule and the need for sleep, hence no more late nights. This is difficult because work has been busy and days are crazy with stuff and knowing my increased responsibility in providing faith and harmony between me and Greg well it took a while to get it done.
After a lovely stake conference yesterday we had a whole afternoon to our family. A RARE treat these days. We made our Sabbath plan as per lds.org website instructions. We sang some songs and we were about there. I prayed with intent and purpose and we had a most choice experience. A true defining moment.
How do we women support the men who hold the priesthood? I share that it is much our faith and prayers, and confidence in them and God, that makes priesthood experiences more than just routine. I'm in awe of the responsibility and holiness of men to be called on at anytime to be mouthpiece for God's words. It has always been a one of my favorite traits in my husband that he righteous. He's comfortable with that talent and wears it well. I sometimes shy away or deny it as part of me. However, I'm thankful to have time to learn and grow. Time to improve and time to repent. The gospel is such a grand plan allowing for the weakest of us all to learn from repeated experience and to benefit at many levels of faith and understanding.

8.28.15 After School

After school the kids come home. The little kids are so excited and relieved and anxious to have the family reunited. Fun things happen when everyone is home like teaching Afton to stand at the window. The kids are so proud of her rapid developmental progress. I am not. She is a baby! She loved looking out on all the outside activity though and will probably make this her new favorite place to be.
My in laws have long low windows in their house too. I had never seen such a design consideration, they informed me it was so children could look out. It is a nice feature in a house with lots of kiddos. The little ones can't always handle the weather but they sure love to see it through glass.

I loved her intense concentration holding on. Her chubby little legs balanced on such strong tippy toes! And yes the floor is a mess because of all the dripping watermelon slices that have been consumed lately. Loving our garden.

After school also means homework! Which would presuppose we would know where the homework is. Hence the need to dig through all the paper garbage waiting to be burned to find the missing piece. I remember my sisters having to dig through the garbage to find a lost bill or magazine. This is the worst we have had to sift through, and the homework was not located. Thank goodness for other moms who help us out. I really never saw the lost spelling list, I hope he does ok on the test.  However, as we pushed through all 30 of his words to write 4 times, his brother's 25 words to write 3 times, and the reluctant writer adding details to her rushed through story, I did have ample time to mop the floor and do the dinner dishes. Trade-offs!

So after school continues to be a much anticipated swirl of activity and inactivity as kids unwind from being gone, are pushed through chores and dinner, and finally collapse in bed to read until the lights are out. Our best to you today.

8.27.15 Living with Livy a book review

It's probably not a secret or surprise that we love books. Since my kids were little I would try to read them each one book a day. That mostly happens when they are little  as in pre-school age. Well it occurred to me last week that all those stories may just be affecting the way they think- or my kiddos are in the same stages as the children in the stories we read.

So noticing the tendencies of my little girls- I realized with have a Lovely Livy and her side-kick shadow Marvelous Millie who love and often take after Fancy Nancy- also their favorite book series.  Livy loves accessories in her hair on her arms and legs and around her neck. She loves to wear purses and must have stuff in them. Reed is becoming manly with his belt with stuff hooked on. He also carries a man wallet with a stash of cash. Such a cute difference between the sexes but the accessories are a must for both!

Now today another favorite book became apparent. Small disclaimer I don't like the artwork in these books but my children have snuck a few home and we read them. I like the story I just wish the teeth on the children weren't crocodile fangs! With that the No! David series is a reality at our house.
Because I get up with the big kids and stay up waiting for the dad and wrestle the littlest all night some nights, I need a nap! I opted for my posture perfect bed today and told the littles not to leave the house. If they take naps they don't go to bed and keep the school kiddos awake.
When I finally rose from the dead I was met with a chocolate covered baby, news that the little girls had eaten ice cream bars and left a big mess on the carpet! Oh joy. So I scrubbed the covered with chocolate happy baby. Spanked some kids and cleaned lots of carpet and will be shampooing tomorrow. Then prepared dinner and worked through homework. And mutual...

I love the toothbrush and flossers in these pictures. Just to finish off the ritual sneaking treats... Oh the days of having children. Yes those are three completely different rooms and locations just to make my cleaning more thorough tomorrow. 

Life is busy and surprising as to what new challenge will come up. Thank goodness we have plenty to fuel our imaginations or change the mom outlook from panic to this is okay, we can handle this. Another day down. Life is short eat ice cream when you can!

8.26.15 Best time of year

Summer time is the best eating time of the year! We have produce coming on and we are loving the diversity and deliciousness of our late summer meals. This mammoth watermelon was a gift from uncle Kevin. His friend is a truck farmer in Layton. This treat was over 40 pounds and our Herculean uncle Jay carried it with princes Millie on top all the way to his house from ours. That's a load! It was sure a yummy treat. One watermelon was used per meal, feeding over 40 people.

When people ask how our kids aren't picky eaters it might be because we let them eat whatever we grow and feed ourselves.

It also might be because our children work hard making food happen at our house. From planting and hoeing the garden to picking and preserving the other food we are very active in our eating choices. Not to mention the working with, daily care and herding of the animals. 

It's not all work though. There are times of exploring, tasting, and telling stories. My sisters write of their displeasure of canning time... I don't remember those feelings. Maybe I was the one making the mess so I didn't notice the inconvenience?
However I'm thankful for these times with my children. It is crazy and chaotic and was not the perfect opening to school that I had hoped for but it's also been fun to share with others. WE love to hear their love of fresh peaches and know we made them happy that day.

I love accomplishing big things with my kiddos, I love seeing them grow and gain abilities. We love peaches and cream on waffles and peach cobbler in the dutch oven. It is good to stretch and it is good to share. Work helps us do both. Our sticky fuzzy best to you today.

8.25.15 Life

It has been almost 2 months since my grandmother died. It has been a very full summer. Life has been happening faster than I can process with many twists, turns, and trials. I have been battling with insecurities and worries, wrong turns, bungled relationships, large ward problems and general difficultuties of too much. With all this people management, spiritual guidance, and necessity it wears me thin.

However, there are many good things happening. These are things I take pictures of and try to capture on this blog. Things that I hope will be remembered from our short time together under one roof. I blog to capture the good so that the bad will go away.

I loved this declaration of hope and determination:
"i am choosing to be refined and grow deeper as a human, and to see all the good and be happy."
drippingwithpassion.

All the stretching, crying, wringing hands, and gut wrenching decisions and actions allow me to grow into a deeper woman, trying to refine my bad habits, and to see goodness in spite of the swarming bad.
It is a choice. When I scream in my mind 'how do they do that?' I am hit again and again from bloggers, conference talks and scriptures- It is a choice. There is no magic happy pill and no milk of peace it is a choice to embrace the good and cling to the joy. To temper words, actions, and emotions with God's grace and forgiveness. And to trust that He is in control.

As I have noted I have had many people give service to my family in the last two weeks. I have had bags and bags of beautiful, stylish, much desired clothes given to my family. It has blessed us and others. I am grateful.

I know without a question, we are watched over and blessed in spite of our shortcomings. So how can I mourn or sit in a stupor when the good flows so freely around me? I have to choose to see the good and let the dark and gloom go. The gospel of Jesus Christ Atonement is a powerful balm. It is the only true hope in all of the eternities. I'm so thankful for that testimony that ebbs and flows as life demands and happens. I'm challenged to give this understanding to my children. I am grateful for time to try again and again to help them feel, know, and use that greatest of all gifts. Life is good and I am blessed.

8.24.15 Peach Helpers

The peach project is done for the moment. Thanks to my great helpers, see below. When a friend came and asked who was here? Reed responded he was the only Worker here! He did a great job peeling peaches and managing little girls. Added bonus he doesn't take a bite out of every peach he peels!

 

In addition to super Reed, two very nice ladies volunteered to come help. I suggested the first would be most helpful loving my children for a while so I could keep working. She obliged and read stories for an hour. Such a nice time for my neglected children. She also made us some delicious peach desserts! 

The second lady came and canned with me. It was nice to have a friend to visit with and get to know better.

 I am truly touched by the many kind ward members who have come into my home and served my family these past few weeks. I am learning how much it touches them to give service and to experience the business that sometimes overwhelms me. I am learning to share my load because others are sincerely needing to serve and love others as much as I like to. And that the Lord hears and answers my prayers with kind people in my midst. 

I am however off to get some more peaches and hopefully some pears today. Reed exclaimed "NO!" I'm sick and tired of peeling peaches... I told him it's ok, I would do most of it. The other kids who had a good experience sharing with their various teachers and administrators said, "Great we can give peaches to this teacher and that!" I told them they needed to help more if that was their plan, but am glad they too are learning the value of sharing. Best to you today.

8.20.15 Back to School

We began school, again. It's always a bittersweet experience. I  truly marveled at all the beneficial changes that had occurred. From the bus leaving later and coming home sooner, to new teachers, new friends that had been cemented from summer and growth in each child. It is good to learn and be stretched.

We tried to continue some traditions. The back to school picture they are getting tall. We inherited some gel and because I haven't had time to cut hair the boys enjoyed some spikes!
We had our rainbow pancakes. I laughed to myself as I added food coloring. If you read much you know part of the health problems to in America today are due to artificial food coloring. What a great way to poison them before they enter the sacred halls of learning... they did make it home okay. Didn't seem to affect them much. hmmm.

My nemesis this week. The season is ahead this year so instead of my well laid plan of nice family home evening, blessings, general slow and simmer in goodness we rushed tiredly to the peach orchard and picked 800+ lbs of these babies. Ugh! Tuesday  we rushed to get through the ripe ones and onto back to school activities and then suffered hot dogs- that is a never at my house- and late to bed. Grrr! Frustrating. I worked on them alone yesterday got a whopping 18 qts done. It is so hard to go back to flying solo here. Although Reed really stepped up and happily peeled peaches all morning for me. A lot more to go but lacking in desire my heart is sad at being alone. Even though I'm not it's just a hard feeling to send them away each day.

I took a picture because it's just so representative of school life. Lots were here and lots are gone. Kind of a ghost town feeling.

We did the pancakes & pictures and mom drop off at school. We did the after school cookies, dinner was ready, and we visited because they of course were busting with excitement! I love hearing all their adventures. Having all 6 come home and tell stories is like navigating white water rapids. Crazy, exhilarating, wild, loud, and chaotic and AWESOME! I've never been rafting I would love to when I feel confident enough to risk life and limb and not be so beholden to small kiddos that can't loose a mama. Maybe next life.
I am so thankful to the many good teaches we interact with each year. I talked to most of them yesterday. Even got a call from school that Mark and another boy collided playing football and Mark had a bloody head wound. The other boy had loose front teeth. Funny that Greg had predicted the night before that anybody that tangled with Mark would loose. We were one the teeth side years ago so we know that pain too. All in a days' play I guess.
 I love that the secretary/nurse just said she would bandage it and the teachers all checked it out and in minutes it was good as new even though I wasn't there and couldn't be for 20 minutes. It's good to hear and know that others love my children like I do. It's good for my kids to learn the goodness of others, and to be good to them as well.
We shared peaches with the administrators who had made the bus changes and who said they could be bribed with food! It was a good opportunity for the olders to share their work with others. I love being a positive influence and trying to make life a little brighter for others. And now I'm procrastinating and needing to face my peaches.
So we are on day 2 and it's good and sad and thank goodness there's a lot of work to do so I don't crawl back in bed or cry. Best to you.

8.19.15 Big Reed

This kiddo is so funny and cool! Anna had fun playing with his hair spiking it up. I found him in the bathroom preening a bit more after I first recognized his new awesomeness. He of course said he was "Awesome!" He is standing on the counter with the tri-fold mirrors admiring and styling his do!

But not to worry my peacock is almost immediately brought back down to reality with his other sister who happened to be tossing butter this day! One problem with warm days is soft butter. It connected well with this tough guy and we had another session in the bathroom this time soaping butter out of his fabulous hair! Family life is up and down, it makes you awesome, and keeps you real! Best to you today.

8.18.15 Jay Temple

After the big corn session, we headed to Boise to attend the temple with Jay. It was such an awesome milestone to be in the temple with the 13th child of my in-laws. Lately I've been shaking my head over our hubris in having so many kids. Not that I regret any of them but we had no idea how much harder this would get.  Babies were tough, but teenagers are a whole other level of hard. The agency issue is ever present and challenging to balance personalities, needs versus wants, and life. Wow! Thank goodness there are two of us and inspired leaders and resources to help us learn and be better!!

So to be in the temple with the 13th child, was inspiring. Taking each of my children to the temple is my one goal in life. Everything else heads towards it or away. I love the temple and I'm excited that they love to go too. Seeing and living the work it takes to achieve this is daunting, scary, and humbling. I'm thankful for the many people that make this a reality. It is not just a mom or dad that provide the framework for righteous children, it's grandparents, uncles and aunts, leaders, and friends. We are thankful for the part each plays in our family structure.

 I've known Jay since he was 4, he has always been a fun kid and a big part of my children's lives. While they couldn't go with us, it has been good to share his mission prep experience with them.

After the temple we went to Sizzler. The nice waitress asked if we were celebrating something? Grandpa related how we had just been to the temple. So the waitress offered Jay a root beer float! Little did Jay know how much Afton likes ice cream!

He's such a nice guy! She mostly just enjoyed the straw!
And in other Jay news. A few days ago he was out doing his work and got stung by a bee. The result was a permanent wink for a day or two. He sure has grown up good. We're gonna miss this guy a lot!

8.17.15 Corn

There is a promise that angels will surround you and lift you up. This week we froze corn. It is always a whopper of a project. From getting up early in the morning to pick to shucking all those ears and then cooking, carrying, cooling, and cutting the corn. It is one of the most physically demanding products to put up. 1. Because it all involves wrist action and 2. because it can't wait till tomorrow because the faster it's done the better the taste quality of the corn.
Knowing this to be the state of affairs it did not help matters that the night previous Greg and I were up studying and counseling through our latest learning how to be parents. And Afton is not sleeping well. So we didn't do the 6 am wake-up call to pick corn. When I got out the door with 3 unwilling boys it was about 10. We got the corn picked, and hurried home in our powerful dodge cummins. The boys were so impressed it could roar and throw them back in their seats while going 100km per hour. Very different from 100mph. It's about 60 mph...
We started the shucking and I got informed we were going to the temple that afternoon. That put a double hurry on things. We shucked and shucked and were about 1/3 through when it was time to start cooking. I called this friend to come and get some corn, as he loves it! He came to retrieve corn and stayed and helped keep my shuckers shucking. It was such a huge service. I was just trying to share with him and he made this project happen.

It is easy to shuck at first, but after the first hundred ears or so shucking corn gets very tedious! This man kept the kids working while talking. And he brought rewards. A case of Sunny D juices, we don't ever get those and the kids were so excited to get their treat.

Day two with Grandpa helping shuck more corn. We had Anna and Harold back for day two. I so miss my kids when any are gone. It's especially difficult when the older ones are missing when we are doing big projects.

Aliza was a trooper cooking and cooling all the corn. Note the ever present book in her pocket. There's always time for a paragraph or two! This year I started our normal routine cooking out side hauling inside to my kitchen. But realized after load 1 that I couldn't keep an eye on the shuckers and it was a lot of wasted energy to haul it in and a lot of purified water to cool and run down the drain then bring it back out to cut. So we switched it up and cooked it outside, cooled it in my big picnic coolers with well water, then cut it on our super-duper cutting station!

The crew loved sitting and sampling many ears of corn.

 

The station. Man designed super fast and nice on the body. There is no way we could have done all the corn in such short time slots without this set-up. Cutting is much easier on the wrists ,although hard on fingers that get in the way of the sharp blade. But the best part is when I was done with all the exploding starchy wonderful corn we hosed off the deck and walked into our clean kitchen, story over. No hours of scouring the entire kitchen! It was more open so less perfectly sterile, but you do what you gotta do to get the job done. We will be boiling the corn after pulling it from the freezer and most likely microwaving it to defrost so I think the three processes will kill whatever we introduced. Thank goodness for good friends who shared their abundant crop and for sweet angels who gave so freely of their time to make this project happen. It's the first year Greg did not participate but it was only because of his friendships that we had the opportunity to freeze the corn in such an efficient manner.  Life is good.

A happy camper who is loving corn cobs!

8.9.15 Serendipity

Sometimes life just happens, and it is a wonderful thing that you didn't plan and prepare for that moment. Last night was one of those. We stopped to check on some sweet corn we had heard about. We ended up visiting, and then enjoying a drive-in movie with some good friends.

It was a fun experience to sit in the packed open air theater on a seat from our van enjoying delicious popcorn and licorice and snuggling between my two oldest and two youngest kids and husband. It was just wonderful that it was happening.
Each year Greg spontaneously has taken us to the drive-in. These good people were planning the trip and suggested we come. This mom is a phenomenal teacher and fun person, and the dad an amazing scientist and dad. I was hesitant to intrude, but Greg was game and we enjoyed a great family night.
The movie talked about core good memories that build the foundation of who we are. I can say good friends, and good moments we just decided to live- are those cores. Happy Sunday to you all!

8.7.15 -ice cream cones

We have started getting back on school schedule, which means kids are goign to be earlier. However we have spoiled this little one letting her stay up later than we want. One of the perks for her is getting time with dad. This night we decided to enjoy a private ice cream cone... or so we thought. As the pictures show Greg got a few bites and Afton ate most of it.

The two hand protection of the cone making sure dad doesn't take it away again.  We switched to a bowl to try to get some for Greg. She fussed and fumed until she again got her way and ate half of that serving.

Showing her displeasure dad re-loaded ready to satisfy her demand for more ice cream!!

Yep she's spoiled. And she spoiled our night's sleep too. She was very restless in her sleep that night possibly a tummy ache?! Oh well we learned not to have ice cream around when she can see it. She is one of our more aggressive Saunders eaters or maybe just taking her turn. Best to you!

8.6.15 Another Jay-day

One of the perks of living at the farm is watching and being part of my in-laws growing up. This last year has been pretty inspiring to watch Jay become a confident interesting Man.

We were able to be at his toolbox award presentation, another perk of winning nationals in June.

 Napa hosted a bbq for the families and presented both boys with large tool boxes and several ratchets and sockets to begin filling them.

Livy with her first non-family friend. We spend a lot of time working in various settings with this family and these two girls have finally declared a truce and are friends. They would get frustrated with the other wanting to be the boss when playing. Another fun day with good friends and a pretty neat brother in-law.