Category: Life

  • Solo

    Two weeks ago I flew to San Francisco. I spent a couple days there before flying back to Tucson to pick up the kids from my in-laws and fly home. It was an eye opening trip. Thursday due to flight delays I was in airports for seven hours. I read an entire chapter book- in…

  • Quiet Kids? What?!

    A few months ago I was enjoying a dinner of pho’ with my sister and Mom in Ballard, when I suddenly realized that there were four small children in the restaurant. It was a small place, and the fact that I was just noticing them surprised me. Why hadn’t I noticed them earlier? Because they…

  • Ward family

    Last night was our ward’s harvest festival. It’s one of my favorite ward functions because of the sense of community that arises. Costumes lighten the mood, and create easy conversation. The activities are simple but joyful, and it lends it self to much activity and sociality. I’m listening to the book Hannah Coulter. I was…

  • Full circle

    When I chose the colors for my college quilt they were yellow, coral, orange and green. It was a summer all year long sort of quilt. An unapologetically happy quilt. When I bought a coverlet to cover our bed after we moved into our first home. I chose white. When Tom and I chose our…

  • Drops of Delight

    Thursday: Scotland was on near angelic behavior today. He made his bed in addition to picking it up. He offered to read the bedtime stories so I could rest my voice. He jumped in and negotiated with a tantruming Anders in a calm understanding way that deescalated him, and led to a more peaceful departure…

  • Drops of delight

    “When we reach a point of consecration, our afflictions will be swallowed up in the joy of Christ. It does not mean we won’t have afflictions, but they will be put in a perspective that permits us to deal with them. With our steady pursuit of joy and with each increasing measure of righteousness we…

  • Chiara 17 months

    I keep having these moments when I watch Chiara do something only a “big girl” could do- like climb up a step stool to wash her hands, or give another baby a Paci, or make jokes that crack her brothers up, and it hits me, my baby isn’t a baby anymore! So, an update. So…

  • Pioneer Day

    One of the things I have most appreciated about our move to homeschooling is how it has helped me maximize on opportunities for learning. Pioneer Day seemed like one of those opportunities. I have always loved family history, I have fond memories of Sunday afternoons spent with my Dad in his downstairs office, bent over…

  • Family Picture- 2017

    I finally got my act together and coordinated family pictures. They are our first official family pictures ever. (Oops!) Tom went to my family’s reunion for the first time in five years, and knowing my photographer brother, Devin would be thereI was determined to make it happen. (Last time Devin was in town I planned…

  • A lengthy update on our children

    It’s been a while since I just wrote an update on what the kids are up to. I’ll start with Chiara, as per her birth order, she’s often most likely to be left out. Chiara- 15.5 months: In the last week Chiara’s communication skills have exploded she’s now signing: bird, drink, bread, please, thank you,…