You Don't See That Every Day

How do you deal with disappointment? When you're six, crying is usually tolerated. Last weekend we got another round of snow, lots of it; so much that everything was canceled. We had family from out of state arrive on Friday night. We were looking forward to basketball games and swim meets, sharing our lives with our visitors. Then cancellations started trickling in. And all of our plans were wiped out. Little K had been so excited to have her very first basketball game and to have her cousins there to watch. When you've been dragged to numerous games and meets for older siblings, having someone special there to come to your game .... Well it's enough to send a 6 year old into a near frenzy. Alas, it was not to be. So we readjusted, relaxed and spent plenty of time inside playing while the snow blew outside. This last weekend we had a number of plans too. Our lives are busy, so nearly every day has plenty in it. But once again, disappointment visited our house. The f...

Things get a little crazy here in Oregon when the sun comes out.  It's like gold to us and we stream outside to partake of the riches. My daughter drags out her shorts and tank tops and tries to sneak past me to the outside. (But even though it IS warmer, I still make her wear pants and socks and shoes and t-shirts.) I haven't gotten in the habit of taking my camera everywhere but you'll have to trust me that we had a beautiful walk on Sunday out in the sunshine. My sister and I took the younger girls to the park while the boys stayed home and watched a football game. The older girls finished up their homework and then watched their dad , er, I mean, Peyton Manning play football. (Side note to those not on Facebook: my husband has been told numerous times, often from complete strangers, that he looks just like Peyton.) So we walked on the park trails, and then we drove to another park, rode the carousel, and let the girls play on the playground. As the sun went down,...

In my corner of the world this week: I have seen a number of ballerinas in the house. The girls have unearthed their tutus and leotards, and have been dancing to George Winston's "December" album. Although wearing a tutu to the store, or anywhere, is normal for my year old, it has been an exercise in exercising for my older girls -ie. keeping warm in the winter while wearing tutus. We also managed to have picnic this week. My Little K asks nearly every day to eat lunch outside. As she puts it, "I really like to be outside!" Unfortunately Oregon winters are not so conducive to outdoor picnics. We had to improvise. Basketball is in full swing for my son - and so is the laundry that comes with it. Her my little helper is trying on her big brother's shorts.

Well we have so far survived the cold snap that passed through our little corner of the world. Single digit degrees! Not heard of in my lifetime - not that it is very long of a lifetime, but still... No broken pipes in our home thankfully; we stayed cozy with our woodstove working overtime and using all the wool blankets. The kids' school didn't fare so well. We got the alert phone call late Sunday evening that a water main had broken, and 6 inches of water filled the middle school. So now they have 2 more days off. What do i do with 2 teenagers home for the day when not expected? Put them to work of course. (In their spare time, the girls hung Christmas lights around the windows.) A brilliant friend suggested I promote the 2 teens to substitute teachers for the day. So I did. Brilliant! It got off to a shaky start, since they are new to this, but I think they got through the work. We'll address the whole who-is-in-charge issue if we do this again tomorrow.

Winter made it to our part of the world yesterday. It came in and blanketed our area with snow and ice. This translates to FUN for my children. School wasn't cancelled but it was pretty light towards the end of the day with intermissions of snow ball fights between classes. The other 3 girls at home went out as soon as they could and played until I forced them inside to warm up a little. They were all back at there again this morning, along with a family friend, to play at the nearby school yard. We are now warm and cozy in our house playing card games, baking yummy snacks, listening to Christmas music. Later today I will put the kids to work cleaning up so we can decorate a little. Yep, I have hardly any Christmas decorations out. We did put up some outdoor lights, and a special table-piece. I don't think we are getting a tree this year. Gasp. Yes, there is a good reason for it, I just can't go into it here on this blog.   So we will enjoy this spec...