Booked

I love to read, I doubt this is a revelation to anyone. I spend hours in bookstores when given the chance. (Why are there no bookstores in Lehi?!?) I go to the library once a week or so. I am easily persuaded to buy books for the kids when they bring home their Scholastic book orders every month or so. Luckily I miss the deadline on those 75% of the time. Also, I participate in a neighborhood book club once a month, the current book is on my sidebar.

Right now, the kids are doing a read-a-thon at school. They are asked to read a certain amount each day. I am to record their minutes and turn in the totals each Monday. This recording and turning in totally sucks the pleasure out of it all. I love reading to and with the kids. I love that Jack and I have the same taste in books and can talk about them all the time. I totally let Sophie explore and sometimes destroy by saliva all the board books she desires. I even let Bella pick out books I would never in a million years pick, and read them to her, just to encourage and foster the addiction. But ask me to really keep track of it all, well I rather do the dishes, fold the laundry, and scrub the floors. I really loathe timing our fun.

I suffered from this problem while I was in school. I always had trouble enjoying assigned books. I read a ton on my own outside of school though. It's weird though, because for the most part, I really enjoy the book club books, even though some of them I would have never read on my own. Perhaps that is because I choose to read them instead of being graded on it. My goodness, I am way more stubborn than I ever realized!

Anyway, we have until the 23rd of February to read and read and read, and keep track of it all. I know the kids don't realize how all of this irritates me because they participate enthusiastically. I suppose that is a good thing, and since they don't read my blog, (as if!), they may never know.

And this is a really good thing. Talking to the Young Women on Tuesday, only one admitted to liking to read. I hope hope hope they are just going through a phase. But then I realized. Nate is not a big reader. He does read, but not for pleasure very often. We both love that the kids love books though and don't really want that to disappear. Does it have to? I don't know. But I will be so sad if it does.

So, tell me a few things:
1. Do love to read books? Or do you Loathe it.

2. What kind of stuff do you like to read? Tell me your favorite book, I'm always looking for good recommendations.

3. Did you go through a phase when you didn't read?

I totally want to know all your answers. So email me if you are too shy to comment here. But don't be too shy, we are all friends! Thanks.

In the Soup

This is a view from our front steps. Usually you can see half a dozen houses, a stop sign, and a few cars from here. But the past few days have been low visibility around here. In more ways than one.

I went to the eye doc Saturday. One eye, better visibility, one eye worse. Balance in all things I suppose. I asked about the twitch and he said three things, caffeine-unlikely, stress-pshaw, or lack of sleep. Now lack of sleep I can sink my teeth into. Only, I really don't lack sleep all that often. But I will use any excuse to get a few more zzz's if I must.

And we will be collectively going to bed earlier around here. Nate is in the office all day now-he was just in the afternoons. He's trying to get a pretty early start, which means less late nights. Which means no more late night chex mix and mindless TV. And, I will be back in charge of lunch, drat!

I hate to admit, but Monday is my favorite day

It's true. Monday is my favorite day of the week. I spent years and years dreading it, and now it has morphed into the most productive day I have. I get more done on Mondays than the other six days combined. How sad is that. And it's odd, because Sunday afternoon I am so lethargic and tired and unproductive, I don't know what happens in the night that perks me up and gives me the wherewith all to begin another week. But I have seen a definite pattern in the last few months. Monday I always do dishes, laundry, deep clean an area, run errands, start a sewing project, make dinner (not leftovers), talk to someone on the phone, read, and have family night. Maybe I am putting too much into Monday and I don't leave any extra energy for the rest of the week.

In other things of consequence, the school doesn't plow the sidewalk in front of said school. I don't really want to drive, so this leaves me very few options. The past few days I have had Sophie walk on the clear sidewalk and have carried her on the unplowed part. This I suppose I will count as exercise-this is me searching for the bright side here.

I still have my eye twitch I mentioned here. I don't feel really stressed right now, so I am not sure what that is all about. But I would like it to stop! I need to get my eyes checked, so perhaps I will ask while doing that. But really, a muscle spasm for six months is excessive.

I tried to get Nate to buy tickets to the Eagles/Cardinals game this weekend and he just couldn't do it. He has loved the Eagles since he was a young boy, so I thought this would have been a great opportunity to see them in the play-offs without going to Pennsylvania. Next time I will just buy them for him and cut out the middle-man.

I got to take and excellent nap yesterday. I decided to lay down when I put Sophie down after church and slept until it was almost dark. I need one or two of those naps a month. So warm and lovely.

Speaking of church, we go at 11 now instead of 9. I keep making pros and cons lists about this. I think all meeting times have good things and bad things. For example, when we go at 11, I really only do two meals and a snack on Sundays. This is nice overall. However, Sophie usually naps in the morning and I have to wake her up so we are on time. I dislike waking sleeping babies, it just seems wrong. We have a great chance of being on time at 11. Really this is true for us. We start getting ready the moment we get up and can manage not to procrastinate. But, the parking lot and building are always really full. As we are the middle ward, the early ward and late ward are always there, this makes the hallways way more enticing for Sophie. Only ten more Sundays till nursery though. Hopefully that will help. Anyway, as with all things, there are good and bad when it comes to change.

The only way to go!

We live within walking distance of where the kids go to school. This was a great disappointment to Jack when he started kindergarten. He had been dreaming of riding the bus, and in one fell swoop, we demolished his dream. It took all year to convince him that walking was just as great. So, that first winter when it snowed, I pulled he and B on the sled to school. I mean, what could be more fun than that. And every year they look forward to doing it at least once. Conditions have to be snowy, no sidewalk to plowed, and no kid to heavy. Jack decided he is now too heavy-ha!-and wanted to trek the big drifts. So it was just us girls this year. Fun times were had by all.

Sledding down Mount Doom

It all starts out fun and innocent.....

People seem to be happy and having fun. The new motorcycle sled is awesome. Even for the adults...

Then Boy Wonder spots a jump at the bottom of the hill and cannot resist. The temptation is overwhelming. I cringed, but still managed to capture a few key shots.

I put the camera down to clean up all the blood. Mostly oozing from Boy Wonders cheek. He wasn't deterred for long, but stayed clear of the jump-wisely.

But someone thought, in a show of solidarity, he should go for the jump as well. I muttered to my mom, who was next to me-he is crazy, what is he thinking? But instead of yelling that out, I just put the camera into sport mode and held down the button.

The air doesn't look too high here, he seems like everything will turn out okay, but then...

Whoa-one of his feet disappeared entirely! How did that happen, where did it go? Don't worry, when we raced down the hill, we found him intact, for the most part. He took a while to get up, we thought it was dramatics from a distance.

But no, no dramatics, just pain, like you know, landing on concrete, or a snow packed icy street. And the sad,sad realization that his body is no longer a teenager, and has never been flexible. Luckily there was lots of ibuprofen at Grandma's house. I think Jack's expression says it all.

The force of the landing was mainly concentrated on his right shoulder. It is still hurting quite a lot six days later. He's hoping it will feel better soon so he can throw his body into ward basketball. Perhaps I should have got him some ice packs and braces for his birthday instead of a coat.

The next day they built this slide in the street in front of my parents house. I would look out the window and see the kids hovering above those bushes. It was kind of freaky, but no one was injured.

Happy Birthday Nathan!

35 Great things that happened to Nate this year!

1. He got to coach High School Football

2. Gets to drive a car that isn't purple

3. He got to go to Disneyland

4. He met Bronco Mendenhall

5. He went to the Beach

6. He got a fancy new coat

7. His team won the stake basketball tournament

8. He got LASIK

9. He went to Sea world

10. He won something at a work party

11. He was employed all year long

12. He blessed a niece

13. He learned how to install a screen door

14. He learned how to install a floor

15. He Baptized Jack

16. He camped in the backyard

17. He went to the rodeo

18. He did a lot of recording and music stuff

19. He cheered Bella on in soccer

20. He saw his son play and love football as much as he does

21. He learned how to install a microwave over a range

22. He went on a doughnut date with Jack

23. He got a bike

24. He got a new acoustic guitar

25. He went mini-golfing

26. He went sledding

27. He had a big family Thanksgiving

28. He got a few Sunday naps

29. He rode the Polar Express

30. He got put in the Sunday School Presidency

31. He got to go on all sorts of fun dates with Jill

32. He got a bunch of free t-shirts

33. He and Jill hung out watching The Office and LOST

34. He went trick-or-treating in nice weather

35. He gets to claim 35 years of blessings and accomplishments

Love you Nate!

Perfect

Driving into Provo/Orem I spotted this sign and it just made me laugh. It totally typifies this time of year for me. I start out trying to get one thing across, but somewhere along the way it all goes terribly wrong. And then I think to myself-what were you thinking setting those expectations? And then I saw this poor, poor sign, I mean you know what they are trying to say, but the struggle, oh the struggle. My appropriate response: Laugh and take a picture.