Ode to my Family

I am thinking out loud tonight and wondering how I got here. It seems like a lifetime ago I was single and traveling the world. As I think back on the last couple of weeks I have a big smile on my face because I was lucky enough to spend it with CRW and the girls. I wouldn't trade anything for my life right now in the moment. I feel so blessed and happy to be where I am. Let me indulge myself for a moment. 

I flew in from SLC on Monday December the 15th, 2 1/2 hours behind schedule due to a storm. Church had been cancelled the day before and so had school the next day, Monday. CRW white knuckled picked me up and took me home slowly.  School was then cancelled Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and you guessed it Friday. On Saturday I decided to get the kids out of the house because we had not left since Monday. I loaded up the van and went out. Half way out my driveway I thought you better just go back and stay inside. PeiWei was out of formula and needed more Motrin for the ear ache she got on the flight home, so I made it to Albertson's and turned right back around. In that half hour I realized why the Lord wants us to have food storage and be prepared.

On day 9 of the storm and everything being shut down we had friends walk to our house and have lunch and a photo shoot for their family. We had a blast! It was so weird to not hear or see cars on the road. I told my friend I was running out of food for PeiWei and hadn't gotten to my Christmas shopping yet because I was waiting to get back from my trip to SLC. We explained rain checks to the kids and told them we hadn't bought Christmas presents yet and they would have to wait until the snow melted and we could get out. Our friends bought chains for their car and we went out that night after I got the girls down for the night. Our county was at mandatory chains and only leave if necessary. We left on the 22nd of December cutting it a little to close to Christmas. 

On the 23rd I told the kids to go out side and build a snowman. They were out there for hours. They had no snow boots no decent gloves and no snow pants. They were bright red when they came in. CRW's  work was shut down due to the storm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday due to Christmas. We loaded up the van yesterday and left the house for the first time since the snow hit. You would think that many days being together we would have killed each other. However, we had a great time. The kids were the best and it was so neat to have LuLu look at the tree and lack of presents and say :"It's OK Mom that we don't have any presents because that is not what Christmas is about." Then the joy that came over them when they went down to turn the tree lights on and explained: "There are presents under the tree!!" They were so thankful when I told them my friend had taken me out late Monday night to do the shopping.

I am very glad that my children understand the true meaning of Christmas. Before they knew of hidden, wrapped presents they said "This is the best Christmas ever because we have been inside together for so long." Our winter break has turned into three weeks of fun. I will say after 13 days inside it was great to get out and about. On Christmas Eve both girls said in their prayers "Heavenly Father thank you for sending your son here to this earth, thank you for letting him die for our sins." Out of the mouths of babes. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

R-

Merry Christmas . . .

This is one of the pictures going out to all those grandparents - when we are able to leave the house and get to the store! -CRW

Wishing You "Merry Christmas" . . .

Halloween in November !?! . . .

Upon first seeing this picture of Lulu one might think that it is Halloween; that the girls are just getting ready to hang scary decorations, and go trick-or-treating . . . Wrong! This picture is from Lulu's birthday party. She is dressed in her latest wardrobe additions she picked up during her shopping spree with her mom - everyone notice the earrings. The climax of the party of course was when her grandfather gave her a bat. Funny . . . it worked - and just tied in with her over all theme ??!!

Since we have had requests for a photo here is PeiWei in her Halloween costume - enjoy! -CRW

I Hate Criminals

I have decided we need a higher class of criminals. Some people who shall remain nameless, Dawn, have been giving me a hard time of not posting enough. I thought in later posts I explained my handicap. Well for two months I have been borrowing Red's camera to capture my families most beautiful moments. Just to name a few. Pei Wei's first go at solid foods. Our Christmas card picture of the kids, all smiling looking at the camera and looking great! Our friends from Utah visit. Not to mention two months of my children's lives. Well what does this all have to do with the title. Yup- you guessed it someone stole Red's camera out of the van.

 An automatic door did not get closed and the camera was to ripe for the picking. I am not bitter about the camera. I am bitter about the pictures I lost because I didn't down load the pictures on the card in the camera. I just wish they could have left the card on the seat so I could enjoy those moments. Now all I have are faded memories. I mean come on people you stole from a six year old girl. The least you could have done is take out the memory card. Do you have no heart at all? Then CRW reminds me if they had thought to leave the memory card they probably wouldn't have taken the camera. I quess the moral of the story is down load your camera more often and trust no one. Sorry Red the world is full of criminals with no moral code at all. I hope when we go to heaven we can view all lost pictures.

Now all I have is CRW's camera to take pictures with and we all know how well that turns out. My kids will flip through there scrapbook and two months will be missing and the rest of their pictures will be all over exposed. Then they can say "Well it looks like another picture Mom took, oh well."

On a much happier note a little conversation with Red:

Red: Mom how do you spell Brown?

Mom: B

Red: D

Mom: No B as in Boy

Red: No I don't want to spell Boy I want to spell Brown

Mom: B

Red: D

Mom: No!!! BEE

Red: Oh-Well why didn't you say that?

Mom: Honestly, Red

Red: What?

Halloween and more . . .

Well I guess it has been long enough that I should try and make a post. We kind of missed all of October so let's sum it up . . .


Our tradition of going to the Giant Pumpkin Festival was of course a 'Smash', or at least that is how they kick off the celebration. Two thousand pounds of pumpkin falling forty feet can really wreck a car, and the winning pumpkin this year was 1364 lbs!





Peiwei turned 7 months old and started solid foods, yet some how still manages to make a mess. Maybe I just need to lower my expectations and realize she still doesn't have complete control of her tongue yet, or maybe it is due to her still always being happy and smiling . . . it is just leaking out through her grin!





Preparations for Halloween must of course include pumpkin carving (or pumpkin sucking in Peiwei's case). This year Lulu's pumpkin aimed for a galaxy far, far away . . . while Red's actually went for a scary face that in years' past has been happy or funny or girl-ly. (Your Dad is so proud of you 'weep', 'weep'.)






Halloween of course is always a grand event hosting the latest in Forest Fairy and Vampire fashion. Not to mention, after going Trick-Or-Treating for 2.5 hours, a great way to supplement cold school lunches in these trying economic times. (Should the recession continue until next Halloween, when this years candy finally runs out, we will try and stay out 5-6 hours which should allow us to continue supplementing their lunches and just fore-go sandwiches, fruit, and anything healthy.)






And finally, Happy Birthday Red!




-CRW

What we did today . . .

When the cat is away the mice will play . . .-CRW