Sunday, January 29, 2012

Family time

Somehow I've never really blogged about my parents' breakup, maybe because it's too hard to put into words how I feel about the whole thing. My sister Wendy explained it pretty well on her blog. They have been divorced for a a year now, and both moved on and found new people. This weekend my mom tied the knot with Roger in Salt Lake. I was glad to be able to actually be there, being 36 weeks pregnant and all. If we lived pretty much anywhere else in the world, I would have had to miss it.

I love my sisters. Especially when I get to spend time with them. Wendy and family drove down from Boise Idaho, and Emma flew in from Holland for the wedding. Emma and I got to do some shopping on Friday at the outlet mall. Friday night we had a get together and dinner for Majo and Roger, and we met our new stepfamily. It's really strange to think we immediately have a large branch of people that are now kind of like family.

Yesterday was the big day, and they got sealed at the Bountiful temple.
My favorite part about spending time with my sisters are the downtimes just hanging out. Just chatting about any- and everything. It's being so comfortable with each other that you never have an awkward silence moment. It's being able to completely be yourself, and know they understand. They "get" me. And I "get" them.
An added plus: the cousins are spending quality time getting to know each other.
And enjoying the snow.
I'm nearing week 37 of this pregnancy. I kind of feel huge, but not at the same time (not sure if that makes sense). But then I see pictures of myself, and realize I really AM huge.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Nearing the end, and a new beginning

As the weeks count down, I know this baby will come soon. My body is ready. My mind is ready. But am I emotionally ready? It seems like eons ago that Ginger was a tiny baby. Part of me worries I won't remember how to do things right. I worry that I'm underestimating the amount of work this new baby will bring. The countless hours of sleep I will miss. Of course, this is probably nature's way of protecting us. Enabling to grow our families. Because once this sweet baby is here, I'm sure all those things become a mute point. What will be important is the soft baby cheeks, and little gurgles. The love we instantly develop for our little ones. And a feeling that we could never imagine not having this baby as part of our family.

Part of my worries are because of my lack of preparedness. There are many things I'm getting from friends and family including a cradle, crib, car seat, some clothes, and swing. The only thing I seem to have gotten (almost) ready are the diapers. Some more inserts need to be made, as well as cloth wipes. and diaper pail liners. But I'm afraid since I'm still lacking a lot of things. Like burp cloths, binkies, blankets, sheets, clothes, onesies, socks etc etc. Of course nothing bad will happen if I don't have any of those items. The baby will still come, and he will be fine. And most of it will be solved with a trip or two to the consignment kids clothing store. So I try to set my worries aside, and just make a list. A shopping list, so I can stop worrying, and start shopping.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

REAL snow

This is the kind of snow I've been waiting for. The kind of snow from movies. The type that has big white fluffy flakes that stick to everything. The stuff that gets bad drivers stuck in ditches.
Today the kids had snowboarding lessons again, otherwise we probably wouldn't have headed out in this wonderful snow blizzard.
We threw a few sets of chains from our landlord in the van and headed out. The drive was slow, but our relatively new tires and FWD did a great job of getting us where we needed to be.

After some less-than-successful lessons (because of the powder), the parking lot was a disaster. Both set of chains didn't actually fit the van, so I felt a little nervous without a backup plan. Again, we saw many people spin out and getting stuck, but Joe's professional driving got us out of there without a problem.
The scariest part of snow like this, are the idiot drivers on the road with us. They think that just because they have a big 4x4 truck, they can race past everyone at 60 miles per hour. Not that their 4x4's will do them any good if they try to stop!
We made it up the hill, and all the way home. Our clothes are all hung up and drying, and my slippers feel snuggly warm on my feet.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Mountains

I love mountains. They are good for so many things.

Pretty to look at.
Fun to camp in.
Perfect for mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing in the summer.
And of course skiing/snowboarding in the winter.

It's maybe funny how attached I've become to mountains, considering that I grew up in one of the flattest places on earth. Throughout my childhood we did vacation in Switzerland a lot, which was my favorite place to go. I didn't live by mountains until I went to BYU, but ever since, it just seems wrong not to live by them. Missing the outdoors (and of course scorching heat) was the biggest downside to living in Texas.

The mountains are a huge part of the reason Joe and I chose Midway Utah to settle down in. We love living less than 15 minutes from all those activities we love. We also love living by a large city that provides all our other needs. Heber is just 10 minutes away, and has most stores I regularly use.


Although this winter has been very dry, the ski resorts can make their own snow. I've been so excited for my kids to be able to learn to snowboard! As a child we went on a ski vacation every other year, and it's just one of those things.... I loved. The local ski resorts have special programs for locals, so when I found out that Park City Mountain Resort has a 5 session deal for beginners, I didn't hesitate to sign up my kids. They are all old enough to start, and young enough to really make this part of their lives.

Getting onto the mountain, with all the gear, was a challenge. Getting 3 kids fitted for boots and snowboards and helmets can be a bit overwhelming.
By the time we walked onto the snow, both Joe and I had had our patience tested to the max. This is where it was nice to hand them over to ski instructors.
Winter and Sterling were in a class together. Ginger was in her own class, and had a few of her stubborn moments. She is very opinionated, and will make up her mind in a flash. I guess she had decided it was too hard to snowboard, and was ready to quit. Joe jumped in, and for the next 3 hours, she went from crying and dead set against it, to bragging how good she was and wanting to do a few more runs. I bet after just a few more lessons she'll lean more towards the bragging side :)Joe couldn't help but mess around on Ginger's snowboard a bit

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Death by brown

We have real internet again, and I'm happy to start out my time on it with this post. Do you ever realize how much a space influences your mood? If it's clean and bright, your spirit becomes happy and bright?

Well, our apartment suffered from "Death by brown". Much of my furniture is brown (wood) including 2 cigar chairs, couch, coffee table, and large chest. These are also not the type of pieces that can/should be painted or slipcovered. In addition to the brown furniture, this apartment came equipped with some not-so-lovely brown paneling. I'm sure it's been here since the 70s. Combine all these brown things with a lack of windows, lights, and an overhang from the upstairs, and you get somewhat of a cave.
After a few hours of painting, I think it's safe to say the new look is a 1000 times better!
I might actually be able to live here for more than 2 months!
You think they'll let me paint the rock wall wood stove mantel next? Ginger thought it was suitable for rock climbing on!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Be positive!

I ironed today. Those who know me, know what a rare occasion this is. I also got a UT license, went to the bank, grocery store, helped with homework, did dishes, and took care of some administrarive stuff. But. If you ask me tomorrow what I'v accomplished, there's a good change I can only remember the things that haven't been done, or that I failed at. The mountain of clean clothes that still takes over my bed. Or the whiny kids I want to send to time-out for the rest of the day. Or the photos I still need to edit for My sil.

And my feelings about it can change by the minute. Depending on the amount of noise around me. Or the amount of children tattling or crying. A few minutes ago I was feeling great after ironing 4 shirts, but then I saw my remaining to-do list, trying not to snap at Sterling who is crying over lost Lego instructions, and energy deficiency to cook dinner.

Oh, I try to focus on the positive! Sometimes it's just hard

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Life is fragile

Life is fragile. My friend Lisa had us over for dinner less than a week ago. Thursday night her and her family with 4 little kids were siting in our famy room chatting and laughing. The very next morning she got a phone call from her doctor that will change her life forever. An MRI showed a large tumor in her brain.

I've known people with brain tumors including my own mom, but it has bever hit so hard as this time. Lisa is so young and healthy! She has 4 kids under age five. This solidified that this could happen to anyone. Including me.

It also helps me to appreciate modern medicine. Just 2 days after the diagnosis she has had surgery to have the tumor removed. We have prayed and fasted, and realize that our fate ultimately lies in God's hands, but prayer is very powerful.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Midway, UT

Being without internet has put a damper on my ability to blog, but after the itch to blog for a few days, I decided to investigate alternative methods of posting. As the proud new owner of Joe's old jailbroken iphone, I can access the internet by phone. Typing is a little bit tricky, but doable.

We survived the ridiculously long drive, and even the first few days of unpacking. We have been amazed by emormous size of our new ward, and felt welcomed into Midway by the Calderwoods as well as the principle of the school who gave us a tour on his vacation day.

The kids started as Wranglers at Mideay elementary yesterday, and seem to be adjusting very well quickly. One of the strangest adjustments for me is having Ginger home with me in the morning. Both in Holland as well as in Texas she attended full day kindergarten, but many Utah schools still do half day, including Midway. This will be a good opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with her, to try and catch up on her reading skills. She was reading very well in Holland, which
means she is having a hard time switching to English. She is super smart though, so I'm not too worried about it.

Midway itself is lovely. Unfortunately there is no snow yet, and it's very warm for this time of year, but we're gearing up for some snow time, and all the fun things that go along with it such as sledding, snowboarding and general snowplay.

The apartment..... well.... It's an apartment..... We are living in the basement of a fairly large house. There is adequate space (except for the lack of a garage or shop), but when we got here it was filthy. I don't care if the landlord tells me he shampood the carpets 4 times, when there is still a layer of dust and dog hairs along all the edges. It just makes it difficult to unpack and get settled when you first have to clean everything.

I' so excited to be here, abd know we'll be here for many years. I can't wait to make new friends and get involved in the community. The hunt for a purchase home is on, and I guess I have time to get ready for this babuly to come too now

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