The Land of Nod

I take WAY too many pictures of sleeping children (and messy-faced children).  But, kids are so angelic when they are peacefully resting.  Brahm is at an age where he is still only when sleeping, so this is my one opportunity to get a close-up of him. 

Toothy and Toothless Smiles

Nicholas,  8 months old

Ava,  5 years old

Love Letters

I am not a sentimental person by any means.  I don't get attached to inanimate objects, and I definitely do not hold onto things.  With that being said, I have somehow managed to save all of the letters that were ever written to me since the 3rd grade.  Letters from my best friend, Becky Pollan, who moved to Texas when I was 9 years old.  Letters from my Finnish pen pal, Kaisa. Letters from my mom, my grandma, and my sisters.  And, letters from my high school boyfriend, Jess. 

As I was reading through Jess' love letters that were written on loose leaf paper with a # 2 pencil and folded into small squares, I couldn't help but reminisce about the simple, carefree life that we lived while dating in our youth. 

Mandy Dearest,

......I am so sorry that I didn't carry your books to fifth hour, but I did not hear the bell until the tardy bell.  I don't know how to make it up to you - maybe you can think of something.

.....If you have a chance, please call me tonight so I can hear your voice.  

.....Are we going to do anything on test days together since we only have half days, or are you going to have to study all day?

......I'll be thinking about you.

Love,
Jess

Ah, to be 18 again and not have a care in the world (except for mid-term exams).  That was the easy life-- having Jess carry my books to and from my classes, cheering for him at his soccer and baseball games, going out on dates on the weekend...

Life isn't quite as carefree as it once was, but I wouldn't trade 10 (almost 11) years of marriage and 4 children for the world.  I love my sweet Jess!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ava the Acrobat



I used to climb up the walls of my narrow hallway as a child.  So, it was no surprise to me when Ava started climbing up the door way to her room about 7 months ago.

She has a lot of arm strength.
She'll climb to the top of the door frame and let her legs swing while holding on.



I love watching her.

 

She'll make a great gymnast!



Casualties of War(ren)

Split eyelid, goose-egg on forehead, and chapped, bleeding lips to boot!

Our poster child for accident-prone children.

Several years ago, I studied the life and teachings of  President Wilford Woodruff.  I distinctly remember learning about all of the injuries and accidents that this man suffered and miraculously lived through. 

My son, Brahm, is only 3 years old but has already suffered a number of injuries that have taken him to the doctor, the quick care center, and the ER countless times. Before Brahm, we had never made a single trip to an emergency room (or quick care for that matter) with any of our children. The most recent of his accidents occurred while my husband and I were watching the LDS Christmas Devotional. Brahm and Ava decided to play in the adjoining laundry room, and unbeknownst to Jess and me, the two climbed on top of the washing machine. Brahm consequently fell, and his head was pinned between the washing machine and countertop.  When we rescued him, blood was gushing everywhere.  Jess rushed him to the quick care center where his split eyelid was glued together.  To add more insult to injury, Brahm climbed up the shelves in my pantry the following morning and again, fell.  A huge goose-egg formed on his forehead. 

Every time my son injures himself, I think about President Woodruff.  I'm not sure if Brahm is accident-prone, if he is careless, if he is trying to keep up with his older siblings, if I have slow reaction time, or all of the above.  I'm just glad that he seems to recover well from these little casualties.

Sleeping Beauty

I posted this picture of a sleeping Brahm in a previous post.  Since then, I have caught him napping in more strange places and/or strange positions.

In the family room.

In the kitchen.

On the steps.

My favorite- on the table. 
I will write more about his black eye in another blog entry.

(Post) Christmas Vacation

McCall, Idaho

Brahm taking in the scenery while riding in the car.

Ava dozing off with her doll, Mandy, in hand.

Room with a view.

Tubing in -2 degree temperatures.

Smokejumper Station

Killer icicles.

Gold Fork Hot Springs.

Simon swimming in the dead of winter.

Brahm enjoying his hydrotherapy treatment.

104 degree water.  14 degree weather.

Pizza and card playing at night.

While out driving one night, we immediately pulled over to take a picture of this 50 ft. beauty.

After Christmas, our family decided to take a last minute trip to McCall, Idaho.  We spent three days and two nights vacationing in this Winter Wonderland.  Our drive up was a little treacherous due to a lot of falling snow, but we arrived to our motel safe and sound.  In preparation for our trip, we made a list of activities that we wanted to take part in that included: tubing at the Activity Barn, watching the torch parade and firework show at Brundage Mountain, eating at the Pancake House, and swimming at Gold Fork Hot Springs.  We unfortunately missed the torch parade and firework show due to a car accident that clogged up the winding, narrow road that leads to Brundage Resort.  But, we were able to add something new to our activity list the very next day!  On our way back from the Hot Springs, Jess pulled too far over to the right to accommodate oncoming traffic.  Our front right tire got caught in the three feet of snow that had been plowed to the edge of the road.  Jess frantically tried to pull the car out, but our minivan was dragged into the snow bank.  Many kind people stopped to help us.  One woman noticed that we had children in our vehicle and gave us tangerines, carrots, and apples to hold the kids over until help came.  The tow man who rescued us told Jess that he had never seen so much snow fall in such a short period of time since he had lived in the surrounding area of McCall. 

Besides this little fiasco, we had a lovely time playing together and making memories as a family.  Our motel had an indoor heated pool and hot tub that the kids warmed up in after tubing in -2 degree temperatures. We enjoyed larger-than-life pancakes and great take-out pizza at local eateries. We laughed about the communal dressing rooms located inside a yurt at Gold Fork Hot Springs.  And, our motel room included a view!  The icicles that hung from and weighed down the electrical cord outside our window gave me great anxiety. 

Our drive home from McCall was full of breathtaking views of a world covered in white.  We have already decided to spend our Christmas of 2011 in McCall. 

On a side note, I chopped off all of my hair.  Yippee!!