Catching Up - Again!

A new record has been set - almost 3 weeks between posts. It is ridiculous - I just can't seem to put words together these days. The good news - Dwight is back to normal - his silly sense of humor is back, and he is back doing things with the girlies, enjoying the yard work, and going for his long walks. It was fun watching the girls "helping" Grandpa change the oil in Mommy's car the other day.





When he got sick, we had tickets for his visit to Maine which had been purchased a couple of weeks before. My first thought when we realized how ill he was - we will probably have to delay the trip. But, praise God, he was able to go last week-end and he, Kev, and Angie had a great time together.


I am sitting here on Saturday, Easter Eve, with my foot bothering me. We did our first performance last night of our Easter music, which is such a fabulous collection of glorious songs. We will do it again in the morning, after a lovely breakfast.



But I did something very foolish last night - I decided to stand on the risers without my boot. Mistake. It wasn't the ball of the foot that hurt the most, but the heel - I think from trying to avoid standing on the ball. I am truthfully very discouraged about this tendon situation.


I've taken or sent the kids to Disney on Ice for quite a few years. The last couple of times, I have sent Kristen and the big girls while I took care of the twins. But this year, the littles were big enough to enjoy the extravaganza. They are accustomed to being left behind on a lot of occasions, so when the big girls and I were talking about the upcoming event, they said, "Do we get to go?" When I told them they were going to get to go, the excitement in the air was palpable. It was a long wait for the night to arrive, but it was the subject of a lot of anticipation.

The night finally arrived, we went to Culver's for a treat before the show, then arrived just in time to claim our seats before the lights went down and the gala began. They all four enjoyed it very much, but the littles, in their princess dresses, were absolutely mesmerized the entire time.



The smiles were huge --










The biggest thrill for the littles was when each of the princesses and their princes skated, one couple at a time. They would have liked it to be them the entire time, I do believe.






The finale was quite impressive, with characters from Beauty and the Beast, Nemo, Pinocchio, The Lion King, Toy Story, and several others I can't remember - besides, all the Disney characters, It's a Small World, Mickey Mouse Club, and all of them joined together on the ice at the end of the show.









It was an enjoyable time from beginning to end. I do have to say that I miss the shows when they concentrated on one story the entire time, and hope they do that again someday. But it's a great activity for little princesses.


This has been spring break - the first two days were really horrible weather. We even had a skiff of snow (not enough to help the near drought conditions, however). Kristen's work schedule was horrific this week, so the girls were here most of the time, including several nights. The last few days were lovely. One warm day, I captured this picture of "a grandgirl after my own heart." She has her name in a book, literally, almost constantly. She is so much like me in this way (and several other ways, too). I really love this picture.




Well, here's hoping I still have a couple of readers!

Bits and Pieces of This and That

Oh me, oh my. It's been 11 days since I wrote a word. And then it wasn't many words, but mostly pictures. I think of bits and pieces of things to share, but then they disappear into thin air, never to return to my brain. So I think I will start carrying around a pad and pen to write down snippets to remember when I get back to the computer. I don't know how long it will take me to publish, but I'll keep trying to get something going. There doesn't seem to be much newsworthy stuff going on around here these days.

We've had about six snowfalls so far, since October. I wouldn't really call most of them snow storms, but just nice moisture. The mountains are not receiving much this year so far, which is not good. When I see people on Facebook complaining about snow, I realize that I am not crazy about the white stuff, but it is so much better than drought in the summer. I hear most of the snow is stuck up there over Alaska and just keeps pouring down on them.

I am getting real here. I am just tired. This is part of the reason, but only part . . .



It has been almost 6 weeks since I got into the boot. I've been treated with physical therapy once or twice a week for the last month. The foot massages, exercises, and electrical impulses seem to be helping. I also do some of the exercises at home. I realize that this injury is minor compared to the physical trials of many, but I have to say I am really weary of lugging this thing up and down stairs all day every day, taking care of the girlies. I see the podiatrist a week from tomorrow (Friday) again, so hope for good news then. He says we must have 100% improvement or it will just go back to square one when I get out of the boot. And I do not want surgery. My back and knees are also tired of the uneven gait, though I've tried my best to wear equalizing shoe heights.

This was such a weird quirky accident - I computed that in my 33+ years in this house, I have gone to the bathroom in the dark at least 12,000 times. Add in the last few years of aging, and that number increases to more than once a night, and who knows how many times I made that little trip safely - I must have been more than half asleep that middle of the night when I crashed into the doorjamb and broke that ugly hammer toe, causing the tendon on the next toe to tear.

I have tried to get to the gym as much as possible, but the only cardio I can do is the recumbent bike. It takes so much time to change out of the boot and into the shoe, switching the orthotic from the boot to the exercise shoe, and then reversing after exercise. I tend to avoid going rather than deal with the hassle. which is NOT a good thing.

So - the other reasons I am tired include adding sugar and white flour back into my diet and losing all of the progress I made 2 years ago right now. I am not only back up where I started, which wears on me, but psychologically I am beyond disgusted with and disappointed in myself. I get up every morning vowing to get back on the wagon, and fail. I don't know what it will take to get my motivation going again. You'd think that feeling lousy and not having anything that fits (remember the purge of my closet last spring?) would do it, wouldn't you?

I keep avoiding going in for my annual physical (which is now six months overdue), because I don't want to weigh. The other reason for this situation is that it is so hard for me to plan ahead for anything with the crazy schedule of our lives - we never know much ahead of time what Kristen's schedule is going to be. I'm just tired.

On a positive note - I finally got to the basement and have most of the mess cleaned up and in totes. I bought 4 more, hoping that what I have left to organize will fit into them - but the more I think about it, the less likely it is that this will be the case. Someday I'll finish!

It's been 3 years since the twins have had a professional portrait made - we have hundreds of pictures, but none done by an expert since they were 1 year old.



There's a young woman I've known since before she was born who is now getting into her own photography business. She specializes in birth photography - getting up in the middle of the night (or she says she has insomnia, so she's usually still up) to photograph the coming of the new baby. She's been wanting to do our 4 beauties for a long time, and we finally got together last Saturday. She prefers outdoor settings, but we missed the prime time for that opportunity. However, it was a warm, balmy winter day Saturday, so she was able to do the more formal shots in our back yard on a blanket. She sent me a teaser, and we're so anxious to see the rest. She prefers doing action shots, so after she was finished with the dress-up shots, we came into the kitchen where the girls created some muffins while she caught the activity. They should be amusing. I'll be sure to share them as I get them.



Remember when I told you about the nativity set I was excited to get from my nephew and his family in Peru? My sister and BIL just returned from their amazing trip down there to visit and they brought back this wonderful set - the pieces are about 2 inches high.




This particular set is very realistic, according to my sister, for the area where they were visiting. Chad and Amanda are working for two years in the city of Puno on a short term mission adventure. They live close to Lake Titicaca and the floating islands of northern Peru. The women wear their hair in these double braids, caught together in the back.

The boat where the baby Jesus is lying is a good likeness to the vessels the people use for transportation




The cap worn by the baby Jesus is like the ones worn by the children on the islands. Interestingly, the little tiny baby is anatomically correct.

I am so happy to add this beautiful set to my collection. In fact, I am going to display it all year rather than try to find a place to stash it, requiring me to drag out one of the Christmas totes.

One nice thing happened to me today - unbelievable, actually. I went to the grocery store sans kiddoes. The young man who was checking me out asked, as usual, if I found everything. I said yes, but it took me 3 trips back up and down aisles to get things I had forgotten. He said the same thing happened to him all the time, and I commented that I was glad to know it wasn't just my old age that caused it to happen. Which led him to tell me I wasn't old, which led me to telling him I was indeed. He said I didn't look a day over 40, which led me to ask if he wanted to see my driver's license. He did, and he continued to tell me that I couldn't possibly be as old as my license proves I am. It was so sweet, and I told him he's my new BFF. Even though my body and my mirror tell me the truth!

Well, I guess I came up with something to talk about after all. Thanks for bearing with me as I "bare" my soul a bit.

Have a great week-end!

Catching up With Random Stuff

The summer flew by. There weren't many posts here by me. Thanks to those of you who keep checking in with me and commenting. It seems like we've lost so many bloggers, and it's sad. I can't come up with many posts these days, it seems, but I refuse to quit entirely - I would miss you all too much.

So it's time to catch up a bit - where did the last three months go? They went very very fast, with the 4 girls here quite a bit of the time. Besides camp and the family reunion, Hayley had a great get-away with her Girl Scout troop, in the Colorado Springs area. I really like the posing of this picture in the Garden of the Gods.

They also visited Cave of the Winds.

Both Hayley and Livi got the teachers they hoped for. Livi's is the same wonderful teacher Hayley had in second grade. We're thankful for this blessing. I didn't make it over to their house on the first day of school for the traditional picture with their new outfits. That's a first for me. We'll have their school pictures soon - everything hit the ground running once school started.

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A bit of catch-up on the twinnies:

They are absolutely so wonderful - except when they're not. They do have their moments - usually about 30 moments when they get going. But they are growing up so much - they just got "kicked out" of the church nursery on Wednesday nights now, because they're too old. It seems to be going well for them. At least they still get to see their favorite "Sandy" on Tuesday mornings during a new Bible study I've joined. They get to play in the gym day care when I have them, and they enjoy that too. My greatest fun is listening to them as they play and don't know I'm listening. They have such great imaginations, and it is so great to have a built-in always playmate.

Potty training - the bane of our existence. They are way old, IMHO, to be this far behind on this process. But they are stubborn little characters. We got so excited a couple of weeks ago when Emma took it upon herself to go several times a day for several days. She was so proud and so excited. Katie would have no part of it. And so Emma quit, too. They love wearing their cute little unders, and don't wet or dirty them all day, which is not a good thing either. What to do? What to do??

Growing up is such an adventure - and watching them learn is such fun. They want to do everything by themselves, which is a very good thing - but it takes so much longer. They've mastered the art of buckling their car seat belts - but it's quite the laborious process. For some reason, the door isn't allowed to close until they are finished. Shoes and socks - grueling, but such a big step.

They were evaluated for preschool and qualified, but unfortunately they are on a long waiting list. This is paid for by the school district because of their financial situation, but it doesn't do much good when there are too many others in the same boat and they can't get in. I was looking forward to a couple of mornings of freedom each week, but we're keeping busy and doing what we have to do.

A couple of funny things - suddenly Emma has begun calling us Grandmaw and Grandpaw instead of Gramma and Grampa. It is so cute. Last night they were staying here, as they often do. I couldn't remember which twin had which pair of jammies on, so I said, "Are you Emma or Katie?" Katie answers, with a twinkle in her eye, "Emma!" Little monkey - pulling fast ones on me already.

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Last Sunday Grandpa Dwight took the girls up to Rocky Mountain National Park in the afternoon. They had the greatest time, and Grandpa is so happy to have new hiking partners for years to come. The promise was for an all day camping trip (not overnight, but involving tents and cook-outs) today (Saturday), but the weather didn't look very promising up there this morning, so they headed to Denver instead. The twins have talked about "going to the mountains" all week, so I hope they aren't disappointed with a more urban adventure.

They stopped in Estes Park on the way down the hill to have a cone at a shop named "Hayley's"




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The other night when they were here, Grandpa played human basketball goal - and Hayley had just scored.




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My sis and I had a great Girls Night Out last Thursday - we were privileged to spend the evening listening to one of our favorite novelists - Laura Lippman. She was a fun speaker, and it was interesting to hear the journey her writing has taken her on. Speaking of books, have you read The Help? I have to say, I RARELY watch a movie based on a book, because it frustrates me so much how they mess with the plot, but this is one movie that didn't ruin the book. Well done.

If you've made it this far, thanks for hanging in there with me on this very long, rambling essay! Have a great week!

Rambling Randomness

It's been a wild and crazy spring - maybe one nice warm, sunny day per week, if we were lucky. Today it seemed to turn that corner into, maybe, summer. And a quick turn-around it's supposed to be. The problem with that is the too-fast melting of the huge amounts of snow in the mountains, which could potentially come rushing down and cause flooding down here in the foothills. The snow on Trail Ridge Road, which is the highest continuous highway in the country, has 28 foot piles of snow. The highway is usually opened by Memorial Day for tourists to get to the other side of the mountain, but they had it almost plowed out when winds and snow hit and again and caused 17 foot drifts. Amazing.

The spring flowers lasted a long time, and seemed to thrive on the cool, wet days. The tulips were huge and there are still a few surviving.

The first iris --



The first columbine --




The prolific johnny jump-ups - almost like weeds, but so cute --



And I love the lily of the valley --

The end of the school year came quickly and was incredibly busy - they got out entirely too early this year - I don't know what the school board was thinking. Most of the end of the year events were dampened - literally - by the weather. Field Day was not fun for me - I don't love standing outside watching kids play in the cold and dampness. But I persevered, and tried to get to each of the girls' activities, missing a lot, though. With twin threes, it was extra hard, because they wanted to play instead of watch, of course. Mommy and I switched places midway through the morning.

This was the first time I've enjoyed the indoor activities more than the outdoor - it's usually too hot and stuffy. This year it just felt good.

Of course I had to attend the Awards Assembly, where kids are honored by their teachers for excellence in various areas. Hayley knew she was getting an award, but didn't know in what. It could have been any of several, in my opinion. Not surprisingly, it was for her writing.

Her teacher said these very fun things as she presented the certificate --

Then there was the end of the year Girl Scout meeting, where Hayley was promoted from Brownies to Juniors - and received her Brownie patches.

She went under the bridge from one level to the next --

They did the official hand shake --


And got her new sash to replace the brown vest - onward and upward to new adventures.

THEN - it was Livi's birthday party - another cold day, which did turn out better than it started. It was her first "kid" party, and all the kids in her class were invited. Not too many came (or RSVP'd), but there were enough to have a really good time together at the wonderful new park in our town.

Of course, I always like to update you with my latest readings. Abby was my favorite contestant the first year I watched The Biggest Loser - Season 8. I had read some of her story in a magazine, which is why I turned in. I loved her spirit, in spite of the fact that she had come to the Ranch to try to regain her life after losing her whole family to a horrific car crash, which sent her spiraling into weight gain. I was so glad to see that she had written a book, and it was really worth the time. I highly recommend it - even if you didn't follow her on the show.




And lest you think I haven't been with the littles - fear not. I have been keeping them overnight quite often, giving Kristen a bit of a break. They are so easy in the evening - they go to bed around 7 and sleep 12 hours. Yesterday Emma acquired pink eye - it was so cute when Emma kept talking about her pink eye and Katie kept saying, "I don't have a pink eye." They don't usually have something that the other doesn't. Hopefully the drops will work quickly - not something she enjoys! The other day, they emptied their stuffed animal tub on Grandma.



Well, I didn't mean to dump quite so much on you all, but I guess it's been too long since I wrote anything! Just a bit of update - Kev and Angie left this morning, later than they planned. They had far too many delays, and still haven't reached their night's stop in mid-Iowa. They think it will be midnight before they get there. But Angie got a call (while her phone didn't have any bars) from the hospital where she applied and who have called her before. They wanted her to talk to two managers - so hopefully tomorrow morning won't be too late. She didn't get the message until it was too late to call back today. Obviously a prayer request!

UPDATE: Angie returned the calls this morning (Wednesday) and now has THREE interviews on Monday at the hospital! Praise the Lord!