A wedding and a baptism

If you don't know my brother James, you should! He is easily one of the funniest, most useful guys you could ever meet. Wasn't I just shooting hoops with him in the driveway or teaching him to swim? Now he's married, to the equally charming and lovely Catherine! 

This is the first time ever that I have gone on a trip by myself. In my life! I cried a little in the plane, for my boys. But after the first night staying up half the night laughing with James and Kim, I knew that I could enjoy time with my "growing-up family," and my wonderful brother- and sister-in-law! One hiccup: the marriage license managed to vaporize on the morning of the ceremony, and we all developed blood pressure problems during the hunt for it. It was a Saturday, so all public offices were closed! Eventually my brother located a home phone number for the county clerk, who graciously provided a hand-written license for them! I told them when they find the original I'll frame it for them. I got to sit beside my mom during the ceremony. The moment made me grateful for all the beautiful women in my life.

What a pleasure it was to be with many of them--my mom and sisters, 

 plus my grandmother, aunts, and cousins!

This was the first time that all the siblings have been together in over three years.

Hearing the Tabernacle Choir, eating at Grandma's house, holding my new little niece Hailey and being in all the familiar, sunny places in Salt Lake buoyed my spirits. My sister Michelle caught the bouquet--maybe I'll be traveling to another wedding soon! :)

Hailey! You've got to see sweet Hailey, the luckiest little angel to be born to my sister- and brother-in-law, Stephanie and Lindsey!

The other happy event happened right here in Madison, where our sweet Zachary was baptized.

The Alldredges and my dad travelled here to participate, and many friends came to support Zachary. How blessed we are!

Zachary received a journal for his baptism, in which he recorded this:

"Baptism

I got baptized today. The water was cold. When the refreshments came they were yummy! We had an awe-so-me time. We invited Ethan my friend and my cousins (the Alldredges). After that Ethan and some others came then we went skating. We had crazy night that night. I got leather scriptures. 

The Sunday after Baptism

When we got out of our fortresses, we played Legos. I made a machine with a watch tower. When we got to church the Bishop told me to stand. After church Grandpa had to leave. Nana said if we read the scriptures every day until we finish them she will give us [a prize]."

He's brought his scriptures to school to study every day since his baptism and has been trying to be good. Oh, how I love his earnest, gentle heart.

Wisconsin Winter Fun

Wisconsin has been absolutely Siberian this winter! We had school cancelled for a few days because the wind chill was -40 F, good heavens! Everything I've experienced before this winter was "pansy" in comparison.

Our former pro-hockey player neighbor and rockstar of a dad cleared a retention ditch to use as a hockey rink. It is a part time job maintaining a pond rink! We spent several hours plowing snow out there, and our neighbor spent more. But to have your own private rink surrounded by the fresh Wisconsin winter--what could be more magical? Every time we played, we stayed until dark. 

When we couldn't bear clearing the rink anymore--and when it was too cold to play outside!--we moved indoors. One fun day we reserved the rink for an hour. We played hockey with three adults against about a dozen kids (some of them using the fun "walkers") and had a blast!

Of course there's always sledding (little Max barrels down like a champ!):

In our backyard we built a "bobsled run" going down the steps from our deck balcony and around the yard! Where was the photo on that one? Here's cute Michael instead:

One perfect day we drove up to Sauk City to watch for bald eagles. We spotted about 25 this year, up from 6 last year! Some friends came along:

One day the temperature was well above freezing and we decided to ride bikes. It was frigid, but so liberating to do something "summer" in the middle of the winter:

That was the reasoning behind my going running one day when it was -6F! Yikes! I couldn't feel a thing afterwards!

Here's beautiful Madison from the air--notice the capitol on the isthmus with frozen Lakes Mendota and Monona to each side. Wisconsin, we love you, winter and all! 

The kids and I are going to an all-day winter camp this weekend. More on that later!

Visiting with our Nana, Sam, and the Alldredges!

We know our families love us, because they come regularly to see us here, even in the winter! We were thrilled to have Uncle Sam come for a long weekend! We got in some hockey, laser tag, and game fun. He has a heart of gold--he also spent hours pulling kids on sleds, reading to them at home, and matching a multitude of socks!

We were equally thrilled to have our Nana come visit from Russia! She was in the states to visit Eric's sister and her new granddaughter--her stop here was a complete surprise. In the few days that she was here, she "reset" our laundry to zero and helped with some substantial organizational work. We had such fun being with our Nana, including Olive Garden and Perry Mason fun!

Soon after Nana and Sam left, the kids and I drove over to Minneapolis to see our Alldredge cousins. Of course we had to check out the amazing science and children's museums (reciprocal museum benefits, we adore you!), 

and who could resist a visit to the Mall of America? I don't think Max remembers ever going on an amusement park ride before--he gasped with excitement.

The most important reason that we went, though, was to see Andrew's baptism. These two were born a few weeks apart and love to be friends and cousins. Seeing our combined nine boys jostling around on a basement floor is truly joyful!

Family, what a blessing to see you! Minneapolis, we'll miss you!

Christmas day

Christmas couldn't have been much simpler--or happier!--around here. I'm smiling at the Nativity costumes the boys put together one night,

 especially the little angel with a towel and a headlamp!

Zachary, the head costume designer, made some gold for the wise men. Why don't adults think of things like this? Just get pieces of paper and write "gold" on them, adding a bit of gold-looking jewelry? I tend to severely overcomplicate things and was relieved that the practical kids stepped in!

Of course Christmas morning was thrilling. Each boy received three gifts, but it seemed like a bundle since they all enjoy each other's toys. They played and played, and Eric and I sat opening packaging and hearing reports on each gift's happy details.

Jacob received a Ripstik, which I imagine has made it around our main floor loop about 2000 times, mainly when I'm trying to fix dinner!

Of course we also read "Christmas Day in the Morning" and "The Gift of the Magi," two of the best short stories ever written. We sang through the Reader's Digest Christmas Songbook and the hymns. It's such a joy to have a piano in our home! This was the first year that the kids could accompany some of the Christmas singing. They insisted that we become proficient at singing "Hey Ho, Nobody Home" in three parts, and we practiced on several nights. I'm not sure that we nailed it this year; maybe that's a goal for 2014. 

Geography Fun

I coached our school's Geography Club and organized the school bee again this year, and we had a great turnout: thirty of the school's 4th- and 5th- graders opted to skip recess to come study geography! The kids are vibrantly curious, as world geography has not yet been part of their school curriculum. Here are some of the club members choosing stamps for their passports:

The weekend before the bee I hosted a finalists' breakfast, when we review for a couple hours. These kids are motivated by genuine interest--their curiosity has me looking up material constantly!

Here they are shooting at the maps to identify the correct answers. :)

The day of the final bee was exciting! I'm proud of the efforts I saw from all of those kids, and I consider all of them champions--it takes courage to compete in these contests!

That same week we also planned an international night for Cub Scouts, in which the boys made a Peruvian Christmas tree out of soda bottles, met a surfing Santa from Australia, painted Chinese characters, and examined Ukrainian art. We have some great leaders with international experiences who helped pull off a truly memorable night.

Geography! Go take the daily GeoBee Quiz and get excited!

Four short stories

1. Snail and fish breeding
While walking home from school one day, I told the kids that I had a surprise. They asked if it was a new baby! I told them that actually it was LOTS of new babies and some eggs. Of course they sprinted home to see what was going on. "Ducks! I bet it's ducks. Ducks come from eggs," I heard Zach say. Instead, they found dozens of baby snails and some penmark-thin baby fish swimming about. Our fish and snails had laid eggs, and some were hatching! Zach established a nursery to protect the youngsters from their hungry parents. Here are the proud owners of our little school:

2. All things done in order

The boys and I had a wonderful time collecting and sorting food for some food pantry Thanksgiving baskets this year. These happy workers sorted four three-tiered carts full of holiday food one afternoon! Some kids were darting around, quickly memorizing where the different types of food were kept. Others specialized in macaroni or stuffing and built up a pile. 

The one who got me laughing was Jacob, who painstakingly reorganized the entire Jell-o reserve into columns according to type, flavor, and brand name. It must have taken him half an hour. Bless that meticulous, darling boy. 

3. Rocking out with Samuel Hutchinson

One night Eric and Max went to bed early. Max had missed his nap because of church, and Eric had missed most of the last night's sleep because of an emergency surgery. So I told the boys that we were going to go singing at the Overture Center as if we were famous. They caught the enthusiasm and loaded up. The annual Christmas hymn sing is a free event where the audience sings along with the "colossal Klaus," performed by the classy and exuberant organist Samuel Hutchinson.  

Darling Michael sang every word for over an hour--Jacob and Zachary were riveted as well and even attempted the unfamiliar selections. Adam fell asleep in my arms for most of it. When we finished, we all felt pretty famous:

4. Zach's watch-rental business
Several months ago Zachary invested his saved chore money into a calculator watch. The watch quickly became the envy of the second grade, with friends asking to borrow it for a few minutes, a lunch period, or a day. When Zach began turning down requests, the kids started making offers. A quarter for a day? Two quarters? But apparently none of the kids had any actual money, so they traded in the next best currency: Matchbox cars. Zach now regularly rents his watch out at a rate of one Matchbox car per day. Once he got a crazy cool rainbow loom bracelet for a week of wearing privileges, but other than that, it's all cars. Here are some of them. I'm pretty sure he's earned back the $12 he spent on the watch already. He's an entrepreneur if I've ever seen one!

A Day

Last Friday the kids were off of school, so we planned a little day trip. I said that we could leave after morning chores, which were extended to mid-morning chores after Adam created a "skating rink" with half of a container of baby powder:

As you can see, it was immensely fun and messy, which also describes each boy involved. They didn't care about washing it out of their hair and went around looking like they had grayed prematurely.

With the house decently cleaned up (and smelling baby fresh), we headed out to a state park. We were mostly alone and it was clear and still. An old spring cellar and stream captivated the boys' pretend play for a happy hour. They caught scores of box elder bugs on the stones. Some went up Max's shirtsleeve and he was brave. Zach found a frog, named him Oscar, and built him an island.

Then they skipped down through a fairytale ravine to the waterfall,

where they got their shoes wet and told me that they weren't even cold.

 Adam sang "He's Got the Whole World in his Hands" to the echoing ravine walls.

Max climbed up the mossy sloping rocks.

The three oldest crossed a stream by shimmying up a fallen tree and reached the peak on the other side. Of course we had to get a group shot, for me.

Later we roasted hot dogs. Jacob brought back this stick when I sent them to hunt for some skewers. He loves to get a laugh and then smiles shyly to himself.

They're growing up, offering their advice to me about how to build a fire, gather sticks, and anything else that I could improve on. When I was singing a camp song to them, Zachary said, "Don't sing it so crazy; none of the other moms do it so crazy!" When I asked him how the other moms do it, he said, "Just not like that!" The song was "Michael Finnegan." 

"Michael Finnegan" and "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore" are my Michael's favorites. :) I've never known a more pleasant person. Having him go to kindergarten this year has removed such a happy part of my life. I can't wait to see him--and all the kids--every afternoon!

We brought a rake to make a leaf pile--it ended up being big enough to disappear in!

Just before sunset we built castles on the beach and dragged sticks to draw in the sand. On the drive home we blasted both the heater and our favorite camp songs. It was a perfect day.

Today I organized the mud room and did laundry. One kid work up early from his nap and pulled out all of the linens in the closet and spread them around the floor. He then dumped out every container in his path from upstairs to the main floor. (He told me he was mad because he wanted me to nap with him!) I read him a dozen storybooks and held him for a long time. After school I helped kids prepare a presentation and practice piano. At dinner a kid knocked his plate of spaghetti and glass of milk on his brother. When I was cleaning that up, another kid poured his plate of spaghetti and sauce into the freezer to cool it down. They all did their chores. No one would do his homework, however, nor wear pajamas ("The real strong guys don't wear shirts, just like poor people, and I am the strongest guy in the WORLD!" he told me). My neighbor came over to give me some mail and the kids were running circles, most half clothed because we were trying to change for bed. Eric came home and helped with the schoolwork. The kids listened to scripture time and said simple, happy prayers. (Max: "Thank thee that Mom is coming home and Dad is coming home." He says that every prayer, omitting "Dad" if he's not home yet.) Jacob put a star sticker on his belly and marched around chanting, "Sneetch!" They were giggling so much that they could hardly brush their teeth. We kissed and hugged them. When the lights went out, I breathed in and out. Today was perfect, too.