Living Apart

I got to thinking and did a little math.

Out of the 6 years and 3 months that we have been married,

Eric and I have lived in seperate states for approximately 8 of those months.

For the most part, we were lucky enough to see each other on the weekends

(and have free mobile-to-mobile, thank goodness),

but holy, moly that's a lot.

10.6% of our marriage spent living apart.

He doesn't even have a "typical" traveling job.

He's a buyer for a manufacturing company for goodness sakes!

However, I will take what I'm given,

complain a little,

and then think about what I learned from all of this time apart.

1. My deepest respect and empathy goes to all single mothers, widows, wives of men in the airforce (go Stefanie!), etc.

2. We are stronger than we think we are.

3. Cell phones are a blessed invention.

4. I shouldn't take having the greatest husband for granted so much. Appreciate and love him a little more.

5. It's time to cash in on those frequent flyer miles and hotel rewards (together).

Glad that tonight you will be home and living with us again, E!

Our welcome home gift to you:
A week long project--
11 completed puzzles adorning the table (the big one's on the floor).

A Funny Thing Happened at the Kitchen Sink

I noticed it starting to happen a few days ago.

And today there was no denying it.

Those dishes in the kitchen sink took on a whole new meaning.

No more dread or disgust.

It's just satisfying, relaxing to scrub them clean.

Odd.

Why am I so content to do the dishes?

Am a full-fledged stay-at-home mom now?

Is this what happens?

I was happy to do them because I was happy that I actually cooked (and have been cooking) a full meal, using different recipes, and trying new things and that my children are actually entertaining themselves for (sometimes) longer than 15 minutes at a time, and that everyone is happy (for the moment), and that even though Eric is gone so much right now I can be a strong person and take care of all the unpacking and settling and day-to-day living and we can have this adventure in Washington because that's where we are supposed to be right now and everything is working out fine.

Just content

to do the dishes.

It's a funny thing.

100%

100% unpacked. Those last few boxes lingered in my hallway about a week too long, but I can now say goodbye to all of those millions of boxes.

100% ready for Eric to be done traveling, yet only 75% of the traveling has been done. :(

100% enjoyed using our imaginations at the Children's Museum we ventured to yesterday with our friends. It was way cool.

Wii Are Writing

About a year and a half ago, wii used to play office or school nearly everyday.

The boys would pull out their notebooks, pens, and hoards of paper

and wii would play and wii would "write".

Now wii don't play that as much. Wii have changed our game a bit.

The games wii play are usually Star Wars or ambulance/robber.

Apparently, wii play something else as well.

Kyler wrote a story at school today.

His teacher and I chuckled at his spelling.

It read "Wii went to Fed Miyr. Then wii went to are frends."

Yes, we play the Wii, too.

By the way, at the start of Kindergarten I know he knew how to read and spell "we".

The Rain and Frogs

We hear frogs croaking all the time.
Our neighbor says you can find them all over in the backyard.

Until we do,
this frog works for me.

Any Guest of Mine . . .

*Note: This post is an advertisement to promote tourism in Washington (err, ok, visits with us) and to say congratulations to myself (uh, can I do that?) for sorting, labeling, and moving ALL of my teaching stuff out of the dining room and (somewhat) out of the way. By the way, I did pass on 4 whole boxes of stuff to Kyler's teacher. See, I don't keep everything.*

When you come to stay with us in beautiful, non-stop rainy Washington, you will be escorted to the guest living quarters where you will retire for the night.

The Brazilian flag hanging above your bed will both brighten up your white walls and remind you of "Ordem e Pregresso" (order and progress).

That may or may not be the theme of this room.

Though, the bed looks very comfy and seems to beckon you to dreamland, you surely will not drift off to sleep without practicing your letters and the sounds they stand for.

Or maybe you want to complete a few file folder games.

You could also do a little research on one of many topics, such as plants, space, or the author Patricia Palacco (one of my personal favorites). Depending on the month of your visit, you may want to check out the seasonal box for a good Valentine's, Halloween, or Thanksgiving story. There are plenty of books at your fingertips.

 When you head off to bed, you are welcome to cuddle with one of Grandma Neff's singing frogs or Grandpa's belt buckle (don't forget to admire the pictures that came in the frame when it was given to me. one thing at a time.)

If you can't sleep, or just wake up for some late-night fun, swing open the closet!

You can make words with the letter tiles, break out the balance and compare counters to unifex cubes, do a little measuring with rulers or square tiles, or play any number of Math games with the dice (big foam, dots, numbers, double dice--you name it, I have it).

If Midnight Math is not your thing, open up the Art tubs. There's plenty of glue, feathers, glitter, beads, and paint to create to your heart's content.

Any guest of mine, will certainly have the opportunity and the materials in order to progress.

**All visits include free Q-tips to prevent your ears from getting moldy (due to high humidity, not overload of learning or lack of cleanliness in our home) during your stay.

Alien Invasion!

The Time: 4:02 pm

The Sighting: Two 5-eyed, green and blue aliens were first seen hiding behind shelves and sneaking through bedrooms. They quickly took over the kitchen. Though the reason for the invasion is still unclear, it is believed they were searching for nachos and cheesesticks for dinner.

The aliens quickly disappeared when the carrots came out.

2010

Goodbye 2009:

We were happy with our growth and accomplishments last year, and excused ourselves from some of our goals due to moving twice in six months.

We are ready for a great 2010!

Hopefully one in which our address stays the same throughout the entire year.

2010 Family Theme:

"Love should be our walk and our talk."

-D. Uchtdorf

2010 Family Scripture:

Mark 12:30-31

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."

2010 Family Goals:

studying the Articles of Faith, 3 service projects, speaking nicely to eachother, visiting 5 new places, and greater temple attendance

2010 Personal Goals:

We each wrote 4 personal goals: One goal was based on a new skill to learn (cooking, piano, etc.), one on physical development (play baseball, being able to touch your toes, etc.), one on knowledge (reading a chapter book, studying Portuguese, etc.), and one on character (staying calm, respecting others, etc.).

On a Walk

*For Stefanie*

When you walk through our neighborhood, you will see . . .

. . . and then you are back home.

**Look below. All updated.**

The Secret Garden

Two notable things happened tonight

 as I watched The Secret Garden with my boys.

1. Kacin watched the ENTIRE movie. This is a first. No falling asleep. No playing with toys. No running around. No asking when it would be over. He just watched (and asked a lot of questions).

2. (I know someday they'll be mad at me for this) They both got tears in their eyes. One boy cried at the sight of the beautiful garden. One took off his glasses and wiped his eyes when Collin walked into his dad's arms. One boy asked for the sequel and wanted to know why they haven't made other movies about them. We concluded by making plans for our backyard--we each get a spot of earth--and deciding we should read the book when we finish the other chapter books we've started.

Who knew The Secret Garden would be

 so inspiring for my rough-and-tumble little boys?

French Fry, Anyone?