Month: January 2008

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adam’s backyard campout

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Adam had his own little campout last week. Just him, his tent, and the backyard. He tried to get me to snuggle with him, but I said, “no way.” Why would I want to trek into the house through the snow to use the bathroom during the night when I could have the king size bed all to myself. So Adam loaded up his arms with flashlight, sleeping bag, and coat. He had a great time. It gave him the chance to try out our new tent–well it’s actually a year old, but had never been set up–and to test out the warmth of his sleeping bag.

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Spencer wanted to get in on the camping action, but alas, he’s a bit too little yet. Adam is sooooooo excited to bring our children home from Colombia. He can’t wait to have little ones to pal around with. He can barely contain his excitement for next year when he’ll have boys to take on campouts and hikes.

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the king and i, take two…

25682571Well, we were supposed to go a couple of weeks ago with the Hirschi clan to The King and I , but my cramping kept us home. Luckily, there was a big group going so we didn’t spoil anyone’s fun. Jaimee changed our tickets to Monday in case I was feeling better. I love the theatre and I really wanted to go so I dressed up and we braved the snowy coldness (nothing like Jessica’s expedition to Riverdance) . We made it to intermission and I couldn’t sit any longer. I was so glad we got out for a couple of hours though. Adam was a trooper as always. I threw this picture in for kicks. It reminds me how amiable and adorable my husband is. He’s been a great caregiver this past month. I love you Adi!!!

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Elk Park

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On Saturday, we went to the Hardware Ranch, a wildlife management area created in 1945 by the state of Utah. Each winter, hundreds of elk gather in the valley to be fed for the winter. In the ’40s, the elk caused too many problems by foraging in people’s yards throughout Cache Valley, so the state created this place to keep them out of trouble.

During the winter, they have sleigh rides through the herd. Our guide told us that the elk are bullies; if deer try to come get the hay, they are summarily forced out! On the way up there, I even saw a moose! (They get kicked out by the elk too.) I never knew there were moose in Utah.

Brooklynn brought her friend and next-door neighbor Braden. He is one of the cutest and most photogenic kids around. Lots of snowballs thrown! All in all, a great Saturday.

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Temple Worship

I love the temple. We went to the Ogden Temple after our homestudy interview yesterday (Adam wanted to check it off his “list”). It was a glorious session. I think temple attendance is my most favorite thing about being LDS. We can now get back to our standing weekly temple date.

Please, go to the temple my friends. Go as much as you can. Go every week. And, if you can’t go every week, go once every two weeks or once a month…but don’t go longer than that if proximity allows. It makes our lives better, it makes our marriages stronger, it makes our testimonies deeper, it makes our connection with the divine clearer. Go when you’re sad, go when you’re happy, go when you don’t feel like or you think you’re too busy…Just Go.

I am grateful for temples.

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“Rachel, you know…”

I have visited three different doctors over the past six weeks for various baby/adoption reasons and they have all told me the same thing, “Rachel, you know, it would probably be a good thing if you lost some weight. It might help with….(take your pick)” And what am I thinking–**Actually, No, I didn’t know. I thought it was just bloating. Could you tell me again how FAT I’ve become? Could you tell me one more time how my fertility, current health, and future mortality all hinge on this one factor. That would really help my body image and self-esteem (wink, nod). * *

Okay, seriously, here’s the skinny (ha ha). The doctors are right, duh! Hello, I can’t even look at the scale when they weigh me. As far as I know, I’m in good health (except for that whole baby thing)…great blood pressure, blood sugar, and pulse. But I want to keep it that way. If this had been a previous miscarriage, I would’ve fallen back into the ooey gooey chocolatey goodness of ice cream and not come out for a long long long time. But I can’t blame the sadness of the miscarriages anymore. It’s not fair to me, my husband, or my future children.

I did lose a little weight before this last miscarriage. Now it’s time to get back on wagon. So, what to do? What to do? Hmm, I know, I’ll train for the SLC Marathon.

Okay, I’m only doing the 1/2 marathon and I’ll probably walk half of it. But that’s alright with me. It is the perfect goal for me right now. It’s how I kept fit before. And it’s the perfect thing to occupy me as I wait for adoption stuff to happen. THANKS JENA for the idea. She is coming up for it in April. Jena was my workout buddy before Adona and before we moved. I miss going to swim and do yoga with my best bud. She has a friend she is training with in Las Vegas. My hoped for training buddy (who shall remain nameless) informed me that HE doesn’t want to do it *Boo, Hiss*. That leaves me to myself. I can do it. I know I can. I think I’ll post a weekly mileage log here so my dear friends who read this can encourage me. Please encourage me. I NEED IT.

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The Pros of Homeschooling

After much pondering and research here are my lists of pros
1. Teacher/Student ratio: How many times as educators and as parents do we find ourselves wishing class sizes are smaller.
2. VARIETY and control over curriculum: There are so many different subjects and projects I want my children to be exposed to. There’s no way in the current public school structure this can happen. Whether it’s spending four weeks on a novel unit or deciding between Spanish or Latin for the year, the children and I have control over what to focus on. I can focus on things that I think are important for EACH child.
3. BONDING and attachment opportunities: Homeschooling can supply much needed time together for the adopted child. I’ve already lost the early formative years of my children’s lives. The more time I have with them the better.
4. FLEXIBILITY: I want to teach my children at the library, on Friday field trips, out at Red Rock, in India, and in the backyard. None of us learn the same. And although teachers, me included, try their best to reach all learning styles and differentiate instruction-it is IMPOSSIBLE due to class sizes and shortened periods.

I love teaching. I’m really good at it. I can’t escape the gnawing feeling in my mind and in my heart to not put this off. There are many other pros like avoiding the crassness and crudeness of the general student population, time for religious education, and flexible vacation times. But mostly I want to be with my kids and use the talent I’ve been given for good.

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The stockings were hung by the chimney with care…

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As Rach mentioned, no lame blogs are allowed here. In order to fulfill my promise of pictures of the “Full” Christmas light presentation, I write this post.
Despite all of the unexpected surprises during our trip to Washington, we really enjoyed the time. The Pennings really know how to throw a Christmas party. When loading presents into the truck to return to Logan, I noted that it must have taken Santa at least two trips for this house alone!
 
 

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Christmas, wrapped up!

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Despite a few hiccups during Christmas week, we still managed to have a great vacation. Adam had 3-1/2 weeks off of school and we took full advantage of it. We drove up to Washington and spent our time there. We were able to help pick out the Christmas tree, put up last minute decorations, and help with mom’s last minute shopping. The above picture is mom’s idea of cooking dinner on Christmas Eve….’let’s go outback’….easy clean-up, wahoo!!! Don’t worry–Christmas Day dinner was all homemade. 

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We also squeezed in a few short trips…one to Portland to celebrate Jessica’s birthday, one to Leavenworth for some winter wonderland fun, and one to Tacoma to visit grandma and grandpa Penning. We also were blessed to spend grandpa Harvey’s last week here on earth with him. Everyone was able to say their goodbyes and my mom was able to be there when he passed. I’m grateful that we were there not only to say goodbye and attend the funeral, but also to help mom and dad get through it all. A tender mercy for sure.
We wish everyone a wonderful 2008. Keep smiling!!!!!!!!!!!

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Christmas Tag…better late, than never!!!

A scrapbook.com friend–Cadi Walda–tagged me before Christmas. I owe this post since I wasn’t able to get to the computer much over the past month (see previous post for reasoning). I love tagging…so I still wanted to do this one even though it’s a bit out of season. :)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Â  Hot Chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree?  Santa wraps the really special ones and the elves do the rest.
3. Colored or white lights? I love white lights all around the outside of the house, but colored lights for accents and the tree.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but maybe I should start!
5. When do you put your decorations up?  The goal is Thanksgiving weekend, but it usually takes about a week to finish it all.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes, and more mashed potatoes!!!
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?  There are so many, but one particular christmas, when I was about eight, the whole family slept under the tree on Christmas Eve. This was a special treat because we were usually not allowed to do this (mostly because the parents were usually not done wrapping everything yet). Mom and dad must have had it together that year because we awoke to new shiny bikes and a railroad track going around the tree. It was the best Christmas ever.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don’t really remember, but I think by about age 12, I was helping wrap presents for Santa.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Heck, yeah! It’s always Christmas pajamas. Sometimes my husband and I exchange a non-pajama present as well…depends on the year.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?  No real tradition about it. I prefer homemade ornaments. I love the nostalgic feeling they provide.  When we have more than one tree, the others will be more designerish.
12. Can you ice skate?  Can, yes. Good, no!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?  I guess my favorite gift was from my husband on our very first Christmas together. It was an outdoor jacket that I still wear today. Even though it’s a great gift–one that I really wanted–the reason it’s my favorite is because we didn’t have much extra money that Christmas. Adam had just graduated from college, and had only been at his job for a week. The jacket cost over $200 so Adam pulled out his can of state quarters he had been saving for years. He used the entire can to get me my jacket. I would’ve stopped him had I known. It was the sweetest thing because I know how much he loves his coin collections. I love my husband so very much.
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Seeing family and friends. But also spending extra time with my husband. 
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? My mom’s CHOCOLATE PIE.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Putting on our matching pajamas Christmas Eve and spending time as a family reading the Christmas story and catching up.

17. What is on top of your tree? Actually, nothing. But I should get a Star.
18. What’s your favorite traditional Christmas Carol? Little Drummer Boy and Do You Hear What I Hear
19. What is your favorite contemporary Christmas Song? Â I’m not a big fan. I just love the oldies so much.
20. Do you like candy canes? Only as decoration…hanging out of the stockings.
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How Lame…

I’ve decided to stop the lameness! Who wants to check a lame blog that is never updated? I know that I don’t. Of course, a death in the family, an unexpected pregnancy accompanied by complications, and traveling the last month has taken its toll. Regardless, these are things I should be blogging, not lamenting as I lie in bed doing NOTHING.

Although we probably deserve a serious Christmas do-over, we are looking to the future. I am focused on my upcoming 32nd birthday (only 7-1/2 weeks away). I will share it with my best friends and sisters, as we scrap the weekend away. Adam looks toward our most sacred friendship tradition (four years running)–Memorial Weekend @ Zion National Park. He loves planning it with his best buddies. And we both continue to work on our adoption. With our pregnancy up in the air, we take comfort in knowing we will be parents one way or another.