Today

Today is the day, 10 years ago, that he asked me the big question and I answered...what a wonderful 10 years we've shared! My grandma told me before I was married, everyday you'll learn to love him more...I didn't really understand then, but I do now.

Happy 'getting engaged' anniversary Brian, thanks for asking me then and being here for me now. I still love you with all my heart.

The buffet

Before
After
My Grandma Mary passed away in August. A little while after her passing, her possessions were dispersed among her 10 children. I always remembered that buffet, in her TV room, where I would sit on the couch near Grandma and where she taught me how to cross-stitch. She kept her sewing supplies in the middle drawers and the gambling chips (a favorite toy of all the grandchildren) in the right-side cupboard. She hung her decorative dishes above it on the wall and over the years, the buffet was a little battered, but mostly just forgotten. When I asked my Dad about the buffet, he didn't know which one I meant, no one really did and so when his turn came around he asked for it, for me. The buffet was my great Grandmother Allen's before it was my Grandmother's. It sat in her home in Draper for years and when she moved in with my grandparents, it moved with her and now, it moves on to me. When I received it, I opened the drawers, and although my Aunts had cleaned out Grandma's possessions, there were still sewing pins left in the cracks of the drawers, a reminder to me of my memories with Grandma.

I had the piece refinished a few weeks later. The woodworker came to look at the piece and was in awe. Not only was this a Duncan Fife (Phyfe) piece, made of rare Peruvian Mahogany in the early 1900's, but he also found an old newspaper placed in the base of the furniture, underneath the bottom drawer, that traced the piece back to Oregon where it was made. Pork Loins were cents on the dollar, Maxi pads, the same. He took the piece to his shop and returned it three days later, looking just beautiful and perfectly restored. Now the piece sits on the long wall in my entryway, home again in Draper.

Baby and Those Chores

Baby number 4, bouncing around in my belly, has the horrible hiccups right now. She is probably enjoying breakfast, Multigrain Cheerios, orange juice and a fruit salad I made yesterday...yum. Baby girl (yet to be named) had quite the growth spurt over the last two weeks and caught up and then some to her gestational age. She is head down and getting ready to come, sometime in the next 5 weeks, hopefully sooner, but I am not getting my hopes up and then maybe, just maybe I'll be surprised.

Her nursery is coming along, just a few finishing touches and then I'll post some photos. Her clothes are mostly washed even though they are still sitting in the dryer waiting to be folded and put away since, well, Friday I think. Lately, I am lucky to get the laundry washed and folded...then it sits for a day or two before I get the energy to put it away.

We've been trying to allow the kids to do more, chores and things, getting them ready for baby and new responsibilities...that's a chore in and of itself, but we keep trying. Brian has instituted the Saturday morning chores list that he remembers as a kid...so we will try that as well. We've been working on the 'clearing your plate' from the table over the past months and it is finally taking effect, thankfully and occasionally I will find an emptied dishwasher and a stacked-up-full-of-clean-dishes-counter from Maggie and on garbage day she seems to enjoy emptying all the cans, but her favorite job of all is the lint filter in the dryer,...So, there is progress and it is so nice to see.

The time...

The time is winding down. I realized last night that I only have about 6 weeks left with this little bun cooking in my oven. I know she is getting bigger, my ribs hurt and I have sore spots on my belly. Maggie and Sam shower my belly with kisses and hugs and tell me with big eyes as they look at my belly, "the baby is definitely getting bigger." I had to explain to Sam what those beautiful lines around my belly button were the other day, "Sam, those are called stretch marks and I got them when I carried you around for 9 months, my 9 lb. 5 oz. baby boy." He thought that was really interesting of course.

In some ways, mainly the uncomfortableness of the end, I feel like I am going to be pregnant forever and in other ways, it's just around the corner and there isn't enough time or energy in the day to get everything done before this little girl will arrive. We look forward to her coming with excitement and a little trepidation. It has been almost 5 years since we've had a newborn at home. Maggie and Sam are so independent. What will it be like to start all over again with the baby stage, the sleepless nights, the constant nursing...we know what we're in for. And yet, I pray that I will be able to enjoy every minute of those sleepless nights, knowing that this little one is a gift to us, entrusted to our care. Caleb is close to her now and is mindful of us. In many ways I feel like he sent her at this particular time in the year, on the anniversary of his passing, as a reminder that there is joy in the journey even after the bitterness of trial.

A recap of...

Our Christmas vacation.

The Holidays...

So here were our hoidays...in a nutshell.

A little downhill...

We took the kids sledding on New Year's Eve at a little community park down the road. The wind was whipping, but the hills and snow were great! I enjoyed seeing the big smiles and the excitement in their eyes. Happy New Year! Welcome 2010!