BFF's

One of the reasons we moved to Arizona was so our children would know Jen and Stan and their boys.  Mission accomplished.  They LOVE their cousins.  This is Spring Break 2011 when we went to visit and enjoy the higher temps.  They played lots of video games and we did an afternoon of Cold Stone and the splash pad in Glendale.  We had a great time.  But it made us miss them even more and reminded us how hard it would be when we moved to WA.

 

 Not sure where he picked up this funny Popeye face, but he did it a lot that day.  :)

 Impossible to get a good pic with this many rambunctious boys!

One of THE biggest reasons I miss Arizona.  I love this woman.  She has been there for me so many times.  And she always knows what to say.  She has incredible insight into my children.  She rescued me on an incredibly difficult parenting day.  We have laughed together, complained together, cried together.  And boy have we talked!!!  Hours.  She inspires me with her perspectives and her devotion to her faith and family.  She has taught me to be a more deliberate parent and has helped me recognize strengths I didn't know I had.  I miss her dearly.  I have told her before that I don't consider her my sister in-law;  she has been promoted to sister.  Love you Jen.  Can't wait for the Johnson reunion!

My Protectors

 No need to fear with Dad gone.  We had ninjas (G.) and power rangers(K.) to protect us!

Life is a Highway 2011

 Does this guy look thrilled to be racing in the Pinewood Derby!?!  Yeah, because he's been talking about it since he was 5!  A. knew right away that he wanted to make a car that looked like a snake and call it The Viper, hence the V in the logo.  A. actually aspires to win the most creative car.  This year, he pulled it off!  :)

I attended the activity to carve the car, since Andy was gone.  Luckily, A.'s awesome cub scoutmaster helped him cut it.  I helped him sand it off.  Then Andy worked on it on the weekends to get it done.  A. was really pleased with how it turned out.  He even entered it in the county fair in the scout division and won a first place ribbon.

Explaining Reality, with Fantasy...

This was a draft from spring of 2011 that I never posted:

A. asked me the other day why we can't just have peace in the world.  I inhaled.  Then I explained that just like in superhero cartoons and comic books, there are people that want to be the most powerful or have the most money.  So there will be fighting and war.

So maybe too many superheroes at our house is a good thing.  I can explain the unexplainable and maybe it helps my children to hold onto the belief that Good will win out over Evil.  Too bad that an eight year-old, who only hears snippets of current events, has to ask.

Hard Days

Disclaimer:  This post will be purposely vague.  I am going through something right now that can't be shared publicly in cyberspace.  But it's so hard.  And I feel so alone.  And I can't explain.  But I need to share... vaguely.  I'm sorry.

Some of you know what it is.  I wish I could tell you all.  No one is sick.  We all will survive it.  And our family is united.  But there is no end in sight.  And I feel weak.  And the tears flow often.  And I can't wait until it's a distant memory.

One of my friends on Facebook recently made a post that said this... "Trying to live in knowing that everything is (God's) plan A even when it's our plan B."  That's what I am trying to do.  Trying to trust Him.  But I am weary.  I wonder when will I have learned enough.  I keep thinking that when this is all sorted out, I will be relieved that it worked out the way it did.  You know, like that guy you thought was the "love of your life" was really a bullet you dodged.


And I realize that I don't want anyone else's problems.  I know that LOTS of people are going through harder things.  Lots of people that I know and love.  I am just weary.  I am trying not to murmur.  Trying not to lose faith.  I've always been the one that totally believed everything always works out.  For the best.  But as time goes on, silver lining is hard to find.

The draft of a post about when Andy was in Tucson and we were miserable, when things were chaotic with wondering if the purchase would go through.  This post is truth.  Vague, because it had to be.  But truth.  And we got through it.  Thank goodness...

The Missing Months- Science Fair

 When Andy was in Tucson, his weekends were precious hours.  I swear there were a thousand projects.  A. had the science fair, a poster to make for the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet, a Pinewood Derby car...  I'm probably forgetting something.  Andy would come home and we would get started on all the things he needed to help me with.  One day G. came home from school and said that they were supposed to dress up as Dr. Seuss characters for Dr. Seuss Day.  All I could do was laugh, because otherwise I would cry.  There was no way I could take on another project.

 Andy suggested that A. do a science fair project about equal and opposite reaction using a u-shaped ramp and a Hot Wheel car.  We did all the preparatory parts of the assignment.  When it came down to the experiment, it didn't really work.  So the night before the data was due, I called him in his hotel room freaking out.  We changed the experiment to make a pendulum and it worked out just fine.  But whew, I didn't need more stress.  I told A. that this year we weren't going for any awards;  just to finish, since we were in survival mode.  He seemed to understand.

This is A.'s Valentine envelope that he made.  I really liked his creativity.  :)