Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Internal Clocks
I've decided that all of us must have some kind of internal clock adjusted to when Tyler is usually home. He's gone a lot, but usually not more than 5 weeks at a time. It seems like now that we've passed up that mark, things are getting MUCH more difficult. Lots more tantrums, emotional break downs, and the latest...
The girls were busy wrapping presents and set down the scissors. For some reason Oliver thought this would be a good time to try his hand at hair cutting. He cut to the scalp, right in the front. Of course it was 8:00 p.m. and things were already crazy as I tried to get everyone to bed. But we had to make a quick trip to Great Clips. Not much that could be done, but I didn't trust myself to get it completely even when it had to be so short. The guy cutting his hair suggested that I should have left it for a few days. Judging from how silly he acted when I had him tell Tyler over the video chat, he was probably right. Hopefully we won't have a "next time" to try out that suggestion.
The girls were busy wrapping presents and set down the scissors. For some reason Oliver thought this would be a good time to try his hand at hair cutting. He cut to the scalp, right in the front. Of course it was 8:00 p.m. and things were already crazy as I tried to get everyone to bed. But we had to make a quick trip to Great Clips. Not much that could be done, but I didn't trust myself to get it completely even when it had to be so short. The guy cutting his hair suggested that I should have left it for a few days. Judging from how silly he acted when I had him tell Tyler over the video chat, he was probably right. Hopefully we won't have a "next time" to try out that suggestion.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Oh Christmas Tree
I went shopping for a Christmas tree this year for the first time in a many years. I fully expected to pick one of those perfectly triangle, kelly green trees. But when I got there, and thought about our house and our family- it just didn't seem right. Then, as I turned the corner, I found the perfect tree. I called Emmaline over and we discussed how much we loved the pine cones that were still attached and decided that we would buy it. When we called the owner over, he took one look at it and said, "I have no idea what kind of tree that is. I've never seen one like it. Make me a good offer." $35 later, we had the tree attached to the top of the car and were off. It was just me, Emmaline and the boys since Savannah was babysitting. When we got home, Savannah was there. She took one look at the tree and said, "That is the ugliest tree I've ever seen." Luckily Emmaline and I were secure with our decision. =)
It reminded me of something that happened to Emmaline long ago. I had gone to her kindergarten class to help with the Christmas party. One of the first things they did was a craft where they were supposed to draw a Christmas tree on a piece of paper. After receiving instruction, Emmaline got straight to work. It was only after she finished that she looked around to the other kids' drawings. Then, she burst into tears. When I asked her what was wrong, she explained that her tree didn't look like a Christmas tree like the other kids. Her tree was drawn with individual branches. I wish I could find it! Every other kid in the class had drawn a tree shaped like a triangle. I think that was one of those moments when her teacher could finally see "who" she was. They struggled a bit that year, but I definitely felt like after that incident, she saw that Emmaline's little personality just couldn't conform. She's got more creativity than a class full of kids put together!
So back to our tree. I haven't regretted it for a second and it is definitely a conversation starter when people come over! Since we've gone a little skimpy on decorations with our lead interior designer out of the country- that's a good thing!
If the decorating looks a little lopsided, please understand. We had almost completely decorated it when I discovered I had put the lights on backwards. So we undid them all and re-decorated, only to have Tucker un-decorate most of the lower branches. Such is life in a home with a 20 month old.
It reminded me of something that happened to Emmaline long ago. I had gone to her kindergarten class to help with the Christmas party. One of the first things they did was a craft where they were supposed to draw a Christmas tree on a piece of paper. After receiving instruction, Emmaline got straight to work. It was only after she finished that she looked around to the other kids' drawings. Then, she burst into tears. When I asked her what was wrong, she explained that her tree didn't look like a Christmas tree like the other kids. Her tree was drawn with individual branches. I wish I could find it! Every other kid in the class had drawn a tree shaped like a triangle. I think that was one of those moments when her teacher could finally see "who" she was. They struggled a bit that year, but I definitely felt like after that incident, she saw that Emmaline's little personality just couldn't conform. She's got more creativity than a class full of kids put together!
So back to our tree. I haven't regretted it for a second and it is definitely a conversation starter when people come over! Since we've gone a little skimpy on decorations with our lead interior designer out of the country- that's a good thing!
If the decorating looks a little lopsided, please understand. We had almost completely decorated it when I discovered I had put the lights on backwards. So we undid them all and re-decorated, only to have Tucker un-decorate most of the lower branches. Such is life in a home with a 20 month old.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Fashion Challenged
Recently my brother Jeffie uploaded a video my Mama sent him when he was on his mission. It was so fun to see her and hear her talk, but I couldn't help but notice it all seemed a bit stilted and unrealistic. Kind of a guarded version of herself. I worry about that a lot. When I read some of my old journals I think they sound ridiculously unnatural. Which brings me to this post. I've thought about it for the last couple of days- going back and forth about whether to write it down. But in an effort to preserve my "true self" for my children, I decided I must write it. I know, I'm such a martyr!
Most of you know, Tyler recently got accepted to "A" Gallery. This is HUGE for him... something we'd hoped for but didn't think would happen so soon. They had a big Christmas show that opened last Thursday where his work was displayed for the first time in their gallery. Since he couldn't be there, I thought I should go to represent him. I stressed about what to wear for weeks. I have no fashion sense and could easily be featured on "What Not to Wear." I finally settled on an outfit that I thought would work, and focused on my next problem- make-up. I'm not a huge fan of make-up. Sometimes I wear it, but mostly I don't due to the fact that I hate the way it looks on me in almost every picture I see of myself. I had asked Tricia Layton if she would give me a little tutoring session on how to apply it, but couldn't make the time to have her help. Another problem is that in the last few years, I've found that my eyebrows have dramatically thinned out and those that are there are mostly white. I've taken to getting them waxed to ensure a good shape and a little tinting. Again- I couldn't make the time to go and have that done... until the night of the opening.
I know that is usually a BAD idea, but I didn't feel I had another choice. I had an extra 30 minutes where the girls were home and I decided to rush over to the salon. At the salon, the brows looked great- good shape and no greys. It was only after coming home and seeing my full face in the mirror (as opposed to the small mirror used for inspecting brows) that I realized what a disastrous mistake I had made. The tinting had gone too dark and I looked like I had painted on brows. Seems like there was some Seinfeld episode similar to this, but it was decidedly much less funny when happening in real life... TO ME!!
Tyler "messaged" me about then and I sent over a picture so he could give the verdict... "very dramatic." Not what I wanted to hear. I was panicked. There was nothing I could do and I was already going to be in an uncomfortable situation going to the gallery alone... even if I had my natural brows- which I now did not! Well, I finally decided I just had to do it. It was unfair to Tyler to do anything else. So I got myself together and talked myself into it. As I was getting ready to leave, I took one last glance in the full length mirror to find that earlier, when Tucker had given me a leg hug, he left a snot imprint of his face. And of course these were my "best" jeans- "best" meaning I can squeeze myself into them. I spot cleaned them the best I could and blow dried the wet spot and I was out the door.
The night turned out to be fantastic. The paintings were gorgeous, there was a huge crowd- and I got to hang out with the artist guys. Tyler's gonna love them. I'm glad I went. I've since decided the eyebrows must not be too noticeable. Emmaline is usually the first to mention anything that she finds a little off or "awkward" (as she likes to say) and she hasn't mentioned them. Luckily I think they will fade before Tyler gets back.
**P.S. Yes, Tricia and Tim- this is the real reason I didn't meet you on Thursday night. But Tucker truly does have a cold and that's why I couldn't meet you at "Festival of Trees." We'll get together soon!!!
**P.S.S. After the first couple of comments, I have to say... THIS WAS NOT AN UNDERHANDED PLOY FOR COMPLIMENTS. Thanks so much, but it's okay to just laugh and agree with how ridiculous the whole situation is.
Most of you know, Tyler recently got accepted to "A" Gallery. This is HUGE for him... something we'd hoped for but didn't think would happen so soon. They had a big Christmas show that opened last Thursday where his work was displayed for the first time in their gallery. Since he couldn't be there, I thought I should go to represent him. I stressed about what to wear for weeks. I have no fashion sense and could easily be featured on "What Not to Wear." I finally settled on an outfit that I thought would work, and focused on my next problem- make-up. I'm not a huge fan of make-up. Sometimes I wear it, but mostly I don't due to the fact that I hate the way it looks on me in almost every picture I see of myself. I had asked Tricia Layton if she would give me a little tutoring session on how to apply it, but couldn't make the time to have her help. Another problem is that in the last few years, I've found that my eyebrows have dramatically thinned out and those that are there are mostly white. I've taken to getting them waxed to ensure a good shape and a little tinting. Again- I couldn't make the time to go and have that done... until the night of the opening.
I know that is usually a BAD idea, but I didn't feel I had another choice. I had an extra 30 minutes where the girls were home and I decided to rush over to the salon. At the salon, the brows looked great- good shape and no greys. It was only after coming home and seeing my full face in the mirror (as opposed to the small mirror used for inspecting brows) that I realized what a disastrous mistake I had made. The tinting had gone too dark and I looked like I had painted on brows. Seems like there was some Seinfeld episode similar to this, but it was decidedly much less funny when happening in real life... TO ME!!
Tyler "messaged" me about then and I sent over a picture so he could give the verdict... "very dramatic." Not what I wanted to hear. I was panicked. There was nothing I could do and I was already going to be in an uncomfortable situation going to the gallery alone... even if I had my natural brows- which I now did not! Well, I finally decided I just had to do it. It was unfair to Tyler to do anything else. So I got myself together and talked myself into it. As I was getting ready to leave, I took one last glance in the full length mirror to find that earlier, when Tucker had given me a leg hug, he left a snot imprint of his face. And of course these were my "best" jeans- "best" meaning I can squeeze myself into them. I spot cleaned them the best I could and blow dried the wet spot and I was out the door.
The night turned out to be fantastic. The paintings were gorgeous, there was a huge crowd- and I got to hang out with the artist guys. Tyler's gonna love them. I'm glad I went. I've since decided the eyebrows must not be too noticeable. Emmaline is usually the first to mention anything that she finds a little off or "awkward" (as she likes to say) and she hasn't mentioned them. Luckily I think they will fade before Tyler gets back.
**P.S. Yes, Tricia and Tim- this is the real reason I didn't meet you on Thursday night. But Tucker truly does have a cold and that's why I couldn't meet you at "Festival of Trees." We'll get together soon!!!
**P.S.S. After the first couple of comments, I have to say... THIS WAS NOT AN UNDERHANDED PLOY FOR COMPLIMENTS. Thanks so much, but it's okay to just laugh and agree with how ridiculous the whole situation is.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Thanksgiving in St. George
Savannah had a soccer tournament in St. George over Thanksgiving weekend, so we all headed down to watch. Her team played well, but in the end were unable to make it to the finals. But we all had a lot of fun, including Savannah and the team.
Savannah's coach is pretty strict about the team while they are at tournaments. He wants them to stay together the whole time so he can monitor what they eat, when they sleep, and what they do. The schedule always includes ice baths to keep their muscles from cramping after a long day of play. This is Scout (a guest player) and Savannah in their ice bath.
They're still smiling- needed more ice! =)
Can't visit St. George without a trip to In-N-Out.
Before we came home, we decided to take a quick hike in Snow Canyon.
I expected it to be quick, anyway. I didn't anticipate how long it would take the kids to hike 1.75 miles- especially Tucker! He didn't want to be carried. Even after falling on the volcanic rock and getting a huge knot on his head, he insisted on walking by himself. At the end, he finally let Savannah carry him. I guess he felt like if I carried him, he was a baby. If Savannah carried him, he was still part of the kid group. He was so exhausted he fell right asleep, even in this crazy position.
Unfortunately he only stayed asleep for about 30 minutes. He woke up and began screaming on the ride home. Eventually he screamed so much, he made himself throw up. Yes, he is a joy! He did calm down though- so overall the trip was a success!!
Savannah's coach is pretty strict about the team while they are at tournaments. He wants them to stay together the whole time so he can monitor what they eat, when they sleep, and what they do. The schedule always includes ice baths to keep their muscles from cramping after a long day of play. This is Scout (a guest player) and Savannah in their ice bath.
They're still smiling- needed more ice! =)
Can't visit St. George without a trip to In-N-Out.
Before we came home, we decided to take a quick hike in Snow Canyon.
I expected it to be quick, anyway. I didn't anticipate how long it would take the kids to hike 1.75 miles- especially Tucker! He didn't want to be carried. Even after falling on the volcanic rock and getting a huge knot on his head, he insisted on walking by himself. At the end, he finally let Savannah carry him. I guess he felt like if I carried him, he was a baby. If Savannah carried him, he was still part of the kid group. He was so exhausted he fell right asleep, even in this crazy position.
Unfortunately he only stayed asleep for about 30 minutes. He woke up and began screaming on the ride home. Eventually he screamed so much, he made himself throw up. Yes, he is a joy! He did calm down though- so overall the trip was a success!!
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