We had a delightful time in Utah and then had a few more days of break in Nebraska. My main focus has been going through ALL of our stuff...bins, closets, boxes, under beds...nothing is safe. It is so satisfying to pare down our possessions to what is necessary and what is desirable instead of just what is distracting. I am all about it. We looked at reserving our moving truck but it's hard to know which size to get, especially because we've never moved with a moving truck before. At least I know that we won't need as big of a truck as we would have in the past!
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| this made me laugh |
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| this is me EVERY NIGHT |
I didn't teach for VIPKID while we were out of town, and it was an excellent break. I jumped right back in when I got back, and my students were so happy to see me! They are so sweet. This is a picture Lulu drew of me haha.
I've been trying to get some good biking workouts done during the day, but it's hard when the kids are swarming!
We needed a new Christmas tree so I went to Target for the clearance sales...the only trees that were left were these huge $450 ones that were only $45....I didn't really want this big of a tree, but I didn't want to buy one next year for full price, so now we have this giant tree!
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| our little Lego creator |
I went through my shelf of piano music and parted with about half of it. I was holding on to music from high school and college that held good memories for me, but that I would never play again. I enjoyed flipping through the pages and reliving some of my musical experiences and then it was time to let it go. I did keep a whole box of my very favorites though, such as the very special Petite Suite duo that I played with Michael in high school. I went through my piano "scrapbook" and got rid of most of that too (it was awards and theory tests from competitions and adjudication sheets...I kept a few of the certificates and special memories but most of it was unnecessary.) I did have fun reading through some of the judges' comments, especially about the Petite Suite: ".......but most of all, you play as if you are enjoying yourself immensely, and this comes across to your audience." My piano days seem so far behind me....I took piano lessons from when I was 5 years old until I graduated college with a piano performance degree 17 years later. I won competitions, traveled for 4 summers with different piano programs (including two summers in Europe), and am qualified to teach, accompany, direct rehearsals, and of course, perform. I am nostalgic when I hear piano music in my car or when I go through my beloved piano books, but I feel like this piano world is so far removed from my current life, and no one who knows me from recent years would even know that I have this history. I'm okay with that, it's just interesting to reflect.
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| Claire loves following the vacuum around |
The kids have loved watching Descendants on Disney+ and recently we found a series of youtube videos where the actors sing the Descendants songs in the car ("Carscendants" blegh) and they love it.
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"Natalie and Jack's pretend diving board...no need for a swimsuit.....$1 for 12 dives"
We raked a huge leaf pile next to the front steps and the kids had a blast "walking the plank" or "diving" into
the pile with a plank of wood that I would stand on. We got some good play time out of that haha. |
The kids went back to school on a Tuesday, and by the preceding Monday we were alllll going stir crazy. Lost in Fun became the only obvious option! We picked up a friend (Penny) on the way and everyone had a great time. I think everyone was ready to get back into an actual school routine after our super fun but not regulated break!
Claire and I were definitely happy to get back to our "chair time," as I like to call it. We take the kids to school and then have from like 9-12:30 to do whatever we want. Usually we watch an episode of whatever show we're watching (Superstore, currently), do some dishes or other housework, make lunch, and sometimes, if we absolutely have to, we'll plan appointments or errands during that time. I love having this one on one time with Claire at home, and even though it's not perfectly quiet it's still dramatically more calm with three of the kids gone in the morning. I feel refreshed and ready to party with the kids by the time school is over!
I'm so happy Jack only has half day preschool so I get some good time with him in the afternoon, too. We often go to the grocery store or sometimes Jack requests that we clean the bathroom or wash the walls (his two favorite chores), or lately we've been playing Mario games on the Wii. I will miss this time when he goes to Kindergarten next year!
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I was shopping for frames and he requested that
I take this picture of him hiding |
As I've been going through all of our belongings, I included the wall decorations in my purge. I sold a few of the signs/decor that were on the wall and then rearranged stuff that I had either already on the wall or in the closet, waiting to be used. I am so happy with how this wall turned out in my bedroom! The top right frame is now holding the full size picture of the smaller picture that I clipped out of the Ensign in 2015. I loved it and cut it out and taped it to my wall back then, and just recently I finally looked up the artist and ordered a bigger print. It makes me so happy! It's a painting of a young pioneer woman who is looking out on the plains with the covered wagons behind her, and she's gathering flowers. I was so touched by her intention to find something beautiful even during an extremely difficult experience. I love seeing it every day and being reminded that we can always find joy and beauty in our lives, regardless of whatever else is going on.
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my mom and I got this fabulous wreath of peonies when we
were shopping over winter break...it makes me so happy! |
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this wall used to be full! Now it only has the mirror
(and so many nail holes) |
I truly feel like clearing out our home has cleared out my mind, too. I am exulting in simplicity and clarity and minimizing distractions. I am excited to craft a simple, clean, peaceful space in our new home!
Waiting for the big kids to get out of school...she's so sunny and bright!
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Austin got his Masters Degree in December! He
didn't feel like it was a huge reason to celebrate
since he still has a year and a half before he has
his Doctorate, but I am so proud of him! |
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| I think this is so cute, falling asleep holding the bottle aside |
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| Claire's "nest" during Chair Time |
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| sometimes we snuggle to sleep and it's very cozy |
This tree blew over in our backyard on a windy day! I went to get in the car and was startled to see big branches on the back patio where there is normally empty space.
Jack finds many ways to entertain himself before the kids come out of school. He was "roasting" marshmallows with the car heat and trying to take a very uncomfortable nap.
I'm still teaching with VIPKID and it's still great! I started opening less slots in January because I was feeling burned out and over tired, and I am so happy I stepped back a little. I'm opening a bit more in February but really trying not to overload myself. The students were out of school for Chinese New Year, but they are actually still out of school now because there has been a major outbreak of the Coronavirus, a new flu-type illness that has killed 30 people so far and that stemmed from a province in China. I actually teach some students from Wuhan, the province where it broke out, and they aren't allowed to leave their homes! Their parents can't go to work, and everyone is wearing protective masks so as to not spread germs. Pretty crazy! Typically I teach 5:30-7 every weekday morning, then anywhere from three to eight classes on Friday/Saturday nights, and 4:30-7am on Saturday morning. I've been adding a few 5am classes during the week, but not every day like I had been doing previously. This week I even taught short notice classes on Wednesday and Thursday night, which is unusual for me. I have many regular students who are so cute! It is fun to see them progress week by week. I've been teaching Ryan and Lulu in particular for over 30 lessons (Ryan is up to 50 with me!). It is a satisfying job, and I feel good about the work that I'm doing. It's nice to be able to add to our income each month but not lose out on family time.
A note on Jack: he is the sweetest, most generous little soul! Any time he has a treat or a privilege, he always wants to share it with others, especially his family. Stockton really wanted to switch to sleeping on the top bunk where Jack normally sleeps, and Jack wasn't excited about it. We told Jack that he could choose a special Jack-only treat if he was willing to give Stockton a turn on the top for a while, and Jack chose cookie ice cream sandwiches. There were six in the box and they were all supposed to be for him, but as soon as we got home he handed them out to all of us just because he wanted to share his fun treat. He does stuff like that all the time! I gave him two KitKat sticks and then went to the bathroom, and he brought one of the sticks to me to share because he didn't realize I had already eaten the other 2. He does all of this so naturally and sweetly, it's not in a forced or fake way at all. I hope he is always this way! He really enjoys making other people happy.
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mmmmmm this was a delicious red thai curry!
we've been trying a lot of new recipes lately,
and this one is a keeper |
I thought this was a really cute shot one morning...I'm always teaching when the kids wake up except for Sundays when I never teach, and I love being with them first thing when they climb out of bed all drowsy and warm.
Claire has a love/hate relationship with her bottles. She is at the stage now where she's just curious and on the move and doesn't want to take time to lay and drink for more than a few seconds at a time. She's also aware that bottles often are precursors to naps, which she loves to boycott.
Stockton doesn't like doing his homework, and I think it's mostly because it's a school thing and he wants school things to stay at school. The only thing that helps is offering him "homework milk." It's exactly the same as regular milk, we just drink it during homework. And it works, usually!
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another TV bit the dust -_-
Stockton was being playful and threw Natalie's
amethyst without thinking and it went straight
into the TV. at least it wasn't on purpose...sigh. |
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another new delicious recipe...the BEST
guacamole we have ever tasted! (and that's
saying something since Austin served a Spanish-
speaking mission) |
We've been on a huge video game kick the past month or two. Sam and Kristy let us borrow their DS, and we've all clocked in a lot of time playing Super Mario bros. It's a fun thing to bond over, and our kids are still young enough that they think it's fun to watch each other play instead of only fighting over who's turn it is. Austin is helping Natalie (i.e. doing everything) beat Majora's Mask and she basically asks him to play every possible moment. Austin and I have also been playing Super Mario Galaxy, my personal favorite game for the Wii, and it has been a total blast! We take turns getting stars and helping each other and I love it. Natalie loves playing Just Dance, Jack is trying to play Super Mario Sunshine, and Stockton loves Wii Sports. They play Super Smash Bros together, which they are all terrible at haha. Playing video games together feels like exactly what fun family time should be!
We needed a new Christmas tree so I went to Target for the clearance sales...the only trees that were left were these huge $450 ones that were only $45....I didn't really want this big of a tree, but I didn't want to buy one next year for full price, so now we have this giant tree!
The kids have loved watching Descendants on Disney+ and recently we found a series of youtube videos where the actors sing the Descendants songs in the car ("Carscendants" blegh) and they love it.
The kids went back to school on a Tuesday, and by the preceding Monday we were alllll going stir crazy. Lost in Fun became the only obvious option! We picked up a friend (Penny) on the way and everyone had a great time. I think everyone was ready to get back into an actual school routine after our super fun but not regulated break!
Claire and I were definitely happy to get back to our "chair time," as I like to call it. We take the kids to school and then have from like 9-12:30 to do whatever we want. Usually we watch an episode of whatever show we're watching (Superstore, currently), do some dishes or other housework, make lunch, and sometimes, if we absolutely have to, we'll plan appointments or errands during that time. I love having this one on one time with Claire at home, and even though it's not perfectly quiet it's still dramatically more calm with three of the kids gone in the morning. I feel refreshed and ready to party with the kids by the time school is over!
I'm so happy Jack only has half day preschool so I get some good time with him in the afternoon, too. We often go to the grocery store or sometimes Jack requests that we clean the bathroom or wash the walls (his two favorite chores), or lately we've been playing Mario games on the Wii. I will miss this time when he goes to Kindergarten next year!
Jack finds many ways to entertain himself before the kids come out of school. He was "roasting" marshmallows with the car heat and trying to take a very uncomfortable nap.
I thought this was a really cute shot one morning...I'm always teaching when the kids wake up except for Sundays when I never teach, and I love being with them first thing when they climb out of bed all drowsy and warm.
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