our new years eve was spent with long time friends, nine children running like banshees, games, videos, pizza and goodies.  but before the clock could strike the kids melted down, who could blame them? it was hours after their bedtime.  we loaded them up and began the trip home.  our friend teased, "you know that whatever you're doing at the stroke of midnight is what you'll be doing all year long!" i grimaced as i realized that we'd still be driving home.  we came down off the point and into our valley to see the entire place illuminated. at 12 am, from mountain range to mountain range there were hundreds of families lighting off fireworks from their homes; making for one giant, flurry of color for us to witness.

oh yeah, i can feel it. this year's gonna be a great year.

oh that cheesy grin.
oh that delight!
oh, the energy,
the zeal, the tenancity and spirit of this one boy.

today you've cruised around the sun 6 times
today you will run and play
tease and create
today you will laugh and squeal.

the moment i looked into your eyes
i knew that i knew you
and that you knew me
and our reunion was sweet.

you run on your own time schedule
you think in your own way
you learn independently and quickly
you are a free man.

happy birthday my friend,
my joy,
my boy.

i had begun to question my ability to parent, at least kindly. after one too many moments of grout playin', toilet swirlin', mess makin', parent frustratin' days i had simply had enough. i threw in that dirty towel and said, "that's it! you guys are the parents! i'm just a kid."

so instead of continuing to rile myself up about garbage being emptied and flushed down the toilet... i washed my hands and went and bought a big box of donuts. then i designed an interview for the three older kids (while the babe napped) and i took each of them, one at a time, to a park and got to know them better. the chocolate milk ran steady, faces grew dirty, and the questions were answered quite liberally.some of my favorite answers:

what are you most afraid of? "my imagination"

what do you want to be when you grow up? "a mom! with 8, 9, 10, 11 kids!" while holding up 5 fingers.

every year we head down to spring city, utah for heritage days on the saturday before memorial day. see, this sweet little town may not have a lot of people (about 1000), but it does boast a whole lot of artists. they have the regular stuff you'd expect at a city fair, lemonade and live music; but they also have lots of art galleries, antique and artisan shops open, plus a really kick-a silent auction. i save my pennies every year and have been able to score some really awesome deals on original art.

this year i found the cutest vintage aprons for $15, i couldn't believe it! i reached for my check book... and realized i had left it at home. i had changed purses last minute and LEFT my monies at home. i'm still so bummed. no new art, no cute aprons, no awesome keys. when i went back to take these pics i nearly had to get into a fist fight with the antiques lady, she apparently doesn't want her items shown in magazines. but i want to remember forever the aprons i could have had, so she allowed it, all the while shaking her head and whispering threats.

it was still worth the 2 hour drive. i love the valley, the feel of the mountain valley air, the sheep and turkeys, not to mention the great company we have when we go down. i also finally got back the piece from the plein air competition i did last fall, which is a really good thing because i've already submitted it to the squam show!

the holiday weekend was great. one day for traveling and playing, one day for church and family birthday parties, and one more day for yard work. why aren't three day weekends mandatory? and now, we get to skip monday and jump straight to tuesday, and i heart a good tuesday.

~~edited to add: my auntie just sent me the loveliest birthday gift, two vintage aprons passed down from my own great grandmother. what could be better?

when i told the kids it was earth day today they were beyond elated. you would have thought it was their own birthday or christmas or BOTH! E immediately knew that we needed to take an earth walk and pick up all the trash we could find. we came home and sorted it out for the real garbage vs recycling. and washed our hands five times.

last week i asked the kids's doctor about G being pigeon toed. he said that many people that are pigeon toed go on to become successful athletes or dancers, that wearing braces and such don't actually change anything, so just keep on keeping on with her. i take her to the chiropractor for it, so we'll see. i seriously can't help but laugh at this series. for the record, she didn't trip because of her legs, she tripped from a bump in the sidewalk.

she's nothing if not earnest in all her endeavors.

one of our last stops was past a swiss cheese fence, perfect for peering.