Blessing Day Reunion

Last Sunday was awesome in so many ways. We got to travel up to our old stomping grounds for the blessing of beautiful Baby Delaney. She is so precious in so many ways and practically has an army of loyal and loving admirers. 

Here's Bella getting some long awaited snuggle time with Baby D. 

Of course, the kids were in heaven all day and I do believe, if they had their choice, they would have kicked J.T. and I to the curb and become Holtons. Some things never change.

The dads even got to catch up on some quality UFC and Ninja Warrior conversations and viewing time.  It all just bored Delaney to sleep:)

And here they are all together. When our families first met there were only five little girls and a cute little Tanner running around. We've grown, now, to seven little girls, a not so little girl, and an almost grown up Tanner. 

Ahhh, Friday

Every Friday morning we attend our homeschool co-op where the girls get to take various classes with their friends. Among the classes they take are kindermusic, presidents and elections, weather, drawing, Little House in the Big Woods, the deeper meanings found in Dr. Seuss (Kassy's class), and American History.  This term I'm teaching a class on American heroes as well as a multi-sensory handwriting class for the younger kids. 

In their Little House in the Big Woods class today, Bella and Trista got to make butter in their own little jars. Bella's Presidents and Elections teacher has given them the assignment to write a letter to the president that they are actually going to send to him. Now she just has to come up with which issue she'll address in her letter, and write it, of course. 

After co-op we headed down the street to our Leap Day find: our new favorite park. A good time was had by all the girls this time. Maya was awake and Kassy reluctantly joined us.

Ava's a little tuckered out on the right while Aria practices her swinging skills.

Bella was ready to fly! She took this jump several times. Unfortunately, wood chips are a little more slippery than sand, so each time she came down her feet slid right out from underneath her. Apparently, it was worth it.

Lunch!

Kassy started the park visit out with lunch and a good read on the swings. 

So, Maya's pretty much potty trained. She stays dry all day at home and when we go out her diaper stays dry and she uses the potty. So, why not put her in panties when we're out in public? Well, I guess something about panties just rubbed her the wrong way today. After 2 accidents at co-op it was back into a diaper. Luckily, it was cute because we had no spare pants. Of course, she has stayed dry the whole rest of the day. 

And she's having fun!! 

At the end of the day, I'm welcoming the weekend with a sigh of relief because we have made it through this terribly busy week. Time to relax. Well, maybe after Trista's 9 am soccer game, in the morning. 

Leaping to all the Wrong Places

We had grand ambitions for this year's leap day. After awaking early enough to get our morning devotional and chores done, we would start out the day by hitting my favorite  semi-annual consignment sale at 9 am sharp on its opening day. We'd then have a quick lunch, swing by the store to pick up some jump ropes, and then head to our homeschool group's "Leap for Leap Year" activity. It would be a blast competing in all sorts of jumping activities with our friends. We'd get home in time to take it easy for a little while before I took Ava to ballet and the older three girls headed out with J.T. to Trista's soccer practice and then on to church where Kassy had a Young Women's activity and Trista and Bella would get to go to Achievement Days. This, mind you, was going to be Trista's first activity. Everyone went to bed full of excitement.

The reality of February 29, 2012: I woke up an hour after I planned on. Everyone got dressed and ready in a hurry and we made it out the door 45 minutes later than planned with the house looking like a tornado had just rolled through. We drove all the way downtown and upon arriving I was thrilled to not see many cars. "Yes! I beat the crowds!" We all unloaded, the baby and baby carrier were strapped on, the stroller loaded with 2 more girls, and we were off! We walked straight into a very empty convention center. Huh? I know I got the date right. Maybe they were somewhere else in the building? Nope. Upon looking it up I discovered that the location had been changed between the last sale and this one. I never looked close enough at the recent ads to notice this. The new location? Five minutes from my house! Time to back track. Even though we were an hour late we still made out with some pretty good deals: $85 for 7 outfits, 2 shirts, and 7 books. Now on to the real fun!

Lunch was a little rushed because of my late start. The kids did get to eat and play with their friends for a few minutes before I had to peal them off of the Chik-Fil-A play equipment, but promises of playing at the park with more friends made the screams of protest subside pretty quickly.

We were 5 minutes late, but that wasn't too bad. It's a pretty large park, so I drove around the perimeter looking for familiar vehicles and faces. After the third lap I knew something was off. Deja vu! Did I have the time right, the place? Check the Facebook invite! My last check had been a quick scan. This more thorough investigation revealed that earlier I had skipped right over the announcement that, due to the possibility of bad weather, the location was being changed to an indoor location that was, once again, five minutes from my house. Too late to make it!

I make the announcement that we have missed "Leap for Leap Year" and take full responsibility. The tears and whimpers begin. "How about we play at the park here anyway?" The younger ones are all for it. The older two, not so much. They opt for reading in the car and keeping an eye on Maya, who is napping. So numbers 3 through 5 and I take off to investigate this new park. All I have to say is that it was SO much FUN!! We, yes me included, were swinging on monkey bars running after each other and having a blast on equipment we hadn't played on before. I had to run back to the car for my camera and convinced Bella to come join the fun. Between the monkey bars, some other thing that involved hanging and sliding, and running with Aria on my back, I later felt like my muscles were on fire. Who knew the playground was such a workout? Certainly not this thirty something mama who hasn't played so hard in a very long time.

 

Happiness. The day's mishaps have been redeemed. Right? We rush home (after a quick stop at the dentist office to pick up Bella's purse she had left there the day before) and don't have too much time to relax. After making dinner, practicing a little soccer with Trista, getting Ava ready for ballet, and cleaning up my disaster of a house, breakfast and all, it was back downtown for ballet. We finally made it home to collapse and take it easy. However, this day wouldn't be complete without one more dose of disappointment. Achievement Days activity for Trista and Bella? It's actually on the first and third Wednesday of each month. February 29 was neither. I had done it again! A quick reminder of our fun park day and their "new" clothes brought smiles back to faces. 

In the end I think Leap Day was a success. I learned a lesson about detail, discovered our new favorite park, and am incredibly grateful that I managed to cram so much into one day. Did I mention that I ended the night by doing 3 loads of laundry? Ah, the feeling of accomplishment in the face of so much chaos and disappointment. It actually feels pretty rewarding. It's not surprising I slept incredibly well that night too. 

Faith is Like a Little Seed

Family Home Evening: we spend time together as a family, a spiritual message is shared, snacks are a must, and a valuable lesson is learned by all...we hope. Oh sure, there are times when tempers flare, threats are made, noise levels get out of control. Then there are the disruptions that the kids make. Catch that one? :) Yes, the words have actually come out of my mouth, "If you don't keep your hands to yourself, shut your mouth, and close your eyes next time we pray you're gonna get it!" Prayers and threats? Wait those things don't mix. That's when I tell myself that one day I'll miss all the giggling, the teasing, and the playing with smuggled in toys that seem to be a part of most family nights. It may take a few days to make myself really feel it, but eventually I laugh, mostly at myself. And, believe it or not, a lot of times the kid who you think was paying the least amount of attention to your lesson comes up to you at some point and says, "Hey, Mom. You remember in Family Home Evening when you said..." It does happen, people! (That's when, in my mind, the clouds open and a heavenly choir sings as beams of sunlight pour through.)

Kassy taught this week's lesson as she was passing off a goal for Personal Progress. She did a great job teaching us about faith. We opened by singing "Faith," prayed, read a scripture, she gave a brief explanation of faith, and then read the story of the brother of Jared. She asked J.T. and I if we could share a story about how faith in Heavenly Father has helped us in our lives. Then she posed the question to her sisters, "How can you show faith in Heavenly Father in your life?" They gave a few answers and then each drew pictures. (Ava's is currently MIA, but will be added once it's found.) Enjoy looking over their responses. There's one in particular that I find pretty comical. Only because it rings so true to my life.

Bella showed faith when she lost her school book, prayed for help, and then was able to easily find it.

Trista sees the little girls being naughty and bothering Mommy a lot. That night she prays that they will be nicer the next day so that Mom will be happier. Thanks to her faith, the little girls are nicer the next day and Mom is happy.

I'm sure to 2-year-old Maya that there is a deep and faithful meaning inside all those scribbles.

Aria shows some boys counting their money so that they can show their faith by paying their tithing. 

My 12 Year Old Gets It: Kassy's Argumentative Research Paper

Below is Kassy's essay on her view about second hand smoking in public. I applaud my girl for her stance! As the mother of an asthmatic child, I've seen firsthand the effect that cigarette smoke can have: wheezing as we played in our neighborhood pool and another mother enjoyed her cigarette on the other side of the fence, coughing as we enter grocery stores because we had to walk through a wall of smoke brought on by employees on a smoke break. For the smokers it's their choice and they accept the consequences. For my daughter and many others it's an unnecessary health risk forced upon them by others.

Kassy's made me think. I've come to the decision that from now on whenever I enter a place of business and am forced to walk through the afore mentioned walls of smoke, my visit will be followed up with a letter, e-mail, or call to that company. I think employers should take responsibility for their employees actions and should be notified when those actions harm others. If you agree, I encourage you to do the same. Now, enough from me, here's what Kassy has to say...

Have you ever walked out of a store or the exit at work and seen someone smoking? If you have you probably took a breath of their smoke when you really didn’t mean to. There was no way to avoid it because the person was right there. That smoke was called secondhand smoke and can be harmful to your body. To avoid an accident like this, states should have designated smoking areas away from the entrances and exits and other areas in public so others will be protected from secondhand smoke. 

Secondhand smoke can do many harmful things to your body, but one of the worst is cancer. You don’t need to breath in secondhand smoke all the time, every day to cause cancer. Brief exposure can be all it takes to set cancer in motion. Last year it was estimated that 3,400 deaths from lung cancer were caused by secondhand smoke.

Cancer is not the only harmful effect of second hand smoke. It also can cause heart disease. People who are exposed to smoke at work have their risks increased by 25% - 30%. Brief exposure can also damage the lining of the blood vessels in the throat. People with asthma are at risk for an asthma attack when exposed to smoke.

The state of Georgia and most other states in the South only have laws against smoking inside work buildings or public buildings. That law only protects you inside, but outside you are susceptible to the harmful smoke. Since there are no laws for outside, people can smoke where ever they want. My opinion is that there should be a place at least 50 feet from the entrance to a building for people to smoke.

Some may say that smoking isn’t illegal and that the government has no right to limit their smoking. No, smoking isn’t illegal, but smoking is a choice you make for yourself. Smoking is harmful to your body and when you smoke around other people you are harming them which you have no right to do. A designated smoking area would not limit their smoking at all. It’s simply moving the place they smoke away from other people.

Now you see the damage secondhand smoke can do and the few laws protecting us from it. People who want to live a healthy life should not have to suffer because of someone else’s decision to smoke. Instituting smoking areas would not be a hard thing to do and would not limit a person’s right to smoke. This simple solution just might put us on the road to a healthier nation.

                                    BIBLIOGRAPHY

“List of Smoking Bans in the United States.” Wikipedia. 2011. 6 February 2012. <en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_smoking_bans_in_United_States>

Molynea, George. “Smoking Ban in public places.” Ideabate. 2 September 2006. International Debate Association. 6 February 2012. <www.ideabate.org/debabase/topic_details.php?topic ID = 526>

            Silverstien, Alvan. Smoking. Toronto: Scholastic, 2003.

“Smoking and Tobacco Use.” CDC. 21 March 2011. Centers for Disease and Prevention.6 February. /<www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/factsheet/secondhand_smoke/health-effects >

“Smokers have rights; non-smokers do too.” The North Jefferson News’. 15 June 2011. 6 February 2012.

Stationery card

Joy Mail Holiday Card

Shop hundreds of holiday photo cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

A decade ago...

Ten years ago my little family was living on Luke Air Force Base on the west side of Phoenix where my husband, an Air Force mechanic at the time, was stationed. Luke was a relatively quiet base, at least from my point of view. I drove in and out of our little base housing neighborhood easily where guards were never posted, gates were always open, and anyone came and went with ease.

I was the mother of one 2 year old daughter then, and on September 10 had attended a doctor's visit where I heard, for the first time, the sweet sound of my newest baby's heartbeat. This was a much anticipated pregnancy that came on the heals of several heartbreaks. I went to bed that night with soaring hopes and peace in my heart.

The next morning my alarm came in the form of a very early morning phone call from my mother, living on the east coast. "Turn on the TV. A plane has just crashed into the World Trade Center." A picture lazily played through my mind of a confused pilot in a small private plane who must have lost control, and in my grogginess didn't understand the panic and what warranted such an early call. I did, however, stumble from bed and into the living room to turn the news on. As I stood in front of the television, phone to ear, mouth gaping and heart pounding, I witnessed a second plane fly into the other tower. It didn't register at first. How could this be happening? Not here. Not the U.S. I continued to listen as the news poured in. I began to wake up a little from the shock and went to my back door where I had a clear view of the closest housing gate. The gates were closed and a large tractor was placing concrete barricades on our side. That small action triggered something, a realization: our world would never be the same.

In the next few days that passed we remained in a sort of lock down. On September 12, the first presidency of our church broadcast a prayer meeting. Our small Air Force "family," which consisted of our closest friends in the area, gathered at one friend's house to watch it and grasp for some sense of peace. I had walked the one block over, and later as I pushed my daughter home in her stroller, was stopped by Security Police and questioned as to where I had been, where I was going, and then told to get back in my house and stay there. Once again, that former security was chipped away at.

As for most of us, time passed, healing occurred and for the most part life returned to normal but always  a "little something" in the back of my mind refused to let me forget entirely.

Today the girls and I got up and went through our normal Sunday routine of getting ready for church. JT was on call, so we went by ourselves. We were singing as we passed the post office and I noticed the flag at half staff. "Oh girls, it's 9/11. Let's not forget about it," I said non-chalantly. Then a thought occurred. The oldest are 12 and 9. They've lived through plenty of 9/11 anniversaries, even celebrated "Patriot Day" in school, but did they really know?

"Do you guys really know what happened that day?"

"Yes...kinda...not really...no."

For the first time I told the story of that day to ears that hadn't heard it. I spoke of the days that led up to it, my early morning phone call, the closed gate. Then, I began to recite the events. The Pentagon, the towers, their collapse, the firemen and policemen, the field in Pennsylvania. I choked on those words as sobs broke through my story, and I realized I hadn't forgotten the intense feelings of that day. I never want to. Complete silence was all that emanated from my six little girls as they listened to every word.

Ten years later, at 8:46 am eastern time, 10 years to the very minute of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, I was sharing a testimony with my girls. We can't ever let evil win. Your daddy will deploy, it will be hard, and we won't like it, but it's his duty and he'll do it. He'll do it for us as many others have and will.

 A favorite quote from C.S. Lewis comes to mind. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Tonight, as we watched video footage from that day, it still seems surreal. How could that have happened? And yet, it did. We learn from tragedy. I'm thankful for this day to reflect. I'm thankful for the defining moments that force me to stand a little taller, stretch a little further. Most of all, I'm thankful I haven't forgotten.