Bonding Is More Important Than Comfort

And a pretty setting helps balance out the lack of comfort, as well. This past weekend, I took the three older boys (Mark 9, James 7, and Peter 5) to a yearly Father and Son camp out. The campground was just beyond the silo and barn in the pictures below.

And this is what was coming towards us as we drove into camp. Personally, I love rain when camping. But I prefer to get the camp set up before the rain comes. And dealing with rain while camping is much easier when I'm not responsible for three little boys. When did I grow up?

I took advantage of the scout tents and cots they had available. Scout camp begins in another two weeks so we did the camp a favor by setting up the campsite and we had the benefit of a little added comfort. Cots are so much better than rocks and roots and miscellaneous bumps in the ground. Mark and James stayed in one tent.

And I got to sleep with Peter in the other. Mark and James are certain that they stayed up till 1:15 in the morning...regardless of how many times I remind them that they had no watch in their tent. But "it was pitch black..." so in their minds, it HAD to be 1:15 in the morning. Regardless what time they fell asleep, Peter and I were out by 10:30 listening to the last drops of the evening rain.

Morning came and things were a little wet outside, but there was no more rain in the forecast. And the rain brought a little cooler weather so that was nice. We enjoyed some breakfast and other activities that morning.

Like finding walking sticks (James has an unseen power that draws him to the best walking sticks around. I think we have a collection of about six in our garage.) and hiking over creeks and on bridges.

Mark and James always stayed together as we were walking. I would love to know what they talked about! I stayed behind with Peter. As you can see, he enjoyed taking his time with his hands behind his back.

The boys got to check out the shooting range.

Since I had three boys with me, I could never find a convenient time to take a picture of them actually shooting the gun. My job was to make sure they kept the gun pointed TOWARDS the target. So I took a picture after the fact...more for them than for the blog...so they could remember. Mark and James have been to a shooting range before but this was Peter's first time. I aimed the gun and he pulled the trigger.

And then we pulled off the highway on our way home to enjoy some more scenery. Maybe next year I'll try to get in one of these pictures so it looks more like a Father and Son camp out.

Despite not having the comforts of home, I look forward to spending some time with my boys...slowing down the hectic daily schedule of life and being reminded of what really matters. And next year, I think I'll even give up the comfort of a scout tent and cots so we can all sleep in the same tent and enjoy even more bonding. Then Mark and James can prove to me that they can stay up till 1:15 in the morning. :)

Comic Book Artist

Mark decided to write and illustrate a comic book. Then he came to me with a list of lumber and supplies, asking to build a stand of some sort and copies of his comic book so he could sit at the end of the driveway and sell his comic book. No, he's not ambitious or anything:) So we compromised and scanned his comic book for all to enjoy.

What Happens In A Month?

Recognizing how busy our lives are becoming will help us keep things in check. Although we haven't found time to blog lately, we're enjoying lots of family time. And that's what really matters. But we thoroughly enjoy blogging because this is our family journal. So I'm making time on this rainy Saturday morning to share what has happened over the past few weeks.

James' birthday was March 30. He turned 7...and boy has he grown up lately. He's learning to control his emotions and he's excited to get baptized next year. Speaking of baptisms, we got to visit cousins in Northern Virginia a couple weeks ago for Alyssa's baptism. We didn't take our camera...but it was a great visit.

James absolutely loves hats. I can't wait to visit him when he's 30 and see his hat collection. Happy birthday, James!For April Fool's, I stayed home from work and surprised the kids with a day of bowling. How cute are they in bowling shoes?!? One round of bowling for everyone took nearly two hours.

It will be a while before we go bowling again...maybe when they're all teenagers. But it was a fun experience.

And it's been a while since we posted a picture of Eliza. She is 7 months old now. And she seems to be staying a "baby" a little longer than the others...which we're totally ok with. :) We call her our lazy baby and we enjoy watching her develop in what seems like slow motion.

Mark earned his bear badge in cub scouts on April 14th. He has become close friends with Steven and Alex.

Last weekend we headed to Kentucky to enjoy the Opening Ceremonies for the Kentucky Derby that will be held on May 1st. And how can you visit Kentucky without going to a horse park?!? So we did.

Oh my goodness!!! Is this actually a picture of the whole family?!? Actually...it's not. 'Cuz you can't see Eliza in the stroller. But it's close. Sorry for the teaser. :)

And what else would you see at a horse park than beautiful horses? The painted horse was one of my personal favorites. And after the allergies hit from all the dust and horses...that's saying a lot...because after the visit, I was no longer a big fan of horses. :)

The Arabian horse was another beautiful breed. Probably, in part, because it was in the traditional tack. There were many other breeds...but since we're catching up on a month, I had to be very selective in the pictures.

The whole reason for going to Kentucky was to experience Thunder Over Louisville. It's the official kick-off for the Kentucky Derby festivities. Downtown Louisville along the Ohio River, Thunder Over Louisville presents a 6-hour air show and boasts the largest annual pyrotechnics display in North America. And, despite the chill of the April evening, they didn't disappoint.

We saw all sorts of aircraft--but I'm not an aircraft buff so I don't really know how to describe them. :) But there were bombers and choppers and civilian aircraft and parachuters and traditional air show stuff. It was all very cool.

One of the cooler acts was after sunset. A plane displayed its very own fireworks show from what appeared to be its wingtips. And it wasn't just a one-and-done type act. This plane flew around for a solid 5-10 minutes with fireworks. It was an amazing sight. Grandma and Grandpa Christensen drove from St. Louis to meet us there. In the picture below, you can see all the boats in the river. It's a huge event that brings in about half a million people each year.

And another cool event that took place after sunset was two huge American flags flown in on airplanes and circling downtown Louisville for the National Anthem. The picture below shows one of two barges brought in carrying all the fireworks. If you click on the picture and blow it up, you'll see how HUGE the barge is. And this is one of TWO. Let's just say there were a lot of fireworks.

And, of course, the camera died at the beginning of the fireworks show. So the picture below does not do the event any justice. There were 3 or 4 finales that literally would have filled this picture frame completely. You can see the little moon above these fireworks. Well, during any of the finales, those fireworks went well above where we could see the moon and covered the entire span of the bridge. It was amazing. And lots of fun. But boy did it get cold after the sun set!

We've learned to be very relaxed when we take road trips. Fortunately, we still make good time. But we don't feel rushed and I think it helps the kids enjoy the trip a little more. Peter is in the process of being potty-trained...and we learned quickly the importance of finding a rest area just as soon as possible after he announced he had to go. This particular rest area in West Virginia was especially beautiful. So we stayed a little longer and let the kids run around while Karen fed Eliza her bottle. When I retire, I want to buy a motor home so we can travel the country.

So that's what has occupied some of our time over the past month. I loved all the snow we had this past winter. But Spring is one of my four most favorite seasons. :) And we're taking advantage of everything Spring has to offer us.

Home Teaching

In our church, we have a "program" known as home teaching. Every family is assigned two home teachers. The purpose of home teaching is to watch over the members of the church--make sure their needs are being met, care for them when they are sick or going through trials, leave a blessing in their home on a regular basis, etc. It's a way to alleviate an overwhelming responsibility for the leadership of the congregation and provides an opportunity for everyone to serve as Jesus did. It's an inspired program.

My companion was not able to come with me this afternoon. And on those rare occasions, my boys get to fill in and join me during the visits. Both Mark and James wanted to come today.

Now...I'll be honest. Home teaching visits can be particularly challenging for me. For me, I'd prefer a few minutes of being cordial and just chatting about what's been going on, a few minutes with a spiritual message, and a prayer. 15 minutes would be perfect. But for a reason I'm sure is considered a "learning opportunity" for me, I am generally given elderly couples who don't mind shooting the breeze for a good hour or so. About 20 minutes in, I start to feel anxious...trying to figure out how to politely interrupt so we can wrap things up. And then after an hour, I have an out-of-body experience where I see myself screaming at the situation and running out of the house. It's a good comic relief for what is otherwise painful and stressful. Don't get me wrong--I love the families I visit and watch over. The visits can just be physiologically challenging.

Why did I share all of that? Because today was no different...until the car ride home. And the car ride home helped me put everything in perspective.

Sure, I would have preferred a shorter visit. Yes, it was still challenging for me and I went through all of the emotional and mental struggles I experience month-to-month.

But these are the topics that Mark and James brought up as we were driving home: challenges and trials of this life; physical hardships and the fact that Heavenly Father is always mindful of us and watching over us; death; the spirit world; the Second Coming of Jesus Christ; resurrection; final judgment; heaven; the Celestial Kingdom and how we need to live our lives to qualify for it; eternal families; baptism; repentance; the sacrament; the Savior.

Yes, each of those topics was discussed in a matter of 15 minutes on the drive home. And if that wasn't good enough, here's what my boys said as they were getting out of the car and walking into the house:

James - "I like these kinds of conversations."
Mark - "Me too."

Those kinds of statements make everything else totally worth it.

The Snow is Gone

I am thrilled that the snow is gone and the weather is starting to get nice again. Anya has been quoted as saying that she "has had enough snow to last the rest of my life, or at least for two years." Aside from that things have been very unexciting, and yet busy here. Since I can't bear the shame of how long it has been since I/we blogged, here is a tidbit.
Luke is 2. To anyone with children, you understand that that means he does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants and the rest of us be hanged. So basically he stopped taking official naps a few months ago. Now he naps in the car and every couple of days somewhere like this. The poor little bean just runs until he drops somewhere, anywhere. He really is deceptively angelic when he is asleep.

Every now and then, usually following the entertainment of a Jane Austen type film, I think, hey I could roll my hair in rags and it could look like the actresses who have paid hairstylists on call. Yeah, well, this time I actually learned something. I did try the rag curlers a few weeks back and through my own blunders ended up with a white girl afro, like I always manage to create. However, I have figured out what I was doing wrong and I am looking forward to trying it again. The hair in this picture was done with a curling iron, but I think I can get the same basic thing with the rags. After all it is much easier to style hair in 9 hours on my back than the 2 hours on my feet that this took. It's movie star or anything, but I was pretty happy with the results.

The Snow May Have Won...But the Spiders Did Not

The snow blew us a knock-out this weekend. (And I didn't even have time to post pictures from last weekend's snowstorm.) This was the third major snowstorm this winter. The next one is tomorrow...wish us luck! I know this is no big deal to our friends out West, but this is an unusually moist (aka record-setting) winter for those of us on the East coast...especially for Central Virginia. It started Friday afternoon. And it was a wet snow. So it stuck to all of the trees. And if any of you have been to Virginia, you know how many trees there are. Around 11PM, Karen and I heard chainsaws. We peeked outside to see our HOA dollars hard at work. Apparently, a few trees had fallen down across the street and they were clearing the road. We thought little of it and went to bed.

On Saturday, Mark, Anya, and James enjoyed several hours in the snow. I was tired of watching the snow pile up on the driveway, so I went out for my first round of shoveling...knowing that I would have to shovel again once the snow stopped. I think Anya was trying the karate kid crane kick in the background.

Mark found a good pile of snow to sit on as he enjoyed a homemade snow treat.

Then Anya and James had to one-up him and grab a bigger chunk of snow. To appreciate the "chunk of snow" comment, you need to realize that we still had about 8-10 inches of snow left on the ground from last weekend. Then we added about 6 more inches of snow before getting to a real slushy/sleety kind of wintry mix for a few inches before turning back to snow for the last 4-6 inches. So there was snow, slush, and more snow. It was all so wet that you could easily pick up chunks of snow. On one hand, it made it easier to shovel because you could remove larger sections at one time. On the other hand, the shovel contained 15-20 pounds of snow with each back-breaking heave. :)

After a little snow snack, James thought it would be a good idea to lie down and roll around. Mark and Anya were quick to follow his lead.

I think the blob in the center is James. I'm not sure what caught his interest there. Anya and Mark are the other blob just a little further down near the end of our driveway. Are there any sympathetic readers out there who realize how incredibly long this driveway is...especially when there is a foot or more of snow...and considering that I've already done this twice before this winter? Anyone?

In all the times our kids played in snow while we lived in Illinois, we never had to caution them to watch for falling trees. But I heard a loud crack and then looked to my left and saw this:

Yep, I literally watched this pine tree fall. Fortunately, it fell towards the road and was two houses down. But I warned the kids that if they heard a loud crack, to run straight for the house. We heard several more trees fall during the day. This picture below is of the street almost directly in front of our house. You wouldn't be able to tell it was a street were it not for the clearing between all the trees. There were at least 3 large trees that fell on this street.

And trees falling during a winter storm in Virginia means no power. We've been fortunate in the past with any kind of storm while we've lived here. But our luck ran out. Saturday morning our power went out. We toughed it out Saturday night. Here's a picture of Eliza bundled up for bed. By the time we woke up Sunday morning, the house was a chilly 48 degrees.

Sunday mid-morning, we packed up a suitcase and piled in the van to go for a drive and get warm. We drove around the neighborhood and enjoyed some picturesque views. After several phone calls, we finally found a hotel that had rooms still available and spent the night away from home. If it were just Karen and I, we could have managed. But little hands don't know how to stay warm and we couldn't bare to see Luke and Peter with rosy cheeks and red hands in our house anymore.

We came back to the house Monday morning only to find the power was still out. It was now 42 degrees in the house and I was worried about pipes freezing. So the snow may have won, but the spiders didn't! Anyone who knows me, knows my sincere and intense fear of spiders. Our water shut-off valve is in our crawl space...which we have not gone in since we moved here two years ago. I removed the door to the crawl space and let out a little gasp. Ok...it was a shrill...ok, ok...it was a blood-curdling shrill almost to the point of fainting. Behind the door to the crawl space were thousands of interwoven webs. And on those webs were little spiders with the fat abdomens (I don't know which is worse - fat abdomens on spiders or hairy spiders...it's a toss up in my book). It's enough to make any grown man weak in the knees. But Karen was brave. :) She took the broom and cleared an opening. And yes, I was braver. I took that broom and cleared it a second, third, and fourth time. :) Then, with much encouragement from Karen, I crawled into the dark to save my family. Don't mock me. I had to imagine my family was dying in order to muster up enough courage to go into that crawl space. Too bad I don't have the pictures to prove it. Karen gave me a hard enough time just to go grab the camera for this photo-op. At the time, I don't think she was amused. But I assured her it would make for a great story.

So...the snow may have won by knocking out our power and helping us realize how unprepared we were for such an emergency, but the spiders did not. I showed them who would laugh last. I rose to the occasion and the spiders didn't stand a chance. And you know what? All of the stress and frustration this weekend caused was totally worth it. Because I was able to prove to myself that I can push through the fear of spiders when I really need to...and because we've been able to wake up to this:

So we're ready for one more storm tomorrow. But hopefully we can avoid the crawl space this time.

The Dreaded Question

I cannot even recall how many times I have been asked this

"So, How's home schooling going? What are you guys learning?"

Yeah, um, lately especially all we have been able to do is stutter through something about taking a lot of breaks. Life happens. Most of the time I deal pretty well with that, but sometimes I get to feeling really guilty because I think of everything my kids don't know. As luck would have it the next thought to follow the guilty feeling one is a reminder that they are in fact learning all the time, and are making great leaps and bounds very much without my interference. Besides, who's to say what each of them actually needs to know?

Anyway, here is a bit of what we HAVE done lately. I figured one childhood rite of passage is making a shoebox diorama. I let them pick anything they wanted and they came up with some good stuff. Here is Mark's, surprise-it's Star Wars related:) Anya is a true girly girl, horse loving and all. I think they are grouped by family, not sure where she got such a vital need for family units, but it's a great perspective to have.

James, my James. If ever there were a child who thinks outside the box (yes, I SO meant that pun) it would be him. He did a 3d model of our house, complete with all the snow on the ground outside right now. I think the cowboy and marshall by the house are David and I, while the cowboy and Daniel Boone looking fellow are Mark and Anya playing in the snow. Apparently we need more lincoln log figures, as the rest of the family had to be proclaimed "inside the house."

To All Knuttis: Some things are genetic, don't know why or how, but clearly they are. For those outside our random little gene pool, this is a picnic, inside the house, and yes my kids are nerds, isn't it great?!


Last, but only because she's a princess is my dress up doll. Really half or at least a quarter of the fun of having a baby girl is dressing her up in ridiculously cute outfits. It's hard to see in this picture, but she is actually wearing little baby leggings, and they are super cute with her little pink cord mary janes.