Idaho Girl

Everybody needs to know somebody in Idaho!

And now you'll know me!

Twin Falls, Idaho

State flower: Syringa

Delightful, isn't it?

We are excited to make our new and permanent home in Idaho.  At first, I wept at the thought.  But now I am overjoyed.

Sunset and Sunrise

Last night as I was taking out the trash, I enjoyed for five seconds the most beautiful sunset.  Huge, pink-orange stripes across the sky.  Wow, I thought to myself.  That is beautiful!

This morning as the kids and I waited for the bus, I looked up and saw, again, the same pink sky with purple clouds this time.  It was amazing.

Feeling grateful to have seen both a sunset and a sunrise in a 12-hour period!

What can I say?  I'm just so in tune with nature and I am ever-aware of this glorious Earth.  (Insert huge Nerd Alert here!)

The picture above I stole from Google images so it's not one I took.  But that is exactly how it looked this morning as I sat there waiting for the bus.

We have been having ridiculously gorgeous weather.  It's just not even fair to the rest of the country.  Some of my friends' kids have even been swimming in the afternoon but we're too wimpy for that just yet.

Fantastic Irony

Jacob was awarded today in our elementary school's Knighting Program for his excellence in serving others.

Kind of a fantastic irony from a couple days ago when I was feeling so sad about his non-Valentines Valentine's Day.

Jason lovingly reminded me that it's come full circle now that he's received this nice award; that it's far better to be recognized for service than it is to receive the most Valentine's.

This is what was read aloud by the principal during the ceremony:

Jacob Blaser is being knighted today for the core virture of service.  Jacob is always eager to help others by being a good friend, lending a listening ear, and helping with difficult tasks.  When there is a task at hand, he can be counted on to get the job done correctly and with a smile.  Jacob is a perfect example of what it means to show service to those around you.

I am so grateful to Jacob for the young man he's becoming.  I'm not a braggy mom too much about my kids.  And I'm not all gushy for ceremonies like this because I always think about the other kids in the audience who are just as bright and wonderful and who may not get recognized, and how that might make them feel bad.  It's kind of like wearing a badge that says, "Wow! I'm awesome, aren't I?  Oh, and I'm so humble, too."  So it's not really my thing.  But I am glad Jacob can feel good about himself and be awarded this nice medallion.

This is the second year in a row he's been recognized for "Service."  So he's on the right track!



What's a Mom To Do?

For 25 cents, you can buy a Hershey Kiss valentine for anybody at school and then on Valentine's Day, they get delivered to the various classrooms.  It's a fundraiser, but it's also a fun way to send a little "kiss" to a friend or a teacher.

Jacob wrote out his list of valentines way ahead of time:  who he was going to send one to and what he was going to write on each one.

He got his money ready.  He had his list ready.

Valentine's Day comes and goes.  Jacob gets off the bus after school and tells me he didn't receive one valentine from anybody.  He sent out about ten. 

It wouldn't be so heartbreaking for me if he hadn't taken so much time and made such an effort to make sure he didn't leave any of his "friends" out.  Oh, my heart aches.

I'm glad I decided to go to the school one morning and purchase three Kiss Valentine's for each of my boys:  One from me, one from Jason, and one from Christiana.  So Jacob did receive those three.

Jacob even sent a valentine to Jimmy.  But Jimmy didn't return the favor with his money.  I think that was unintentional because Jimmy did say today that he did send one, but the lady writing down the names misheard him and wrote a different boy's name down instead.

Whatever.  I cried inside.  Big tears inside.  Aching chest.

Jacob did receive lots of "regular" valentines from his classmates during their party but he was feeling pretty badly about not receiving any Kiss Valentine's.

Can we just ignore this holiday?  It just makes a kid and a mom feel lousy.

Jimmy's Birthday Parties (Yes, That's Plural)

The Family Party:

The Friends Party:

Jimmy wanted a football cake so Jason took charge of that.  Great job, dad!

Ethan, Riley, William, David, Owen, and Chase.  They're all wet-looking because they had just come from the jacuzzi.

Jimmy had a great birthday!  One more year and he'll be getting baptized!  Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

One Single Second

I know I post a ton about Christiana but it seems like this little girl is growing up faster and faster as the months roll by.  She'll be 2 in April and I just can't believe it!  I don't want to miss one single second.

She's precious even with her runny/crusty nose.  Poor baby with a cold!

Jimmy James is 7

Finding it hard to believe that my precious baby boy is 7 today.  I love him so much.  I can't even express properly how much I love this boy.  I would certainly fail miserably to attempt it.  Looking at a few of these baby pictures is making me sad, making me miss him almost!  He's so innocent and perfect. 

He is pure joy.  Happy Birthday, Jimmy. 
Beautiful boy.