4/52: Jack

Oh, Jack. This is Jack Jones, who lives down our street. His parents are friends of ours, and it truly is like "keeping up with the Jones'" in all senses of the phrase. They have three boys, two older than this cutie, who are very energetic and smart. They have more toys than I can imagine, it's amazing their house is always so organized! Going over there for us is like a trip to a fair. Good food, fun times, and wonderful amusements. 

About a year ago, I checked a book out for the kids called, Give That Back, Jack! written by Phil Roxbee. It was a fun little cautionary tale for children to not take without asking, and this little blonde haired boy named Jack who does all this taking and getting in trouble, and in the end meets his demise because he wasn't very nice. Well, when our kids were reading that a year ago, we had already known little blonde haired Jack down the street, so it was easy to glue the two ideas together... terrible!!

It gets even worse.. When we are having a hard day with our kids (namely, Mont) often we have to take the toys away from them for the 'toy-time-out-box' ... if that doesn't work, we bring out the big ammo.. the "do we need to give all your toys to Jack?" The resounding "nooooo THANK YOU." is all we need to hear before they start shaping up (usually, at least). Poor Jack. HA! It's a good thing our kids still love to play with him. Otherwise, our tactics might be in need of adjustment.  

three little cars

three little cars, 9 x 12, 140 lb watercolor paper

Three years ago, when I had done these Neverland Pieces for new-baby Mont, my cousin (and childhood friend and next-door neighbor all in one) wondered if I could paint a retro sort of car for her son Jameson's room. Even though it has taken me so very long, I have never forgotten, and it's always been on the top of my to-paint list; but I never found a sort of car painting I liked until just recently. I'm happy to finally do something for her because she is always, always so willing to help others and send me off with clothes and fun stuff for my kids. She works so hard in her callings and always remembers her friends and family in everything she does. So surprise, Brit, if you're reading this! ; )

Watercolor has become a fun medium for me to try again after so many years. It's fun to see what happens when it's on the page, with altering amounts of color or water. 

First things first.. laid out my watercolor pencils for outlines, then began the sketches:

Pretty primitive, until step two when I get down my brushes: 

I wanted something that felt young, and a little bit beginner, and with these very basic cars, I really hope it is an okay piece for his room. The simplistic colors and lines, hopefully, will be a fun little view point to catch his eye and make him think about playtime, racing his toy cars around the floor and between furniture legs. Mont just might have to get a copy for his room too; his reaction when he saw it made me smile. Let me just say he used the word "cute!" He is my funny little sweetheart for quite a few reasons, that one.

-18

What a tease the pink morning light was this morning streaming through our bedroom windows as I made beds. I opened the curtains to let Buckwheat out and noticed the ice inside our glass doors. It was cooooold. When I took this picture, it was -18, but our neighbor's temperature readings were even colder than that, without factoring in windchill.

We're looking forward to warm summer days spent outside, making up for lost time on that slide and swing-set. When the trees are fat with green and the grass is soft and wet from sprinklers, we'll be in our swimsuits, playing in the sun. I can hardly wait!

sundog

I thought I'd seen sundogs before, but I didn't realize just what they were supposed to look like until I pulled out of our garage for church on Sunday. Mont was sick, and Mark was at work, and I had to play the piano for the last two hours of Primary. Leaving the kids with Stacey and Molly, I set out on the ice-blown roads for town. What I saw in the sky when I started to drive, made me hit the brakes almost instantly. It was insane!

This is what a sun dog is truly like, but my phone pictures are even darker than it was in person. Incredible, miraculous, divine, celestial... I can't think of profound enough adjectives to get my point across, so these pictures will just have to suffice. My first views of it were only half the whole thing.

When I pulled on to the main roads where there was enough horizontal view to see, I could see the entire full circle of the sundog. I was mesmerized.. I was lucky to make it to church because I was so distracted by this ... phenomenon.

3/52: Stacey

Meet "Grandma Stacey." This wonderful woman is Mark's mother, and sweetheart to Mont and Emmy.  Mark and I are so lucky to have our mothers; both raised us with music, culture, travel, fun, and taught us how to organize, clean, respect ourselves and others, and love the gospel. I love watching Stacey with our children. She raised 5 and has so many ways of helping children avoid trouble, I wish I had a notebook filled with her ideas. She has this way of understanding just what the child needs (mine or others), whether it's something to learn, something to distract, something to hold or someone to be silly with. It is so natural for her to recognize 'disaster' and divert it with something equally good and fun, neutralizing the child's encroaching bad mood. It's truly awe-inspiring to see her with Mont and Emmy, who love her more than candy itself. Always fun, always loving, always caring, and always Stacey. I love this Mother-in-law of mine.

Reeder's Digest | distinguished visitors

The night of the day I found the star-flake, was the night Stacey and Molly flew into town - ha! did that make sense? The kids were so excited to wake up to them the next morning. Saturday we were expecting a non-snow blizzard: strong enough winds that would kick up enough snow to make blizzard-like conditions.. sounds so fun. Mark was signed up to be the "Point Of Contact" for showing the plane off to some cheerleaders who were here from Minnesota for a Pre-Superbowl Extravaganza Party.. sounds so fun. They call these cheerleaders, "distinguished visitors" since they were setting up VIP things for them and all, but we had our own DVs to show around base! We threw as many layers on the kids as we could, hats, coats, what have you and hugged them tight as we ran ice skated from the car, through the gate, and 500+ more ft to the hangar. It was beyond freezing, and with the wind it truly hurt to breathe, if you could indeed take a breath. The kids even began to cry because it was so cold and harsh.. I couldn't help but think of pioneers and their sweet children. Ah, before I cry, I'll get back on track. We took these kids and ladies in to see Mark's plane before the cheerleaders showed up, to get our own pictures taken with it. It was great! I never thought I'd get a picture with it, and just so you know, this might be the last you'll ever see of it on this blog! I'm so proud of my Mark! He does so much for our country, and no one will ever even know about it. Shhhh.. :) so fun to be apart of something like his job, even if I'm just on the home front. I love him and am so proud to be his partner in this adventure. Mont's pretty dang proud of his dad too. He was struttin' his stuff with his [too] little jacket. Emmy... well, she's just too cute. It was so fun for Mont and Emmy to run and dance around the plane, and for Stacey to see what her son flies. Distinguished Visitors to be sure.

seein' stars

This morning it all began at three thirty in the morning; Mont yelling and crying for us, as he walks in our room. Something about a dream; blueberries, he would tell me later (thanks, Willy Wonka). This continued for every 30 minutes or so, interrupted with bathroom breaks, until 5:30 when Mont fell asleep.

At 8:00 we hear, "it's YELLOW!" as we look at each other and realize that we overslept because of the awful morning. Normally that "yellow siren" goes off right at 7:00 when the kids' good-nite-lite turns to the sun. They overslept as well.

Mark has a sim later in the afternoon, but planning goes on in the morning, from 8 - 12, for which he's late! No rush... I go out to shovel the drive while he eats breakfast with the kids watching Ichabod (and Mont has bad dreams about blueberries???). It's slick out, but I avoid slipping, as I notice a star-flake right on the freshly shoveled driveway amongst the rain-like hail that is falling.

Maybe it's a good omen.

We finally get out the door, back out of the garage, ... and the garage door won't go down. Great. Mark asks, "is the snow shovel blocking the sensor?" "No, I don't think so... maybe?" He goes and checks, nodding to himself that yes, he was right. He walks to the car...

Then he's starts to skid, and whoosh! He goes down.

So much for that good omen!

We get him to work, then go pick him up for lunch after I get ready. Where is this day going?!

When he gets in the car he tells us that "Grandma Stacey and Aunt Molly are coming tonight!"

The day starts to smile again. ... Well, let's be honest. The day started smiling when I got to get ready!

Mark leaves again to get to his sim, after which my neighbor comes over to show me her mom's meatball sauce recipe. Holy Heavens, its the best I've ever had. My house now smells utterly amazing.. makes me feel accomplished somehow. ha!

Hope everyone found their star-flakes today too.

*And read their scriptures and said their prayers. That helps a lot too. :) 

on hold

Emmy has been trying her luck at sitting at the table recently, which usually ends up with her on my lap at meal time anyway. The high-chair is losing her interest quickly, yet this table top is a little too near her chin to make anything easy. So this morning as I sit on the phone, holding, hearing my call-number climb the ladder to number one, we improvised a little and she ended up with a table top she felt was just right.

Happy Eating!

woohoo! after an hour, caller number one!

2/52: Mont

For a Christmas present, we gave this boy Fantasia (the original and 2000). The first time we watched it, he could not care less about it. But all the sudden the last week or so, it's all he asks for. He loves the "horses" which incorporates the pegasus, centaurs, the satyrs, the cherubs, and the thunder and lightening gods. I love it because there are no words, just music. It was one of the movies we were allowed to watch on a Sunday afternoon after church when my sister and I were kids. So yesterday we watched it in the quiet hours of our Sunday. Mont always has loved classical music, making up story lines as the music ebbs and flows, crescendos, growing more and more exciting, then lulls back into the pace it began. This movie for him has probably been just a manifestation of what he already visualizes as he listens to instrumental music. This kid has a thing for the classics.

Here is the boy last October at Gardner's Village in Utah. We've been able to go every year so far to see all the cute witches they have flying, crashing, and floating around the shops and storefronts. It's been a lot of fun, and this picture still has a place on my fridge (in b&w) because I cannot get enough of this sarcastic face. I think he's got a lot of fun in store for me.

*This post is part of the 52 portrait series: a portrait, once a week, every week, in 2013.*

sugared

Friday night as I carried Buckwheat out to his run, I looked around at the eerie low clouds, and the smothered yellow light of street lamps. Quietly and quickly as possible, I tiptoed back into the house and shut the door, locking it. Then repeated when the pup was satisfied with his encounter with nature's wild and needed to be warmed again by the blanket-warm indoors. Saturday morning we awoke to powdery white trees, grass, fences, and rooftops. Snow hadn't come our way, but fog? Yes.

Saturday morning, as the haze thinned, we took note of all it left in its wake: sugar. Or at least it appeared like everything had received a nice dusting of sugar. We all hopped in the car and went out for a drive to Turtle River to get a good long stare at this wintery silvery splendor.

1/52: Emmy

(Pajama Diaries)

In all her messy breakfast glory, this girl was putting a show on as usual; this time though, Mark had the camera pointed straight on her as it was New Year's morning. As we were hootin' and hollerin' and blowing paper trumpets and clackin' the noise makers, we rung in the New Year about 7 hours after midnight. But that's okay if every day is a party!

This year I will be posting a weekly portrait picture (whomever it might be of) as a part of The 52 Project.

What better way to get motivated and getting myself back into the camera-toting way of life? My camera is small enough, and for the last few months, I've been carrying only half a supply of diapers, as last November Mont was officially and completely potty trained. It only took a few days before he was wearing big boy pants to bed.. I ran a risk without a matress cover but he kept proving to be a big boy! Even still.. no accidents, but we still put a special sheet on his bed. Just in case! I'm so proud of what my two accomplished in 2012, both big and small; pretty sure it was all a big deal to me.

Here is the button I'll be adding to the side of my blog to remind myself that every week I have a portrait to upload here. Might not be all that great of one, but a portrait nevertheless. ha! Join me and see what we can all come up with. I think it will be SO FUN.