Doing Hard Things

Our family has a pretty good life. We have a house. We have cars. We have two good-enough jobs. Heck, I wasn't even furloughed. My boys have two parents. We don't live with the constant worry of where money is coming from or whether there will be a dinner. (The worst my boys experience is whether they will like dinner.) We get to travel to cool places.

Sure, Rhett and Ollie would argue that they do have hard lives. Homework, chores, even having to deal with each other. But I'm smarter than that. It's still a pretty good life. We're lucky/blessed/hard workers/etc.

So I decided that we needed to work on something hard as a family. I came up with a few ideas, but the one we settled on was to hike 100 miles. So we're doing this. Today, Monday, we're going to a new-to-us state park. (It doesn't have camping, so I didn't even know of it.) Even though Chuck is at work, the boys (who are off today for end-of-the-semester) and I are going. We're going to eat hiking power beans and have a great time. I hope. And once we're done, we'll only have 95 miles left.

Pray for us.

New Year Interviews

Snow Day!

Before the weekend even started, we knew a storm was on its way, with predictions in the 3"-6" range. Saturday night (which gave us time to run and do stuff out of the house that day) the snow started falling and Sunday morning we woke up to about 6" and cancelled church. All day Sunday we had more light snow, but around 4:00 it started back up to accumulating snow. This meant a snow day for Monday as well. We ended up with around 10", the most we've had in three years. Here's how we spent the two days:

Sunday
Too early: wake up
Morning: sled (but not really because the snow wouldn't allow it), play at playground in the snow
Lunch: screens while I bake bread and cookies
Afternoon: build snow cave, snowshoe to a friend's house (carrying one "bread baby" in my jacket), see a snake on the snow and a cave made by bent bamboo
Evening: eat dinner while watching a movie and enjoying a fire

Monday
Too early: wake up
Morning: sled for real, even try snowboarding
Lunch: movie
Afternoon: back to the snow hill for more sledding, home for some screen time with a friend
Evening: eat dinner while watching a show and enjoying a fire

Notes on the two days: I'm tired. My shoulders and back hurt. Plus, I'm exhausted from having all of us in the house without leaving for more than 48 hours. We have three-day weekends for the next two weeks, but I imagine they'll be better just because we'll be able to get out. Also, even with all the work in the snow, my boys never once slept in. What is wrong with them?! Also, when I was about my boys' age, we got a snowstorm that cancelled SEVEN days of school. How did my mom survive?! Certainly my dad had to work (unlike my own husband), and she was home with four kids. I would die. BUT for our two days, I think I did okay. I (mostly) held it together, only losing it during a pancake fight and when Ollie wouldn't stop whining while snowshoeing. For the most part, however, they did great. Every year their endurance gets better and we had zero complaints about wet or cold. Amazing! Having decent gear makes such a difference. Oh, we love our two sleds. The boys really have such a fun time on them. Finally, we were all happy to have a two-hour delay Tuesday morning.

P.S. Here are the FIVE posts I did in 2016 about the snow! I had forgotten how traumatizing it was. Hahaha. Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Rhett

I can't believe this boy is almost 11! This time next year he'll be a deacon. Big kids are the best kids (says the woman with no actual big kids quite yet). I got to take him in December to an event at the Capitals hockey complex. We skated with NHL mascots (and got photobombed by one!) and then waited outside in the mist to see if any players happened by. We got lucky! Lars Eller, the player who scored the game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals game, came out and graciously signed Rhett's jersey. So cool.

And, in other super fun news for him, he gets to go to scout camp this year! He'll only be 11, but as 11-year-old scout in the "real world" camp, our ward thought ours should too. It happens while I'll be at girls camp, which is both good and bad for Chuck and Ollie.

This is the closest either of my kids has ever come to a character of any kind. Ever.


Can you find Rhett?

Ollie

Oh man we love this boy. He's everything I'm not: silly, creative, and energetic. But that makes him that much harder. I just don't relate easily. However, we're getting through it.

Where does he get this???


I had to take some stuff to the school for a PTA event and Ollie hitched a ride home.


I made this beard for him to wear at the ward Christmas party's nativity scene. Of course he jumped off the stage in the first two minutes, but he still loves wearing the beard around the house.


And then he made more facial hair all by himself. Amazing.


Here are his latest hilarious things he said:
"Only people who are fancy eat hamburgers with a fork."

O: I wish I didn't have a sister.
Me: Well, you don't, so you got your wish. Why don't you want a sister?
O: Because she might tell on me and Rhett when we fight. Girls do that.

After an intense game of pop guns: "What is my purpose? Why am I even here??"

Talking about Chuck E. Cheese: "That guy creeps me up. It used to be there was a person inside, but nowadays it's probably a robot."

We were driving in the car, and no one was talking. "All is silent....voices rise." WHAT?!?! He still can't/won't explain this.

To me: "You're just mad because you married a bimbo!"

O: Why do we have to do chores? I hate doing chores.
Me: Well, they build character.
O: I like my character just like it is. I don't want to change it.

After a spirited dinner with the missionaries.
Missionary: Where you do you get all your energy?
O [suddenly calm and serious]: From within.

O: Mom, you don't use laughter like I do.
Me: Oh, how do you use it?
O: I use it smart.

"I didn't really laugh that hard because it didn't touch my funny bone."

I Made Stuff

My Thanksgiving decorations were lacking, so I found this wall hanging to copy. I love it so much. My boys loved the felt pies and spent the evening making their own felt foods. Some were more successful than others.


For the third year, we ate Thanksgiving at our friends' house. As a hostess gift, I made these two aprons, adapted from here.


Rhett, knowing Ollie's love of pigs, thought about getting Ollie this faux taxidermy pig. However, when we saw that the 4" one was $55, we thought again. We found this book and he asked if I could do it. I thought I could try! The first two times I tried, the face I totally messed up. But I got it on the third and the rest wasn't too bad. I thought the end product was pretty good. However, Ollie doesn't. It makes him sad. :( So for now it's in the attic. Ha.


A friend's birthday is right before Christmas. I didn't dare make something I'd expect her to display with her Christmas decorations, so I made this apron. I think the fabric was a *bit* too heavy, but otherwise I love the pattern. I want to make one for me.

Fun with Trampolines and Cameras

My boys love taking my camera. They especially love taking the camera to capture themselves jumping on the tramp. They take 100 pictures and about five are good. Here are those five. Note: There are more pictures of Ollie simply because Rhett is a better photographer.

Lake Anna

I know myself well enough now to know that I get a severe case of cabin fever in the days after Christmas. Last year we lucked into the cute cabin in western Maryland, but this year I planned to go to Virginia. It was a drive that was longer than it should have been (curse you, Virginia traffic!), but at least it was pretty. We even drove by the cutest tree farm.

We got there Thursday afternoon in time to get in a hike. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. Friday it rained. Of course it rained; it's 2018 in D.C. We had planned to spend the day inside, watching movies and playing games. However, we forgot the laptop. (The cabin didn't have a TV so we were going to use our projector and laptop to watch stuff on the wall.) A quick trip to Walmart solved our problem and Friday was spent as planned. Saturday morning was gorgeous so we hiked a bit more before hitting the road home. Which, of course, gave us more traffic (curse you Virginia!). Oh, I forgot to mention that I pulled over by a super-bored, state-ist park policeman. Thankfully he let me off with a verbal warning. My little boys thought it was great.

Christmas Day

To be honest: December was hard. The boys fought a LOT and were super whiny. We ended up going to drastic measures and took away morning screen time (something they get because (1) they wake up early and (2) they get chores done) and sweets. I also cancelled the advent activities. This meant that as a family we'd only choose the activities that we had time for and really wanted to do. Sorry, red and green dinner. So even though Rhett will complain and say that I ruined all of our traditions, we still did plenty. Believe me.

Not pictured is the drive we took through a lights show. The boys complained that we went on a rainy night. To pacify them, I let them drive. It was hilarious. We also cut snowflakes, sang songs (well, they boys listened to me as I sang songs), drank lots of hot chocolate, and watched plenty of Christmas movies.

We made cookies. We ate cookies (until I banned them).


We made gifts and cards.


And then it was Christmas day! Santa brought this air hockey table. To my surprise, it's much quieter than the one my parents own. Thank goodness.


Ollie got this pig that he just doesn't like. Ha.


Opening more presents.


That evening was dinner with Chuck's brother's family 40 minutes north of us.

And even though it was after Christmas, we made it to Six Flags to see their lights.




Next year we'll go through the advent activities and choose those most important to us. We will not be dictated by a calendar or by whiny boys.

Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Houses

One of our favorite traditions in December is to decorate gingerbread houses. The past two years we've invited our friend the Roberts to come join us. I make all the houses, something I love to do. Then we start the afternoon with lunch and then we finish with decorating. All of the kids are big enough to do it on their own. We had them some icing, a house, and then send them to the kids' table. It's lovely.



Just our houses.


Ollie's. I have no words.


Rhett's.


Right before the New Year's Eve destruction. I have no "after" shot because I went to bed.