Daylight savings

We had trouble getting back into a early school routine after winter break.  We read late and wake late.  But daylight savings time has really beat my butt.  That is why it is it is 9:30 and we are still in our pjs.  At least we are well rested.  We will try next week to get back into the early morning routine, or maybe after spring break.  Nah! We will wait until we return from Germany.

Germany

We are preparing for you trip to Germany next month. Seriously I can think of nothing else. What hotel to stay at, should I pack this, leave that, who will mow the lawn, etc. I almost am sort of dreading it. What if it isn't worth all the money we spend? I know the kids are sensing I am not living in the moment. I want to be present, but my mind is floating somewhere a month from now.

Hopefully I will remember to post tons of pictures during the trip. There will be a lot of down time, but also we are traveling without a car there. So we will have to walk to lunch and dinner (hopefully there will be breakfast at the Hotel), wash clothes, find some where to let the kids run off energy, and of course SCHOOL!

What am I kidding! It will all be worth it. You can't put a price tag on memories.

Proverbs 15

Does anyone else have trouble reading Proverbs. I think it is a love hate relationship. Every word speaks directly to my heart. I am spurred on but also so convicted. I think of myself as "Good", but none of us are.

15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

I think I am able to offer gentle answers to my husband and even my friends. But my children . . . their questions come a mile a minute. It is so hard to answer those questions gently, when they are asking question instead of getting their shoes on. Please Lord show me how to answer and speak to my kids gently when my heart isn't in it.

15:13 A Joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when a heart is sad, the spirit is broken.

This makes me wonder. There are people I meet, mostly at church who also have a smile on their face. If my heart is Joyful (even when there isn't a lot to be joyful about) will my face naturally glow? Give me that Joyful heart so that others can see the Joy you give us.

Well just those two I think are enough for me to focus on you. Does Proverbs challenge you as much?

2010 20 Qs

1. The Best Thing that Happened this Year?

Ummmm. Is it Sad I can't think of something? I can't think of just one thing. I feel better organized this year. I feel better about myself too.

2. Most Challenging thing this year?

Learning to teach Nika in a way that speaks to her.

3. Unexpected Joy?

I am happy! But what about? I don't know. I love my husband! I am truely amazed at how I do love him more each year. He and my kids bring me so much joy. But is that unexpected? I don't think so, or it shouldn't be. I guess I come back to finding Joy in seeing how I have grown in my ability to organize my house better. I think a lot of my organization had to do with going from having three kids down to two.

4. Unexpected Obsticle?

I hoped that Nika's difficulties in learning should not have been unexpected. But I was praying against it. But I am sort of proud of how I am learning to teach her in a way that is helping her. Teaching takes patience which as a Mom is hard to come by.

5. Three Words to Describe 2010?

Steady- Because we are working on the same things as last year
Up Hill - Because of challenges with Nika's learning
Same Old - Because this years seems the same as last year.

6. Guess Spouse's three Words.

Steady - because we are working on the same things as last year.
Rewarding - Matt excels at work and it is rewarding to have others notice.
Blessing - God Blesses us beyond what we would imagine.

7. Best Books of 2010

I am ashamed I didn't read as much I would like. But I read several young adult books I really enjoyed and listened to several books on Audio I enjoyed.

The Help
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Entire Percy Jackson Series

And the book I wished I finished before 2010 was Parenting By the Book

8. Most Valuable Friendships

This year has been a blessing in new Friendships.

The Richardson
The Gosnells

Old Friendship Grow

Rowles
Hammonds
Lundes

But I don't feel I have really been there for anyone or anyone has really been there for me.

9. Biggest Person Growth January to December

Less Disorganized and more confident.

10. Emotional Growth

I doubt myself less. I think Marriage humbled me. I thought I was pretty hot stuff. Marriage helped me to see my faults more vividly. I think I don't take my fault as personally as I use to. Just as areas of growth instead of "holes in my person."

11. Spirtual Growth

I wish I could say I had made spiritual growth a focus point this year. But I didn't. There was a period of time longer than any other before that I found myself capable of finding time to pray and read the Word. But it was not long lasting. I do yearn for that but find the lure of a warm bed so strong.

12. Physical Growth

This has been a good year for physical growth. For the first time ever I find myself spending more time thinking about what I eat and how much exercise my family and I are getting. But physically I have suffered with induring injuries. Back and Hip problems are been making daily housework painful.

13. Friendship Growth

I have seen a lot of friendship growth. New Friendships and Old ones deepen. But I still would like to have that one or two friends who I have such a strong relationship with that they challenge me to grow and I feel the freedom to challenge them to grow.

14. Enjoyable part of my Work

I had an oportunity to expand my work as a swim instructor to manage the swim lessons for four months. It was nice to see my excell at managing. I think it gave me a lot of confidence that I am not just a MOM, but I am a valuable resource to the community also. My work as a Mom and Wife has been more rewarding than ever before as I am seeing my kids learn and receiving complements from my husband on cleaning of cooking that I didn't hear before.

15. Biggest Challenge in my work

It was hard to see Matt and I working so much. Matt would work most tuesday and thursdays the last several months while I would work at swim lessons and we were able to connect on the weekend or a couple of workdays. There is just to much to do in such a small amount of time.

16. Biggest Waster

FACEBOOK. I did quit for a while. Maybe I should quit again. Thoughts?

17. Best Time Saver

Thank YOU Motivated MOM Checklist. You have made my year!

18. What I learned.

God takes me as I am.

19. Catch Phrase

Ummmm. I don't think there was one.

20. Summary

I don't want to do all this for my own glory. I had a great year, but what did I do for HIM. Did I do it in my strength? Yes. What can I do in 2011 if I do it in His strength? I will be unstoppable.

Facebook instead?

My Sis in Law is always giving me a hard time for not doing my Blog. But I thought everyone had gotten out of the habit. Well apparently not everyone! I had forgotten the joy in reading my friends blogs. For some reason Facebook had replaced my time spent surfing through my friends blogs (and my friends of friends blogs). Is it the need to quickly connect with my friends lives instead of hearing their heart. Is it a need to connect with as many friends as possible instead of connecting on a deep level with my friends. I don't know, but I am not happy about it. And most of it just seems like a bunch of "Friends" of mine hoping someone out there cares about them. I admit on "Hard days" I update my status just hoping someone cares enough to comment. So Sad!

Well this is my commitment to you fellow bloggers to spend more time reading you and less time reading marketing and snapshot status updates.

First Day of Kindergarden

Nika had her first day of Kindergarden today. She is so excited, insisting that Kindergarden "Sisters" don't need their mom to take them in for school. "All the other sisters cross the street and go to their class by themselves mom. She sure doesn't look little anymore.

I really wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Well it shouldn't be hard. She went to Preschool all last year. Well I am enjoying myself, sitting in the office quietly as Christian naps.

Berry Picking

Check out a post Katie posted about our picking on Monday.

A Virtual Chill

For those wishing for cold weather I thought I would share this picture I found hidden on my camera yesterday. Remember the snow storm we had six months ago? Remember losing electricity and heat? Remember how cold it was? Now doesn't 93 seem not quite as bad(still hot, but maybe slightly cooler)?

PB & J

Nika and Christian are always asking to make their own PB & J, so this afternoon I let them. Nika did a wonderful job, but was disappointed that her sandwich didn't turn into the shape she had intended to cut. I turned from cleaning the kitchen to find Christian making his sandwich in an odd way. He put no Peanut Butter nor Jelly on his Bread, instead scooping out Jelly and Peanut Butter directly into his mouth, then licking the butter Knife.

Purple Paint

Here is a picture of Nika's Completed room. I didn't intend to match the curtains and wall so closely.

Fishing with PaPa Boyd

At Wizard Falls on the First day of fishing season all the kids are allowed to fish right out of the fish hatchery settling pond. PaPa Boyd has looked forward to the day the kids would be able to do this for years. The best thing of all is that the kids caught their fish with their own spiderman and Barbie fishing poles.

Christian caught a fish.

Nika Caught a fish. And we cooked them up for PaPa Boyd's Birthday Dinner

Fourth of July Bike ride

We got up early on the fourth of July to go for a bike ride. Matt pulled Nika and Christian in the trailer. It was the first time in years I was able to keep up. It just took 100 pounds of kids and trailer to slow the 33 year old down.

Visiting Washington

I visited My best friend from college. Liz has a sister (adopted) who is the same age as Nika. I had been wanting to meet Ester. All four kids climbed on the slide together. Isn't this a great picture?

Visiting Washington

Father's Day weekend we also visited my Dad in Washington. He really wanted to see Kyle before he went back to his Mom.

Visiting Washington

We went up to Matt's Parents for Father's day. Here is Christian, Kiley (cousin) and Nika.

Hanana Mon-Nika

This is Nika posing like Hanana Montana.

Check Out our Youtube Site

http://www.youtube.com/user/WildWestClan

The camping trip

As I said in one of the eariler post this camping trip was the best ever.

We ate Salmon, pasta, fiaetas, breakfast burritos, pancakes, and steak.

It poured as we broke camp on sunday.

Familes represented Zunigas (Josh and AJ), West (Matt, Meghan, Nika, and Christian), Rowles (Layth, Betsy, Soren, and Keiton), Lundes (Paul, Andrea, Benton, and Nathanial), Bowmans (Vance, Alicia, Karis, and Kellen), and the Hammonds (Craig, Megan, Kyler, Maddy, and Nora). 23 people, Five tents, Six Cars, Two Canopies, Two picnic tables, Five coolers, Three folding tables, 13+ bikes, one scooter, two boys learning to ride bikes, and hundreds of marshmellows.

All the kids had matching shirts one day.

We went on a group bike ride into Cottage Grove.

Made a ton of memories.

Thanks for the fun Guys.

Nika and Kyler

Kyler is Megan Hammond's son. This camping trip was the first for the Hammonds with this group. But Nika and Kyler had a special thing going, I think you can see it in Nika's eyes.

Camping Moms

I liked this picture especially. It is a picture of all the moms at the camping trip. I am so blessed by the wonderful friendship these girls offer me. In the top picture Betsy Rowles, Alicia Bowman, Megan Hammond (yes the confusion is crazy), and Andrea Lunde. I get around these girls and I feel so free like when I was in college.