November Requiem

I've been meaning to blog for a few days now, but I really have so very much to do this week before Sunday that I haven't felt like I could take the time to blog. Of coarse, ask me how much I've actually done on those many things I have to do before Sunday. My life is odd in that I usually have so little that I have to do outside of my wife/mother gig and then out of nowhere I'm hit with a week of almost frenetic activity. Or at least of procrastinating the frenetic activity. Why, you may ask, don't I use my down time to plan and prepare forthe crazy times? And miss the excitement, stress, headaches, and nausea? Surely you jest.

All in all, November has been a good month for us. We had our first snow fall right before Thanksgiving and got another few inches last night. Rob is like a little school boy in his excitement and both our kids are pretty impressed with all this white stuff. It's funny, both Sam and Grace have had to be gradually introduced to snow over a few years time before they really love it. Two years ago Sam hate snow, and cried when it got on his face, hands, any other part of his body. Then last year he suddenly realized its full potential (mostly as a projectile) and this year it's all I can do to keep him inside. Last year Grace freaked when we took her out in snow. Observe:
But this year, holy man is she excited! Perhaps its all the new cloths and accessories she's gotten specifically because of snow that has her thrilled. New snow pants, boots, mittens, etc. She is a very girly girl after all. Anyway, this year with everyone in the family all on the same page with regards to our attitude towards snow, we should finally get some good use out of the wicked cool sled grandma gave us.
Our Thanksgiving was just lovely. The weather was amazing for November in the Pacific Northwest. Sunny and crisp everyday. The day after we left it rained buckets. We spent most of our time at Rob's sister Susan's house. She has three kids who Sam and Grace just adore so they had a great time. The only difficulty the whole time was that Grace decided to not be potty trained every time we were at Susan's house. I stopped counting after 6 accidents. Playing with cousins was just too fun to take the time to perform life's necessaries I guess. By the second day we were there I was taking her to the bathroom every hour, but she would still mess herself 10 minutes after bathroom trips. Talk about annoying. I think it is the closest I have come to losing my temper in front of Rob's family.
Thanksgiving dinner was fabulous, of course, and I have the singular honor of having made the one dish that was completely consumed in that one sitting. My Brussels Sprouts are quite good. Of course, they were also the only dish that there wasn't lashings of, so take that for all it's worth. My pies didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped, but both were comepletely consumed so I can't complain. Actually, Rob really liked the sweet potato pie so much that he wouldn't share even one bite with me while he was eating the last slice! Where's the love?!?
Friday after the feast we went to the Pacific Science Center in downtown Seattle. The kids really loved it, though there was soooooo much to do and look at that after a few hours they were suffering from overload:
Luckily there was a Seattle's Best Fudge shop nearby so we perked them right back up.
After all my trips to Seattle, this is the closest I've been to the Space Needle. Someday I'll get to the top.
All in all, it was a really nice Thanksgiving break. I have to admit, though, after 4 years of being with Rob's family I'm beginning to long for a Hansen Thanksgiving. I just read an email from my cousin who stopped by our Grandpa Hansen's house last week and got some of his famous mesquite smoked turkey. Oh the agony! To read about it and almost be able to taste it but to be too far away for the real thing! I extend my pity to almost all who will read this who has never and will never taste Grandpa's turkey. It is exquisite. It is turkey as it is meant to taste. And I miss Grandma's pies (a true pie aficionado) and Dad's potatoes and Mom's stuffing and Whitney's sweet potatoes and the good company of all my family. Sigh! Maybe next year.
Well, now that I've got this blog out of my system, maybe I'll be able to settle down and get my other projects done. As a final note, we have our Christmas tree up, but not decorated, the Little People nativity set out for the kids but not my creche collection, we've made a couple different Christmas cookies, and our itunes Christmas music collection is in full use. Many Happy Returns of the Season to All!

Thanksgiving Wishes

I was going through an old writing book and found this entry that I wrote on Thanksgiving Day, 3 or 4 years ago. There's no date included so I can't be sure which year it was. Not all of it makes sense, but here you go:

It's early evening on Thanksgiving Day. I'm beginning to put together the picture of what I think this day should be like when I am in charge of it. I have to say that I hope it wont be much like today. It has not been a bad day, but I did not have high expectations for it, so I am not disappointed. I'm not sure even if my idea of a perfect Thanksgiving Day is even feasible. It would take great organization, cooperation, and money to pull off, none of which I have abundance of. I think the key to a well put together TD is delegation, a big kitchen with more then one oven, and well behaved, obedient kids. Remove any of these elements, and stress and general frazzelment will occur. Music needs to be a part of the day, but only wordless music and never loud enough that you have to talk over. Instrumental Christmas music would work. Also, I don't think food should be the main focus of the day. The food should be the means whereby  we are brought together, but spending time with friends and family should be the purpose of the day. Thus there should not be only one or two people working in the kitchen, but as many as can fit (hence the big kitchen). And those that aren't working in the kitchen should be close by- setting the table or making centerpieces or place cards, etc. Everyone should dress well for dinner and be ready when the time comes, and the head of the household should take charge and make sure that everyone is calm and ready to eat together. Eating should not begin until everyone is served, and the grown-ups at least should take the time to share memories/blessings/stories. And they should take at least 30 minutes to eat. Is any of this realistic? Probably not, but I shall continue to hope for it.

I wont say where I was though you can deduce some of what it was like from what I wrote. And it's not like I could have done any better had I been the one in charge. Or any better now for that matter. And I like being not in charge. I'm perfectly content doing my small part (Brussels sprouts, two pies, and keeping my kids under control).  However, I still like the basic picture that I wrote. So, oh beloved bloggers, what are your Thanksgiving wishes? If you could make the perfect Thanksgiving day, what would it be like?

The trouble with doing your best

Those of you who have been reading my blog from its beginning know that I was rather heavily involved in our Primary's Sacrament Meeting Program in that I was the writer, directer, AND producer. I even had to jump in at the last minute and give one of the key parts when one of the children didn't make it to the performance. (I don't mean to insinuate that I did it all on my lonesome. Without the support and help of many people it would never have gotten done.) Anyway, it really came off very well inspite of me and I have been feeling rather pleased with myself over the whole thing. Turns out that other people also thought I did a good job, at least with the writing part because I have now been asked to write the Christmas program for the ward choir. Oh joy. And the choir directer is one of those super sweet, lovely ladies that you just can't say no to! Luckily, I only have to come up with 10-15 minutes of dialogue, and much of that I can just pull from the scriptures. I suppose I should be glad that I wasn't asked to sing a solo, but since that really would never happen it isn't much of a consolation.


Sam announced today that winter was coming to get us. And on a cold, rainy, blustery day like today that is how it feels.

The barking seal at our house

I hate having sick kids! It makes me feel so sad and helpless when I see their little bodies hurting them and there's not much I can do about it. We woke up about 4:30 this morning with Grace just hysterical; crying, coughing, choking, trembleing, burning up with fever. I couldn't make her understand what I was saying. She didn't want to be held but when i put her down she just staggered around and couldn't stand upright. I almost had her in the car and to the ER right then, but she started calming down, though she wouldn't take the Tylenal I was trying to get in her to get her fever down. All this of course woke up Sam who was terrified, not to mention sick himself with a pretty bad cough he's had all week. We finally got Grace settled down and in bed with Rob, while I took the floor next to Sam so he wouldn't be alone. Grace had two more 'attacks' over the next two hours, but then woke up at 8 very happy and chipper, though with a barky cough and a sore throat. She says everything she eats is 'spicy' because its hurting her throat. I'm sure all you more experienced mothers reading this have already diagnosed her, and you'd be right: croup. I suspected it this morning and we just got home from the docter. He gave her some meds that should make tonight much better and also reminded me of the old trick of putting the child in a hot, steamy shower and then taking them out to the cold air. He says there is no scientific evidence that this works, but he's been telling people to do it for 50 years and it almost always helps. So we're gearing up for tonight and hoping for the best. At least with her cough, or bark I should say, she's having a hard time hiding from me today!

Rage, Rage against the Dying of the Light

Why, oh why, will someone please tell me, is it necessary in this day and age to subject us to the grueling practise of daylight savings! Don't give me arguments that it saves energy or other such nonsense. There are plenty of studies that show it saves not a dime. And in fact the loss of life at 'Fall Back' time is considerable. When one day it is light at 5pm and the next it is dark, American drivers get befuddled and forget that they need to watch for pedestrians in all that blackness. About 40 more people die each year from daylight savings time related deaths. You are 3 times more likely to be struck by a car when walking at dusk after the end of daylight savings then at any other time of the year. These numbers drop off about a month after the switch which indicate that it is in fact the switch itself that causes them. And, truly, is there anything more depressing then seeing it is dark outside and then realizing that it is only 4-bloody-30 in the afternoon!! So I beseech you, tell me why this is necessary! I don't even care whether we are on summer time or winter time, just pick one and STICK WITH IT!!