a year of happy

a big day of firsts

First pickle.








First Birthday Cake.






First Steps.




 


Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

spring break and spring cleaning

Today marks the first day
of "A's" last spring break
of his high school career.

But he's not celebrating....

He'll be spending the week
doing his Financial Literacy class
and his AP Art Portfolio.
Since we are heading out
on a humanitarian service trip
later this spring, he's got to
get it done before we go.

(Of course, those days off
from school don't match up
with his spring break holiday!)

And me? I am spending the week
Spring Cleaning!

It seems particularly appropriate
since we woke up to snow
yesterday morning for Easter.

I'm cleaning out cupboards,
our storage room,
and all around just getting rid of junk.

Hopefully, we'll make several trips
to Deseret Industries, our local thrift store.

Wish us luck--
and happy Monday!

running free

"A's" favorite activity
is parkour or free running.

Have you heard of it?

This is the Wikipedia definition:

Parkour is the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment. It is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, as if moving in an emergency situation.

Skills such as jumping and climbing, or the more specific parkour moves are employed. The object of parkour is to get from one place to another using only the human body and the objects in the environment. The obstacles can be anything in one's environment, but parkour is often seen practiced in urban areas because of the many suitable public structures available such as buildings and rails.

The term freerunning is sometimes used interchangeably with parkour. While superficially similar, freerunning places more emphasis on the aesthetics of movement and finding creative ways to overcome obstacles than on efficiency and simplicity.

"A" and his friends
love to practice their
free running skills.

They're getting strong by
doing handstands
every day during their lunch hour.





They like to go to Discovery Park
which has lots of wooden obstacles
they can run and jump over.

They also go to a gym
that has pads
where they can practice
without getting hurt.
(That makes their mothers happy!)

And they each have their
own signature trick.

"A's" is a side flip.
We decided to try to get some
action shots of his moves.











Pretty cool, don't you think?!

family outtakes

 






















































I have no words.
Care to give it a try?

noses

There's a story behind everything.

I always wonder
about the story behind photos--
especially old family photos.

Last week,
I showed you this photo.
But I didn't tell you the story.

These two lovely ladies
are my great-aunt,
Ethel Naomi Heninger,
and my grandmother,
Hazel Heninger. 

I think this photo
is so pretty
of the two of them.

But Ethel didn't think so.

Whenever she saw
this photograph,
she would turn it face down,
then she would sniff
and say, "Noses."



Do you have
old family photographs
with a story
just waiting to be told?

el salvador at dawn

As I told you here,
we went to El Salvador
last November
on a humanitarian services trip.

After a week
of really long working days,
we were given
a day of rest and
recuperation
at a beach-side resort.

On our last morning,
our 17-year-old son "A"
got up early, 
and with his little
Coolpix camera,
went for
a nature walk.

I wish I would have
gone with him.
(I, ever-efficient,
was scrambling
to try to fit
everything
in our luggage
to go back to the States.)

In those few
calm peaceful moments,
he was the only one
on the beach.

And this is what he saw.

All of these photos
are straight out of
his Coolpix camera.

I think he did a
really great job, don't you?

_______________________


You can read more
about a few of our adventures
in Guatemala and El Salvador
by clicking on these links.


airborn

earthquakes and volcanoes

necessities or luxuries

monkey business

what's in the attic?

Ever since I was a teenager,
I've wished for an attic
full of old things.

Not "old" like the junk
that's stuffed in boxes
in my storage room.

I mean really old.

Like antique clothing and furniture,
and old photographs,
and long forgotten love letters.

I remember when I first
got on this kick,
my mom and I went to visit
my elderly great aunt,
who lived in the house
where my mom grew up.

We slept in a little upstairs bedroom,
where there were lots of
cupboards and closets
and secret places.

I started snooping,
and that made my mom
really nervous.
But I kept at it.
Who knew what I might find?

And find something I did.

Tucked way back
in a closet on the highest shelf
was a box.
it was about the size
of a large shoe box,
and on the lid it said,
"Memories of Hazel."

Hazel was my mom's mother,
and she had died when
my mom was thirteen.

Inside the box, we found
letters written by her sons
during the second World War,
notes and cards from little daughters,
and all sorts of memories
from days long gone.

THIS was a treasure.

You just never know
what you'll find
in a good attic!

____________________

The other day
I went for a walk
through The Avenues
of Salt Lake City
and took a few photos
of some attics
I wish I could visit.

Aren't they curious?

Click on the photos
to see them up close.










Wouldn't it be fun
to go on a treasure hunt
in one of these attics?!









Have you ever found a treasure
when you've been
searching through
something old?

Hosted by Cecily and ???

at my life's crossroads

When I think of
my life's crossroads,
I can always
see my mother
somewhere nearby.

I can hear myself
call her name
the minute I run in the door
after school every day.

I can feel
her cool hand
on my hot forehead
in the throes of a sick flu.

I can see her
skillful hands
teaching me to make
cinnamon rolls,
and doll clothes,
and a properly made bed.

She's always near
in those memories,
guiding, comforting,
smiling, and singing.

She is part of my
adult crossroads too.

My wedding day....
there she is in her
cheery red dress,
taking care of all
the little details
so I can enjoy the day.

I see her worried look 
as I head to the hospital
for the birth of my second child,
a whole month early.

I can feel the
clasp of her hand
as we worry together
over a wayward teenager.
 
I can see
the warmth in her glance 
as we lock eyes
over the tiny bundle
that is my newborn grandson,
and we don't even
need to say a word.

My mother.
Always there.
At every crossroad.
Whenever I need her.

She has set the stage
for the kind of mother
I too hope to be.





Today I will give her
this little gift
to celebrate her
special day.

How could it
possibly be enough?

Happy Birthday Mom!


_______________________

Have you read this one?

Home to Me

Baby Mac Attack

Best of 2009

playing grandma

.
.

I got to play grandma
the other day
while "J" was working.

I love it.


 


I love that
this little guy
recognizes me and
is excited to see me.

I love it when
he falls asleep in my arms.

I love the smell
of his baby soft skin.

And I love
taking pictures of him.






No matter
that I consistently
lop off the top of his head.

That's because
every time I get out my camera,
he races over to
chew on the strap!






I'm just not quick enough
on the draw.


Too bad.
I'll just have to keep practicing!

'a' is for artister

One day when 'A' was about three,
he was sitting at the kitchen table
drawing a picture.

He sat back
and looked at his picture,
and said,
"I think
I'm gonna be
an artister!"

I've never forgotten it.

And I've quietly watched
as 'A' has drawn his pictures,
and filled his sketchbooks
and his portfolio
(and notepads and scratch paper
and t-shirts and even the walls!)
with beautiful art.

I have boxes
of his creations.




 

I caught him in action
the other day.
Here's a peek at his latest drawing.

 

We found out today
that one of 'A's pieces
has been selected
to be shown in the
38th Annual Utah All-State
High School Art Show.
His was one of 313 pieces chosen
out of 936 entries
from all the high schools
across the state.

Someday soon I'll show you more.

Because I think
all those years ago,
when he said,
"I think I'm gonna
be an artister,"
he was right!