Recital

So I missed last week posting, sorry. My week went from crazy to out of control! I started off having a few things scheduled for the week but by Sunday night I had free time of about a minute a day!

My two oldest take Polynesian dancing and it was their recital last week, ( okay so I take the mommy class too!) and our recital was last Saturday. I had about eight costumes needing to be sewn, and ten dances that needed to be practiced ( my two especially). We had two dress rehearsals and four desserts waiting to be baked for the luau after. Is a Christmas song coming to mind?..I feel I should end with a partridge in a pear tree.

I LOVE watching my little ones dance, Toshina does not look so little any more, I see her on stage and she is stunning! I'm not the only one who thinks that. And Harrison's smile and energy lights up the room. Their performance communicates so much more than the dance they are reciting. Innocence, Beauty, Hope, and Love!! At the end of the show we mommies do the final number which is a hula. The story is a tribute to our families and the love we carry with us. It was a beautiful dedication to all that was present there.

sunshine in my soul

I think Easter is my favorite holiday. I love the time of year, the decorations, and most importantly the story. I often compare my feeling during Christmas and Easter. I feel reverence and childlike during Christmas. My thought are frequently focused on childhood memories of excitement and awe. But Easter brings ideas of hope and redemption.

I love waking up Easter morning with the sun shining in and the noise of my little ones running around looking for their Easter baskets and goodies. Have you ever noticed the sunshine in the spring, especially Easter, is different than it is any other time of the year. It has a joy and delightful demeanor which it trades for intensity and power in the summer, and then it almost fades entirely in the winter. But springtime sunshine is the cream of the crop. Its warmth is the welcoming call to all creations to rise and start anew. I am always in amazement at how the world works so beautifully with the teachings of our savior and the plan of salvation. As our world creates a new every year so can we, and at the Apex of this rebirth is Easter.

What joy I feel to have the all things testify of my savior and how his plan works. It brings sunshine to my soul.

head in the clouds

My children had Spring break last week so we were able to spend a lot of time together. I am grateful for my hubbies job that allows him to create his own schedule, for the most part, so he can take time off when the kids are out of school. Of course the weather was not cooperating with the whole "spring break" theme. It was cold and snowy, yes snowy! As I watched the forecast at the beginning of the week my heart sank- What in the world was I to do with the kids for an entire week when winter was stubbornly wearing out its welcome?

So after exhausting all my indoor options we gave in and embraced the winter wonderland. We went skiing. We booked a cabin at Brighton ski resort and put in two good full days of skiing, and it was a blast! The conditions we awesome. I was so grateful for this mini vacation I was able to take, it really gave me a perspective I needs to have. Although Brighton is only an hour away from my house I felt I was really out of my world. The majestic snow covered mountains were breathtaking, the powder was unreal, and time spent was priceless.

Even though I spend time with my family on a regular basis I realized I still allow so many other things to distract me. The concerns for dinner or chores or getting somewhere else after seems to occupy too much of my thoughts during the time I am " spending time" with my them. Because we had designated this time as vacation time my mind released all the other everyday things, and when I did that I was able discover so many new things about my kids. I then realized I don't need a trip to the mountains or a physical removal of everyday things to find clarity of mind. I just need to pay attention to the moments that speak discovery and the peace of love and family.

The Red Tent

My parents are going through all of the photos and digitizing them. It has been so funny to look at the out dated outfits and hairdos. I asked my mom several times, "Why did you let me go out like that?" I can't help but think of how cool I thought I dressed. I have three older sisters and I wanted to wear whatever they were wearing. It didn't matter that the clothes were 4 sizes too big and that the hair style was far beyond my ability at the time to pull off. If my sisters were doing it, so was I!

There came a time where we were all able to share clothes and shoes. Even now that we are all grown, and live in different houses, one in a different State, we are still trading clothes and shopping in each others closets.

My sisters, and my mom, have become my closest friends. We are "the girls". I treasure all of our differences and similarities. We have many difference that would normally cause people to grow apart, but surprisingly it has strengthen us in many ways. Our differences have allowed us to learn how to love each other without conditions When we are together it is as if we can conquer any feminine issue the world can throw at us. We are our own "Red Tent" community. I love my "girls"!

My baby girl now knows a great word, "NO"!! She now has to say it before she will do or eat or say anything!! It is her automatic response. I could be offering her ice cream and she would tell me NO as she opens her mouth for the spoonful. I can't help but giggle to myself. Out of all the words we share between us she focuses on the negative one. ( maybe it is the frequency of its use, but I still don't think it is THAT imbalanced.)

We sing, talk, read, and play using many great words of praise and delight, but I don't hear her walking around saying I love you, yay, or so pretty! It is NO! So many times I find myslf doing the same thing. I focus on the negative. I could be having a great day but the most minor bad thing happens and my hour if not my afternoon is ruined. I think I would rather be singing my songs and remembering all my playing and joy in the day and quickly forget the Nos and the can'ts!!

Their shoes

I went to a funeral this weekend for an uncle on my husband's side. It was a beautiful service and was great to see so much family and loved ones. I kept thinking of how it will be when my generation will be the oldest in the family. Will we be able to keep the ties close and lead the coming generation?

I recognize now I have taken for granted the leadership and responsibility my parents and their generation has for the family as a whole. How we gather as a family at their homes and turn to them for guidance.

I know my husband and I are the leaders of our own family but there has always been a higher matriarch or patriarch to take on the family as a complete entity. Not to far off there will nothing "older or wiser" than us. So will I be what my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents were to me? Will I be able to fill their shoes as they have?

I ONLY HOPE!

To get dressed or not to get dressed

Okay so here is the thing. I decided before I got married that I would not "let myself go", well not too much. I didn't completely decide this for the sake of my husband, I really felt that I would continually feel better about me if I paid a attention to my appearance daily. I should do my hair, put make up on, and wear something more than sweat pants and sneaks ( even if they are really cute sweats.)

But as my days are presently uneventful and the company I have is my 18 month old, who couldn't care less about how I look as long as I am holding her( a whole other posting) my motivation is dwindling. I feel a little silly vacuuming or cleaning my fridge all dressed up. So many days like today I ask the question to get dressed or not. Most days I find a happy medium. Wear the sweats but put a little make up on. Or get dressed but pull up my hair. I guess you could say this allows me to feel as though my days are worth getting ready for!