2015 in Photos

5,625 photos for the year, down from 2014's photos by about 30,000. 

Sandwich Sunday

A few years ago one of my friends mentioned that she and her family were wanting to serve once a month at St. Vincent's Dining Hall for the homeless, and wondered if we'd like to join them. It's been one of the best things we've done. We go the first Monday of every month with a few of our favorite families, and it is such a great opportunity to serve and to get some perspective on how blessed we are. 

Each month we make and take 600 sandwiches with us, to supplement the dinner that St. Vincent's provides. At first we gathered Monday afternoons before heading down to serve, but we've switched to doing it the evening before, and it is great. We've got it down to a system: each family takes a turn buying the supplies at Costco: 46 loaves of bread, 24 packages of ham, and 600 ziplock bags. Not the fanciest sandwiches, but they need soft bread and nothing too hard to chew. Everyone pitches in and it goes pretty fast...it took us about 45 minutes tonight. Luckily our friends the Brashers have the perfect set up for this with two giant islands, and they are always willing to have this crazy crowd.

St. Vincent's photos coming tomorrow...

2016—The Year to Bring Back the Blogging Habit?

Ainsley is probably the only person who is still interested in this blog, and she has begged me to start again, "but not only when we travel, just all the daily stuff." She reminded me that I'd better do a post to start the year off right. When I asked her what I should blog about, she told me to blog about the party we went to tonight. I told her that I forgot to take pictures, and she said that was okay, I could just write a paragraph. 

Rob's aunt Ginny and uncle Bill have a New Year's Day party every year and serve sauerkraut, which is supposed to bring good luck for the new year. The girls were skeptical of the sauerkraut (until they tried it and liked it) but it also happens to be one of two days a year that Ginny makes her famous rainbow jello, and since we were gone for Christmas, we missed the other day. Ainsley started doing a happy dance when Ginny offered to send the leftover jello home with her. She's not at all possessive about it either, as you can see. Anyway, it was great company and great food, and a nice start to 2016.

P.S. I always get a little over-ambitious in January, so in that spirit, I'm attempting to blog one current post, and one "make-up" post. I picked a pretty lame easy one today: see here.

Overcoming Overwhelming.

A couple of years ago I decided to take a daily photo, and have managed to post 313 daily photo entries since then. But it just isn't fitting into my life right now, so I was excited when I saw this post about a project that seems a little more doable right now. The idea is to take (or narrow down to) twelve photos every month on the 12th, ending, of course, on 12-12-12.

I immediately loved the idea, and spent some time considering what 12 photos I wanted to take this month. Twelve things for which I'm grateful? That was nixed by Rob, who didn't want to have his photo taken. Twelve resolutions? Even I'm not that crazy. Twelve favorite things? I might do that one in a future month. For this month I decided to do a photo essay about my life right now. If you read my belated November entry, and noticed the still-missing-but-soon-to-come December report, you might (correctly) assume that I've been overwhelmed. I am working on overcoming that—here's how:

I'm a "half-empty" girl by nature, but I've learned that happiness really is a choice, and a result of positive, "half-full" thinking. So for each negative, dark thought, I try to find at least a silver lining.

Overwhelming is the cold, gray deadness of winter. Today was an exception, actually, with beautiful blue skies. Still, I don't even start feeling warm unless it's at least 72 degrees, and going outside in the inversion is pretty much the equivalent of smoking a pack, so I have a hard time wanting to go out and enjoy the much needed sunshine. Rob tells me he recently read an article stating that there is no scientific evidence for seasonal depression. Hmm, sounds like a man saying there is no such thing as PMS to me. :) My personal experience tells me that light, warmth and color all have a major impact on my sense of well-being.

Overcoming means a daily dose of Vitamin D. I do try to get outside as often as I can, but as it's dark and icy at 6:00 a.m., most of my walks get moved inside a gym on a treadmill. Again, I have only personal experience, not scientific evidence, but D3 seems to help me cope.

Overwhelming is illness, in its many forms. Today Ellie was home from school, after throwing up the night before. She's not one to tough it out, and spent a lot of time crying, sobbing and moaning. This isn't something that makes me (or Rob) very sympathetic, unfortunately, though it did break my heart when she told me that she thought she must have cancer and be dying. I reassured her about that, but couldn't do much about her sadness that she would not be receiving the perfect attendance award she'd hoped for this year.

Overcoming happens when a wonderful friend brings by 7-Up for your sick child so you don't have to leave her, and then stays to visit for an hour and lifts your spirits too. My good friend Jackie Moulton saved the day today, and although she's super modest, I talked her into sharing some of her wonderful poems at book group tonight. It was such a great evening, I came home feeling completely recharged, and so grateful for beautiful writing and amazing friends. I've struggled with multiple health challenges this year, with my back and eyes, and although it stinks, it may actually be worth it just to discover how generous and kind people are.

Overwhelming is being called to teach gospel doctrine. I'm intimidated by the idea of teaching people more experienced and well-read than I, and the sheer volume of available resources to help is more overwhelming than comforting. These are just a few of the books we have; there are enough online resources to keep me reading 40+ hours a week. (Speaking of online resources, I've started keeping my study notes on another blog: http://gospeldoctrinenotes.blogspot.com/). Yes, I shouldn't be complaining about feeling overwhelmed when I make work for myself. I figure I'm preparing anyway, so if it can help anyone else, great. Ideally I'll start posting my thoughts before the lesson, not after. :)

Overcoming is the realization that this is really the only essential reading. Reading the Book of Mormon has been one of the best tools I've discovered for coping with feelings of being overwhelmed. I am grateful to have a calling that motivates me to do this more regularly and with greater intensity.

Overwhelming is what I think when I consider the amount of cleaning and organizing that need to happen around here. I could have taken any number of photos for this—the piles of laundry waiting to be washed, folded and put away, or the messy storage room. The lockers seemed least objectionable, even though Rob had to warn Joey not to put an important assignment in his locker, so it wouldn't be lost in "the vortex of crap." It makes me tired just thinking about it.

Overcoming, for me, means doing a least a few household chores consistently. Starting the day with our bed made always makes me feel better, and Rob too, since he always makes a point of thanking me when I do it. I like clean surfaces, even if I know that a "vortex of crap" is lurking behind closed doors. One other mind trick that helps me when I'm overwhelmed with the mundane repetitiveness of it all, is to focus on the person (or people) I'm serving. Thinking of Ainsley while I fold her tiny, fancy, girly clothes always makes me smile.

Overwhelming: trying to help not just my own two boys, but a group of Webelos, and now 11 year-old boy scouts earn their rank advancements and merit badges. Anyone who read my Ode to Lois Banks will know what kind of standard I'm trying to live up to. It's a pretty big deal. Overwhelming pretty much sums it up.

Overcoming. Here's the thing though. I love this quote by Kahlil Gibran, "Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." I really want to be someone who makes a difference in other people's lives, the way I've seen Lois make a difference in Robbie's life. I don't think this is something that just happens without any effort. I hope I will make the most of this opportunity.

Overwhelming is feeling over-scheduled. My schedule is pretty relaxed compared to others. I know this, but also know myself well enough to know that I need down-time almost as much as I need clean counters. :) I want the kids to have opportunities to develop talents and discipline, so we're involved in piano, scouting, sports, ballet, sewing lessons, etc. I want to be involved in their education, and so I volunteer in their classrooms and help in the PTA. Yet I hate feeling like I don't have time to read, which restores me.

Overcoming: Although I love every opportunity to sit down and turn actual pages, when there just isn't time, I listen to audiobooks. There are many books that I actually prefer the audio version. The Harry Potter series, narrated by Jim Dale, is amazing; and The Help and Ender's Game were both better listening than reading. Today I finished a spy novel that Rob recommended, The Kill Artist, by Daniel Silva. Not very high-brow, just some suspense. Sometimes that's exactly what I need in my upward-spiral efforts. I almost never watch TV, but have just discovered the BBC's Downton Abbey, so I can add that to my guilty-pleasure escapism.

Whew. That's a long, semi-confessional post. One written mostly for my kids, since I hope it's a lesson they'll learn much earlier than I did. Anyone have any good ideas for next's month's twelve photos?

H - E - Double Toothpicks.

Here's how Photo Scrooge envisions it:

I had to spell it out because my kids are offended by my potty mouth. If they come across this word in the scriptures, they'll protest ("Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to...I AM NOT SAYING THAT WORD").

But they'd probably agree with Rob. No one loved the ordeal of going for our first ever professional family portrait. Not even me, and hello, I'm the Photo Nazi. I got stressed over what to have everyone wear, haircuts, getting it all washed and ironed, checking kids out of school early, and trying to achieve the impossible feat of having us all looking decent at the same time.

I did relax and stop snapping at everyone once we were there. Everyone I've worked with at Busath has been so professional and nice. I asked our photographer, Dave, if his assistant could take a picture of him taking our picture, for the blog and year-end slideshow. He told me he gets that request all the time, being such a famous photographer. :)

I just hope we'll have at least one good photo and it'll be worth all the work. If it turns out anything like these photos, I'll be thrilled.

Guilt-Trip

That's an appropriate name for our girl's weekend at St. George. I mean, it was a fun weekend with Melissa and Judy (and Ralph) and no kids. We enjoyed the warm weather, eating out, general conference and several chick flicks. But our real reason for going was a massive dose of guilt. Here's the deal. When Robbie was born I started scrapbooking, and finished up his baby book well before Joey was born. I had Joey's one-year book completed before Ellie was born. I only completed about half of Ellie's book before I had Ainsley, and in the five years since then, I haven't done a single page. After reading Council of Dads, I decided this would be one of my biggest regrets if anything happened to me. And after reading The Happiness Project, I decided to tackle something I'd been procrastinating. I knew it'd never happen at home, where there is always another load of dishes or laundry to be done before I could even begin, so the plan for a weekend away was hatched. We're lucky to have such supportive husbands, and welcoming parents/in-laws!



I always wonder, as I'm doing the ten million things that have to be done in order to leave town, if it's even worth it. But this trip was, if only to see Ainsley's smile as she looked through the beginning of her book.

Shutter Happy

I'm backdating this a couple of weeks because I'm sort of OCD, and would like this on the date it happened, not when I'm finally getting around to posting it.

So, back to Melissa's birthday. It was a day of firsts. The first day of our new monthly birthday dinner with the Marshes.

And our first dinner at their new high-rise condo downtown!

Also, the first of many great photo shoots while downtown. The flower beds at Temple Square were uncharacteristically empty, ready for tulips just before conference, but we had plenty of great backdrops on the public square just below their building.

For every photo of smiling kids I have at least five with silly faces:

See? Smiling:

And silly:

And lots of silly poses too. Here's Joey, a.k.a. Percy Jackson, controlling the waters:

This got a few smiles from people passing by:

This kid is not a poser at all.

Neither is this kid.

It must be genetic.

Happy Birthday Melissa! Sorry about the toilet in your yard...

Rob is delighted about his thoughtful birthday gift for his only sister, and you can see why—who wouldn't want a lovely pink toilet (especially with a disgusting stained seat) in their front yard? I can't wait to see what the Stringhams come up with for Rob's birthday.

Rob's Really Cold Ride

Luckily Melissa posted details of the 1st Annual Team Firestorm Bike Ride on her blog, since I wasn't there to take photos or retell the adventure. Firestorm is a team that was formed to support Rob's friend and fellow-cyclist, Ben Jacobsen, in his fight against cancer. Ben passed away last fall (you can read his last blog post here, but make sure you have a kleenex). Ben was an amazing person, so I guess it's no surprise that almost a hundred people were riding Emigration Canyon in his honor on Saturday, in spite of the freezing temperatures, snow and ice. Ben's widow, Allison, hosted a Pizza and Pasta party at her house the night before, and had food and drinks (including hot chocolate) at the start/finish line too. She is also amazing.

I asked Rob to pose for a photo when he got home, but had forgotten to change my camera settings from the ones I used at night, so my photo was completely overexposed by the bright snow. When I tried to tone down the highlights in iPhoto, I decided this had an Andy Warhol quality to it, so I'm posting it anyway.

I did eventually get the settings right.

You know it's March Madness...

...when we've got not one, but two games going during dinner.

Doily Bones

Robbie broke a toe this morning before school. I thought it might be dislocated, because of the way it was angled, but a trip to our pediatrician's office confirmed that it was broken, and it wasn't a nice clean break. They sent us up to Primary Children's ER to have an orthopedist look at it. When Robbie told him that he had simply stubbed it on our ottoman, the orthopedist asked if we had a family history of brittle bones. I told him that I've never had a broken bone, but that Rob has had at least eight. Let's hope Robbie doesn't beat his record. Four hours and hundreds of dollars later we came home with a taped toe and an orthopedic shoe. I guess I can't complain much, this is our first broken bone, and he doesn't even need a cast.

Jackpot!

We had a dinner and service auction for our ward's Relief Society birthday party tonight, and I scored!!

First, this is what I took to auction off:

The Tollhouse Pie was in the contest judged by the bishopric (sort of unfair that I knew Rob's favorite) and won "best tasting" before being raffled off.

The apron was in the silent auction, along with a cooking lesson from me, with the winner keeping whatever we make. I scored here, because now I have an excuse to hang out with someone I already like and want to get to know better.

I also scored big in the live auction, when I won this:

If you can't read the small print, it's a "Romantic Weekend Away." Free babysitting for the weekend! The cute girl who gave this away is even a professional nanny. Inside the basket is a bottle of sparkling cider and two wine glasses. Time to brainstorm a fun (and romantic) getaway.

Most holidays = sugar overload

It's already been well-documented here that I'm barely competent as a mom, so it's no surprise that I let my kids consume nutritionally-devoid Lucky Charms and chocolate coins on St. Patrick's Day. I need to work on some non-food holiday traditions...

Intentions vs. Reality

When I went to the store today I picked up a bottle of green nail polish—I figured it'd be a fun surprise for them and some bonding time for us. But by the time we finished homework, dinner, showers and hair, it was their bedtime, and apparently past mine, because I was a grouch. I kept telling them (and not in a nice way) to "Quit wiggling," "Stop being silly" and "Don't touch anything, because I don't want to have to redo this!" Then, instead of doing something to make them smile naturally for the obligatory photo, I growled, complained and sulked: "Fine, I guess if you don't like the polish enough to look at me and smile, I won't buy any more." Poor girls. Somehow they managed to be happy about the polish in spite of their impatient, tired mom. Maybe the thought counts for something.

Brandon Mull Fans

Although I went to the Fablehaven launch party with the boys last year and the year before, and I loved them, I had already made plans for tonight, so we let them go on their own. They had a great time, and even handed the camera to a nice mom sitting behind them to take a photo, per my request. Many thanks to Brandon Mull, for making reading fun, for my boys, and for me! I'm looking forward to reading Beyonders, but I'm third in line.

So Proud

What is a mom-blog without a little bragging? Really, how can I pass up an opportunity to show the world that my son can fit an entire cupcake into his mouth?

Speaking of swimming...

Robbie's swim team has started playing water polo once a week or so and he loves it. I was hoping to pick him up from practice early enough to get some photos, but Joey had a friend over and I got there just after they finished. So instead I took the opportunity to take this rare photo of Robbie and Jonas. Rare because it may be the first time (since they were babies anyway) that Jonas has hair shorter than Robbie's. Robbie hates his hair long, and has been begging to get it cut for months, but I think it looks great. He's nearly a teenager, so maybe his rebellion can be to buzz it off. Don't tell him, but I think I can live with that.

A willing sacrifice

Ainsley has been begging to swim for the past month or two, so I finally signed her up for a class and she is in heaven. Two hours before her lesson today she informed me that she was ready to go and she'd just be waiting in the car. She also told me how sorry she was that I had to be a mom instead of a swim teacher. ;)

Just what the doctor ordered.

Rob tells me he misses the daily photo. And since I live to make him happy, here it is:

I've been cooped up inside WAY too long, and I'm sick to death of back/neck/shoulder injuries, not to mention cold weather. So when I woke up to 18 inches of new snow today, my immediate reaction was definitely the half-empty perspective. Thank goodness for an invitation to go snowshoeing from my eternally optimistic and outgoing friend. I enjoyed the blue skies, sunshine, fresh air, conversation and fun of watching two cute girls and one cute puppy practically swimming in the deep snow (even better since it wasn't my puppy). Mental health day. :)