Four Sunny Days

We had four sunny days this week! January is usually so dreary, it was a JOY to have the sun shining for more than half of the days this week. I went on two runs wearing shorts! It was only in the 40s, but with the sun shining, I was able to pull off wearing shorts and long sleeves while running. Everything is so much easier and more interesting and happy when the sun is shining. 

Our week was in no way perfect. I started the week in a cranky grumpy irritable hormonal funk that took three days to lift entirely. Jeff was recovering from a nasty cold and at lower energy than usual. Jay came down with Jeff's intense cold and it lingered all week. He missed some school for it and probably should've missed more than he did. (I will resist the mom-guilt! I will!) Jeff had two high school swim meets to drive to and coach at this week, so on top of his post-cold recovery, he was gone more. 

Every morning before school, I sat down with Amber to practice a piano duet in preparation for an upcoming ensemble recital. The song is Home On the Range, and it got stuck in my head every day to the maddening point that I practiced my own piano music intensely all week in an attempt to scrub the tune of Home On the Range out of my head. Practicing Home on the Range with Amber was sheer tortuous anguish for both of us. Amber was mostly concerned with playing every single note correctly, but completely unconcerned about playing the rhythm. She sped up when she hit a familiar part and slowed way down when she came to a tricky part. Then she got mad whenever I tried to count or explain rhythm, etc. Our practice sessions were the absolute longest, white-hair-sprouting ten minutes of every day this week. 

But good things happened too! 

In order to combat Jay's cold and any other potential illnesses, I made a double batch of chicken soup in my biggest vat on Tuesday. We ate it every single night all week, and there is still half a gallon left. I boiled 9 pounds of drumsticks and added ginger along with the carrots, celery, and onions to give the broth that extra soothing depth of flavor. It was exactly what we needed.

I went to the chiropractor for the third week in a row to get my shoulder put back in place, and graduated to going every two weeks (instead of every week) because it is healing, or learning how to stay in place, or whatever shoulder joints do with regular chiropractic care. After talking with my chiropractor, I also felt hopeful that my ongoing hip issues will be resolved with enough time and treatment. I felt so hopeful and happy when I left the chiropractor, rather than achy and discouraged like I have felt after my past few appointments. Ok, I was still achy from the cracking and adjusting, but at least I had hope that it was helping!

My sweet friend whose 11 year old daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer on Christmas Eve finally got to bring her daughter home for a few days this weekend in between treatments! Our whole ward has been so worried about this sweet girl and her family, and everyone has been stepping up to help as much as possible. It is a humbling, beautiful, refining experience to see a ward family gather and serve. It was so happy to see this family at church today all together again for the first time in a month. When they walked into the chapel this morning, I think the entire ward perked up and then sighed happily at the sight.

There was an estate sale at a house on our street this week, and I took Rose and Amber to browse. I found a discounted trumpet for Jeff (he always mourns the fact that he's the only one without an instrument in our family). Amber bought a small heap of miscellaneous musty sewing and craft items with her own money. Rose also brought her wallet and purchased a massive 5-foot-tall teddy bear. I had to pull Rose into a side room at the estate sale and sniff the teddy bear to make sure it didn't stink like a dog or anything. Thankfully it passed my bloodhound sniff test, haha. 

I know I already mentioned my two runs in shorts, but it was so awesome, I will say it again: I wore shorts on two different runs on two different days this week! Sweet sweet freedom! I could feel the vitamin D soaking into my leg bones while I ran.

Last but not least, I managed to record two cute kid-moments. Big kids don't stop being cute; they just exhibit cuteness in different ways.

Moment #1. Quick background: when the middle school gym teacher tells Rose's class to walk laps if they don't want to play the daily game, Rose chooses to run laps instead, and she's getting a reputation as a runner.

Rose: I have a nickname in gym class: track girl. 

Me: is it a nice nickname, or a mean one, or a joking one?

Rose: I think all three of those?

Moment #2. On Friday morning, Jay was gushing snot and doing his best to gear up for the school day. (Arg, I still feel guilty for letting him go to school like that, but he wasn't actively sick, just super congested.) I handed Jay a packet of tissues and hugged him goodbye. Jay opened the door and stepped outside. In his quiet thoughtful voice, almost under his breath, he said "oh, it's a beautiful sunrise." My heart about burst with love for my sweet son who noticed the beautiful light on the horizon even while he was heading into the cold darkness to go to school with a miserably congested head.

Sun. An actual shadow. This was a good run.

Shorts! Sunshine on the mint field!

Cute sisters playing with sticks outside.

Mt. Adams was our nearly constant companion on the horizon this week. I love it when he pops out to say hello.

I did a series of self portraits for my daily drawings last week. It was hard and fun to try different styles and mediums. I laughed a lot because doing hard artwork can either be frustrating or hilarious. Usually for me, it's hilarious because I have very limited high-school level art skills.

I convinced the girls to sweep the debris off of the trampoline and they jumped in the sunshine! It's been months since they jumped. They said they only agreed to get on the trampoline because recent rain washed off all of the bird poop. 

Sunny artistic inspiration.

The old Sugar Beet Factory near Walmart in Sunnyside, taken after another sunny run.

Jay has grown so much that his sweatpants don't really fit anymore, so we took his measurements and  ordered him some jeans in his size: a 28 inch waist, and a 32 inch inseam. By the time the jeans arrived a week later, they were barely long enough. Seriously, will they even fit once we wash them? Thankfully we found a source of somewhat affordable jeans and plan to order Jay some 28x34 jeans soon. This may be getting redundant to say, but THE BOY IS GROWING. He looks so handsome and teenagerish in his sleek new jeans.

Family prayer time: cue for Amber to go wild. Jeff was at a swim meet on this night.

Indoor pictures in the winter are the worst, especially in a minimally lit house like ours. So fuzzy and dark and strange color balance.

The sun inspires me to run so much, I had to be smart and trade running for walking one day in order to rest and recover my legs. I love this view of the grapes arching up and over the hill, with the white tip of Mt. Adams peeking over the center-left horizon.

Jay's sunrise.

Rose and Amber, with their estate sale merchandise.

This next series of pictures is called Rose and Her Teddy Bear.

Amber hand sewed a small pink bag with her estate sale purchases. Of course she got flaming mad and frustrated because sewing is hard, but she is very interested in sewing right now and it is cute when she's happily stitching large loopy seams.

This large piece of stretchy lace that Amber bought at the estate sale has given her lots of joy.

I got a box of markers with 24 different skin tones this week, and tested all 24 of them on a double-page spread in my sketchbook.

The white streak in my hair is extra visible with my hair this way. My sisters and I have decided to call our gray and white hairs "sparklers." I think my collection of sparklers must've doubled this week from playing that piano duet with Amber every day...