We went to a bird sanctuary today to see the bald eagles that have come for the winter. Those are awesome birds.

Red Fashion

When Camryn was two, she told everyone her name was Red Fashion. She wore a nasty tinkerbell costume and one glove (her "bakka") every day. When she was three, she said," A bad guy told me yesterday,'You have a beautiful heart!' and I told him,'Yes, but you can't have it, sneaky!" She's toned things down a little, but I still see a little of Red Fashion now and then. Like this recent entry in her school journal:

I look around and I couldn't see anything.

I found the glasses that I'm wharing.

I live in a house.

I got kicked out of the party.

I heared a small sound.

I can live without sugar.

I don't like a cow.

How do you do the splits.

Right now I am happy.

I almost never use my mouth during school.

I always have a eye brow in my eye.

Politically Speaking - Life is Like a Metaphor

So the Inauguration happened, did you know? I'm trying really hard to be supportive and to lose some of my bias. I want to. It's just really hard. Yesterday in wal*mart, a lady got excited talking to her friend and said,"We're taking over!!!" I heard that right after hearing a bunch of people BOO President Bush and sing,"Na na na na! Na na na na! Hey! Hey! Hey, goodbye!" as he left the White House. Tacky. It hurt my heart. As unpopular as it is, I have a strong love for President Bush. We had a Family Home Evening about him last week. We told the kids about integrity and standing up for what you believe even if it's hard and unpopular. We told a story about President Bush stopping at a refueling in Alaska and spending a great amount of time with the family of a fallen soldier. We read some of his personal testimony of Jesus Christ and also his own conviction that he was called to do what he did and that he knew he'd have to make tough decisions. Even before he was elected he made a promise to never move from his morals - no matter how much it hurt his standing with the majority. We ended the evening writing him "Thank You" notes. Camryn's said,"I like how you don't try to be cool, you try to be good" and it was signed "your biggest fan". Ha ha. Sienna's said,"We are sorry you can't be president anymore and hope you can have a good break. Keep in touch!!" I don't know if he will, but, you know, maybe. 

I believe history will be kind to President Bush. We don't have all the facts. What we do know is that he is a man of faith. He prays daily and millions prayed for him. We were kept safe while he was in office. A ruthless dictator was taken out of power saving many lives. A form of democracy was taken to a place that would have never gotten it on its own. Millions of people risk their lives to vote in Iraq. That tells me that there are many grateful people there. Quite a few of my friends have been deployed there and they come back glad we're doing what we are doing. Like I said, we don't have all the facts. What I do know is that a man I believe to be good spent many a sleepless night trying to keep me and my family safe. He worked hard at an impossible job for eight years only to be received with hatred and mocking. Moses freed the children of Israel from the Egyptians and led them around in the wilderness for 40 years. I'm sure he was not very popular most of the time. He was not well-spoken and I'm sure that lead many people to believe he was stupid. He condemned the eat, drink and be merry attitude of his followers and begged them to take responsibility for their own actions. Sounds familiar. 

I'm grateful for President Bush. I hope he can relax and be happy. He deserves a bunch of hugs and a long nap. I hope the Lord blesses him with peace, understanding and the ability to let go of his mantle and be freed from the worry he has carried around for the last eight years.

So on to my metaphor. Always metaphors with me... well, sometimes I'll employ a good simile. This is what I feel about the whole OBAMAMANIA!!!! Wahooooooo! situation we've got going on. I feel like a parent watching my thirteen year-old daughter experience infatuation for the first time. (Have you seen the people crying and passing out if Obama even looks at them? Wow.) And maybe the boy she's sure is the one forever and ever isn't really the boy I would choose for her. "He's DREAMY!!!" she says. She's sure they will get married someday and live happily ever after. I have been infatuated before. I understand those feelings. But those intense feelings either die or change into something more real. Infatuation itself doesn't last. It's thrilling and exhausting. I'm watching my daughter (metaphorically) go crazy for this boy and I know it can turn out one of about three ways: 

First, he may prove me wrong. Maybe he is a great guy. Maybe he treats her well and she's a better person when she's with him. I hope so. I've seen the kids he hangs out with and I've heard some of the things he has said and I don't think that's the case, but maybe? That would be great.

Or, secondly, he might do something horrible and her bubble will burst and she'll come home, throw herself on her bed and cry her eyes out. Boys are fickle. He might change his mind. He may have promised her one thing but have done another. After a mourning period, she'll walk away wiser and hopefully choose better next time. Also not a horrible reality.

The third option is the one I fear. In the heat of the moment, basking in all this infatuation, she could let her guard down and let him have his way with her. She could end up with a disease or pregnant. She might let him ruin her and her chances for future happiness. This is the reason her immense, quick, die-without-you love is so scary to me. She's jaded by the fact that this dreamy guy is in her life and she's not thinking clearly. He pretty much has a green light. I hope he treats her well or she figures him out before it's too late.

So that's it. I'm sorry for those whom I may have offended, I didn't mean to. I just felt a need to get my feelings out. I love America. I'm happy to see everyone feeling positive about the President and the government for a change. I hope everything turns out better than I have a feeling it might. As metaphorical parents, there's no stopping this love. Let's not lose our heads. We just have to hope, pray and try to set a good example for our daughter America. Let's just love her the best we can. It's all we can do.

And I thought that we walked on water....

Our lake froze! I knew all that horrible weather was happening for a reason. Have you ever walked on a frozen lake in the sun with no snow around? It's surreal. You can see rocks and moss and dead bodies under your feet. It's like walking on water... literally. "Literally" has to literally be the most overused word ever.

our family

Here's our family picture that we sent out with the very few unorganized mess of cards that actually made it to the mailbox. We took the picture the day after Halloween. Jaym had a nice handlebar mustachio but trimmed it to this for the picture. My mom thinks he looks like a super-hot movie star. I think he looks like a perv. Don't get me wrong, he's an attractive perv. He's my perv. 

Preslie and Camryn's dresses were mine and Lexi's when we were little. How authentic and ugly. I have vivid memories of going to Miniworld at Easter or Christmas time on the rare occasion that my mom didn't sew us something. So much lace and fluffiness. So scratchy and short. "Is that a Jessica McClintock? Wow." 

When I went looking for inspiration, it seemed like every picture I found had the girls in the fluffy-fluff and the boys in a tshirt. How was that ok to the moms of the world? "Nah, don't worry about him. He's just a dumb boy. Girls! Come get some more lace!" Ha ha ha ha.

I'm sorry about my Christmas Card issues. I didn't send one local one out... except maybe to the Bishop? (I have to kiss up to keep my sweet calling). I meant to hand them out with something homemade or at least at church, but I missed the last two weeks due to children's yak. I have a bunch leftover... maybe I'll cross out "Meowy Christmas" and give them out on people's birthdays. Just kidding. I'm even worse at birthdays. Well then what should I do with them? Oh, I know. I'll stack them on top of a bookcase for a couple years and then put them in a box in storage until some sort of moisture causes me to throw them away. Yes, that'll do perfectly.

There's a Run in my Nose

Brrr. When I woke up this morning I could see my breath. I thought,"I knew it would be cold, but this is ridiculous!" When I forced myself out of bed it was all I could do to not climb back in and never get out. What the heck? I went to the thermostat which said it was 48° in my house. Yikes! It was below zero outside, so I guess I wasn't a pioneer, but yikes, right? I reset the system and nothing happened. I took warm clothes up to my kids and proceeded to dress them under the covers. Hats, scarves, legwarmers. They were still cold eating their breakfast of Life and shivers. I went down and flipped some toggles in the control room... ok, the switchbox... to no avail. Freezoid. So I took the big kids to school and came back to see if there was maybe a pilot light out or something? I am dumb in the ways of furnaces. Forgive. Instead, I found a bunch of Mason's junk at the base of the furnace and every switch in the "off" position. When did he do that? I should try watching my kids sometimes. Brrrr and also grrrr.

One way to get warm is to run. (What a transition. That one's for you, Mr. Jeffries.) Melanie and Lexi have decided to join me in Nashville for the half-marathon in April. Awesome. And crazy. I'm glad they signed up before they realized that only crazies run. We all have the Nike+ thingies and we are racing. I'm losing. It's pretty frustrating to be the only one who has run and to be the slowest, but instead of anger or jealousy - I'M SO HAPPY!! I can't describe the feeling of crossing that line. I can't wait to see them do it!! I get a little teary thinking about it. We Prices aren't an athletic bunch. Put us in a parking lot with any other family and at the "race you to the car!" shout, we stand with our arms in the air: "We give. We cannot run to the car." So this is quite a thing they are doing.

Check out my little runner chick on the side. I went a whole half mile on my last run. I'm hoping putting her on here will make me more accountable.

any guesses?

I should have so much to say but I have no time to think about what and how to say it. I'm in the winding up scenes of the Bazzill catalog and am not quite sure which way is up. (Note to employer - I'll never work overtime during Christmas break again no matter how adorable your rick-rack-pom-pom-textured-sewing-on-paper project is. In January - maybe.)

Here is what I do know:

1. Christmas happened.
2. Moon Sand is the worst substance on the face of the planet.
3. The stomach flu can go through your whole family more than once.
3a. Puke can ruin a brand new rug.
4. There is a stack of Christmas cards in my car that slipped down between the seats. I'll send them tomorrow?
5. 50 kids can fit comfortably in my house for about six hours.
6. Once you let your husband build a 15-foot screen out of your best sheet in your living room to project movies or watch the game on - he'll never be satisfied again.
7. I can say,"The Usual" at Sonic and they will get me my beverage. My friend said that's the day before an intervention.

I think that's the extent of my knowledge. Pathetic. Ask me again in few days and maybe I'll have my brain back. Love to you.