Guess Who's Coming to Play

The next two weeks are going to be full of all kinds of fun.

We may spend a few days in our pajamas.

There will be lots of cooking and baking and eating.

We will exchange the latest recipes we have discovered and try some new ones.

My kids will overwhelm her with requests to: listen to my song, or come see my room, or play a game with me, or read a book to me.

I might try to talk her into helping me paint my hallway (she won't want to do it), I will try to get her to help me finish this other thing I'm working on.

She will most likely help me fold some laundry.

There will be gossip, not the malicious kind, the informative kind.

I predict an encore of our Les Mis sing along.

She won't love the dog, but she'll tolerate her. Sara hates dogs.

I will spend ample energy and time hugging and kissing and smooshing her little boy . . . all that blonde fluff . . .

We will dream of the day that we live just down the road from each other.

We will watch movies and stay up (not too) late.

When she leaves, I will feel refreshed, loved, full.

The First Two Weeks

We waited until the right time to add a furry friend to our family. I don't have any little babies and three of the four kids are old enough to help significantly with the various tasks of taking her outside, feeding her, refreshing her water and whatever else might come up.

Creed cleans up the mess she makes in the backyard with a smile.

She snuggles with Stella on the floor.

She likes to get a head start on projects, like taking down the Christmas tree.

She gets everyone outside and playing together for hours at a time in the middle of winter.

We love Ginger.

2010: A List

The Highs:

• After years and years and years of sacrifice, Robert finished his Residency and took a job here in Des Moines.
• We have amazing local friends who recognized the significance of the above event and the fact that we might be feeling lonely with no family around with whom to celebrate and surprised us with a steak dinner. Having friends that celebrate your triumphs is a true blessing.
• Jack is now old enough to be left in charge for short periods of time.
• Robert and I dated each other more this year than we have in a long, long time.
• Hot Chocolate for Haiti was a huge success. The kids raised over $200 from generous friends, neighbors, and church members (including the Mons kids' piggy bank) and donated it to the Red Cross. They had their picture in the Red Cross Newsletter and were hailed local heroes. I don't know any other kids who devise and execute plans like that. They teach me so much every day.
• The boys are doing their own laundry which means that instead of announcing to me that they have no clean socks, they blame each other when their socks run low. That's okay with me, because guess what! I don't have to do their laundry anymore.
• Everyone is participating more in all household duties, so I (mostly) don't feel so overwhelmed.
• Stella began taking piano lessons, Creed continues to study piano, and Jack started taking guitar lessons. They all performed in our Christmas Eve talent show. Creed's talent wasn't actually musical. His talent was "Beating My Crocodile Senseless."
• Jack and Creed both continue to be active in Scouts. Jack earned his Arrow of Light and Crossed Over from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts. His Scoutmaster is an inspiration. Creed is a Bear Scout for another two months.
• Stella is still a little ballerina. Her life motto seems to be "Why walk when you can dance?"
• My mom married a wonderful man with an incredible family. He flew us all to Seattle so that we could participate in the celebrations.
• I gave my first Wedding Toast.
• We got a Dog!
• My brother, Elder Scott Wait completed his mission and came to spend a few days with us.
• Many of our Iowa friendships were fortified with lots of fun time together.
• Our family relationships were fortified with lots of time together.
• Our front room was only one color during 2010 . . . and . . . I don't anticipate changing it during 2011.
• We are honored to have a close family member serving in the military in the Middle East.

The Lows:

• Lolo was diagnosed withr Cancer (but he keeps defying the odds!)
• Great Grandma Rose passed away. I need to write about her, she was an amazing woman.
• I consumed significantly more calories than I burned this year.
• Although we travelled over 30,000 miles all over the country from one coast to the other, we spent zero time on any beach anywhere.
• I still haven't met any of my dad's wife's kids.
• Eddie moved away.
• Our hamster, Guilty Spark, died. We held an intimate memorial service in the backyard.
• We all had moments of loneliness or hurt feelings at one time or another this year, and we tended to blame it on the fact that we live in Iowa instead of Utah. Lame and unfair, I know.
• Although we took many trips to Utah in 2010, we didn't get to spend much time with friends. I miss everyone so much.
• We read fewer books together as a family this year than we have in any previous year.
• We have a close family member deployed in the Middle East away from his wife and child.

The In-Betweens:

• We have cell phones.
• We are keeping cleaner bedrooms.
• We started repaying student loans.
• We installed hardwood floors.