A Family First

I think these pictures say it all. We all had another snow day, even Dave! We are lucky enough to live right next to this great sledding hill. The kids were excited to try out their new $4 sleds, they did not disappoint. Olivia. all bundled up in her snow gear, looked hilarious. And its like she knew it too because she just kept laughing after we got her dressed. She lasted about 3 minutes, we didn't take into consideration how windy it was at the top of the hill, really it was miserable. We put Olivia back in the warm car and started up a Baby Einstein show. She was happy to hangout there for the next 30 minutes while the rest of the crew got down to some serious fun. Luke was amazing. Didnt care if he ate it. Didnt care if he was wet or cold. He just wanted to climb back up that hill and do it again, it got Dave really excited about starting him on snowboarding in a few weeks time. Ella had a blast, especially when she got to go down with Mom and Dad. It wasn't the being alone she cared about it was the fact that when she was sledding solo she ended up falling off by the end of the run. She was not too happy with the face plow into the snow. But she was quick to forgive her purple sled and soon decided not to let it stop her.

Man, it was a fun day!!! I cant believe we finally bought a sled and took the kids, why did we ever wait so long?

Not my favorite tradition...

There is almost nothing that I like about carving Pumpkins. Its messy and its time consuming. And it smells bad. I hate the feeling of slimy pumpkin pulp on my hands. I hate the feeling of pickling out slick seeds. The only part about Halloween Pumpkins that I like is going to the Pumpkin Patch. And we didn't even get to do that this year, which was really hard on me. I felt so defeated and embarrassed grabbing our pumpkins off of a wooden palette at King Soopers. It went against everything I believe. But it was either that or nothing, as we were hours away from being hit by this huge storm and there were approximately 10 pumpkins left in the city of Parker. Seriously. By the time I left the store there was not a single pumpkin left in the bunch, not even the deformed ones.
So I will participate in this tradition for 3 reasons and 3 reasons only....


I have never seen kids so excited to do this....



Im glad we don't have to do this for another year. But, mark my words, we will hit the pumpkin patch next time around.

A snowy day in October

As a Child, like most, I always wanted to live where there was snow. From the ages of 5 through 7 I got to experience Utah Winters. They were magical. I was hooked.

As an Adult I still craved those snowy Winter days. Living in Orange County you can imagine how often I got to race a sled down a hill, recently blanketed with white snow. Never. Sure there was the occasional visit up to Big Bear but they were few and far between. When Dave was accepted into the Art Institute of Chicago one of the first things that entered my mind was " Illinois. It snows in Illinois!!!" That childhood excitement caught hold and I couldn't wait.

As Summer came to an end and the chill started to hit the air I could almost smell the snow. Despite others telling me of all the inconveniences that snow brings, especially to an adult, I was still sure we would become fast friends.

To this day I love snow. And I mean LOVE. I endure Summer, barely, knowing that every day that comes and goes is a day closer to cooler Weather. When Fall hits the air it literally awakens me. There is something about putting on that first cozy sweater of the Season. And then it hits. So quickly after that first sweater. The snow.

I love it all. I still feel as a Child, running through it. Checking my tracks behind me, catching snowflakes on my tongue, making snowballs and snow angels.I love to speed down a tall hill on a slick, plastic sled. I love the way the city looks, so uniform. Everything covered in bright, white snow.. To me it is special and it is magical. And it is everything I remember it being as a 5 year old.

True, with it comes slushy streets and wet shoes. It is a hassle to shovel the walk and the driveway. It does take forever to bundle kids up. My car's mats need a good cleaning after a while in it and it can prevent us from staying on schedule. But I still love it. And its totally worth it for me. Just look at these kids faces. They were almost as happy as I was today. Our first official snow day of the Season.

13 months old

Being your Mommy is the greatest thing in the World. You are so fun and happy. I recently discovered that you are much more of a Mama's girl than I have ever know. While in CA you would not go to anybody and would cry the moment I walked away. It made for 1 tired Mommy but it also made me glad. I have never has a child who needed me the way I feel like you do. Its good for my ego. You love to eat, even though you were loosing weight as of your last Dr. visit. At 16 lbs. 10 oz. you still fit well into your 6-12 month clothes. I thought this elephant costume was appropriate for my little peanut.

You learn new words just about every day at this point. Yesterday was "shoe". I love this stage, its so fun and exciting.

I love you my sweet, sweet girl.

Some things that I learned

This past week I have learned a lot. It was quite amazing actually. I thought I'd share a few of them.

1. I can take 3 kids, by myself, from a parking structure to check-in, through security and on a 2 1/2 hour plane ride. Along with 3 kids I can also manage a double stroller, 2 backpacks, an Ariel Doll, a huge diaper bag, 2 large suitcases a purse and a travel cot. I never thought I could do this, turn's out... I can. And I did. Twice.

2. I can miss an entire week of my TV shows and not even flinch about it. Because there was no time to watch them anyways.

3. I can go 8 days without caffeine.

4. I can get my hair done while entertaining a tired, clingy 12 month old on my lap for the entire 90 minutes.

5. I can take 3 little ones to Disneyland without a Husband to hold anyone or help me open and close a stroller.




6. Sometimes you just have to put your baby on the dirty ground at Disneyland in order to have 2 hands which are necessary for opening up a double stroller.

7. I am stronger than I thought I was.

8. I am more independent than I thought I could be.

9. I can maneuver carseats and seatbelts each time I am in a SUV that was clearly never made to have 3 car seats in its tight row. This takes about 5 minutes each time and I have scratches and bruises on my fingers but I did it. Though I can't promise that there weren't inappropriate words going through my head. I can not express how huge of a pain this was.

10. I need my Husband more than I ever realized before, he's the best Dad out there. And such a great support for me constantly.

11. I can hold a 1 year old while putting a 3 year old and a 5 year old(though not at the same time, that really would be a feat) on a tall, slippery carousel horse. Tricky but doable.



12. 10 days as a single parent were hard. I was really tired and really frustrated. And that was even with a few family and friends to help out on occasion.

13. There is magic in being friends with someone who insists that you drop your 2 older kids off for an impromptu slumber party so that you can help your Sister a little more.

14. Getting a manipedi in a salon can make a 3 year old happy for days. A huge thanks to "Aunt" Jenny. Big moment in Ella's life.



15. A trip like this can be great birth control!!!!

16. I can fit into an airplane bathroom with a 13 month old and an almost 4 year old. Its a little tight but we can do it. Just as long as I can have the door open afterwards to help pull pants up.

17. The Nordstroms Rack's in CA are waaaayyyy better than the one's in CO. Its maybe a good thing though, keeps me from going much.

18. That you can be in a chemo room with one of your closest friends and laugh so hard that tears stream down your face.

19. I can spend a hot afternoon at the alleged " Happiest Place on Earth" and still have the energy to do it all again till closing (9pm that night) with Luke. This, by the way, was super fun! I loved being with my SIL and watching Luke with his rad Cousins.




20. My kids are better than I give them credit for being. They are, simply put, amazing!!! I am one lucky Mama!


21. Last but not least, clearly, I will never go on vacation again without my camera. Though I really didn't have anywhere to put it... anywhere! You know what? I will just never go on a vacation again with all the kids and no Husband. If I have a Husband, he'll carry the camera!


.... And I love my Litttle Sister more than I could ever say. I am so happy she is recovering so well from such a major surgery.



Check out this rad scar, it goes even further down too.



It was a great little vacation. I was so tired and so busy but it was well worth it. I loved spending time with a few friends and family. I especially loved having so much 1 on 1 time with my little sister. I love her so much!!! I only wish I could do more for her while I was there.

Proof

That Olivia is the sweetest, best behaved 12 month old ever.

Olivia had had a hard time putting on weight, we all know this by now, no? So at her 12 month appointment they were pretty worried when she went from a pretty consistent 3rd % to being off the charts. They had me come back at a later day to do a weight check with the Doctor who knows her so well. Today was that day.

Weight? Well, she lost an ounce in 3 weeks. Not what they wanted to see. Puts her even further off the chart than before. The good news? She now gets to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast to her hearts content. Bad news? Dr. Gill checked her ears and saw that she had a terrible ear infection in BOTH! She asked if she'd been grumpy? Sleeping poorly? This was the case last week but I thought it was all teething related. I told her I even had a friend check her ears to be sure and that all looked well. She let me know that even if things were clear a week ago these things can go downhill really fast. Which they did for Liv.

The funny part is that my friend told me to look for higher fevers, to watch for poor sleeping. He told me that if she was grumpy or upset to bring her in. I watched for all of those things and she was fine. She ate well, the past few days she has slept about 17-18 hours in a 24 hour period, pretty normal for her. So I never thought of it again.

Right, so I felt like Mom of the year today.

Again, does this just not prove that sometimes no good can come from being so good and happy. The Dr. said she should be miserable. But my girl? Its just not in her I guess.

Sorry Olivia... and why are you so perfect?! I am just one lucky Mama.

Motherhood

I have chosen to be a Wife and a Mother for a living. This was a fact that I felt as far back as my memory will allow me to go. I never longed to be among the stars as an Astronaut or to treat the wounds of small animals as a Veterinarian. I never envisioned standing at the head of a classroom as a Teacher or for pleading the case of clients in a courtroom. My future would be filled with children and carpools and play dates and washing. I knew that my hands were given to me by a Father in Heaven for tucking little one's in to bed, turning the pages of a book as I read to my child and pulling little socks onto even smaller feet.

But never in my wildest imaginations could I have known what I know now. Certainly I have become that Astronaut, only the stars I am among are not made of hydrogen and helium but of flesh and bone . And a Doctor, bandaging wounds and wiping tears. Prescribing medicine of my choice, a hug or a kiss is my most popular choice. I have been teaching little minds day in and day out for 5 1/2 years with no break and no pay. Teaching the importance of integrity, Faith, compassion and kindness. Teaching how important it is to not only know how to read and to write but to love and to understand. And I have become that Lawyer, pleading my Children's cases. Fighting for what they need without a moments thought of ever stopping.

Being a Mother is both everything I ever though it would be and nothing like it at all. Because how could I have ever imagined a Luke or an Ella or an Olivia? My mind could have never thought up such things. Because there is nothing like them in the entire World. And I am so grateful that I get to go through this journey of life with them by my side, teaching me and loving me.

An afternoon gone wrong?

Dave and I wanted to do something fun today. He's leaving on Thursday morning for a conference in NY and the kids and I will be in CA for a week as of Saturday. We wanted to do something new, something different. We rarely get up to the mountains and so it hit us. We got the kids ready and headed up to a beautiful pass in Georgetown. We could let the kids play in the Fall leaves and run around the open fields. We were very excited.

We got up to the little town in about 90 minutes, Olivia cried most of the way (yes, my girl HATES the car) And just as we headed about 100 yards up the pass we saw a big flashing sign, which read, "Pass Closed"

I was so upset. Not angry, upset. As in I wanted to cry and I was so disappointed. But I decided not to let it get the best of me. Life with 3 young kids has taught us to accept a change in plans. We have become Masters of rolling with the punches. So we drove back down, parked the car and walked around this little town, which was darling.

The kids played on rocks, we ate homemade ice cream and candy and we enjoyed being together in a new, beautiful place.

So what if I didn't get my Fall leaves shots. I got something better. Perspective. I have the best Family and being and doing anything with them is the greatest adventure.

Olivia get in shape...

Well, maybe it was just her hair getting a bit of shape. My sweet girl's hair has kind of come in in a mow hawk. This means that its was time to clean it up a tad, though there's really not a ton you can do to but to give it time. But if Ella can end up with such amazing hair then there is no doubt that Olivia will be just fine.

She was so good. After the hairdresser started pulling her hair up and cutting Olivia started to look a little worried. After a couple of tears I grabbed a lollipop, her first, and handed to her. That did it. She was so absorbed in that little sucker! I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.



So hooray for 1st haircuts!!

Olivia's Paris party

I have been a slacker in getting these up. I had hoped to have more pictures but I have discovered when you're the hostess and Mom you never get the chance to be behind a camera as much as you'd like.

It was a super fun party. We had about 60 balloons in white, bright pink and black. There were eiffel towers everywhere and lots of black and white damask. It was really pretty and sheik.

Ashley, my good friend, made the most adorable cake. It was perfect! She even made one just for Olivia to destroy. Thanks again to her, I loved them.


The note cards were for everyone to write little birthday wishes to Olivia. It was so much fun to see what sweet things, especially the little kids, wrote. And the sugar cookies were shaped like Eiffel Towers. The kids got to decorate them with icing and loads of candy. I also made Eiffel Tower chocolate sucker molds, which I never did get a picture of. They were very cute and yummy.


We had lots of great friends who came. I am so sad I didn't get a picture with everyone in the shot. We are so blessed by our wonderful friendships.


Lots of cake fun!!! She loved snacking on that yummy cake. So did I!


I know Olivia will never remember her 1st birthday but it was so much fun for me to plan. We had our Liv video and picture slideshow playing, an Olivia trivia game and lots and lots of yummy snacks. I think it was a great success!

A big thank you to my Parents who flew out for the Family celebration's. We love you so much!!!!

It happened!!!

Its official people.....


Olivia has just cut her 1st tooth!!!

Congratulations... you really do have teeth in those gums.

Im so proud!

Daves' second book will be out in about a month. It's amazing and exciting. Getting published, especially in this economy and with the kind of writing he does, is a huge deal. Dave doesn't make a big deal about it. He isn't ever the one to pat himself on the back or draw attention to his accomplishments. So I feel it my job. So this is a brag about Dave, because I know he'd never do it. And because I am a beaming Wife. So if bragging about Husbands annoys you feel free to skip this one because I cant NOT gush about this hottie.

Dave never graduated from High School. He got Mono his Sr. year and felt that playing catch up was a waste of his time. In fact, he felt all of HS was a waste of time. So, against his Parents wishes, he opted to get his GED. Obviously his Parents were concerned. Any Parent would be. They knew Dave's mind and felt that his bright future was going out the door with that test. Im sure they were worried. Im sure they were disappointed in his decision to quit on High School. Who would have guessed he would have chosen Education for a living!

The GED didn't slow him down. After taking some time at a JC he decided to hit school with some intent. He discovered what he wanted to do and never looked back.

He finished his undergraduate at Chapman, a wonderful private University in Orange, CA. He graduated with highest honors and was ready and excited to continue towards his goal. He was accepted into the #1 ranked MFA program in the Nation, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was there that he really started to get noticed for his talent. He graduated with straight A'S, an acceptance from a publishing house to publish his first book, and 2 children.

It turned out that a MFA wasn't enough for him and he craved more. University of Denver has one of the best PhD. programs in creative Writing in the Country. He was ecstatic upon finding out he'd been accepted. While at DU he has continued his straight A streak and has fallen even more in love with what he's chosen to do for a living. His first book came out during this time and his second will be out within the month. He is the only one in his program to have accomplished this.

And here we are. Some people ask if its been hard to have moved around so much, following Dave's Schooling since the day we were married. The answer is No! Its been one of my greatest happinesses. I have loved watching Dave's love and passion for what he does. I love to see how highly his work is thought of in his field. I love watching him light up when he talks about the things he writes. It has been my privilege to be with Dave through this journey of learning. I am so proud of him.

He has had some pretty incredible things written and said about him. Some compliments that have just floored from some of the most well- loved and revered writers there are in his field.

I wanted to post this, which I hope is okay. These are 2 people who are very well-known in what they do. Both were excited to write these blurbs for his upcoming book. Pretty incredible. Both of these people are about as good as they get at what they do and write.

The marvelous inventiveness of David Wirthlin’s Your Disappearance will sweep over its lucky readers in waves. Look for it lightly disguised as canaries, pencil shavings, mysterious spirals, perpetually rotating rocks, recurring dogs and fields wherein one might just vanish. Strange, lovely, generous, disturbing, Your Disappearance is the work of a writer of exceptional talent.

— Laird Hunt


Shadows play across this story of being in time where silence and subtlety are the main attractions. The shapes resulting tell us about relation, about the shifts, disappearances, and returns that define cohabitation. How we share imagined, actual, and propositional space is informed by the transformations between us. Your Disappearance goes after this with precision and an eye for those understated events that fall between the cracks.

—Renee Gladman

(Renee Gladman is a big wig at Brown University. We hope that she will remember Dave if there is ever an opening there. Teaching in their program would be Dave's dream teaching job)


Pretty cool, huhh? I love my Dave and will forever be grateful for this journey of discovery and excitement.