Celestial Beauty

The heavens never cease to amaze me, but every once-in-a-while, the beauty is breathtaking, literally.

This morning's sunrise in Alameda, CA (posted by my sister-in-law)

 This evening's sunset at the end of our street.   Couldn't even capture the lava-like colors (very similar to the sunrise colors above)

One last treat was the moon around 9PM tonight.  So large and beautiful.  The little dots of light you see in the pictures are our street lamps which give some perspective of how large the moon was.

We must have been in the midst of this beauty on a regular basis before we came to earth.  Why else would it speak to my soul the way it does?

Volleyball Qualifier #2

The Petersons spent another eight-hour day at a volleyball qualifier for Heather.  It sounds like a pain (to Jenna it kind of is), but Kelly and I love it.  This is Heather's first sport aside from the short-term teams she's played with, or run for, through school.  We love every minute of it from watching her warm up to discovering what she can do when the game is on.  She dropped a couple over the net today which was awesome.  As I watched her, I noticed that she has intense focus when it comes to tracking both the ball and the player just before it comes over the net.  She can sense when it's going to be hit or tapped, and just about where it's going to go.  She is always ready which is why she was able to drop a couple of the balls that were on the net.  Way to go Heather!

Sickness and Science

There isn't a whole lot to post when sickness is in the house.  Heather was home sick for two days last week, Jenna has been out of school this entire week with fever and congestion, and Kelly has been coming down with something.  I've been home getting laundry done, managing clutter everyday, chipping away at our office, and jetting out occasionally to go to the dentist or run errands.  And taking A LOT of vitamins.  Happily, Jenna is on the mend, but she wasn't happy when she saw the homework come home today.  We'll be cooped up this weekend with a mound of it.  

Heather and I did have time to put some science jokes together for her science teacher.  Gotta love Pinterest.  What I love more than Pinterest is that after working with both daughters on almost identical science concepts at two different grade levels, I can laugh out loud at these jokes....I GET THEM.  Before last month, I would have scratched my head.  I'm feeling pretty smug right about now.  If you don't understand them, just comment below, and I'll be happy to send you the explanations.  Just call me smarty pants.  

Impressions

I read a blog post this morning that resonated with me with such power that I don't want to forget it.  It was on a my friend's blog page, and she is a beautiful and poignant writer.  I am often inspired by the beauty of her writing when she is writing about plain old everyday stuff.  She sees beauty in the moment, and she captures those moments precisely in both her photography and her writing.  You can check out Marta's page at HERE

Marta really hit home with this one.  Enjoy...

these days i can't stop from thinking about the impression one can make. the lasting imprint that one life can create. the ripple effect; the story that your life tells. the unfolding of all of your flaws and goodness and the habits and small wrinkles and dimples–in character and appearance–that make you you. the small details that weave you into the person you have become. then there are the colorful sparks that connect you to others and suddenly make you fall for someone. not just in a lover, but a dear friend too. the awesome magic that makes two people click and just get each other (don't you love that!?). the commonalities and differences and moments that you are there for each other. the memories that you never forget. the times that cement two friends into friends for life. even if you just know each other for a season. it's the magic that was meant for that season and you never forget them. and you have this understanding: we knew each other then–our lives have moved on–but our friendship remains.

i've been contemplating what i've taken from my past and how i am shaped by who i've been connected with. i then carry the wonder of what i'm creating for my future. who i am and what i'm adding to the people in my life. what imprint am i leaving on those around me? and more importantly, is it a good one? is it an impression that will last? does what i do count? these thoughts motivate me to make moments matter.

a tragedy has befallen my friend and my heart is going out to her. it is one of those times where you feel helpless when you so badly wish you could be helpful. if nothing else, my prayers are full of her and i am reminded once again to love the nitty gritty of life. to love the wet shoes piled on the rug by the back door. the legos and the laundry. the warm bodies who land softly and surround me in my bed in the morning hours. i am reminded to love deeper and say what i mean and mean what i say and let grudges go and forgive freely. to make more pancakes. to text funny hellos and scrawl mirrored notes with lipstick. to not hesitate when i feel an urge to do something nice for someone else.

i've been reflecting on how fragile life is. how can i squeeze the most out of the opportunities i've been blessed with? how can i shine right where i am? how can i make life brighter for those who know me? i am inspired to leave an impression. to be the me that i want to be and to try to bring out the best in others. to start a revolution of loveliness in my own home. today i held my boys in my lap, rubbing their soft hair and smoothing their angel cheeks and listening to their honey-laden voices and watching them with more intensity than usual. my amazement directed at their growth and strength and innocence and potential(!!!). what a gift it is to be a mother. to be theirmother. not to forget, to be a wife. a wife to my best friend. (what a joy. i have the best job on earth.) i can't help but wonder, what will they remember? and what is it that i am giving to them in my daily living–my attitude, my language, my touches, my praises–as a lasting impression for them to hold onto. it's good for me to set aside the stuff that doesn't matter much to pause and contemplate what does.


your days make up your life.
live them well.

The past week in review...

 Soccer practice is going well with Jenna on a team with several friends.  It was cold during practice, around 46 degrees after starting out the morning at 37 degrees.  Funky weather!

 A random photo, but an event worth mentioning.  Heather has taken to making her dad lunch after church.  She came home and put together this toasted sandwich complete with a crispy cheese fry. There were several steps and several ingredients, and it was quite impressive.

 Reports and projects due on Thursday. Jenna had her Iron mobile and presentation due, and Heather had her summary on Night due along with a History report.  I think I got about four hours of sleep the last two nights, but it's all done.  Heather has been out of school with a cold Tuesday and Wednesday, and we managed to keep her caught up on some major due dates.

We went to Daisy's play Friday night along with Grace and Sheryl.  Daisy was Bob The Sheep, and she did an outstanding job. 

After church yesterday, I had to take a photo of the day.  It was 75 degrees on Sunday, quite different from Tuesday morning's 37 degrees.  We're supposed to be in the 70's this week, and back to the 60's by the weekend.  Crazy.

Volleyball Qualifier

Heather's first volleyball qualifier.  We reported at 7:30AM to a sports complex in Anaheim that felt more like a meat locker.  The girls stayed warm playing while Jenna and I sat on the bleachers all bundled up.  Heather played really well.  The team didn't do so great as a whole, so I focused on watching Heather.  She made two errors the entire day which is pretty darned spectacular for a rookie.  Actually it's pretty darned spectacular for a veteran.  She's not putting any balls away with force, but she gets her hits over, and you can see below that she has no trouble getting up for the block.  We took a picture of her against an uber tall middle block to show her the height difference, and to point out that Heather still jumps higher than these tall girls. It helps her not be intimidated.  We're very proud of her progress, and she is too.  Each week seems to bring some new learning and new skill acquisition.  It will be fun to watch her this season.

Back on the Roller Coaster

Busy week!  What's a better phrase to describe a busy week than 'back in the swing?'  Perhaps 'back on the roller coaster?' We're all feet in with homework, soccer practice, volleyball practice, choir rehearsal...it's only the second week of January, and we're looking forward to our next break!

This week...

Heather tackles homework

 Momma goes dark

 Made time for a Family Night game

 Thursday lunch after early release

OCMCO rehearsal

Back in the Swing...

It's Monday, and we're back in the swing.  It was hard to get up this morning, but I'm hoping for early bedtimes tonight (mostly for me, but maybe everyone else will follow suit).  I made cinnamon streusel muffins this morning since it takes only a few minutes to heat the new oven (new ovens are the bomb).  Heather was especially tired after school.  Her legs are hurting, she's hungry and she's  t i r e d.  Judging by the size 8.5 purchase when shoe shopping Saturday, I'm guessing she may be taller than me very soon.  Like by Thursday.  I don't know how long these growing things take.  She's off at volleyball with Kelly right now, and Jenna is playing Mindcraft with Sarah over the phone (I still don't know if 'multiplayer' is a good idea, but they are kind of cute talking on speaker phone).  Jenna and I just got back from a dog walk/bike ride in the chilly air.  I'm looking forward to a log on the fire and some cuddly time on the sofa with a huge blanket in a bit.  My evening will probably be filled with other things like dishes and monitoring homework, but I think I'll shoot for the log on the fire anyway.

Progressive Party

Saturday was a busy day for Heather.  We ran to get her some new shoes for volleyball since she's been slipping so badly on the floor.  She also spends a lot of time jumping/blocking, so she needed some cushion.  We found a pair of court shoes that should do the trick (flat surface area compared to running shoes).  The girl is wearing an 8.5.  Holy cow.

After the shoe shopping, we hurried her over to Kenzie's to start the progressive party.  The girls planned this as their get-together over the break, and all of our schedules conflicted until the Saturday before school resumed.  The moms were happy we could actually make it happen for these cuties.  I had mentioned the idea one day after school, and they took off with it.  They were so excited planning it all at school during the days before the break (without moms' input, but fortunately everything was reasonable).  They went to Kenzie's house for popcorn, sparkling cider and WiiU games, then to our house for homemade hot cocoa and a few rounds of Quelf, and then to Grace's house for a movie and dinner. The movie never happened, but dinner and being goofy were very enjoyable.  They had so much fun together.  Kaella, Kenzie's friend, joined the crew, and all the girls were sad to find out Madi was sick.  We'll have to plan another party so that Madi can come.

Jenna spent some time with Sarah while Kelly and I jetted out to grab dinner.  Dinner ended up being Jack-in-the-Box, but we were happy to have a few minutes of uninterrupted kid time.  The girls were home by 9:00PM and in bed before ten.  Early church tomorrow!

Friday, The Official Last Day

Today was the official last day of Winter Break.  I always think I should start getting the kids up a little earlier those last few days, but when it comes right down to it, I decide they should get to sleep in while they can.  We have early church on Sunday, but this will be our last weekday and Saturday to sleep in for a while.  In the grand scheme of things, will it matter if we sleep in one or two more days?  I think not.

Jenna had a small cavity filled in the afternoon, and later we had a hard time trying to figure out where we could all go to dinner and be happy (I'm not sure why, but I was feeling the last official day deserved a family night out for dinner).  We found out our friends were preparing for Soup Plantation, and we decided that was a splendid idea.  We didn't go to stalk our friends (which was a good thing because we never saw them), but we went because the buffet affords each of us the opportunity to find something to be excited about eating.  We had a coupon for a family of four, so it was a win-win.

Not an exciting day in our lives, but the girls were happy.  Sleeping in and playing Mindcraft on a school day with no homework looming is their idea of Heaven, so they were in Heaven for all the hours we were at home.  Can't ask for more than that.  I'm going to miss them Monday morning.  They sure are cute.

Movie On A Thursday

We're having fun doing things during the day when we would normally be in school.  Today it was the 11:45AM showing of Wreck-it Ralph.  We went with our friends, Sarah and Caleb.  I was predicting a painful two hours, but it was actually a good movie.  Michelle and I laughed quite a few times.

After the movie, the girls and I took Winston for a walk.  We don't often walk together (the three of us girls and the doggie).  It was nice to do something like walking the dog without worrying about homework or practices to have to get to.

On the way home from Heather's orthodontist appointment, she and I stopped by Target for a quick look at some clearance accessories (got a tip from a friend that there were some good deals).  I got this great tote for church stuff, and she picked up a new fedora.  I don't know why, but she looks cute in those hats.  I think she's wearing it tomorrow, so I'll snap a photo.

Breakfast On A Wednesday

The last few days of Winter Break called for out-of-the-ordinary activity.  Having breakfast at Mimi's Cafe on a Wednesday morning during normal school hours was one of those activities.  The girls ordered off the adult menu, and all was delicious.  Have you tried the Cinnamon Brioche French Toast? It's a sugar overload worth every bite.  We left with left overs for the next morning which we dropped off at home before heading to Target.  These two girls of mine are so fun to hang out with.