Leave of Absence

A few weeks ago, I called B's school to inform them B would be absent for personal reasons. I would have told them what the personal reason was, but I didn't think the attendance office would accept, "It's free zoo day at the Denver Zoo and I feel like spending it with my son." So I left it at that. B thought I was lost because I took the wrong turn to school, ha! I wish I could have taken a picture of his expression.

I hope, when B and Little Miss are older, they remember days like that Wednesday a few weeks back. I like to call it: "The day mom was cool and surprised me with a day off school because she knows I love the zoo." Yes, I think that is a good title.

Maybe, years from now, when my kids are too cool for me, I can refer them to this post and remind them of the time they thought I was cool enough to be with them in public; who knows, I might just embarrass them on purpose.

I love, love, LOVE this picture!  It perfectly captures the feelings of that day.

We're Alive!!!!

It's been a busy year.  One filled with ups and downs.  I don't have the desire to outline each detail, but I do have a good excuse for not blogging in awhile:  no internet.  Having no internet puts a damper on one's ability to blog - FACT.  Now that we have it and have had it for a few weeks, I still haven't blogged because my habits have changed.

Anyway, I couldn't think of a good way to detail what we've been doing, so I'm going to cheat and use our awesome Christmas letter instead, so here goes ...

Presented in a style loosely related to the 12 Days of Christmas (plus a few extra facts):  

One New Job:  John was offered a job out of the blue; the offer was good, so we accepted.

Two major moves:  In February, we moved from Kansas to Utah; in September, we moved from Utah to Colorado.

Three State Capitals:  We lived in Topeka, Kansas; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Denver Colorado.

Four Elementary Schools and one FOUR year old:  B-Man began the year at (1) Wanamaker Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas.  He finished 2nd grade at (2) Whittier Elementary School in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He began 3rd grade at (3) Westland Elementary School in West Jordan, Utah and now attends (4) Red Hawk Ridge in Denver, Colorado.

Little Miss turned 4 in January - she has an affinity for Dr. Seuss, Disney Princess', pink, purple and cooking.

Five Different Jobs: In 2012, we worked for a fruit stand, sewed for the LDS Church, reviewed documents at a law firm, owned a small immigration law firm and now work for a different immigration law firm.

Six Suits a Week: The Mr's work "uniform" is a suit, he also wears one to church on Sunday.

Seven Months: We lived in Salt Lake City just seven months before moving to Denver.

One EIGHT year old: B turned eight and decided to be baptized and get confirmed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He loves math, soccer, superhero's and legos.

Nine Boxes: What is left to be unpacked (i.e. what may never be unpacked).

Ten hours: The length of time the Mr. spends working each day.

Eleven years: The wedding anniversary we celebrated.

12 weeks: The length of time we've lived in Colorado

In short: Our life changed. Nearly 2/3 of 2012 was stressful. We grew closer as a family-in the way that can only happen when stress is great and correct decisions are made.  The Mr. has a good job working as an immigration attorney; he works long hours and is happy doing it. B is attending a good school and making good friends. Little Miss is also in school, Preschool.  The Mrs. works hard at home so everyone can get where they need to be.  We are happy, so happy. We feel peace and a lot of gratitude. We hope you feel the same. 

We went to Yellowstone and did stuff ...

This year marked the beginning of a new tradition ... It was the first Pea Reunion.  All the living things in the following photograph are Pea's (I say "things" because I'm including the dog).  For the first reunion, held in early June, we went to Yellowstone - the cabin in which we stayed is not in Yellowstone - it's in Island Park ... So here we are in Island Park:

At Yellowstone, we saw all the usual sights and took all the usual pictures.  I have pictures of the sights, but for this post, I'll focus on people ... If you look closely at the reflection in my shades, you can see the bit of earth that is Old Faithful.  Old Faithful is just as faithful - I have photographic evidence!

Little Miss and I were excited to see it erupt, can't you tell?

Mr. Pea wasn't there.  Every morning, before proceeding with our hiking and sight seeing, we dropped him off by a body of water and he did what he loves best, after me, baseball and track and field, of course.  He went fly fishing.  After four years of enduring a trout fishing drought, it was time he replenish his store ... I don't think he's seen any part of Yellowstone other than the rivers ... 

As per tradition, we took a face shot. We were in a rush, so we didn't do as well as usual.  We were excited!  He was excited to meet some fish and I was excited to meet some vistas.  Ha!

The kids were eager to spend several days with their cousins and Grandma.  I love this picture because of the background; the rest of our family is walking behind the skipping group ...

If you're wondering what I did most of the time, here is the answer:  I took pictures.  I'd forgotten how breathtakingly beautiful and majestic Yellowstone is.  Here I am at Mammoth Hot Springs with my face behind the lens - practicing one of my loves, after Mr. Pea, my children, fresh fruit and rock climbing, of course ...

I learned a lot over those four days.  I learned about nature.  I learned what to do if I saw an American Bison or Elk.  I was reminded how beautiful Heavenly Father's creations are.  I remembered how graceful a sport fly fishing is ...

Most memorable of all was what I learned about the other three Mrs. Pea's: I learned that I am SO excited to spend eternity getting to know them because our differences add such spice and fun to my life.  We married into a great family, didn't we, girls?

So here's to Yellowstone and other stuff!  The "stuff" is what makes my life so great!  

I'm sure Old Faithful can rise for that!  ;)

Love and the Lawn Mower

Wednesday afternoons in the Pea household can get hectic.  Today's afternoon itinerary went something like this:  

Noon-thirty:  Pick B up for the last time in Second Grade

1:00 p:  Drop Mr. Pea off at the Law Library to do legal research (all because the book he ordered hasn't arrived)

1:30 p:  Go grocery shopping for family reunion

2:30 p:  Clean, clean, clean

3:00 p:  Pick up Mr. Pea and return him to work

3:30 p:  Pick up van at the mechanic (Wahoo!!  The van is back!)

3:45 p:  Carpool to Scouts (this week, I was the driver)

4:00 p:  Cub Scouts (it's my week to stay and help)

5:00 p:  Impromptu meeting to discuss Cub Scout Camp

5:15 p:  Head home to prepare for track practice

5:30 p:  Track Practice (a.k.a. my turn to walk around the track with Mr. Pea while Little Miss plays with a friend in the little bleachers and B practices)

6:30 p:  Track Practice is over

6:45 p:  Head to Costco for a few things including dinner - might I recommend Costco's rotisserie chicken.  

7:00 p:  Mr. Pea has Scouts, the rest of us have dinner

All of us usually meet up around 8:30 pm, read scriptures and head to bed.  But tonight was different.  We're preparing for a family reunion and that requires extra time ... 

Knowing that tonight would last beyond 8:30 and that it was also the night Mr. Pea mows the lawn, I thought to myself:

How nice would it be if I did it instead of he?  (The rhyme is a bit much, isn't it??)  

Anyway, I started to mow the lawn.  I never used our new-to-us mower, but I figured it out and was nearly finished when I ran out of gas.  Luckily, we have a gas can for an occasion such as this, so I knew it would be an easy fix.  I unscrewed the lid, poured some in (at first I might have missed and spilled a little bit on the machine) and was ready to finish.  Only thing was, I couldn't get it to start (at first I hesitated because I had this nagging fear that because of my minor spill, the whole thing would explode on me ...)  I tried and tried and the darn thing wouldn't start.  

I stopped trying and decided to take out the weed whacker.  At this time, Mr. Pea pulled into the drive way.  He was smiling - I think he was glad I decided to mow the lawn.  Emphasis on the word was.  

Me:  "I think I broke the lawn mower."  

Mr. Pea, with head tilted to one side and questioning expression:  "You broke it??"

Me:  "Yeah, it stopped working and now it won't start again."

Mr. Pea:  "I'll take a look at it."  

Mr. Pea:  Pulling the starter stringy thingy ... over and over ... 

Mr. Pea:  "Did you add gas to it?"

Me:  "Yeah."  

Mr. Pea:  "Where did you put the gas?"

Me:  "It's on the porch, want me to get it?"

Mr. Pea:  "No, where did you put the gas in the mower?"  

Me:  "Huh?"  

Mr. Pea, with a look of amusement:  "It's supposed to go into the tank with the yellow lid."

Me:  "That's the gas tank?  I thought it only had one, the black one."  

Mr. Pea, smiling:  "That's for the oil."

Me:  "%#$%^ ..."

Sorry about the explicative ... I was really frustrated.  The explicative I used isn't as bad as you might think, I promise ... 

Anyway, Mr. Pea assured me that it was an easy fix and didn't hesitate to change his clothes, run to the store for the things he needed and change the mower's oil.  Other than one little scare - there was a puff of smoke as he finished mowing the lawn (I probably should have warned him about my spill) - the mower worked great.  

What impressed me was this:  He could have been really frustrated - he's been under a lot of stress lately and was planning on using this evening to catch up on a few things - but he wasn't.  Before he left to get things to change the oil, he gave me a kiss and a big hug and told me not to worry.  To be honest, the looks he was giving me made me feel like he was more amused than anything else, like he was trying not to bust out laughing.  Later, he admitted there was one moment where he thought ... "Oh, Mrs. Pea" (only of course he used my name instead of Mrs. Pea).  

BUT, in that moment when I was feeling wretched and guilty, he didn't show it.  I didn't feel like he was annoyed.  In fact, in moments like this, he always shows me more patience than I expect.  

And in those moments, I know I've married a wonderful man.  

In those moments, I fall in love deeper than I ever expected.  

Whenever we're out, we like to capture what we call a "face shot."

4 of 12,000

Last Saturday, we joined thousands of people in the Race for the Cure.

We basked in the energy of the event and as we participated, we thought of our friends and family who have been affected by breast cancer.  Next year we'll put together a bigger team because the energy is contagious and must be passed on!  'Til next year!

Crazy Times

I have been without internet for awhile.  An experience which I don't recommend to those who, like me, are used to spending time on the world wide web.  For now, I get to come to Mr. Pea's office to search, blog and stalk (yup, I used to lurk on other people's blogs and other forms of social media; before the advent of social media, such activity was frowned upon.  Maybe it still is?  If so, please disregard the preceding).  

So, in one grammatically incorrect run-on sentence, here's what's happened since January 27th ... 

We changed our hang out from Kansas to Utah; B started at another school; Mr. Pea opened an Immigration Law Practice; B became an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; we said goodbye as a sister entered the world of full time missionary service; B changed teachers at his new school; and we successfully stuffed our belongings in 2/3 of the space we used to occupy without our home looking like an episode of hoarders (that's success!!). 

Typed out, the events taking place over the past month and a half don't seem like a lot.  But our haggard faces and our bank account prove otherwise.  

Goodbye for now.

Our Kairos Moments

Fact:  It's been awhile.  1 month, exactly.  We've been busy and my priorities have shifted.  I recently read a blogpost that inspired me to carpe a couple kairos' a day.  So, that's what I've decided to do.  Here are some of the supreme moments we've experienced in the past month.

Taking a picture in front of where our family began.  

Chastely ;) kissing on the dance floor at our brother's wedding reception.

Dancing with our 2nd favorite dance partners.

Spending time with BFFE's (Best Friends Forever and Eternity).  These boys are so great!.

Finding a new place to walk, watch cardinals, pretend to "Sing in the Rain", search for fossils and learn about Kansas City/the Missouri River.

Eating a favorite treat in the warmth of the January sun.

Quietly celebrating a 4th birthday with purple, pink and white balloons, purple sparkly finger nails, little Disney Princess' and a purple cake with pink and purple icing.

Going up to Winter Quarters with good friends one last time before our move.

It's been a fun month.  It'll be exciting to see what the next 30 days bring!

The P.F.B.

I haven't been feeling well.  Yesterday, Mr. Pea asked if I might be dying (he was joking, of course).  I've begun to feel better, but I was pretty close to the "get to the doctor now" stage; then again, I probably wasn't.  I'm digressing.  Back to the story at hand.

This morning was more of the same.  Sore throat, chills, headache ... Blah, blah, blah.  I was laying on the couch, waiting for my over-the-counter-medicine-cocktail to kick in when Little Miss approached me and yelled:  "Mommy, r'you still sick?"  I'm sure she wasn't yelling, but with the headache I had, that's what it sounded like.  (Earlier this morning, I asked Mr. P to turn off all the lights.  They were all off.  I guess it's pretty hard to turn off the sun.  I've veered off course again.)  

Little Miss asked if I was still ill and I said, "Yeah."  After I responded, I closed my eyes; when I opened them again, I noticed she had covered me with her most beloved Pink Flower Blankie (it's ranked so high among her possessions that P.F.B. is deserving of its status as a proper noun).  

Little Miss was comforting me by lending me her prized possession.  For her, that was a sacrifice and I feel so blessed to be on the receiving end of her generous heart.  

I thought about grabbing my camera and having someone capture a photograph, but it was difficult to move and it hurt too much to talk.   

The moment lasted for about 10 minutes.  After those minutes, she covered me with her second most favorite blankie.  If I were three and my favorite thing was a P.F.B., I probably would have lasted 8 minutes.   

Right now, I'm feeling great; the sore throat is gone; I'm feeling warmer than I have in 3 days and my headache has all but disappeared.  Maybe all I needed was 10 minutes with a Pink Flower Blankie.  

Little Miss and P.F.B.'s first glimpse at a second birthday surprise - 2010

Little Miss and P.F.B. enjoying a patch of sunlight on a cold, wintry day - 2010

Little Miss and P.F.B. resting after a fun-filled day with mom - August 2010

Littls Miss and P.F.B. after an exhausting day.  August 2010

From L to R:  P.F.B., Little Miss and Mommy watching General Conference.  October 2010

P.F.B. Little Miss and B-Man reading on a Sunday afternoon.  March 2011

The View

Our room has a magnificent view ... 

Two tired children lying peacefully in bed ...

and White Christmas on TV:

Though I love the movie "White Christmas", my focus isn't so much on the TV; my favorite view is the way my Mister's head looks as it rests against me.

Perfect moments come and go; I'm glad I have a way to record them and make them last a little longer.  Goodnight!

Our Thanksgiving and Birthday of Awesomeness

If I had to choose one word to describe our long weekend, it would be:  RELAXING.

This is what happens when we don't shut one of the van doors all the way:  The battery dies and we create another memorable beginning to our Thanksgiving.

After a delicious feast at the Haddock's (of which this post is in want of pictures), the kids were able to run around and shoot a potato gun.  I stayed inside to chat and play games.

We went home with one extra kid and spent the next day putting up Christmas decorations and cutting out snowflakes.  Cutting out snowflakes is one of my new favorite Christmas-y things.

Hours later, Little Miss put up the star:

And the four of us added the little details.
Our ornament collection grows each year and it's fun to talk about the memories brought on by each one.

A few RELAXING days later, it was my turn to celebrate my Birthday.  I blew out my 30 candles (and for the first time, I forgot to make a wish before doing so; which is a bummer because I only used one breath to accomplish the task.  Maybe there's a post birthday-candle-blowing-out clause that says, if I forget, I can have a wish anyway ... Maybe, instead of using the word "forget" the phrase: "concentrating so hard at keeping children out of reach of fire" ... would be used instead.)

Angel food cake, fresh whipped cream and raspberries were the chosen birthday cake-y items.

After cake, came presents.

This year, I got the perfect gifts ... 

If you need me, I can be found wrapped in my cozy blanket.  I may not pay much attention to you because the book I'm reading is so good. 

The end.

Pause and Un-Pause

Tonight at dinner, B asked me if I would play "Chest" with him during Thanksgiving break.  

Mr. P:  "It's not Chest, it's called CHESS.  SSS."

B:  "Chesssss.  Okay." 

Me:  "That would be fun.  I'll play." 

Mr. P:  "Do you know what a chest is?"

B:  "Duh.  Of course I know what a chest is."

Me:  "What's a chest?"

B:  "Mom ... Don't make me say it."

Me:  "Say it ..."

B:  "It's those round things that you move around."

PREGNANT PAUSE.  

Yup.  "Those. Round. Things. That. You. Move. Around."  Yup.  Mr. Pea and I exchanged an exaggerated glance.  In that glance we had a silent conversation: 

[Me:  What the???]

[Mr. P:  Heck if I know.]

[Both of us:  Do something!  Calmly!]

UN-PAUSE

Me:  "Huh?  I don't know what you're talking about."

B:  "The game with those round things."

Me, recognition dawning:  "Oh ... Are they red and black?"

B:  "The one's we have are red and white."

Mr. P:  "CHECKERS.  They're called CHECKERS."

Apparently, we need to work on teaching our kids the proper name of the games we play.  

We love to play games!!  The boys have been playing a lot of CHESS lately.

6 Facts and a few other things

Fact:  job hunting is emotionally taxing.

Fact:  I'd rather not think about it, but I do.  ALL.  THE.  TIME.

Fact:  some day's are easier than others.

Fact:  we have a loving and supportive extended family.

Fact:  we have good friends.

Fact:  helping others helps me realize that things could be much worse.  (For a family I know, things ARE much worse.)

The End.

Okay, so it's not "the end" (unfortunately).

I've had a difficult time putting what I'm feeling and what's going on into words.  I can't find the words to satisfactorily describe my emotions.  I think if I tried, I'd use so many words that my ideas wouldn't present themselves clearly ...

It's easier to write and think about other things, so I do.

Things like how much fun it is to dance to favorite songs with Little Miss, B getting 100% on a math test and cuddling with my Mr. on the couch; things like this fantastic family picture taken at a family reunion in Minnesota.  When I think about things like that, I smile.  Then I remember what I need to remember in one word.  One PERFECT word.

That word is:  HOPE.

The Update

The Mr. was offered a job in Denver.  That job was accepted - but you already know that.  It's taken me a few days to build up the courage to write an update.  Why, you ask?  I hope the "why" can be answered with the following ...

The week following the offer, everything was falling into place.  We needed boxes, we got them.  We needed a renter for our townhome, one was found.  We needed an apartment in which to live, that was found.  About a week after the job was offered and accepted, the Mr. received an e-mail.  In short, it said they were reconsidering the offer because of their budget.

After the shock wore off, I cried.

A few days have passed and we're fine.  We haven't heard their final decision.  For some reason, their final decision doesn't matter so much.  We still hope things will work out, but we know that if that job doesn't pan out, another will.  Our life has returned to a new normal; one filled with resumes, cover letters, job searches, kids, soccer and dance class.

Life is good.  After all, what else could it be?

Since August 6th ...

We've been a little busy ... Our basement flooded; we purged a lot of stuff - including all our packing supplies; the Mrs. attended a funeral; the Mr. applied for jobs; Lolo flew in from California; we drove up to Minnesota; we attended a family reunion; we met the newest member of our family; went to a few favorite stores; shopped in a giant mall; played at a theme park;the Mr. applied for jobs;  the Mr. and Mrs. played softball - the Mrs. played in borrowed shoes; we saw an amazing storm; B started second grade and soccer; the Mr. applied for jobs; Little Miss signed up for ballet; B lost another tooth - he exercised forgiveness when the tooth fairy forgot to visit (she came the next night); the Mr. applied for jobs; the Mr. got a job; we celebrated 10 years of marriage in Denver; the kids spent 4 days with friends; the Mrs. uploaded 381 pictures; and the Mr. PASSED the bar ... It's been a productive month.  We feel so blessed.

It's time to amp up our productivity because, unfortunately, a house can't pack itself.  Denver, here we come!