It Matters

What I'm NOT.....

a good soccer mom. 

Soccer is in full swing and I stink at it!

Both Ty and Brooklyn are playing this season and loving it...what's wrong with me?  Between both their games and practices it's every night except Friday right at dinner time. I'm a BIG "sit down and have dinner as a family" person so for starters it's hard to give that family time up. However even when I get over that...I still struggle. I forgot snacks for Ty's team last week, luckly I had a case of Costco water and Annies Crackers in the back of my car...phew, but not the coolest snack to pass out to all your peers:) On top of that I've only made it to one of Ty's games so far, and I keep forgetting water bottles for the kids and it's 95 degrees outside! What mom does that? 

I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a soccer mom. I'm gonna keep trying, but I have a long ways to go.

This is what Brooklyn was doing last week during warm up, 

The thing is I'm really good at taking her to gymnastics each week and talking to my friend while she does this same move in the gym down below.  Maybe we'll just stick with that next fall?????

Happy Wednsday.

Darci 

And She's Off.

It's FINALLY the first day of Kindergarten...

and she's waited long enough!

These cute feet have been dying to walk the halls of school all week. 

Dad even hung aroud this morning to say "Good Luck" and snap a few pictures. These two are really close and it was fun and comforting for him to see her all dressed up and so excited. 

I'll admit my eyes teared up as I watched her walk away. It caught me off guard, but she looked so confident and I just thought, "I hope I haven't screwed her up too bad because she is one amazing kid!" 

I hope you have a great day Brooklyn, I can't wait to hear all about it!

Darci 

 

Big News.

It's official, and I think I'm finally composed enough to talk about the fact that we're moving.  Wow. I know. It's been a very interesting month. We feel incredibly blessed. 

It's no secret that I've always wanted to move back to the Northwest. I've literally dreamed of the time I could be back "home" to raise my children among the trees.  We've looked for homes in Seattle and Spokane when we've visited, I've told neighbors on multiple occasions that, "next spring we're moving to Washington, " I even wear a little necklace with a map of Seattle.  That's why it was no small event when I turned to my husband in the car on the way to Sun Valley last July and said, "I think we're suppose to live in Utah." After he nearly drove off the road we had a long conversation about the promptings I had received, and the peace I felt in finally "letting go" of the desire to move out of state. 

From that moment forth things have, in a very real sense...been out of our hands. We intended to simply remodel our kitchen and ended up buying the first & only house we looked at. It's a house that needs ALOT of love. It's older and has been rented for the last 10 years. However It has trees, a large yard and a stream in the back. The moment I saw it I knew it wasn't just a house it would be our home.  

We have a long road ahead of us. By nature we're not fix'er up, repair or remodel people......we have much to learn. We'll be moving into the basement of the new home while the main floor is gutted and remodeled. I'm anticipating challenges, the ones that come with change... as well as those that come with living in a basement with 4 children and no kitchen or washing machine. I'm aware of the fact that I'll most likely shed a few tears and feel frustrated over the next two months. However I also know that it's through change and challenges that we grow, progress and build character. It's my hope that I can recognize and remember our blessings along the way and that as a family we're able to embrace each new part of this adventure.  

I'm overwhelmed, excited and scared all at the same time. If anyone has advise on packing, moving or remodeling I would love the knowledge/encouragement. 

Off to pack...we move in less than 3 weeks:)

Happy Monday,

Darci

 

5K Friday. Hike

This week Cache brought home an "All about me" homework page from pre-school to fill out. One of the questions was,

What do you like to do? I asked him and he replied "Go hiking."

A few questions later it asked, What are you good at? He thought about it for a second and confidently replied, "I''m good at hiking!"  

The last question on the homework was, Name a few things you like to do with your family? With out hesitation he answered.... "Go hiking, go on bike rides, swimming and go to the park." 

I'm not sure what to think about this. Maybe we do nothing fun in our family besides hike, or he's been brainwashed, or he thinks of hiking as the only time he gets candy...we use "Power pills" to keep him walking:)  Then there's always an outside chance that he actually loves to hike.... Wouldn't that be Awesome.

Being active and raising active kids starts when they're young. It's as much a learned behavior at 3 as it is at 33. The more you do it the easier it gets and the more you enjoy it. I'm grateful for the hikes we've gone on this summer. Are they always easy? No. Is there often whining? crying? sore feet? tired legs? YES.

Is it usually worth the effort? Absolutley

This is our families favorite time of year to hike. The mountains are full of changing leaves, trickling streams instead of raging rivers, and it's always cooler when you go up a high. For this weeks 5K Friday plan and take a weekend hike. It doesn't have to be 3 miles, start with one or two..just do it! Take the family into nature, exercise and be together. Taking kids hiking when they're young is a great way to teach them they're tough, they have strong legs, and can do hard things. It provides a unique oppurtunity for them to feel success doing something that's not competition and doesn't require a team....

Here's to hoping that's why Cache loves to hike and knows he's "good at it!"

A few photos from our hike in Seattle.

Have a great weekend!

Darci

"This one is MINE"

"Look mom, look mom. Come see what I made....this one is mine!"

Grandma started a really great tradition a few years back that I wanted to share. She buys paving stone kits at craft stores and has each one of the grandkids design one of their very own. Then she's uses them to enhance the deck, porch and garden spots around her beautiful home.

It's something the grandkids look forward to doing with grandma....and this year it was finally Cache's turn. It's so fun to see their individual and unique personalities in each of their stones. 

Some are full of embellishments while others are more simple.  Cache was so proud of his stone and already had a spot all picked out for it to go where he could admire it all week. He also memorized where every single cousins stone is placed across all four corners of the property. So Fun!

Thanks mom, for creating a meaningful traditions that matters in the lives of all the little children who love you so dearly. 

Happy "Hump" Day.

Darci

A whole lot of Energy.

Wow. The first day of school packs a whole lot of energy!

Ty will insist he is NOT excited, so we're just going to call it ENERGY. He had so much of it this morning I thought he might explode! It was fun to simply feel the anticipation, to just be near him. I really love being the mom and experiencing every new adventure all over again with my children. Ty is a third grader this year and Cache started his first day of Pre-school. Brooklyn has to wait a full week before Kindergarten officially starts..... the waiting might kill her, so I'll work to keep her entertained and alive.  As for now, let the fun and learning begin- I'm off to prepare an after school snack that I hope will help drag every last detail out of Ty this afternoon:)

The third grader...in all Nike, that's his "new" thing:)

The pre-schooler...who's sure to win the heart of most any teacher. 

If your looking for a great after school snack try these homemade granola bars with me, I know I'm going to love them!

Happy Day,

Darci

 

Time at the Lake.

All is well in my little corner of the universe this morning. Mainly because our luggage is securely packed away in storage not to be retrieved for at least a couple months. I'm home, school starts tomorrow and we are going to settle in for the end of summer, soccer season and fall.

Having said that, we've been blessed to have had a wonderful summer full of family, trips and fun. Despite how tired I'v become of being on the "go," I wouldn't change a single trip, adventure or experience of the last couple months. Especially not the quick trip we fit in to the lake last week. We loved every minute of that relaxing, beautiful, not to mention yummy (grandma's cooking) place. Here are a few of the fun things we fit in while visiting grandma & grandpa's house.

Grandpa's Tractor is always a BIG hit. 

Splashing, swimming, boating & fishing in the Lake.

 

Spending time out on the deck.

Aside from these things we rode bikes, went hiking, watched great movies, shot BB guns, chopped and stacked the wood, did crafts, conquered a sewing project and ate lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and maybe just a few homemade cookies......every hour:) It was great, the perfect way to wrap up a busy summer.

I'm planning a little "Back to school" party for FHE tonight. I think it will be fun, you can find inspiration from Lisa Storms here. 

Happy Monday to all.

Darci 

5K Friday. Look around.

Alright, So I haven't been the best at 5K Friday this summer......but no excuses today for me or you, get out and do it! Get outside for 3.1 miles of something and in the process look around. For many of you school is back in session and you have the morning to go on a jog or walk with out the kiddos. For some like me, this is one of your last day to take the kids on a walk to the park, or a bike ride before summer is officially over.

Promise me if you read this post, you'll do something active today!

Next, when you do look around. There is much to see no matter where you are. Stop and notice it. Notice the color of the sky, the trees and plants in your neighborhood or the rolling hills in the distance. Keep your eyes up instead of on the pavement, It'll make all the difference for your attitude and perspective the rest of the day. I'm running the hill across the street from my parents house. When I get to the top the view is breathtaking....... I'll be looking around.

Happy 5K Friday, let me know what you see.

Darci  

The garden of Eden.

When I was a little girl I remember my mother telling us kids about when her and my father were dating at BYU and my dad would discribe his home town of Carnation, Washington as "The Garden of Eden." Soon there after my mother drove up north to meet her future in-laws and was introduced to the beautiful valley my father loved so much. I always thought "the Garden of Eden" was a funny discription for the place my grandparents lived.......just 30 minutes from my own hometown.

But now, I totally get it.

On a beautiful day this place in Paradise, the Garden of Eden. It's lush, fragrant and green. There are animals on every country road and mountain vistas around every bend. I love it here. We arrived last Saturday evening after a long drive and immediatly headed out to experience all the beauty this corner of the world has to offer and breath in the clean, crisp, fresh air.

We took a Sunday morning walk aong the tolt river.....

Picked tart black berries along the way.

and ended up at the Snoqualmie River with a walk across the Shakey Bridge.

It's been a fun week and I have so much to share. For now we have one more day in Paradise before heading back home to start school.

Get some stretching in today, and stay tuned tomorrow for 5K Friday....

Darci

 

 

5K Friday.

It's no secret that life's been busy this summer and my runs have become few & far between. The thing Is I realized it's o.k. 5K Fridays is not only about running, it's about living an active and healthy life on purpose. It's about consciously looking for ways and creating opportunities to get outside and exercise. That I have done this summer and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

However because I haven't made it to the gym as consistently as I like I've started using "down time" to get in some strength training at home. It's Awesome! These basic exercises have been around forever and really work! There's nothing fancy or high-tech about push-ups and yet spending a few minutes on your knees and hands can yield big results.  This is a fun chart I found over at fitspiration that's been just the motivation I needed to get me through the last few busy weeks of summer. 

When you finish folding laundry this afternoon, or as your on the floor playing with the kids take a few minutes to do 20 crunches or push-ups. There are a variety of simple exercises you can do in just a few minutes that really add up to a lot. So go ahead and give it a try......

3.1 plus push-ups - check.

Happy Weekend

Darci