Sela is 10!!

Wow, 10 years sure went by fast! Sela made me a mother ten years ago. Her birth was peaceful and serene and one of the most treasured moments of my life. The days and years since have been an amazing journey. I haven't been a perfect parent, but she has been a remarkable child. I love her with all of my heart.

There is so much to say about this sweet child and so many conflicting feelings I have about her growing up. Here are a few things we have admired about Sela this year and a snapshot of our 10 year old. We're in the double digits now. The beginning of the end. Just kidding. It's no secret I never want my kids to leave home! Life is beautiful with the laughter, energy and enthusiasm of children.

1. Sela is happy. She can be serious at times, but she is such a happy child. Some of the things that make her happy are feeling understood, a clean house (she can't focus in a mess so she will completely tidy a space before sitting down to draw or read) She is often found telling Rollin to pick up his paper cuttings & and markers that seem to take over the table on a daily basis. Riding the bus, trying new activities,receiving the Friend magazine in the mail, all kinds of animals, PE, chats at bedtime, making breakfast for the family, special outings, potato soup, music, notes on her bed, playing board games, sports, writing and creating all bring a smile to her face.

2. Sela is a dedicated artist and burns through erasers as she constantly self-edits her work and tries to improve her technique. I enjoy having her art all around the house. She loves her art class. It doesn't matter how tired she is, she always loves to go to art. She and Nina go in the evening and both the teacher and the environment are so empowering.

3. Sela loves to try new things. This year she joined the orchestra at school and is playing the cello. This commitment requires her to get up at 6:30 on Tuesday and Thursday and ride the junior high bus to practice. Because this was entirely her decision, she is committed to getting there each class and it only takes a whisper into her room for her to almost leap out of bed. She gets on the bus in the dark.

4. Sela is competitive. Along with cross country and tennis this year, she joined basketball this season and oh my gosh, it's so much fun to watch her scramble for the ball. I love to cheer for her. You can't cheer much in tennis so it's fun for me to be able to be loud and cheer her on!! She's working hard and having a great time and enjoying being part of a team. She totally gets how important it is to work together and she has made several assists. She made her first basket in the first game but focuses more on stealing the ball.She's also a really good sport, win or lose. And given that they are a first year team and the others all played last year, they have experienced being pummeled.



5. She has an incredible group of friends. I could not be more pleased with the group of girls she spends her time with. They are all so nice and supportive of one another. Their families are great. I haven't seen the cattiness that I feared might crop up at their age. This is such a blessing and probably a reason why she loves school and is able to focus on learning rather than the social dynamics.

6. Sela is driven. She wants to improve in different areas and will spend lots of time working on things on her own. Her interests change, but she will key in on something for a few weeks or more and then most of her free time will be spent researching or reading about the subject. Right now she has decided she wants to work on her presentation skills. I know they recite poetry and lots of other things in class and she does really well. She enjoys the positive feedback and the feeling of being in front of an audience. She made a power point this week at home (for fun) on exercise and presented it to me. As soon as that was done, she wrote a Polish Christmas story and illustrated it.



7. Sela loves family. She loves to be home. She looks forward to family home evening, movie night, and lives for the weekends as long as we're home for the most part. She's loves her brothers and sister.

8. She loves her grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. She loved getting a message for her birthday on facebook from Erin and Granny this year as well as the phone calls. I love knowing she has such a wonderful and supportive family and I know she is strengthened by those relationships.

9. Sela has become hugely more responsible this year. I don't have to remind her about anything school or homework related. She has a planner and takes care of it right after school. She takes care of big multi-week projects on her own and also fits in time to write her own stories just for fun. At her parent/teacher/student conference, she lead the entire discussion. The teacher only said a few words. They make this switch in 4th grade but it was so fun to watch her self-assess. She identified her strengths and set goals to improve certain areas.

10. Sela has a kind heart and wants to do what is right. She has prayed and received answers and has felt the spirit in her life which is such a blessing. I love her with all of my heart and couldn't be more pleased with who she is at age 10. I love you, baby girl!

chop chop

Mom, Erin, finally a picture. Let's just say blow-drying my hair just got a lot quicker!

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Curry Cauliflower Soup

1-2 yellow diced onions
4-5 Yukon gold potatoes cubed (I don't peel these)
1 head cauliflower chopped
1 tsp curry powder or more
1 tsp cumin
1 pinch cayenne or more
salt and pepper
lemon juice for 1 lemon
1 quart veggie or chicken  broth
milk or evaporated milk

In a bit of olive oil, saute the onions about 5-7 minutes. Add the spices and the potatoes and saute another 5 minutes. Add the chopped cauliflower. Then add the broth and a bit of water--you need to cover everything. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover. If you are in a hurry this will take about 40 minutes to cook, otherwise I let it simmer all day. Puree with the stick blender and then add the lemon juice and enough milk to change the color and make it creamy. Taste and add more salt/pepper/cayenne as needed.

Thanksgiving

I just love Thanksgiving. What's not to love about good food, thankful hearts, and spending time with family?!  We had a week off of school because of snow/ice and freakishly low temperatures. Zig was in town and working from home most of the week. I was able to make one last grocery run on Tuesday and we pretty much hibernated the rest of the time. Thursday morning we got up early. I took Evan on a walk in the sled. He sang the entire time. He was so happy in that little sled. When we got back, he warmed up in a bath with Nina and Rollin, who requested a bath with the candles.










I made a few dishes early in the morning and then every time we would take a break from either sledding or making snowmen in the yard, I would come in and make another part of the meal. At the very end, everyone pitched in for the final touches and the meal came together beautifully. Sela made the pan roasted brussel sprouts. She massaged every little sprout individually with olive oil before putting them in the pan. They were delicious. The rest of the menu was pretty traditional. The one problem that occurred to me about an hour before meal time was we only had one dessert, the pumpkin pie Sela  made. Pumpkin pie just does not do it for me. In fact, it's kind of a big joke with my Grandpa. He likes to tease me and offer me pumpkin pie when he knows I want the chocolate pecan pie.   I don't hate  the pumpkin, it's fine, but I had to come up with something else. So in honor of this lovely American holiday I made a Tarte Chocolat Caramel. Nothing like a little French Tart on Thanksgiving. Oh well. I'd been eyeing this little gem in one of my cookbooks for quite some time, so I decided to give it a shot. And oh my goodness, I'm so glad I did. The crust was not perfectly formed as I was in a hurry, but it sooo did not matter. It was so good. The tart consisted of a delicate buttery crust, fleur de sel caramel sauce layer, and a dark chocolate ganache on the top. Forget the turkey, I'll have half of this tarte please!I actually guarded this little treasure for the rest of the week and just finished the last bite up last night. It's super rich so you can really only eat a tiny sliver at a time.


Sela and I chopping brussel sprouts and chocolate

Sela doing a little pan roasting

oh yeah!

We filled Evan up with some sweet potatoes and stuffing and then put him to bed just before we sat down to eat.  We had such a nice dinner together reflecting on our blessings and expressing gratitude for life, health, family, and lots of other very random things the kids came up with.







Recently I read a book about the value of creating stories in our lives. Memories that stick out and moments where we make ordinary things extraordinary. We had a little moment that I know will certainly stick with me on Thanksgiving day. We decided to hike to the top of the neighborhood behind us with the sleds and the kids. They were tired but when we got up to the top we all piled in the sleds, Zig and the boys in one, and the girls and I in the other, and had this amazing half-mile ride down the soft powder. The neighborhood was totally quiet, the snow was soft, and we glided down almost side by side, just our little family. Zig had a huge smile, the kids were screaming and having a blast. Laughter was echoing through the trees. It felt like we went forever! This was such a joyful moment for all of us.The kids were just beside themselves when we finally slowed to a stop.  All day long they kept saying  this was the best Thanksgiving ever. Even though I had been  having a tiny pity party for myself earlier in the week knowing most of my family was gathering in Texas for my cousin's wedding, this Thanksgiving turned out to be one of my favorites as well.



Zig and his 5th child. I laughed so hard. He was trying to get Kona to pose for a picture. I must have take 20 shots of Zig wrestling him, Kona rolling over, Kona running off, Kona looking away, lying down, etc. But the funny thing was Zig's persistence. I think he really wanted a photo of he and Kona. He loves that dog like I love my chocolate tarte!


SIT!

The happy couple. I told Zig this looks like an engagement photo. He didn't think it was quite as funny as I did!





Our family of snowmen.


The snowmen had a rough night.

Rollin finished them off.

Happy Thanksgiving!

dance, baby, dance!

Whenever this song comes on Pandora, the kids go crazy, especially Evan! We've gotta get Evan to lighten up on his footwork just a wee bit. Where's cousin Camilla when we need her?!!

memory lane

On Sunday morning when the first snow flurries were spotted through the window, Nina and Rollin were beyond excited. Rollin ran out in a t-shirt and shorts and Nina in her nightgown. After a few minutes they came in for a few more layers and a snack. They were a sight! I snapped a few shots, mostly because they were just so excited. When I uploaded them in the evening, I was struck at how much they totally reminded me of scenes from my childhood. My parents also had a "farm stage" when my siblings and I were near the same ages as our children are now. We have so many photos of us looking like little ragamuffins but with so much childlike delight in our eyes. The naked 18 month old Evan in furry boots picking apples today is the naked little Ryan in his cowboy boots whizzing off the porch 28 years ago! Mom always said those years in Fredericksburg were the best years. I know they are a treasured memory for me and a huge part of why Zig and I are now living our own "farm stage!"

"It's pitch white out there!" -Nina

We had this unexpected arctic blast this week! Freezing temperatures...almost single digits at night and lots of snow. We  talked about the possibility of snow all last week. The kids hoped and prayed for it. Sunday we had flurries and Monday it stuck, much to the everyone's delight. Tuesday school was canceled and I was just as thrilled as the kids. We slept in, played board games, did lots of sledding, hot chocolate, movies and Nina and I braved the roads to get some last minute Thanksgiving groceries. It was a long, wonderful day. Did I mention sunny? I absolutely love the look of the trees and yard with a fresh blanket of white. I had a prayer of thanksgiving in my heart all day long for this gorgeous afternoon.