Is it that bad?

So, Jeff has a really nice singing voice. So nice, in fact, the ward choir director "negotiated" terms with me two weeks ago so he can join the choir again. See, because of Jeff's church calling, he gets up on Sunday morning, showers and dresses, eats and drives himself to church, just as I am getting up. However, on my Sunday mornings I am showering myself and at least two other children, dressing myself and three others, feeding myself and three others, and racing out the door with three in tow. But, I listen to the wise words of my mother, who loves to say, "Where much is given, much is required." and so I try not to complain about my Sunday mornings. But, do you see how Sunday mornings are a little off balance?

So, if Jeff then wants to sing in the choir, he gets to stay after Church, sing, and then drive himself home, feed himself lunch and change his clothes. What do I get to do if Jeff practices with the choir on Sundays? I get to drive all three friends back home by myself, again feed all three, re-dress all three out of their church clothes, and then fend for my needs as time (and Addie) will allow. See how Sunday afternoons would be a little off balance?

In hopes of attempting a "day of rest", I decided when I was pregnant that choir would be no more. That's until our choir director approached me two weeks ago?

"Can Jeff sing in the choir?" she asks. And then, I launch into the big speech about what a stress Sundays are when he does, yadda, yadda, yadda (see above).

"If he can read music, how about he stay for choir just on the Sunday before a performance?" Well, one Sunday, once in a while sounds okay to me. So, all should be secure in knowing Jeff is once again in the ward choir.

What about me? Why is there no negotiating on my behalf? I assume it's because I got my singing voice from my father. While he has many admirable qualities, I think it safe to say he's never been invited to choir, either.

How do I know I'm no Celine Dion? Addie Cate has taken it upon herself to let me know. Here is her reaction EVERY time I sing:

Christmas 2008

Yes, I am just now getting to posting Christmas. Better late than never, and I figure I'm good since I am only a month out from Christmas. I'm trying to be good about keeping a record for our family. So (brace yourself for picture overload) ...

Before I get the details of our trip, I wanted to throw in a picture of my favorite Christmas decoration. In our house we do fake trees, but real garland. Fake trees look just as nice, if not nicer than the real thing, but I don't think fake garland comes close to the real stuff (well, not in my price range anyway). So, I do the stairs every year and love the way it turns out.
We spent two weeks out in Utah for Christmas. Yes, we're crazy, and no, we won't be doing that again. Why? Because it took us 10 suitcases to get all of our stuff to and fro and we were stuffed with stuff! From now on we're sticking with our plan to travel AFTER Christmas. We got plenty of stares as we approached the check-in counter with an airline issued cart full of luggage. Not to mention all the luggage that is our children, carry-ons and carseats.

But, isn't it pretty, once we arrived?

This is the path from the barn to the house.And, the tree on Christmas Eve. Matching pjs. The kids were really into snowglobes this year, so these were perfect!
Hmm, it looks like we have a few unwilling participants for this photo. Here are all the kidlets, with Grandma and Grandpa Critt, ready for Christmas Eve.
I started a new tradition this year with Santa bags. I didn't pay too close attention to the dimensions on the Pottery Barn website, so we got some seriously big bags!
So big, it even fit Addie and her exersaucer!Jackson had a LEGO Christmas. 99% of it was LEGOs. The only other thing he asked for was a word search book. Delaney asked for a Barbie Mermaid set, a Swim to Me Puppy and a Little Mommy Go Potty doll. Santa delivered on all three accounts.
Two gals, chillin' in the basketball court on Christmas.We got about 2+ feet of snow on Christmas day. Our friend Kyle flew in for the occasion, and much time was spent playing racquetball, basketball, and ping pong while snowed in.

Jackson and Delaney got in their first ever ski runs and took two days of lessons at ski school. A few days after Christmas, I was getting ready in the bathroom when Delaney called to me, "Mom, come see! I dressed Addie up like Mary!"

And, we enjoyed a day of tubing at Soldier Hollow with Grandpa, Kyle, Uncle Marcus, Jeff, Kelli, Jackson and Delaney. A big thanks to Aunt Tessie and Grandma for watching Addie while we did a "big kid" activity.

All in all, it was a great vacation. The kids loved spending time with family. We loved playing in all.that.snow. And, in the end, the 10 suitcases was worth it. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Tales of EXTREME cold

Yep, negative twenty. That's the air temperature. That's my car thermometer. Yep, the car I was driving. Yep, I was out in that weather. Doesn't even include the wind, which, if you're keeping score, you'll remember we live in the windy city. Brr.

A few things you discover when you are faced with such circumstances:

1. It's a gamble as to whether the garage door will go up fully or down fully. And, it's not worth it to stand out in the cold trying to pull it down, so I set the house alarm and take my chances that a burglar is crazy enough to be "staking" us out on a day such as this.


2. There is a not so thin layer of ice covering all the windows. In fact, Addison (or Cate)'s blinds are currently stuck to the window. I'm now doubting the money I paid as an option for insulated windows.


3. Skin really can start to freeze, in a very painful way, in a matter of 30 seconds. You hear about it, but can't imagine it, until you experience it firsthand.


4. School really will be canceled, just simply due to temperature alone. It's a beautiful, sunny, not-a-cloud-in-the-sky kind of day, but the kids are off because of the temperatures. I've *heard* of this happening, but I assumed it only happened in places where I'd never be crazy enough to live, ie. frozen tundra of Alaska.

You know how people have a "fingers on a chalkboard" reaction to funny things? Like my cousin Krista can't handle people sliding their teeth on a fork when they're taking a bite. It makes her skin crawl. Or, Jeff can't handle the metal milkshake mixer scraping against the metal milkshake cup at an ice cream parlor. What's mine? Crunching icy snow under my feet. You know when snow gets really cold and then you walk on it and it "crunches"? Well, when it's 20 below, the snow under the tires even crunches. And then the sound reverberates through the whole car. So now, not only is it freezing outside, but I've got chills down my spine from all of the crunchy snow that is EVERYWHERE.

Yesterday, I figured I'd be a helpful friend to my husband, so when Delaney was at preschool, I decided to do the snow blowing myself. Addison (or Cate) was asleep, so I bundled up, put the monitor in my pocket, and headed out into the arctic cold (looking back - what a wimp - it was a comfy 8 degrees above freezing). As I blow the snow, often the wind (yes, again with the windy city thing) would blow it all back in my face. So not fun. But I persevered and got all the walks done so the neighborhood kiddos would have clear sidewalks to come home to (the bus stops at our corner). Once the little one was awake, I picked up at preschool, dropped off Delaney for a play date, ran some errands, picked Delaney up, and then came home. I walked in the bathroom, only then to notice I had mascara all over my face. Above my eyelid from opening my eyes. And, all over my cheeks. Apparently all those face-fulls of snow made my mascara run and I never noticed. Not all day. And yes, I have an iron bladder, so I hadn't gone into a bathroom until 4 pm.

Now, I know there's a rule among women that we should tell each other if there's a huge green something in our teeth. But, I'm assuming no one said anything to me about my makeup because they'd hate to offend me if I'd intended it to be that way. So, now I'm embarrassed that all the people I encountered yesterday (many of whom I will see again) were probably giggling at my pre-teen attempt at mascara application.

All because of this darn weather. Arizona, here I come. I have family and friends there - all of whom should not be too surprised if I show up within the next day or two.

Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

Won't you be my neighbor?

Anyone want to come live next door to me? The house next door is for sale (I would post a picture, but I'm not sure I should - their privacy and all). I love the house and think it's selling for a great deal right now.

But there's a catch. Here was the forecast for today:

... Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until midnight CST tonight... ... Blizzard Warning remains in effect from midnight tonight to12 PM CST Tuesday... ... Blizzard watch in effect from Wednesday afternoon through late Wednesday night... A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until midnight CST tonight. A Blizzard Warning remains in effect from midnight tonight to 12 PM CST Tuesday. The National Weather Service in Chicago has also issued a blizzard watch... which is in effect from Wednesday afternoon through late Wednesday night. Snow is moving across northern Illinois late this afternoon and will cut across northern Indiana starting this evening. Storm total snowfall accumulations by early morning of 2 to 5 inches are expected... with the greater accumulations across far northern Illinois closer to the Wisconsin state line. Northwest winds will strengthen overnight to 20 to 30 mph with occasional gusts to 35mph. The combination of fresh snow cover... continued light snow overnight... and strong gusty winds will lead to blizzard or near blizzard conditions and dangerous travel conditions... with widespread visibilities of one quarter of a mile or less. Travel will become extremely dangerous and may become nearly impossible late tonight into early Tuesday morning. Winds will begin to diminish in speed toward midday Tuesday. In addition... Arctic air moving into northern Illinois behind this system will also produce bitter wind chills of 15 below to 20 below Tuesday morning. A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to white out conditions... making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If you must travel... have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded... stay with your vehicle. A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means that accumulating snow will cause primarily travel difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibilities... and use caution while driving. A blizzard watch means there is a potential for falling and/or blowing snow with strong winds and extremely poor visibilities. This can lead to whiteout conditions and make travel very dangerous.

And, here's the forecast for tomorrow:

... Wind chill watch remains in effect from Wednesday evening through Friday morning... A wind chill watch remains in effect from Wednesday evening through Friday morning. Dangerous wind chills are likely following our next storm system overnight tonight and Wednesday. Strong north winds will lower air temperatures below zero Wednesday night through Thursday night. Brisk north winds through that period will combine to create dangerously brutal wind chills at or below minus 30 degrees.A wind chill watch means there is the potential for a combination of very cold air and strong winds to create dangerously low windchill values. Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this situation.

Won't you be my neighbor?

Harder Than it Looks

Sure, I can start a blog.

As friends move away and ask if I have a blog, I always answered no. My sister would always bug me, have you started a blog yet?, and I would always answer no. And then, one day it occured to me that sure, I can start a blog. A way of keeping in touch and sharing the details of our life with all our beloved friends and family that live far away. I loved reconnecting with long lost college roomates and the like, so I figured, sure, I can start a blog.

But what no one told me was...it's harder than it looks. I feel this pressure to post. I know this is very self inflicted pressure, but still, I hate for my blog to sit "idle". Silly, I know, but pressure nonetheless.

Another blog-peeve I have (okay, not really a peeve, so much as a worry) is that some locals have found it. Actually, more than I would have imagined. I did send my blog address to a few who asked, but many more have come. And the funny thing about them, is that now I feel a little insecure about it. I somehow feel really self-absorbed when I know the locals are reading (you know who you are!). As if they already have to put up with enough from me "in real life", now they get to know even more about me. Thanks to my calling, many locals already hear from me several times a week, and enough's enough, you know? So, to all the locals who read - read at your own risk. And, yes, I realize that I can come across as self indulgent.

A funny from today...

Delaney comes to me and says, "Mom, I've lost my bounce. Look, I can only do this." (rises up and down on her tippy-toes) "I can't jump off the ground."

"You've lost it? What do you think happened?"

"I think my springs are broke."

What's in a Name?

Alright, I have to admit something really terrible now. Here it goes...

I don't know if I like Addison's name! It's not that I don't like it (I obviously think it's a lovely name, otherwise it wouldn't have made it to the top of my list), but I just don't know if I like it for her.

I'm sure this will scar her in about 13 years when she finds this post, but I need to get this off my chest. Might make for a funny story some day??

When it came to naming Jackson, I'd known since about age 15 my first born son would be Jackson. I was lucky to marry someone who agreed, so that was a no-brainer. Then, when I was pregnant with Delaney, my parent's had gotten a wedding invitation in the mail for a guy I grew up with (I can't even remember his name). He was marrying a girl named Colby and she was beautiful and the invite was lovely, and I was smitten, so my baby was to be Colby. And then, when I was 7 months pregnant, I remembered I'd worked with a woman who'd named her daughter Delaney, and we both loved it more than Colby, so that's how my first born daughter came to be named Delaney.

Next came the task of naming my second daughter. We'd liked Addison since my pregnancy with Delaney. Then we moved to Illinois and there was a baby on the street named Addison, and she was darling and her mom was nice/cute so I then decided, my next daughter would be named Addison. (Although, most from these parts think we named her that because we're huge Cubs fans. Wrigley Field is downtown at the intersection of Addison and Clark.)

But then, I decided I loved the name Cate, too. Delaney has her Grandma Clark's name for her middle name, so I wanted this daughter to have her Grandma Critt's name. Grandma Critt's name is Catherine, so I could shorten it to Cate. See how that works? So, for the entire 9 months, the constant conversation was, "Addison or Cate?" We'd get so sick of debating, we'd let it rest for a few weeks, and then back it came, "Addison or Cate?".

And then we had a stroke of genius. We decided not to decide, and just name her both. See, it's even on her wall. Addie Cate.

We figured we had the best of both worlds. We would call her both and they'd be interchangeable and we didn't have to decide.

Except that it's not working. She is always Addie. No one calls her anything but Addie. Rarely is the Cate thrown in. And the worst part? I think she is more of a Cate. I think I am having name remorse. I brought up changing her name to Cate, but the big kids threw a fit. And would I be the worst mom ever if I did that, six months in?

I know that I will love the name Addison (and she will "become" an Addison to me) as she starts to take on even more of a personality. Addie is just a *tad* (said with great sarcasm) high maintenance, so we haven't seen her fun side yet. I know once she decides that life is great and that these 4 Clarks who adore her are fun to be around, her personality will blossom. It's just right now, I sit and stew about her name, and lean heavily towards Cate.

Am I alone? Has anyone else had name remorse? I already know I'm crazy, and I'm probably even crazier for actually verbalizing this, but I've been giving it a lot of thought lately. Maybe too much thought...

P.S. - Happy New Year! Christmas pictures to come once I have time to upload pictures. You know, once Christmas is taken down, boxed up, suitcases unpacked (I still have 2 to go), cleaned out toy cupboards to make room for new Christmas toys, etc...