The Frame Builder

Who knew Alyssa was a woodworker?  Yeah, I didn't either.

In contemplating a project she could do for a Personal Progress project under the value of knowledge, she decided it might be fun to build a frame. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but when she shared it with her father, he was excited to learn how to do it with her.

I was really nervous about her using the power saw and suggested to Jon that he do that part for her.  He didn't listen to me and Alyssa came in house smugly wiggling her fingers in front of my face and stating in a sing-song voice, "Look Mom, I still have all of my fingers!"

The whole process took several days to complete.

Once the frame was finished, she decided she wanted to put a copy of the Family Proclamation inside and create a mat with family pictures to go around it.

She completed it just in time for Young Women in Excellence where she did a fantastic job presenting and displaying her project.

It was such a great learning experience that turned out to be a collaborative effort of a daughter and her parents.  Who knows, Lys and Jon just may decide to build more frames in the future.

We now have this lovely little gem hanging on the wall of our family room:

Well done, frame builder.

Forty!

Turning forty seemed about as exciting as going to the dentist.  We actually really love our dentist, but truth be told, I dread every appointment.  

In my younger years, reaching the top of the proverbial hill didn't seem that big of a deal, but once I found my self there--feeling slower, chubbier and less "with it" than I have in years--I really didn't want to go over it.  But alas, I couldn't stop forty from coming and there really are lots of fabulous things about this stage in life, so let's celebrate those, shall we?

If you know me, you know that I delight in all things pumpkin.  Having a fall birthday often lends itself to pumpkin-flavored gifts.  A fellow employee at work has been making small gifts for each member of our staff every month.  This person remains a mystery to everyone, but whomever it is comes up with the cutest little gifts that are themed for that month's birthdays.  This was the first birthday gift I received:

Pumpkin bread was baked in that jar and it was delicious!

Other thoughtful cards and gifts followed.  My in laws and parents both sent birthday money.  Who doesn't love birthday money?  My mother-in-law wrote a really sweet message in her card to me and my own mom, who is known for indulgent gifts, included these words, "I'm sending a little extra this year because every 40 yr. old mom deserves a massage!"  

There seems an expectation that forty should be celebrated in extravagant ways.  About six years ago, Jon and I went on a trip to Cancun for a friend's surprise 40th birthday party.  My sister-in-law celebrated on the beach in Hawaii.  I saw on Facebook that an old high school friend recently had a barn dance with all of her friends and family.  Perhaps due to financial and time restraints, my birthday was none of those things.  It was simple.  But it was perfect.  

I came home from work to find this beautiful flower arrangement from Jon:

Then we loaded our overnight bags into the car and headed toward a secluded cabin near Mount Rainier.  I kind of have a love affair with Mount Rainier, you know.  On our way there, we stopped for a gigantic lunch at Black Angus.  I had the salmon, he had the steak.  A little further up the road, we stopped again to rent a couple of movies and buy snacks like Dove chocolates and microwave popcorn for later.

We arrived at our cabin at dusk.

After getting settle in, we built a campfire under the crystal clear sky that was bursting with brilliant stars.  The mountain air was cold and crisp and perfectly pine-scented.  Heavenly, really.

We talked while sipping hot cocoa.  (And Jon made dorky faces when I pointed the camera in his direction.)

But soon the warmth of the fire and hot cocoa were not enough to overpower the dropping temperatures, so we slipped into our private hot tub.

Later I got into my footy pajamas--oh boy do I really love those!--and we watched a couple of movies while eating birthday dessert.  

My friend Camille had given me pumpkin cupcakes which were the perfect treat.  

The cabin had a cute little shelf where couples could leave a little something to celebrate their time there. 

The very first Dove chocolate we ate had a most perfect saying.  So we smoothed out the wrapper, signed and dated it and added it to the collection.

The windowless bedroom allowed us to sleep late into the morning.  Outside birds were chirping and sunbeams burst through the evergreens.  Stunningly gorgeous, I tell you!

That's our private fire pit right there:

The hot tub was just as wonderful in the frosty morning as it had been the night before.

What were our kids doing this whole time?  Well that right there is one of the wonderful things about the stage of life we are in.  Our kids were home, very responsibly and ably holding down the fort all on their own.

We weren't originally planning to go into Mount Rainier National Park, but with the weather being so picturesquely perfect, we couldn't pass up the opportunity.

The views were spectacular.  We drove up to Paradise and went on a short hike to some water falls.

That's me in a t-shirt.  In November!

We stopped at the National Park Inn at Longmore for lunch before heading home.

The entire little get away really could not have been any more perfect.  So in the end, I guess turning forty wasn't so bad after all.  And besides, I still have that birthday massage to look forward to!

Fourteen!

Can you believe it?  My little girl is fourteen!

Like many teenage girls, Alyssa loves clothes.  It's tradition for me to buy her a new outfit to wear to school on her birthday.  She is so easy to please and always loves whatever I choose for her.  

About a month before her birthday, she expressed a desire for a pair of Hunter boots--which are basically just designer rain boots.  Knowing Grandma Seely is the person to hit up for expensive wish list items, they started searching for the perfect pair together.  I knew she had settled on red boots, so I selected a birthday outfit that would coordinate.  The Nordstrom box containing the desired boots arrived a couple days before her birthday, but Lys waited until the night before to open them.  She is just like me and can't open presents early--even if she knows what is inside.

I hung her new outfit up in the bathroom and taped a "Happy Birthday" banner to the mirror.  When she came downstairs for breakfast, she was visibly pleased to be dressed her new birthday duds.  

I served her crepes with Nutella and strawberries and sent her out the door looking absolutely adorable.

After gymnastics, she opened some cards from her grandparents and a present from Jon and me--a darling Vera Bradley purse, perfect for holding all of that birthday cash.

While Jon and I were picking up Lys from gymnastics, Natalie was setting the table for Alyssa's birthday dinner.  She was so cute and thoughtful about the details.  She put together a little centerpiece, made a card, a pitcher of lemonade and set out some sides to go with the birthday girl's requested main dish: noodles and clam sauce.

Then she made a wish over fourteen homemade Oreo cookies.

Happy Birthday, Alyssa!  You're just like Mary Poppins--practically perfect in every way!

Halloween 2014

The pumpkins were hastily carved and placed on the porch by 4:30. 

 

I ratted Natalie's hair and added some make-up to complete her "dead cheerleader" costume that she had picked out with her dad at the Halloween store a few days prior.  

Natalie was so excited to go trick-or-treating with her friends, Emma, Ava and Chloe.

They looked cute even when they tried to look scary:

Alyssa dressed as Wonder Woman and spent a couple of hours gathering candy with her friends, Brittany and Hailey.  

Caleb and Jon handed out candy, which is usually my job.  Caleb looks thrilled about being given the responsibility, doesn't he?

What was I doing?  I was busy packing up our bags so that we could drive out of town as soon as our trick-or-treaters returned home with their heavy bags of candy.

We pulled out of town at about 9:00 p.m. and headed toward Yakima, where we would stop for the night.  The next morning, we continued on to the Tri-Cities so we attended Cousin Sadie's baptism and Uncle Christopher's awesome garage dance party.

It was a bit crazy and rushed, but our Halloween night was just the start to what turned out to be a great weekend!

Shhh! Don't Tell

It's no secret that I'm a BYU fan.  A die hard.  I kinda think I was born that way.  Sure, someone had to buy my first BYU shirt for me, but pictures show that I chose to wear it quite often!  See that girl with a Y on her heart?

I'm pretty sure it was my favorite shirt.

It appears that I wore it until it was worn and stained and a little too small...

Evidence also shows that my brother, who as a BYU student was once voted Fan of the Year, was also true blue from birth.

I didn't follow the football team in my early years, but I vividly remember that my brother and parents did.  On a family trip to Utah in summer of 1985, we got to meet the National Championship team at a watermelon bust held at what was then called Cougar Stadium.  And once when we bumped into LaVell Edwards in an elevator at the Wilkinson Center, my dad shook his hand and stated, "I'm never washing this hand again!"

Years later, as a cheerleader warming up for football games, I used to take great delight in greeting LaVell as he walked past me onto the field.  

"Hi Coach!" I'd always say.  He always returned my greeting with a friendly, yet reserved LaVell-type hello.  Those BYU years were magical for me.

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email at work telling me that our school district would be joining others in our region in participation of a program called, "Discover U."  We were strongly encouraged to wear our college gear for the week of Discover U and we were also to make a concerted effort to talk with our students about our college experiences.  

You want me to wear BYU clothes for an entire week?  Sign me up!  I anticipated Discover U like a child waits for Christmas.  Not only am I a Cougar of the proudest sort, but hoodies and T-shirts are much more comfy than my typical teacher-wear.

Our school counselor made a graph to show where the teachers in our school were educated.  It was hung in a prominent place and the students really enjoyed looking at it through the week.

I was the only BYU Cougar.

But my daily attire left no doubt about wear my loyalties lie.

On Friday of Discover U week, I made a point to share with my students a bit about my college days.  I expressed how important it was for me to go to college so that I could become a teacher.  I told them that they too can go to college to become anything they want to be.  I was surprised at the depth of their interest and desire to ask questions.  One of my second graders even asked, "Did you follow in your parents' footsteps?"  

"Yes, both of my parents went to BYU too," was my proud reply.

I told my students that my college years were filled with fun and happy experiences.  And then I showed them this picture:

I used the document camera to project it onto the wall.  Their mouths gaped and eyes were wide as saucers.  And since I'm a teacher with a propensity for dramatics, I leaned in close with my finger to my lips and whispered, "Shhh!  Don't tell anyone that Mrs. Hatch can fly!"  

"They'll think you're crazy!" I added.  My third graders played along with my silliness and giggled in a we're-on-to-you sort of way.  But my first graders?  They bought it hook, line and sinker.

I like that they believe that this old worn out, chubby body might have Wonder Woman-like powers.  They don't need to know that I'd spent that entire week nursing a bad back that I threw out while drying my hair.  Yep, it's true.  I can't even bend over to dry my hair anymore.  But shhh! Don't tell them that!  

Have you seen this commercial that ends with Ziggy Ansah saying, "I didn't just come through BYU, BYU went through me."

I feel exactly the same way.  Is it any wonder then, that my children came out looking like this?:

We're Loyal Strong and True (even while wading through a truly heartbreaking football season) and we'll tell anyone who will listen.  It's definitely no secret!

Go Cougars!