sunshine in the winter

This is Sunshine's last year in elementary school.  Can you believe that?  It seems like just yesterday that someone my mom's age told me that time would fly and she would be grown up, before I knew it.  And now, here she is...growing into a young woman.  
I feel blessed that she is so kind and unaffected. She's able to have a good time wherever she is and seeks out the best in every situation.  This fall, we've learned that she's stronger than we knew, as she has risen to the academic and social challenge of going to a new school.

Here are the photos of Sunshine at her class' Winter Giving Party:

same bat cave, different bat channel

Here is the Winter Giving Party, Kindergarten-style.  You'll notice the plethora of adults present.  That's how you know it's a Kindergarten event.  :)

a winter giving party for TLM

The school had a "Winter Giving Party" a few weeks ago, instead of a traditional class party, and I really liked how it turned out.  The kids had a great time and there was a little service lesson added in the mix.  
Held in the gym during their ancillary period, the classes were led through different stations. 
First, they went to a Winter Wonderland and deposited donated for a local animal shelter.  
Then, they danced in the Polar Express Pavilion, which was anchored by AMAZING banners.  

Who could have made those fabulous banners? (It was me.)  Really!  Those banners are fabulous! 

They played Minute to Win It games. 

Then, they headed over to Santa's Workshop and made Valentine's Day crafts for the military.  

Their last station was at the Gingerbread House center, where they had snacks and decorated gingerbread ornaments for a senior center.  

They had a great time!

losses and gains

On the Thursday evening after we returned from vacation, our metroplex shut down.  When freezing rains and sleet combine with a forecast of temperature under 32 degrees, it means that our roads, highways, and bridges will be iced over.  Unlike snow, that takes skill to drive in but is manageable, our thick ice is almost impossible to navigate through. So, we rushed to the grocery store and stocked up on perishables, and then rushed back home to hunker down for the storm.  After several nights of hard freezes and cobblestone ice on our roads, we suffered many losses.

Late that night, we lost power.
We lost our internet access for three days.
We lost our cable television for three days.
Don lost his choice to go to work for two days, when Pepsi locked down their buildings.
We lost two days of school. 
We lost the opportunity to go to church.
Our town lost hundreds of mature trees that provided homes for animals and shade for us. 

We gained four days of just us.
We gained time that we no longer have together, now that we don't homeschool.
We gained the opportunity to have Don use his priesthood to bless the sacrament for our family.
We gained the time to finish projects and deep clean.
We gained the chance to get to know our neighbors better, as we helped each other clear trees and driveways.

We gained the experience of seeing the chickadees in our backyard eat the oats and sunflower seeds we left out for them.
We gained the chance to actually help others, by sharing our propane heater and ice melt granules.
We gained time to craft, bake, laugh, and play.
We gained the opportunity to show our children why we have a food storage and emergency supplies.
We gained freedom from outside responsibilities.
We gained silence. 

We gained so much from our losses.  It was a magical four days.

walking home from school

One of the best parts of living in this home is that we're only a few houses down from the front door of the school.  From our front driveway, I can see the kids leave the school's front doors and hear the inspirational song that plays them out at the end of the day.  By the time Dottie and I get to the corner, the kids are crossing the street to meet us.  

Bending forward under the weight of his own backpack, lunch sack and coat, our little gentleman carries his baby sister's backpack home every day. Our little pre-teen struggles with keeping everything in her arms, after adding her sister's coat and lunch sack to her own bundles.  The baby runs forward, laughing and taunting her older siblings that she's going to beat them to me. She seems to not understand why it's her fault they can't win that race. 

Sometimes, as in this photo, there are blunders or mishaps. On an icy day, Buddy slipped under the weight of his packages and planted himself on the ice.  He laughed loudly and started kicking his legs, like a fish out of water.  The girls ran forward and tried to copy his wipe-out.  

It's a lovely tradition that Don and I always wanted for ourselves, but we both lived too far away from our schools to do it.  We're glad that our children will have these memories.

These are visuals that I hope to be able to see and sounds that I hope to remember, when they're all grown up.

our tiny prints slideshow

We ordered two sets of Christmas cards this year.  One set had the embarrassing, but traditional, Perez Puzzler, which is our family newsletter.  The other set was for people that Don to hand out to people at work and anyone else he doesn't want to be confused by my annual dose of sarcasm.
The second set, we ordered through Tiny Prints, which includes access to an online family slideshow. The link can be viewed at http://www.tinyprints.com/2013/perez
If you're reading this blog, you're not getting this Christmas card in the mail.  You'll be getting the goofy one. :)  Some of the same photos, but with more "merry" for your Christmas.

12 years together

and still posing for selfies.