Little Sisters

There seemed to be a little sister section behind the field at the soccer game yesterday. And, what also seemed to be a very important lesson. There was very little talking, yet Eden was bossing just the same. First, the little girl picked her nose. Then Eden showed her how to properly dispose of a booger...i.e., wipe it on the front of your dress. ;) Turns out, she is even opinonated about nasal hygiene.

Snow Day Project

Well, it was project time today. We were stuck in the house again today, so we decided to get ready for Valentine's Day. The kids have parties in class on Monday and needed boxes to put all their Valentines in. And, of course Eden had to have one too. :) We used red duct tape for Gaven and Eden's and wrapping paper for Vivie's. We made bouncy hearts out of pipe cleaners, but the kids' favorite part was definitely the glitter glue. After about 30 minutes, I had to cut them off. Right now the boxes are drying, and glue is running down the sides. Oh, well...at least they will be unique.

Fourwheeler Adventures

The country seems to be talking so much about the recession. Today, the Hooper family enjoyed lots of family entertainment (and bonding) for only $5 in gas. It is not about the expensive snowmobiles or skis - it is about time...and today we had all the time in the world. It was snow day #5 for this school year. And, like usual, we tried to make the most of it. We borrowed a four wheeler from Lloyd and Tina, and Jer drilled some holes in a trash can lid....like I said, making the most of it = home made fun. :) Vivie did her little squeal the whole time, Eden was more interested in riding with dad, and Gaven turned into a dare-devil. He got dad to go so fast that he flipped multiple times - and laughed hysterically the whole time. :)

Over the past couple weeks we have been looking at properties all over town. And I must say, our property tops them all when it comes to a view. Just look at those mountains! Beautiful!

Washington, D.C.

I am so excited to be home from my D.C. trip. Any chance I have to go is a must for me. It is absolutely one of my favorite cities. The whole atmosphere makes you want to be involved. It gives me the desire to speak up and make a difference. So many times we hear about our responsibility to vote, and people are happy if we do that much. But the responsibility does not end there. We have opportunity to get to know our Senators and Representatives, and let them know what is important to us. On this trip my concern was an Educational Technology Bill. With most schools going completely digital, many blind students are unable to access their schoolwork. It is important for them to have equal opportunity to excel. Unfortunately, many times that standard for blind students, as well as other disable students, is much lower than "normal." That should not be the case. We should expect a blind student to do every bit as well as a sighted student, and to ensure that, I will speak out about this legislation that will give them the chance. I encourage you to find out who your Congressmen and women are, find out what committees they are on, and what they have agreed to sponsor. It is not that difficult to do, and it is very worth the effort.

Two and a Half

Lately the phrase I have used to describe Eden is "Very two." Her personality is hilarious. She is very opinionated and has no trouble expressing herself at all! Every day is a new process of discovery...usually accompanied by a lesson in obedience. I have come to the conclusion that two-year-olds are much smarter that we give them credit for.

I have to admit that my favorite past time right now is to watch her play "pretend" while she doesn't know anyone is watching. I get more delight in watching her tend to her babies (and boy, do those babies cause her trouble...she get on to them with gusto...wonder where she gets that from) and dance around in her tutu singing her made-up songs than I get having the most profound conversations with her. Maybe it is because we haven't experienced this "make believe" world with either of our other children. Vivie made up a lot of stories, but she never interacted with her dolls. Gaven was three when he came into our home and was all about trains. He would sit and play with his trains for hours, but he never really narrated the way Eden does right now. Each child is truly unique...a special gift. And, I am coming to understand more and more how each season with each child is a gift. Some people stereotype toddlers with the term "terrible twos." I will never use that phrase. This is a fantastic season of her life, and I will not stamp that title on her. I will enjoy it as much as I can, because it will be gone way too fast.

Uncle

Adoption is a precious word in our family. Not only was our son, Gaven, adopted a little over four years ago, but we have now also welcomed our "nephew", baby Noah, into our lives. Our very dear friends, Jeremiah and Susan, surprised us all with the news of the adoption of this adorable little guy in November. He is the very best baby. We all anxiously wait our turns to get him in our arms whenever he is around. His cheeks have the ultimate level of squishyness and kissability. :) When he was over today for a visit, Gaven couldn't wait to sit with him. When Susan put Noah in his arms, she commented on his little cousin. Gaven was quick to reply, "No, Suzy...I am his uncle!" :) Gaven has this amazing nurturing spirit. He cannot wait to teach Noah all he knows about football, hunting, and all manner of little boy things.

I am continually thankful to the Lord for bringing our son into our lives. We set out on a sort of mission to change his life, but he has undoubtedly changed ours in a million ways. There are so many crazy aspects to adoption that I cannot explain them all in one post. But I can tell you this today, the pride of my son claiming his spot as uncle is a small glimpse of a peaceful, strong heart that is secure.

Snow...Day Two

I am glad to report that we had a much happier experience in the snow today. Jerr got off work early, so we bundled up again and ventured out as a family in search of the perfect hill. And did we ever find it! It was everything you could ask for in a sledding hill...long, steep, slopping, tightly packed with snow, and, most importantly, FAST! Gaven was the first to try it out with no abandon. He jumped on the tube and flew down the 100 yard hill yelling "whooo hoooo" the whole way down. Once the four wheeler had he and the tube safely back up the hill, Vivie was ready to give it a go. Now, I don't know if any of you have flown down a snow-covered hill on a tube with your eyes closed, but you can just imagine what this was like for her. I was pleading for her to ride with Jeremy the first time to make sure she wouldn't be terrified, but that independence that I spoke of previously prevailed and she rode it alone. She laughed and cheered the whole way. :) Eden tried it once in bubba's lap, but that was all she wanted of it. I think she was pretty much there for the cocoa.

To our hosts, Jesse and Andrea, thank you oh so much for redeeming snow day for the Hooper Family.

Snow

I am completely amazed at how such a simple thing like snow can bring such pure delight to the hearts of my kids. They were bursting at the seams waiting to get out and play in the fluffy white cold that was blanketing our yard.
Unfortunately, I am also amazed at how such delight can be turned into the biggest tantrum ever thrown by an unnamed two year old in a matter of minutes. She went from enjoying her snow angels to screaming in cold pain so fast I barely had time to sit down the camera. Now, for you mothers out there, you know in your gut that snow simply means there will be half an hour of preparation (including digging out hats and gloves and extra socks) for only 15 minutes of play, only to be followed by another half hour of work cleaning up the sopping wet clothes and dripping snow that gets tracked inside. And I say mothers, because fathers tend (at least in my experience) to be nothing more than grown up kids who require just as much of the preparation. :) But all the work and wet and whimpering goes away as we are all warm and dry again by the fire. Our delight has now turned to the fluffy white marshmallows in our hot cocoa. For those of you who have braved all the "delights"...I lift my mug of warm goodness...cheers!

Change

Vivie is growing up so much lately. Her personality has changed from "little" girl to "big" girl almost overnight. She has moved from being totally dependent on me and others close to her to being charged with independence. She will walk through the house and go where she wants as she pleases. Most amazingly to me, she will sit and read an entire braille book in one sitting now. I get teary just watching her giggle to herself as she discovers a funny story. Time really does go by so fast. And even though I do not anticipate my baby growing up, I do have so many wonderful expectations of the woman she will become. I am making every effort to enjoy every season...because inevitably, they change.

Happy New Year

I cannot believe it is a new year. I simply love the feeling of starting fresh. One of my friends told me that she was not doing resolutions because they just set you up for failure. Well, isn't the risk of failure what makes something worth striving for? If everything you want to accomplish in the new year was easy - it would be called a "to do list" and we all have those every day of our lives, and they do not inspire me to get off my tushy and do something new. No, a resolution is something you "resolve" to work toward. The dictionary defines resolution as "A resolve or determination; to make a firm resolution to do something; the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose." I confess the last one is my favorite...firmness of purpose. That means that what I intend to do carries some weight; it will take some effort. The risk of failure is what drives me to do better...to be better. We have all heard many times that "Without a vision the people perish." It is good to have goals. I think it is even good to have failures. Failures are how you learn.
So, I want to know - what is your vision for 2011? Do you have a firmness of purpose? Have you resolved yourself to do more that a "to do" list?

P.S. the Red Waldorf Cake mentioned in my last post was very good. However, I would not recommend their choice of Creamy Frosting. It wasn't' great at all. Next time I will stick with a cream cheese frosting instead. :)