TEN YEARS!

Have you ever stopped to wonder what it was that made so many of the great musicians in this world great? Talent, yes that is one aspect that I don't discount, however, I have met many with talent that are not great, and yet others that are brilliant. To illustrate my point further I relate a story I once heard about a piano recital that was well attended. As the story goes one young man got up and played beautifully. His mom happened to be sitting next to a woman that was tremendously impressed who, then leaned over and said, "I would give my life if my son could play like that." The son's mother smiled and softly replied, "We have."

Why bother with telling you this, my reasoning is simple. I just had my ten year anniversary and I draw a simularity between great music and marriage. When I began, well, lets just say that much like a new violin to be played, it was not pretty. Many of the notes were sour and sadly flat. What changed those notes, practice, good old fashioned hard work and practice, practice, practice. While I fully admit our marriage is not akin to Handel's Messiah, it isn't Mary Had a Little Lamb either. There are sour and sharp notes, but they are played less and less frequently. I'm not certain that I had inherent talent for marriage, and I am not afraid to say that marriage is hard work. I am not afraid because beauty is created from all of the hard work. Sonatas, concertos and overtures are the result of hours, months and years of hard work. I remember the hours and the hours of practice, the callouses formed, the automatic notes and the melody that comes easier and easier and, unlike the beginning, it is sweet.

So thanks D. Thanks for stuffing your ears with cotton the first bit. Thanks for being there. Thanks for listening, and learning. Most importantly, thanks for working. Thanks for trying, trying, trying and trying some more. We've had lots of high and low notes, but they have created our beautiful unique melody and have somehow made it sweeter. Love You!

It's a crying shame...

Mental note to self...shop early and quickly. Apparently the economic crisis has yet to trickle down to the snow clothing department. I hurried to the store in a panic after the snow dumped upon us only to find that everywhere is apparently out of snow clothing. Boots gone, hats sparse, gloves almost non-existent. Finding the boots was a long process indeed. I scoffed when I saw the price tag attached to a small pair of boots that will only be worn for a short season, 24.95----left that store thinking they are crazy, who pays 24.95 for a pair of boots for a two-year old. Apparently I do-after checking 3 other stores I found this to be the going rate. 34.95 happens to be the going rate for boys boots that are even harder to find. I finally loaded all the equipment up and headed to check-out. I almost choked when I heard the total, but I kept it together and held tightly to the counter in case my knees buckled and I went down. Made it home, dressed the kids and went outside for some fun.Wyatt dressed to the "t"-what's that you say, his boots look amazing-oh wait you can't even see them-you would think that for 24.95 they would repel the snow!

he is rather cute running away.

Oh look he found the lost shovel, that means I can take the money I would have paid for a new shovel and put it toward the second mortgage I had to take out just to provide snow clothes.

Bridger having a great time.

Here's Ethan, his mom was nowhere to be found, probably because she got hand-me-downs and didn't have to follow/stalk her kids out in the snow to make sure they were going to use all the clothing so she could get her moneys worth.

Here they are sledding down the sidewalk to the ground. I feel bad these kids don't know what a real sledding hill looks like.

Wyatt decided to take a try.

And here he is after-not loving it, at which point he turned around and came inside, yes that is right I said inside. Oh and take a good look at the gloves on Bridger's hands in the picture, he took them to school today and didn't return with them. I am not sure if you or I will get to see them again. **SIGH**

Golgie comes to play...

Wyatt's favorite person in life right now is our neighbor, Gracie, more affectionately known in our home as "Golgie". He loves her. They are best buds. We try to get them together once a week, if not more because they play so well. They played monster blankie...

Played with all the toys in Wyatt's room...

Ate yummy fruit snacks...

And colored each other blue at which point I became mortified and the camera became the furthest thing from my mind. Wish I would have snapped a few picts. We were downstairs and I was jogging on the treadmill whilst they were coloring on the white eraser board with a blue marker. Then it grew quiet-I know should have keyed into the silence. Finished my workout came around the corner and met smurfs. I hurried Gracie upstairs, shock turning to horror as I looked in her hair and noticed that these two had not spared scalps. After what seemed like hours of scrubbing I returned a red and blotchy faced child to her understanding parents. Gotta love those two!