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A Flip-Flop Haiku

Five days and counting

Hot Huatulco here we come

I must paint my toes

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I would like to be able to say that this is a regular sight in our house...but it's not. This is what bribery looks like. We told the kids we'd take them rollerskating but first they had a list of "chores" to complete. Cleaning up the breakfast dishes was #1 on the list....

They should really do this more often, no?

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Hannah, so proud of you today. After a year of lessons now, your teacher asked if you'd be interested in participating in a piano "contest." I have to be honest and say I was a bit surprised that you wanted to do it. You often shy away from "new" and "unknown" experiences. But you did great. You had chosen one of your most familiar pieces, Waltzing Elephants, which you call the "Plink Song" because of the staccato nature of the song. You had to walk into an unfamiliar setting, introduce yourself to the judge (whom you didn't know), present your music to her and then play for her from memory. The song is short (all of 30 second or so to play) but you played it quite well. The judge took notes, gave you some feedback and then we were on our way home. When we got home there was a message from your instructor saying how well you'd done and that you had scored a "1", the best score you could get. You'll receive a medal or ribbon of some sort at your next lesson. We're so proud of you, honey. You took a risk, tried something new and did well. Go you!

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Today we met up with friends for a bit of ice skating. Both Alex and Ethan had missed the first grade field trip last week (skating with their 8th grade buddies) so Janice and I decided to take the kids out for some skating and lunch. Both Hannah and Alex have been rollerskating before but this was their first time on the ice. And it's been years for me. They did really well for their first time and enjoyed this treat after our long week.

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Catching up. With all of the travel and arrangements he had to do connected to Dale's death, he's been feeling behind in work. Today is all about trying to get up to speed and caught up on what he's missed.

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These amazing flowers arrived for Andy today from his company. The bouquet is huge and beautiful and smells amazing (it's the lilies, I think) and you can smell them the moment you walk in the door. It's like a big burst of sunshine in our home....I love it. It's just what we all needed with all the gray around here lately. We should have fresh flowers around here more often - it's such a mood booster.

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Finally....almost home. We each had our own version of "alone time" in the car(s). Andy right in front of me the entire way, Hannah listening to stories on the iPod, me searching for something worthwhile to listen to on the radio and Alex taking a 2 hour (!) nap. As we passed the exit about 3 miles from home, he woke up and said:

"Mom, is this Madison?"

No, honey. You were sleeping when we passed Madison.

"I wasn't asleep"

You weren't? You sure looked like you were....

"That's because I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was trying and they just kept closing. 'Cause it was so bright."

Love that. (But I have a feeling we're going to be paying for the nap later tonight!)

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So glad to be heading home. We couldn't make it all the way, with the snow on the roads but at least we got a start. We saw so many cars and trucks stuck in ditches along the way. We drove only two hours or so before stopping here for the night - a hotel with a water park. What could be better than that? This particular one didn't quite do it for me but the kids enjoyed themselves. They needed a little something like this after the last few days we've had. This slide seemed to be their favorite, which I thought was funny because Alex almost needed to push himself down in certain places - not the fastest slide he's been on, for sure!

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So we're snowed in.... really hoping to be on the road and heading home but a big storm is hitting the area. So today turned into a game day. Here Hannah and Hanna are showing off their loot. The two were playing Alex and doing a bit of cheating (unbeknownst to Alex) until Daddy came along to give him some assistance.

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Dale's home. Well, his summer time home anyway. The four children met here today to discuss Dale's wishes and look through the house to see what each might want of their father's personal things. While the house will be left to Greg, the oldest child, we don't know how long it will be around. I'm sure Greg will eventually sell it as he really has no need for it. It felt strange to walk through Dale's home without him in it. I'm sure it felt even more strange for Andy. Even though it's much nicer to look at in the summertime, I'm glad I was able to capture this image for him. This is where we picture him when we think of Dale.

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Today was Dale's burial. The tiny little cemetery sits just outside a town with a population under 300 about 2 hours north of his home. He had chosen this place years ago. It was where his ancestors had settled when they came over from Sweden. Both Dale's father and his grandfather are here as well. Just the immediate family were there today. It was a bright and sunny day but frigidly cold. Andy had chosen the coffin for his dad. Everyone commented at how simple yet beautiful it was...again, just as Dale would have wanted it.

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It was a rough day for Andy today. The weather was mild and very damp and foggy. Dale's service at the church was very nice. Andy says it was just what he would have wanted. I'm glad for that. I know that means a lot to him, his brothers and his sister.

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Heading north for Dale's funeral which is tomorrow. The sky was on fire tonight as we approached the state border. Bright orange-yellow sunset followed by blues, reds, pinks and purples as the sun dipped below the horizon. It just kept getting better and better. I love nights like this one. Taken from the front seat going about 70 mph (as a passenger, of course!)

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Toys. This is Gunnar's favorite "bone." Behind him sits one of his preferred toys - the tennis ball. There is also a very short length of rope hiding somewhere which he likes to toss around but the balls are usually what he goes for first. Usually he will walk around and pick many of them up at the same time. Three seems to be the limit. He tries for four but that never really works out for him. One will always slip out and then he goes back and tries again. One of his best looks is when he has this bone along with two tennis balls all in at once....it's quite a look.