Sarah takes the Crown!

So, let me preface this with an explanation about my family. My Mom is the oldest of four girls and a VERY strong woman. She gained the nickname Queenie some decades ago, and though we use it lovingly, make no mistake - she is the Boss. Well, it turns out I picked Sarah's name with some providence. Sarah comes from Hebrew origins and means Princess. I have always called her that, but I am officially upgrading her to Little Queen. At 5, she speaks her mind and runs her little queendom.
So, in the last few days, she has said some things to me that bear repeating, and some things that still have me shaking my head. It started on Monday with Fireman Johnson. Fireman Johnson is the Father of one of Sarah's classmates and talked with her class about safety in the car. He told them the importance of driving with two hands and paying attention to the road. Sarah earnestly relayed all of this to me after school. He also told them not to distract the driver with questions and requests, but that part seems to have flown right over the little darlings heads. So, I was driving home from school on Tuesday and I answered my phone. She must have been waiting for me to hang up, and when I did, she promptly scolded me. "Mother, what did I tell you Fireman Johnson said. You shouldn't talk on the phone when you're driving, you need two hands on the wheel." I was sufficiently chastened and didn't talk in the car the rest of the day. You just don't argue with the Little Queen, and she was right, darn it!

Later in the week, we are sitting on the couch and she turns to me and says "I want a stepmom." A little confused, I asked if she knew what that was, to which she replied, "She's skinny and exercises a lot and rides bikes with the kids, and loves you a lot." Now, keep in mind that I've been working out like crazy and have lost weight recently. I've also taken the kids hiking and I DO love them, so I was a little nonplussed. I wasn't quite sure what to repond, so I asked how she knew about stepmoms and she said her classmate Colin has a stepmom, so she wants one.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this, and her Dad thought it was pretty funny. Some days he wants a skinny Stepmom for the kids, too. I guess, the Little Princess wants more Mommy time with a skinny person, so I'm going to work on that. I'm certainly not gonna work on getting her a stepmom, even if it means someone else to help with laundry. In the meantime, I'm going to remember that a daughter who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask for it, is a good thing. And she just figured out I was writing the stepmom story and she said, "You almost look like a stepmom." Long live the Little Queen!

Fisher-Price Fun

Yesterday, we spent several hours with the fabulous Price Girls. They came for dinner on a whim and stayed for s'mores and girl talk. I love that our friendship has lasted 12 years, with many long breaks, but is as strong as ever. Mike engaged the kids with a fire in the backyard and treats. You can see from the pictures, after he fed them all S'mores, he taught them to make taffy out of marshmallows. What a fun night! What fun friends! What a blessed life we have been given.

The Writing on the Wall

Today, Nana and I took the five kids and a friend on a hike to the Hieroglyphs in the Superstition Mountains. First, let me share that the mileage recorded for the trail on various websites is one way. Though I generally read maps and directions and such well, I thought the trip would be 3.1 miles roundtrip. I was wrong. I had planned to carry the little ones from time to time, and I did, but they were stellar little troopers and made it all the way to the hieroglyphs and all the way back to the car.
The hike was great for beginners. It started slowly and moved gently up the mountain into denser brush that hid the steepness of the trail until you were already at the top. The trail ends at a small canyon of rock with paintings on it. They were so neat to see, and the bigger kids loved scaling the rocks. I enjoyed the hike as genuine exercise that didn't require a machine. What I didn't expect was the window into my kids that the hike provided.

Ethan, pulled out in front and was determined to lead the pack. He was the first to arrive at the top and the bottom. He seemed to enjoy forging ahead on his own and gaining a nice spot in the shade to wait for the rest of us. I valued his initiative and drive because it inspired me to go a little faster and a little farther.
Jake and Magnus(our friend) followed Ethan in a more steady pace. I don't know what they talked about but they stuck together the whole hike and never complained or asked how much farther. A good friend makes the journey even better.
Lilly is the little mother in our family and moved back and forth between the groups, sometimes walking more slowly with us and sometimes running faster with the boys. I envy her ability to feel comfortable in all situations and with everyone she knows. I was three times her age before I felt that comfortable in my own skin.
Sarah, who is short and sturdy like my Mom's family, strapped on a fanny pack and walked up the mountain like she was taking a Sunday stroll. When she would get tired, she would ask for a short ride and then jump off and march ahead again. I marvel at her determination, though I know it was bred into her from generations of strong, stubborn women. I must remember how much I enjoy her strength the next time we are at odds.
Sam was just old enough to make this trip and he did get awfully tired at the end. He stopped often and would just sit on a rock, saying "I need a little break." He would rest his elbows on his knees and smile up at us. As the elevation increased, the path was littered with large rocks that were knee high for him. After watching him mount several in a row, I told him it would be easier if he went around the big rocks instead of over them. For the next half mile, he would point out each obstacle that he avoided and we made good time. He brought many comments from people coming back down the trail and he would ask me the name of every person who spoke to him. I told him I didn't know and he wondered why they spoke to us then. In one of those moments when your mouth is filled with words by the Spirit, I said "Everyone on the trail is a friend."

I thought about this a lot as we walked, and even more after we returned home. Today was a day of lessons that I hope I don't forget. Sometimes we need to run ahead on our own and test our limits, and sometimes we need to go with a friend. We all have the strength to complete the journey, but sometimes we need to lean on a friend. Friends can be found anywhere, in anyone, if we will open our eyes and hearts to those on the path with us and accept the help they offer.

Jump In and Figure It Out As You Go

So, after talking with some girlfriends and reading some amazing blogs, I've decided to go with my instincts and just Jump In! I really don't know what I'm doing, but I hope to learn more in the future about this blogging thing. In the meantime, I want to document what goes on "In the Pond."

I realized, as I was taking stock of our lives at the beginning of this new year, that my motto for life must be, Jump In and Figure It Out As You Go. Oddly, that speaks to the whole affinity for frogs that I've developed in my marriage. I've never been afraid of much, and I have very little pride, so I'm game for just about anything. I think maturity is being able to laugh at yourself, and my Husband has helped me learn to do that. So, I'm jumping into this new year, planning to figure out a few new things as I go.

1. Getting in Shape(the shape I had before five kids)
2. Blogging
3. Hiking Arizona
4. Masters Degree in Social Work
5. Cooking
6. Hebrew, ASL and Norwegian
7. Geocaching
8...several more things I've thought about at odd moments when I had too much to do and no desire to any of it.

If you have any advice about any of the above, please feel free to chime in. So here's to the New Year! Let's JUMP IN!

Happy New Year!

Well, The Fisher Family started off the New Year with a trip to Tucson to visit family. Lilly, Sarah, Sam and I travelled with Nana, Mary Ann and Connor. We were taking Connor home after a week with Grandma Mary Ann. We met up with Connor's mom Melissa(my Cousin) and went to Sabino Canyon. It was just a perfect temperature to enjoy the Tram ride, a walk and playing in the river. The Canyon is beautiful and the four kids enjoyed turning their legs bright red in the freezing water. I had forgotten how many saguaro cacti grow around Tucson. Just an altitude change of 1000ft makes such a drastic change in the landscape. After a trip by the house I grew up in and my Elementary School, we headed to the hotel. After Connor decided to spend one more night with my crazy bunch, we crammed 7 people into 3 queen sized beds and managed to get enough sleep to take on the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

The Museum is the Arizona Desert at its BEST!. My Aunt Casey met us there and acted as Docent, telling us all the secrets of the Museum and Desert. We saw Harris Hawks up close, marvelled at Gila Monsters behind glass, watched the lonely Otter swim around and crawled through small fissures in the rock wall. It was a great vacation.