Motherhood – Page 35 – Letters from Home

The Homecoming Dance and Dress

I went out of town for the weekend to visit my grandmother and I missed seeing Paige’s homecoming date. Richard took pictures for me. The dress looks so much pinker in natural light. In the store and in the house, it is a lot more muted in tone.

Paige and I found the dress on a clearance rack after shopping at 10 stores. It was only 12 or 14 sizes too big and it lacked sleeves, but it was the right length and the beads were gorgeous!

It had pockets, too, and I knew we could make some cap sleeves with these.

It was a very nice dress and fully lined, which meant I had a lot of reconstruction and hand sewing to do. The finished dress had about 8 inches less fabric around the waist and the cap sleeves went on very easily, thanks to an online tutorial. I watched episodes of The Paradise while I hand stitched the lining back into place. I probably ate chocolate while doing all of this, so really, it was pretty fun, although time consuming.

Daniel’s Day

Daniel joined our family in the early evening, a perfect baby after a difficult pregnancy which included major abdominal surgery. I was ecstatic that my little Daniel had made it through the lion’s den of my health issues. Prayer, faith, and a priesthood blessing were important elements in that miracle. (You can read about that here.)

He has always been resilient and strong. It’s a blessing that I don’t have much to worry about with Daniel. His independence, height, resourcefulness, and encyclopedic memory set him apart. He is great company in the car because he always has something interesting on his mind. You could come and hear him play a piano concerto on October 17th if you are in town.

Today we celebrate with homemade pizza, cheesecake, and presents, but the best celebrations are in my heart for a son who constantly amazes me. How thankful we are for Daniel.

Let the shopping commence.

Earlier this week we discovered that someone is “dying to go to homecoming” with Paige. The crime scene has since become a little disheveled, but it makes me smile every time I walk outside.

This week…

I fell in love with this. Richard has been trying to buy me a violin for a long time, but that’s not as easy as it sounds. I’ve tried out a lot of violins over the years and when I played this one, I knew that it was special. We joked that it was a little bit like wand shopping in Harry Potter. When I played it, I felt so strongly that THIS was the ONE! Magical! This weekend I get to bring it home. I am reading this. I just finished a chapter about the Vikings. Yikes. Scary. I am watching this a little bit at a time. Mark likes the corny humor in it more than I do. I’ve been concerned about THIS. We learned today that Richard still has a job.

I’m making a red one of these for Mark to use as a reading fort:

photo from Care's blog — photo from Care’s blog; pattern by Susan

We’ve cheered at baseball games for Mark and Timothy. I haven’t been cooking much, but Daniel told me tonight that the food this week has been especially good. Now that’s an accomplishment. Did I mention that I am getting a new violin? That’s really all I can think about.

My 1000th Post and a Milestone

It’s probably because people know that I am a sentimental person that I have been asked many times this week how I feel about Paige turning 18. I have been taken off guard by this because I feel just fine.

I think I feel just fine because I see who she has become, and I know she’s moving in a good direction. I feel blessed that I was able to have so much extra time with her because of home schooling. I feel happy that she is doing well in high school. I look forward to our time together during this last year at home and the adventures she will have when she moves away for college. Our time together is a joy to me, and although it’s evolving to fewer hours together, we still have a foundation of peace and friendship that is a comfort to me. I’ve seen her shine through the change in schools, perform well under pressure, and create beauty with words, paint, music, and dance. She’s arrived at age 18 with grace and continually elevates the title of “The Best Young Woman I Know.”

Last steps before a new vantage point

It’s the last day of summer break. The business of preparation, despite its being related to school, has diverted my attention from the reality that our days at home and in the woods are almost gone. Just over that ridge is a series of new adventures with books, music, sports, and friends. I feel some excitement for what’s ahead for the kids. It will be a good year.

A Memory of a Summer Afternoon

The late afternoon sun made a golden light behind my two sons’ frames. Daniel and Mark were at their busiest and best among the rocks, knee-deep in the cold mountain stream. There were rocks to move to shore up the wall, and they attacked the project with intensity. I watched them from the wooden slats above, enjoying the teamwork, masculine camaraderie, and those moments when they invited me into their wonder.

It didn’t matter that one boy was 14 and the other only 8. Nature had a way of smoothing out the differences between them and brought them running to me to share.

“Look, Mom!” is one of my favorite phrases. Rocks, a skull, a stick, all in their turn were placed in front of me. Invited into their world for a minute, I admired their treasures and savored their attention to sharing beauty. Bringing each offering to show me, I found a boy of no distinct age, simply boyhood.

The wonder, simplicity, and generosity of these moments of boyhood are some of my best treasures.

By name

Here are the dog tags I made for each member of the Sanchez family. It was a lot of work, but as I hammered out the names, I thought of their personalities, challenges, and accomplishments. My appreciation for them grew as the names gathered in front of me on the step.

We read in the Book of Mormon that “all things are written by the Father” (3 Nephi 27:26) referring to the records that are kept by which the world will be judged. Perhaps one “parenting tip” or “family relationship tip” we can gain from this is that keeping records of the people in our lives can help us be better judges of their motives and needs.

Sometimes I will write a paragraph about each child in my journal so I can remember their lives. When I do this, sometimes I feel inspiration about what they need. Patterns in their behavior become clear messages of what they are going through.

Angie’s advice for the day: write down the names of each family member. Pause and think of their strengths, challenges, and contribution to your life. Perhaps say a prayer of gratitude for each of them by name. Take action on the things you feel inspired to do for them.

Mark goes to Cub Camp

It’s a rite of passage to go to Cub Camp. Age 8 seems younger and younger with each child, though. I got to attend one day of camp with Mark and it was a delight to watch him during the skits and songs and see what he chose to purchase from the shop. Many boys bought $5 Indiana Jones whips. Thankfully, Mark only had $3 with him, so it wasn’t a temptation. Mark’s favorite activity of the day was the obstacle course. I took video of him climbing, swinging on a rope, doing somersaults, jumping, and running through tires. I could watch that for a long time.