Book

I started reading this book a couple of weeks ago and I am completely sucked in. This is a fascinating book about how this generation is starved for experiences with nature. Page after page, I am saddened to think about children who aren't free to roam their neighborhoods and streets actively participating in free play. It seems today that kids are busy with structured play- sports, dance, etc- or they're in front of the television or playing video games. I am so thankful that my parents allowed me and my siblings to enjoy childhood freedom. My fondest memories are those that centered around nature or natural settings-- playing hide-n-seek in the summer evenings until way past dark and then lying in the grass and watching the stars; swimming in the river and canals; making mud pies in the backyard; helping in the family vegetable garden (although at the time I hated it!); running through the sprinkler and then laying on the hot cement to get warm (I can still smell the scent of wet, hot cement and the sound of my breath against the rough sidewalk and feeling the warm summer sun on my back); jumping on the trampoline at dusk at the height of spring time surrounded by apple trees in full bloom; sleeping on the trampoline and gazing at the stars; going fishing with my dad and brothers; driving to the mountains and having a picnic by a stream and spending the day playing in the water; catching river minnows; climbing my grandpa's tree; riding my bike for hours... and countless other memories.

As an adult, the moments that I relish most while at 'play' have been and continue to be my interactions with nature--a sunset in Nauvoo; jogging through Hyde Park; swimming in the river in Zurich; riding my bike past fields and fields of sunflowers in France; pulling a handcart through 8 ft' sagebrush; night hikes in the Sawtooth mountains; basking in a natural hotspring while watching the stars; bushwacking a trail to a ghosttown in the middle of nowhere under a full moon; watching a lightning storm at the edge of the Grand Canyon; working in my yard; watching my son as he delights in a simple flower or watching him get so much joy from throwing a rock into the water.

Stuff

This is random picture (above). Since Adam's been laid off, he's been working on some projects around the house. We found some super cheap granite tiles on clearance at Home Depot and decided to remodel the bathroom. He also refinished the hardwood floors last weekend while we were on a youth snowmobiling trip. (That's a whole other story). Adam's definitely a good man to have around. It amazes me how he can do just about anything around the house. He's never put in tile before or used a tile saw but he figured it out on his own and they look great. (Adam's a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to his work) Amazing!

Brotherly love. Ruby will giggle and giggle whenever James is around. He won't even be doing anything and she'll still laugh. It is the cutest thing. She won't really laugh like that for anyone else, including myself. She is absolutely enamored with James. She gets so excited when he's around and she won't take her eyes off of him. I can already tell that she's going to follow him around and mimic everything he does. Partner's in crime waiting to happen. James loves me to put Ruby in his firetruck bed and then he 'drives' around putting out fires with Ruby as his sidekick. This is the reason we had another child-- so we wouldn't have to entertain James all of the time.

I love this little face. She has the sweetest lil' face I've ever seen, other than James'. I just love her. She is so good-natured and even-tempered. She rarely cries or fusses. She is turning into a mama's girl, though. What can I say, the kid loves me.

On a side note, the handcart trek has been canceled and moved to next year. Bummer. I was totally ready- had my application and check in and everything. Oh well, at least Ruby will be a little older next year.