Counting Down

(One of my latest paintings.)


The countdown to Christmas is officially going and quite honestly nearing the end. I can't believe how quickly December is rolling by. So far we have managed to slow down and take it easy. I am not taking any painting classes this month. This is a rarity for me but I wanted to simplify this month and that was an easy way to free up a night once a week. We have enjoyed our ward christmas party, a fun white elephant party with the Van Orden's,our long-time friends from the Virginia days. The kids have loved the snow which has recently fallen and covered the ugly winter world with a fresh blanket of beautiful whiteness. They have built forts and snow castles with the sand toys. The boys spent an afternoon sledding with their Dad. They were on the sled hill with the teenage snowboarders and learned a new favorite word....sick. I am so glad that has been added to their evergrowing vocabulary. Everything is just so sick now it is driving me nuts! I just have to pretend it doesn't bother me and this smashingly dashing word will slip from their minds as quickly as it was introduced. There is much to look forward to as well in the next few weeks before the New Year is upon us. Byrons family will be here for a week, yes all of them! It is a good thing we all get along. Our kids are exstatic and are using their Christmas Countdown chain to keep track of the days until the Pollan's come. We are down to 8 days today. We cannot wait for them to get here and start checking off the very long list of things the kids want to do with them. None of which includes curling up next to the fire with a good book. I can't figure that one out. I hope this season leaves you all time to ponder Christ's life and the true message of Christmas.

Tyler and Carter on their first ski trip of the Season!! They are turning into real ski bums. Byron says Tyler goes so fast he can hardly keep up with him. When the boys geared up and got their things collected Ali started crying because we told her she would not be going skiing. I made a deal with her that when the boys go skiing the girls will go swimming. She loves that as swimming really is her favorite thing to do. I am constantly reminded that the boys go skiing and the girls go swimming. I am just glad I dont have to drag her up and down the ski hill.

Classic Tyler wipe-out! Aparently he "got air" He really impressed his Dad and Carter.

These are the two cutest kids on the ski hill. Love these boys!!

Ali getting her first haircut. I know it's scary that she is two and a half and has never had a haircut but really...she hasn't had that much hair. I gave her her first haircut and you can't even tell, which I think means it turned out pretty good. Of course it was a straight line across the back, how could that go to poorly?

I have posted a few photos of my newest decorating feats. I have been hating our little powder room and went to Lowe's thinking I would tear out the cabinets and redo everything. Thanks to my friend Heidi Peterson's advice I just resurfaced the vanity and painted. Now I don't hate the counters anymore and I got rid of the gold trimmed fixtures in there so it looks smashing! I really like how the bathroom turned out. I actually liked the colors so much I used them in my dining room the next day. I had to of course go back to Lowes and buy more paint. I finally (three years later) got rid of the flowery painting that went up and over the columns and finished the columns to look like antiqued wood. The dining room went so well I decided I would paint the study the next day. I used the same color scheme, went back to Lowes again for more paint and love how the study turned out as well. I didn't post it though. Next on the list is the master bed/bathroom. I am taking a break though, I got sick of it after three days straight.

For primary this week we had a shepherd come and visit the kids. We have a time machine so we get visitors from all sorts of places. The shepherd just happened to be one of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus when he was born. It was such a delight to listen to him speak of his experiences on that day. He told us all about shepherds back then and how they were looking and praying for a Savior. He told the kids how they were happy and loved music. How they slept out in the dirt watching after their sheep. It was very interesting hear a "first hand" testimony of the birth of Christ.
After he left I talked to the kids about the candy cane and all the symbolism it holds. Why it is such an integral part of Christmas. It came to me while I was talking that there must have been a reason why the shepherd was the first to be called to witness the birth of Jesus. Christ would later in life identify himself as the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd of all mankind. It is no wonder the shepherds came first to the call of Their Shepherd.
Then I got to thinking about why the Wise Men were called to witness the birth of Jesus. We know the Wise Men were Kings and Jesus would be The King of all. It seems the testimony of Christ's birth came from the least and poorest of society and the highest and richest of society. I find it fascinating, the more you think about the birth of Christ, the more you realize how perfect it was. I am sure nothing I have recently discovered or rediscovered is a huge revelation to anyone, but it has been a wonderful experience to be in charge of primary sharing time this month as I have really needed to focus on the true meaning of Christmas so I can share it with the 70 kids we teach at church. I really hope everyone can manage a night or two of pondering the Christmas story. Try to discover something new in it this year.

Christmas is a Coming...The Goose is getting fat...

The Pollan's House...We're Ready Santa!!!

So, my neighbor informed me I must have a lot of free time. The funny thing is I don't. I hardly have any free time. I go crazy running from one thing to the other, carpool here, carpool there, everywhere a car pool. The thing I do well, and I would like to think better than most people, is making use of those little bits of time. The fifteen minutes between this or that. So, my lights took me two weeks to get up and going, all on timers now and fully automated. But really, two weeks. I would do a tree when I had time or untangle a line and see if it works. It was a mess but now it looks great and Santa is not going to miss our house. Especially after we sprinkle the special shaker of Reindeer dust out on Christmas Eve. It makes the yard sparkle so the reindeer can see it from way up in the sky. Hurray for Christmas!

The kids under our tree.

Thanks to the generosity of my brother and his wife, (thanks Chuck and Lisa) we have a gorgeous 13 foot tree. Cut fresh from somewhere in Idaho last weekend. They four wheeled out to it and brought it home for us. We had to cut a foot off the top and bottom and it barely squeaks in under the ceiling. The scent is tantalizing though as you come and go during the day and it is undeniably the Christmas season when the pine wafts through your nose upon entering the home.

It seems like time keeps passing faster and faster the further we get into this school year. Carter has learned to spell air, hair, their, they're and there this week....It is a wonder any of us can speak and write English. Tyler is mastering the letter B b and will tell you what happens when you pop the top of the big B...it turns into a little b. Very clever for straightening out which way the little b and d go. Ali will be more than pleased to tell you about the Ogre who chased the Princess in the play we saw with her preschool class this week at the Utah Children's Playhouse. If you want to know what the kids are really doing though....waiting for the Pollan's to get into town. They ask everyday how many more days until Nanna and Papa and Chris and Jason and Hollie and Joseph get here. Seriously, they cannot wait for the arrival of the relatives....while it brings back memories of a much beloved Christmas Vacation movie with Chevy Chase....we are just waiting for a squirrel to jump out of the tree....(it could happen.) we even have the dog to chase it around the house.

Byron is enjoying Fridays off while he uses up the rest of his vacation days. He spends many of them hunting with his dog Jessie. (The same dog I just clobbered for eating a hole in my Christmas sweater.) If he didn't like her so much, she would be gone by now-tormenting another family. The hunting duo did manage to bring home two chucker last weekend and we ate a delicious chucker noodle soup for dinner. Tastes like chicken, but then doesn't everything. I would say I am proud but really I just want to get rid of the dog.

I have been busy painting away. I just updated my web-site. It now has all the things I have been working on for the last four months or so since I updated it last. I have had a few Christmas commissions which has been fun. I painted a portrait for my neighbors daughter whose husband recently passed away. Tragic story and my heart and prayers go out to them. The gallery is doing well. We sold a few paintings in November and are hoping to sell a few more in December.

With the halls all decked, the presents wrapped and the lights up we are just biding our time and enjoying the season. I hope this finds you all warm and cozy by a fire with a warm mug of hot chocolate and a good book in your hands. Don't forget to slow down and enjoy the Christmas season.

Fun Fall Days

So...I took lots of photos this afternoon. The light was great and I couldn't resist as the sky was so blue. These are a few snapshots of mainly Ali...she is the most entertaining now a days.


This top shot is Ali eating a peanut. Aren't you glad you are not that peanut!!!

Ali decided she must water the pots this afternoon. We made an exchange...I would fill up her water bucket if she would go potty on the toilet. My highly trained negotiation skills were in work there.


These photos crack me up....the story plays out exactly as it seems....Ali is on an "inventure" with her kitty. They are looking for baby animals to save. They found a monkey....a koala bear...and tucked them into the seat of her trike for safe keeping.



Kitty is a good sport....she doesn't scratch or bite...but if she did I wouldn't blame her.



Yes, at this point Ali is trying to put Kitty into her Easter basket....poor kitty....what should she do?



Kitty is biding her time...just waiting for her chance...Ali is saying, "Here you go sweet little kitty."


And she got it.....Ali is running after her screaming, "Oh no my kitty....my kitty....my kitty." It wasn't long until Kitty was recovered by Ty and brought back to the loving and adoring Ali.

PLAY TIME AT THE PARK

For family fun on Saturday we took the kids to our park....I can pretty much guarantee our park is funner than your park. We have got beach sand, which has somehow become a scarcity at parks and everything spins.....this is how it has earned the nickname...spinny park or more affectionately named by B, Puke Park!!! No one has yet to actually puke yet, but Mom has come the closest.

There is spinning.....

And spinning...

And more spinning....

Love Ali's hair in this photo!!!
She is the swingingest girl there ever was. Seriously she would sit and swing for however long someone is willing to push her. No interest in anything else, unless of course you tell her to try and pump and then she is off the swing and into digging castles in the sand.

THIS IS THE PLACE HALLOWEEN PARTY!!!

We went to the This is the Place Monument park for some early trick or treating. They hand out candy at the little pioneer homes and you get to do crafts and run through the corn maze. It was a fun afternoon. The pony's weren't too back either
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Hanging out in the hay with the cousins.

Funny Story: Yesterday at dinner we were talking about how Byron was going to learn how to ski better so he could go bailing over a 80 foot cliff. Then Byron was joking how Carter would come with him. So, Carter politely declines the offer stating how he would die if he did that. Then Ty says being totally serious and with a look of true and honest concern on his face... "Oh no ...if Carter dies...then I will have to turn in all his homework." Yes, that would be the first concern on my mind as well.

All in all we had a fun weekend and are going to be so sad to see it cool off around here. I pulled out all my tomato plants and managed to get two loads of garbage out this morning. I fill up the can once and the trash man does our side of our street. Then ten minutes later he does the other side of the street. So, if I can catch it on time I can refill my can again and run it across the street. Two loads of garden trash out in one week....I really think it is genius.

I managed to get one closet cleaned out today. Ali's bedroom was a disaster but after much sorting and giving away of clothing to some neighbors we are back into control. She had enough clothes to dress three little girls.

Tomorrow we have Carter's last dentist appointment to look forward to....Poor kid. He was just laying on the floor by me saying how the dentist is a tooth's best friend. At least he is old enough to understand why he is being tortured.

Well, the 8 o'clock bells are ringing for bedtime so it is off we go.

Welcome to the Pollan Post

Welcome to the Pollan Post

This is my attempt at keeping a journal, writing cute little things my kids do, keeping a vacation log but most importantly having a place for my mother in law to see cute pictures of our kids.

With the Holidays closing in quickly on us I need to get my booty in gear. We have been lingering in the last few days of summer, hoping they will extend as far into winter as spring did into summer. Those hopes have been quickly dashed by the 6 inches of snow we received this last week. The kids had way more fun than is even reasonable out there sledding and throwing snowballs. Ali came inside after playing and said, "I had FUN in the snow." We had a weekend of gloves, boots, snow pants and missing hats. The snow melted into the carpet causing wet socks to the unexpectant feet. I am still deliberating on whether to welcome winter with open arms or crawl up in a ball and cry. Ali does make it harder to feel down when she is so excited about the "snow everywhere." She has even declared she wants to learn how to ski.

Carter couldn't be convinced for most of the weekend to go out and play with the younger kids. He finally came around and did some surfing down the grass in the front on Sunday after church. You will find Carter begging to go to the fire station lately so he can get another thing passed off for his Wolf badge. I finally got his Bobcat and a few other badges he has earned sewn onto his scout shirt and he couldn't be more pleased with himself.

Tyler is the two-wheeler king now. He recently mastered the art of balance and has taken off on his two-wheeler. He is loving the last few warm days we are having this week and rides his bike all around outside.

They keep running commercials for the widows-weekend events they have for the deer-hunter wives and I keep wondering when I will see an add for the widow-events for the bird hunters wives. Byron is off again today with his girl Jessie trying to get a grouse or a chucker or anything else that flies. He reads and studies the maps all week and then on the weekends he heads out to see what he can find. I will say it has improved his waist-line if nothing else. We have enjoyed one lovely meal of grouse-shishkabob. I just hope he doesn't get to good at this bird hunting. I really do prefer chicken given the option but as we tell our kids, you kill it...you eat it. Anyone interested in a bird hunt, now is the time to visit. Byron would love to have you.

I have been busy with the art gallery. We got our sign on the window so now people can see there is a gallery in the restaurant as they drive by. I added a new artist this week and her work is amazing. We should have an article run in the Deseret News and the Clipper this week. Really though word of mouth is the best review you can get.

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the fall season. I have started noticing christmas lights sneaking up onto peoples rooflines and the anticipation of the joy the season brings to the little ones is contageous. We all need to reflect more on the things we are grateful for and get out there and vote.