Alot I don't understand...

There are alot of things that I don't understand. Following are just a few:

1. Why is it, regardless of how many tupperware leftover containers you have, there are always, always more containers than lids?

2. Why, in a barbaric sport, full of barbarity, with all sorts of barbarians centered around all the roughness you can bring to the table, there is such a call as "Unnecessary Roughness?"

3. Why do children get cancer or other incurables?

4. Why is oil so expensive? (ignoring political and economic rationalization, just why, we need it and it's there, give us our alotment and be done, ya know!)

5. What Insurance company does Oprah use to insure her home and cars?

6. Why does chocolate, a fiber, a beautifully potent antioxidant, get such a bad wrap? Why do I think about it and gain 5 pounds?

7. What did men bond over before technology and sports?

8. Has the world always been as corrupt as it is now, running rampit with sin? Or does it just seem more dark because sin is more easily talked-about due to it being socially acceptable to get gay marriage counseling and drugs with your teenagers in the car?

9. I enjoyed Twilight, despite the fact it is the the worst written book ever? Why?

10. How many stars in the sky are there?

11. Is there anyplace in the world- island, desert, plateau or otherwise- which remains to be discovered by man?

12. Is the lavendar in France smell better or is it more potent because it's french?

13. How often do the three Nephites pow-wow? Annual board meeting, quarterly updates, weekly walk in the woods...?

Just a few....more randomness to come, I'm sure. What are your unanswerables? Or do you have an answer to one of the questions?

Christmas Morning reading Curious George holding our new George. Thank you family!
Bella talking to Santa at Whole Foods.

Obviously Kent has some questions as well.

Unconventionalities...

Church was cancelled today for the second week in a row. We received permission from the Stake President to have the Sacrament in our homes today.

Kent blessed and passed it. Then we sang Christmas songs and all bore our testimonies. After Kent and I went, this is what was added to this unconventional Sacrament meeting.

Bella testimony: I love to bear my testimony and to talk. I love Heavenly Father because he is my daddy and loves me. I love Jesus. I love Christmas. I love Santa. I went to Whole Foods yesterday and sat on his lap and told him what I want. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Did we miss the mark? Continual course corrections I guess, just as President Uchdorf suggests. Anyway, this preceeded a discussion about the real meaning of Christmas.

Harry's testimony: Jesus.

At any rate, the spirit was so strong and special and.........there is just something comforting about going to church in your jammies. Snowed in and lovin' every minute.

Snowed In...

This snow continues. Our county doesn't own one Snowplow....so here we sit. School has been out all week....madness, I say....madness! They need to spend one week in Park City and then reinstate the conversation. NIKE campus was even shut down yesterday...so Kent had to come home.

But despite the craziness...we are loving being snowed in. Here's what's going on at the Gardner Homestead.

Here's Bella playing in the snow. It has really helped it feel like a homey Christmas for us.

Harry playing with the pots. I put the pots away no less the 24 times a day. No Joke. And as soon as I put them back, they are right back out and Harry is asking for a spoon to stir his creation. I think he is going to be a chef when he grows up.

Short of sticking the kids in front of the TV, I have tried EVERYTHING to keep them entertained. As long as Harry has his pots and my undivided attention were good, so Bella has been up to all sorts of mischief to keep herself busy. Her favorite is taking the camera (which I asked her not to touch because it is quickly becoming as tempermental as the computer) and snapping shots of the snow village (which I asked her to leave alone because there is already something broken on every building) and asking "which I prefer?" So you can see that our discipline is right on track......blah!!

We have been reading alot though....relying on books on tape from the library when my voice has given out.

How freaking cute are the men in my life! This is right before........church was cancelled.

And my ever reluctant sleeper.....refusing naps and feeling that nighttime is overrated. Finally gave it up in my arms.....oh how I love those moments though. Bella took the picture of course.

Portland Whimps...

I would say woosies....but I'm not sure how you spell that. So we had a snowstorm. It was a little hug from home. I love it. You can still see the grass but the snow was there, all 1 cm of it. And then comes the call..........church is cancelled. What? I went to church in 7 feet of snow all winter in Park City, (uphill both ways, if you cared to know) and it was never cancelled. Wait, but there's more, businesses closed, and SCHOOLS CLOSED. NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY. I'm sorry for the profanity but that is deservant of a "What the hell?" Need I repeat, 1 cm can still see grass...

And yes, the 1 cm is all black ice. If you do choose to brave and drive to work, you will slide all the way there, because they have no snow plows or salt to clear the roads (this is a mathematical puzzle to me, if you live 1 hour from the ocean, why isn't salt more readily available to spread over our blackice so that we don't have Kristi Yamguchi it everywhere.)

Portland whimps....

Imposing Edifice...

A visit to the Pittock mansion, complete with Santa...


In the words of Dick Van Dyke, "it's an imposing edifice what first meets the eye", though it is known to Portlanders as the Pittock Mansion. Bella dubbed it a castle, Harry was thrilled with the Night-before-Christmas theme. The manicans placed in the beds for a life-like rendering of the Night-before -Christmas classic poem, were vaguely disturbing, to put it mildly but besides that the entire Mansion was just beautiful. Thanks for the reccommendation Hike-A-Deb. Even from afar you inspire.

This is my amazingly talented friend Kylene. She is so wonderful and consented to come on one of my many hair-brained adventures.

Jane Austen anyone? I felt one empire dress and shawl short of a 18th centure "Walk in the Park." It was truly a magnificent place.

Manicans in bed.... see, a little creepy huh?

See Mount Hood in the background....

Princess of the forest.

We are becoming fluent in Jibberish.

Harrison's new Phrases: "Hold you" this is my favorite, Bella did it too and I love it!

"Good" With an enthusiastic nod, often in reply to mom's constant chatter of "What do you think of the tree here or here?" "Do you like the vegetables?" Isn't it a beautiful sunset?" and "It would be better if the Governor of Boise just jumped off a cliff huh?"

"It's Good." Vigorous nod.

He also says:

"Oh my goodness." How cute is that?!

"Jesus"

Bella: She is working on reading and progressing wonderfully. Recognizing letters, words, sounds. She called Grandma yesterday and said "I saw many wonderful things today." Her vocabulary is more formal then most 4 year olds but I love it. If she starts reciting the Declaration of Indepence I will worry........or put her in college first, either way. She is a wonderful sister. The other night, I was quiet during dinner. Kent has been working a lot especially putting in long days, so dinner went without daddy, and I had run out of things to say that day. Bella put her head in her hand looked deeply at me and said " Mom, why don't you go upstairs and go to sleep, I will take care of Harry." Whoa, double take....when did you turn 25? What I said though "was, thanks sweetheart, I like being with you though." That seemed to satisfy her.

She is also taking Karate and LOVING it! We are in the "dabbling/what's your passion" stage. We can dabble with the best of them.

As for me, I just finished reading the Josephine Bonaparte series....it was so so so beautifully written and enlightening and just a refeshing, hearttwisting read. Loved it! Bless you Anna!