Maybe It's Not So Bad After All...

This

is what greets you when you walk in the front entry door to our home. There are 1,000 things I love about our house, but a few parts of our home are on that list we all have, you know the one: "Remodel As Soon As Monetarily Possible." And this chandelier, along with it's little brother, the dining room over-the-table light, are at the top of the list. To me they say, "Welcome to 1994!"

However, with the light that comes through our front window slowly changing angles as the sun morphs from a summer sun to a winter sun, we have found a new beauty in our little Conlin house ugly duckling. These days, when the light comes in through the high window above the door, right about noon, we get this...
and this...
And so many more. Our stair carpet becomes speckled with little rainbows everywhere. The boys get so excited every time they see the rainbows start to spread across the floor, "MOM! You have to see this! It is so beautiful!" And every day as the light changes, more and more appear. Today we even had one in the kitchen.

The hideous lighting fixture has shown us its inner beauty. It made me think, how often we judge before we really get to know. Ahhh, you know you are a homemaker when your household fixtures are reminding you of those important life lessons. So now, while this chandelier is still so very '94, maybe it has earned itself a reprieve, or at least a move down the list, and the horrible upstairs bathroom linoleum (faux black marble-yowza!) will beat it out the door. But who knows, just as in the case of our chandelier, my home's not-so-lovely traits have shown me to look for beauty in unlikely places.

The Peace That Comes From Answered Prayer

I have recently had a question in my heart that has troubled me greatly. Or should I say it has obsessed me greatly?! Because, really, it has. I have prayed and prayed over it, and there was no answer that felt just right. It has been hard to talk about, not because it is a secret, but because no one else could give me the answer! And I just needed someone to do that! I am certainly a talker, as you all know, so it isn't like I have been silent on the subject, it is just that the answer needed to be mine. It was a decision that is very personal, unfortunately, since I love having answers handed to me on a silver platter. Even though I shared my pondering with friends, and I have loved all their insights, I never felt that usual calm that I have once I get something off of my chest.
However, last night I attended the broadcast of the women's conference for our church. The soups and salads before were delicious; the company of the friends I went with was marvellous; the lessons learned on service, sacrifice, sisterhood, and allowing ourselves to feel like we are good enough were filling; and I came home last night with a nice warm feeling in my belly (and it wasn't from all that yummy soup). When I awoke this morning it was there. My answer. Sitting in my heart like a little gift under the tree at Christmas. Finally after all these months of ponderous prayer, it feels right. I am so grateful for the feeling I have today. I feel all glow-ee and peaceful. I am so grateful that prayers are answered, even in surprising ways, even when it takes time, even when the answer is different than you might have planned. I am grateful for this peace.

Rain Can't Ruin a Party Here!

We had inticed four great families to come over, promising them a night of movies under the stars, because, hey, we had had two weeks of amazing weather and the weatherman promised me the rain wasn't supposed to move in until Saturday. All plans were in full swing. Adam had mowed the lawn and borrowed a projecter from work, the microwave popcorn was ready to be popped and the boys were set, with sleeping bags and warm snugglies, to hold the first Conlin Chaos Cinema Under the Stars. But the rain and lightning had other plans. Boo!

However, we are true Northwesterners, and a little rain can't stop us from having a good time! So we brought the party indoors. Seventeen kids (only two of those being girls and including the three babies who were quickly whisked off by the Sandman) and 9 adults (one husband was out-of-town) smooshed into our house for a cuddly, if not quiet, movie night. The kids watched Alvin and the Chipmunks and then some Popeye shorts while the adults played a rousing game of Cranium Turbo. The children had a great time watching on the giant screen~with intermittent breaks to play and eat yummy snacks brought in by the other mommies~and the adults spent the evening laughing and enjoying the company of new friends. Next year we will have to plan the party for a little earlier in the summer, but it was still a great night! And yes, of course, it is a bright and sunny morning!

An Autumn Walk 'Round Melbourne Drive

Today Josh and I took a walk around the neighborhood. Our task? To find as many different colors in the leaves as we could. He would pick which trees to take pictures of and we would frame the picture together. Josh was pretty excited about this little project; I think we took pictures of every tree on our entire street, which isn't short! One of the great things about living at high altitude is we have drastic temperature changes through the day. It has been mostly in the low 80's in the day, but down in the low 50's at night, which makes for some amazing fall colors!

Color spotter extraordinaire!

I love how this one goes from green to yellow to red as you move up through the leaves.
This leaf was striped deep red and bright yellow; I would love to know how that happens.
This tree prompted the walk...look at those colors! It's a rainbow tree!
Josh's fave, all yellow with green tips.
Did I say I love the fall?!

It Buoyed My Heart

It was just time to walk out the back door and head out for school. I was helping Ben and Josh gather their things, when I heard a shout, "Mom! You've got to see this!" There was a slight edge of panic and awe to Zach's voice, so I dashed out the door and heard a sound like wind on fire right above our house. My heart skipped a beat. I looked up in the direction Zach was pointing and took a deep calming breath, a huge smile breaking over my face to match his, as I saw what Zach had first heard (the cause of the fear in his voice) and then seen (the cause of the amazement in his voice). A giant hot air balloon was swooping through the air not more than 150 feet directly above our house! It was such an incredible way to start the day! Dropping the kids off at school, every eye~child and adult~was riveted on the balloon that had moved past the next row of houses and was performing for the kids, all lined up and waiting for the bell, as it dipped low to the field below the school and then rose back up again.

It was amazing witnessing the innocent excitement hot air balloons create, in kids and adults alike; it is such a simple thing, and the way it works is no mystery, yet it captivates all the same. If we could just hold on to that feeling of pure fascination and apply it to everything in life! My heart feels afloat this morning all because of that one hot air balloon. We just loved it and it got me all that more enthused for our trip in two weekends to the Albuquerque Balloon Classic. I can't wait to see not just one balloon hovering up there, but hundreds!

The tree in the picture is just outside our back door and this picture was taken after I finally shook off the awe and had the presence of mind to run for my camera, it was that close!

Fall Feast!

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

As many of you know my favorite season is Autumn; it always has been. It's not that I don't love them all for their various qualities, but ahhhhh, Fall is just mine. I love the coolness in the air; even here where it is still in the high 70's every day, there is a chill in the breeze that makes me so happy. I love the colors, the smells of apples, pumpkins and fallen leaves, spooky Halloweens and family-filled Thanksgivings, football, cross-country (it is amazing the way a run in the woods in the Fall can bring back such strong memories of my beloved sport), the fact that winter and sweater weather is just around the corner (I mean, who doesn't love an excuse to mask those unwanted pounds behind your favorite sweats, make a mug of cocoa with mallows and pop in a good movie because it is too cold to do anything else?).

The tradition of the Fall Feast started the first year that Adam and I were married. I wanted to bring in the season with all my favorite comfort foods of the Fall, and so the feast began. The Feast has changed very little since the first year. We have slow-cooked pot roast with onions, celery, potatoes and carrots drenched with gravy (my mom's classic recipe is sooooo yummy); hot from the oven butter rolls; pressed apple cider; and the finishing touch--homemade pumpkin pie with freshly whipped vanilla-cinnamon-spiced cream.

The boys have really embraced the celebration too, and even suggested this year that we wear brown and orange today to commemorate the first day of Fall. It was fun to celebrate in corporation with family night. We sang "Autumn Day" from the Children's Songbook, read the Ecclesiastes verse above, and talked about each of the seasons and how God created them to renew every year, each with their own necessary purpose and specialness. As we notice the change in the seasons we can see how special we are to Him that he made this world, that is so amazing and so unique, to sustain us; and therefore we need to care for the world, as it is a special gift from God.

It was a great day full of anticipation for our yummy Feast and the goodness of the season ahead!

Mom, stop taking pictures so we can get to eatin'!

Dished up and ready to go!
Josh: starting with cider.
Zach: tucking in...yummy!

Don't let the face fool you. Luke was so excited to eat he was bouncing in his high chair, and kept going long after the rest of us were unbuttoning that top button.The finishing touch...so so so good. Did'ja like it, Ben?

Are You Ready For Some Futbol?!

These days, our Saturdays are filled with sunshine and soccer. Yesterday we had a game at 8am, 1:30pm and 5pm. Nothing like spending the day coming and going to the field! Josh is playing his first ever season on a nice little YMCA team. Zach and Ben are playing for a club program called Pride, which is a bit more competitive than our usual Parks and Rec or YMCA teams.

Zach has played soccer since he was 3 1/2, and has great ball handling skills. This week he seems to finally have settled into this new level of play, since all of his soccer experience of the past has focused more on skills and sportsmanship than actually winning. Winning? What's that? But, I guess he is almost 8 and it is time to move into the "real" world of sports where someone is actually keeping track of who wins and who loses, as long as he remembers that in the end playing sports is about having fun, win or lose ("Did you have fun?" is the first question Adam and I ask at the end of each game). The first game I attended, I was a little overwhelmed, as one parent of a kid on Zach's team, in the U7/U8 division, was yelling, "SLIDE TACKLE! SLIDE TACKLE!" during the game. I'm thinking, "Wait, I'm not ready for this! He's only 7! What have I gotten my sensitive Zach into?" But Adam and the boys have been practicing a lot and talking about getting aggressive on the ball. This week, Zach was definitely on that ball and had a lot of great plays. I am proud of him for taking the skills he has been practicing and putting them into play.

You've got it bud! Zach wide open.

That's my ball! Zach controlling the ball in a crowd.

Ben's team, in the U5/U6 division, is less intense, although Ben is not. He loves to run and has also played for a couple of years now. He definitely doesn't need reminders to go after the ball and has great control. At this level, they play 4 on 4 with no goalies and no referees (you can see the how big the jump is from U6 to U7!), so there is a lot of scoring on both sides, and it is so funny to watch these 5 and 6-year-olds jumping up and down, pumping their fists in the air on every score like they've just won the World Cup. I love it! Adam is coaching Ben's team, and thinks it's the bees knees. He enjoys teaching the kids, their enthusiasm for the game, and even gets to be on the field with the kids to guide and instruct them in a game. We now have 14 size 3 soccer balls and 24 cones in a big mesh bag to cart from practice to practice. At the end of every game, Adam says how much he loves his team and the parents.

Ben's on that ball! Hi, Coach Adam in the background.

Ben sticking out the Michael Jordan tongue of concentration. Hey there again, Coach.

Josh has loved getting into soccer. He has certainly watched from the sidelines for enough years, that it isn't surprising that he is already a great player. He has had a couple of break-away scores that are so cute, it is hard not to chuckle as he runs up the field on his little legs all covered in shorts and shin-guards. Josh loves the game, but I think, just as much, he loves the snacks and the parent tunnel at the end! He is having so much fun!

Josh as goalie...in these three-year-old games the goalie doesn't get much action, because there isn't enough control of the ball to ever really get it to the ends of the field!

Josh taking a turn running through the parent tunnel. Look at the pure bliss on his face!

Well, ready or not, soccer season is in full swing!

My Six Reasons

I have been following the heartbreaking, yet hopeful story of Stephanie Nielson, an LDS mommy blogger who, along with her husband, survived (but in critical condition) a small-craft plane crash a short time ago (links to her blog and that of her sister who is caring for her children while she and her husband are in recovery can be found under "blogs of interest to me" on the sidebar, sorry, I don't know how to do the word link thing). I didn't read her blog before I heard about the family's tragedy, but have been drawn to it since; her insights are beautiful, yet very real. Even though she is under heavy sedation, her family has been reposting her older posts. One that recently touched me was about five reasons-at that moment-that remind her she is blessed. I really loved it, and so in honor of her I would like to list six things that right now, this very minute, remind me that I am blessed.


1. Watching my sweet-toothed baby try to stretch his neck high, rather than move his hand up the stick, to get that chocolate-carmel-covered marshmallow with-sprinkles stuffed into his drooly mouth.2. The feeling I get when I hear the door to the garage (or the front door, when his garage-door opener decides to malfunction) open at the end of the day and my dearest of dears walks in with a smile and a sweet kiss for me.

3. Really long soccer socks that make Ben and I have a hearty laugh together.

4. Beautiful bunching of my bright pink petunias, that have flourished and bloomed beyond all expectation. I will miss them when the snows set in....

5. The soft breeze that carries just a hint of coolness and a whiff of fallen leaves behind it, reminding me that my favorite season, autumn, is nearly here.

6. Superheroes real and imagined, Too-Small-Red-Power-Ranger-Flash, Peter-Batpan-of-Many-Swords, and Big-Green-Monster-Bat-Boy-Ninja.

Thanks NieNie for reminding me to count my many blessings....

So How's That Marathon Thing Going, Colleen?

Well, to be honest, it isn't right now. But before you get too disappointed in me I have good reasons, and a plan! SEE...

I was doing so great with my training and had a perfect schedule going, and then bam! I ended up with a foot strian while we were in Washington. So I was on the DL for 2 weeks. The week I could have started running again was when Adam and I were in Puerto Vallarta, so I just didn't. And then the week we got back school started and all that goes along with that, so needless to say, it was 4 1/2 weeks before I ran again. BUT...

I was still determined, so I got running again. And then Josh decided to enter a scaredy phase. This includes unwillingness to go to any part of the house where there is not another human, only going to bed easily if all conditions are perfect, and disliking being dropped off without Adam or I staying behind. Needless to say, he didn't like going to Child Watch at the Y anymore, so, while I didn't give in and stop going, I cut down my time exercising so I would be back to pick him up faster so he would feel more confident. BUT...

I was still determined, so I kept running. But then soccer started and seriously, we have a full Saturday with so many games and then any other family stuff we want to squeeze in. It is not conducive to 10 plus mile runs. I began to wonder, "Is everyone who wonders how I can do this with four small children and all the business that brings, especially during the school year spot on?" WELL...

My resolve began to waver. Then I looked into airline tickets to Seattle to run the race. I hadn't really connected that it was Thanksgiving weekend. And as much as I love to run and want to do this, $350 is not reasonable to travel just for a run. That was the final straw. SO...

I am still running nearly every day with a swim thrown in now and then. But the Seattle marathon is not the marathon I will be running. With freezing winter setting in here in the Octoberish part of the year, there are no marathons I can be ready for locally that are close to the date of Seattle's. So the plan is to take it easy, just do my regular running, and plan for the America the Beautiful Marathon on Labor Day of next year. That way I will have all my long runs in the summer, when it works much better. I will still do this. I am determined to run one marathon. Just one, that's all I want, then I will stick to the half which I like so much better. Anyhow, that is the update. I will fill you in on how it all goes in a little less than a year!

I'm a Good Summertime Mom

I have had so many brainless moments since school started. With four little boys' schedules to keep track of, I think my head is malfunctioning. We are usually just sliding into school right as the second bell is ringing, and once we have had to get a pass for Ben to get into class; we were that late. School has only been in for a month; (and to say "month" is being generous considering all the days-off the kids have had) that's not such a good record. And for some reason my brain doesn't seem to register the need to leave earlier, I always think we have plenty of time! Leave at 8:10, leave at 8:10, leave at 8:10...sorry, just trying to get it in there.

Another especially crazy and embarrassing moment happened a couple of weeks ago. I was 25 minutes late, that's TWENTY-FIVE, picking Josh up from preschool. Why? Because some glitch in my head thought school got out at 2:30 instead of 2! And no, this wasn't the first day of school. I had picked him up at the correct time for two weeks before hand. Crazy, right? Really, I thought I was losing it that day. I thought, "Maybe I have a brain cloud." (If you haven't seen Joe Versus the Volcano, you may not know that brain clouds are very serious conditions that result in certain death so you may as well sacrifice yourself to a disgruntled volcano god...or possibly find true love and live happily every after...but since I have that already, maybe I should find an unhappy volcano god). I made a giant calendar for the wall in the kitchen that very day, which has helped with some of the daily schedule issues, but not helpful in what happened today....

I had another foggy moment. I needed to buy some fruit for the kids' lunches, so off to King Soopers we went. The price label on the red delicious apple bin said 3 for $2. In my overwrought brain I thought that was a great sale, 3 pounds for $2! So I piled them into the bag. Well, no, it was really just what it said, 3 apples for $2, NOT a good deal at all, they were small apples. I have $9.58 worth of apples in my fridge, and by golly, we will eat them, every one. They'd better be the friggin' crispiest, sweetest apples in the world!

Maybe I need some ginko...or more sleep...or a nice vacation...or summer back again. Believe it or not, I am a good summertime mom at least!

Mount Cutler Hike...yes, I am trying to tempt you to move here!

When we woke up on Saturday morning, after the clouds of the previous stormy days had passed, we saw snow on the top of Pike's Peak...hmmmm. In addition to that, we are gearing up for four weeks of soccer games that are spread throughout the day enough that they eat up the entire Saturday. Needless to say, our hiking days are numbered unless we invest in some snow shoes (which I am SERIOUSLY considering)! With that thought on our minds, we decided to take another hike into the hills. We have a little list of places we want to go, and on the top is a place called The Crags and we almost went there (stay tuned for pics of that hike in October, weather permitting), but Josh's soccer game didn't end until 2:30pm, and I was meeting a friend to scrap at 6:30pm, so we opted for a location on this side of Pike's called Mount Cutler. It was a perfect afternoon, sunny but not too warm, and at the top of the hike we could see out across all of Colorado Springs into the Plains. Another beautiful hike, the kids had a blast, and did I say housing prices are great here?!

Up and up!

Peeking through some tree roots...with sedimentary rock and a steep mountain as her inspiration, mom launches into lesson on erosion #1. Another tree that has lost its dirt (oh great, here goes mom on erosion lesson #2). By the way, exposed roots make a great fort!
We are pretty sure Luke is going to become a pilot, he is the first to hear, find and point out the airplanes and birds in the sky.

The view of the Springs The view into the Rockies.
Adam climbed out to this rocky outcropping with a five-hundred-foot drop on the other side. Ben asks, "Awww, Mom, why can't I go out there?" I feel like a total party pooper, but do you really have to ask, son? It makes me get queasy just thinking about it!

The tippity top

Back down..."Mom, why is there a bridge when there is no water?" "Funny you asked, there's this little thing called erosion." (ug! here goes lesson #4) **Lesson #3 came up when Ben tried to go off the trail and slid down the mountain 3 feet in one step). See how swiftly that ice-cold mountain water is running? Ben: "Why can't I go in? I can take my socks off!" This kid is determined to find adventure everywhere!
My boys+water=true love...even though it was at the bottom of the mountain by our car, the river was the highlight of the hike...
...that, and the charred wood from an abandoned bonfire at the top, Josh looked like a chimney sweep on the way back down. When we took Luke off of this rock so we could go home, he threw a fit! He loved that he climbed up on his own, and was determined to stay there watching the water all night! Don't worry, mom's hand is one inch from that left foot.

Cuttin' a Rug with the Fam

Last night the Conlin Chaos attended the crazy and rockus elementary school Family Dance, complete with cleaned-up hip hop pulsing through the speakers, dimmed lighting, glow sticks sold by the PTA, a performance by a local band (*read: 5th grade boys shouting into the microphone while 5th grade girls scream loudly), and a lot of movin' and groovin'. We all had a blast, the glow sticks were the hit of the night, and we went home sufficiently sweaty and tired at the very late hour of 8pm. I may not make it to the dance clubs as I once did, but who needs 'em when you've got three little boys who love to dance?!