Merry Christmas

The holiday season went by in a flash this year.

More so than even usual.

The girls got out of school LATE.

If the schedule is the same next year,

I'll keep them home early.

 

Christmas Eve night we went on a Christmas light scavenger hunt!!

It was fun!!

Out of the 35 things we were supposed to find,

we got 29!!

 Kato loves our family so much.

His loyalty makes me want to have ALL the doggies!!

 

The girls called me in to see their Who impression.

I'd say it was spot on!!

 

Waiting to be set free on Christmas morning!!

Daddy woke us up at 4:45am

 

I love to see their sweet faces the first moment they see the tree.

 

Scarlet didn't really ask for anything specific for Christmas.

She would throw out ideas,

but there wasn't anything she just had her heart set on.

Until about 10 days before Christmas.

She then declared she hoped with all her heart she got a.....

 stick horse.

Bless her precious, easy to please heart.

 She was so very happy.

 

Ella didn't ask for a Big LOL Surprise Ball.

And I was glad cuz they were a "hot toy" this year and NO WHERE to be found.

But Santa is a master gift finder,

and he delivered!!

 She was so excited and told me that she had really, really wanted one,

but didn't ask because she knew they were hard to find and didn't want to be disappointed.

They're only little once,

and I strongly encourage them to believe in magic as long as possible.

Before they want make up and clothes,

and don't want anything to do with me.

 

Going to find stockings!!

 Even the pets got a few things!!

I guess everybody was good in the Bowler house this year!!

 

1st Grade Program

My baby chicken singing her heart.

With lovely posture.

And good manners.

What else can I ask for?



Grapefruit Harvest

It has been warmer than usual this year.

I dislike it.

This Fall has been so busy,

and the weather warm,

it doesn't seem like Christmas at all.

The warm weather made my grapefruits ripen slowwwwwwly.

I waited very impatiently until the last minute to pick them so we could give them away as Christmas goodies!!

 

Our tree had ample water, warmth, and sun this year.

So it produced 5 times the amount of grapefruits this year!!

I will eat grapefruits A LOT this spring.

If I'm shot, a splatter of grapefruit juice will need to be cleaned up in place of hemoglobin.

 

Picking and fighting the thorny tree.

Kato is the ever present helper.

 

 My daughters with their bounty.

 

We have A LOT of grapefruits!!

Bowler Family Christmas Fun

Family picture attempt.

In case it wasn't glaringly obvious,

my family is just ridiculously in photogenic.

 

Reindeer games!!

I was very proud of my girls waiting patiently,

with excellent posture.



 

 Santa didn't just leave a pack of presents this year,

he stopped and stayed to visit!!

Ella asked for LOL dolls and Lego Dragons.

 Scarlet almost exploded.

She asked for a stick horse.

It was a fun evening!!



Cheer Recital

My cheer classes had their winter performances on December 18th.

I am so very, very proud of them.

They are talented, smart, motivated girls.

They're so sweet and I love them dearly.

I'm so happy to have months to prepare for our Spring Recital and really focus on precision and technique.

 

Our recital was the most dazzling display of organized chaos I have ever beheld.

One room packed with at least 150 girls,

all nervous and excited,

some terrified.

We rushed them on and off,

lined them up,

organized them,

fixed buns,

helped the ones in multiple classes change,

ties bows,

tied shoes.

It was truly a sight to behold.

I'm grateful to have the opportunity to teach.

It brings me joy.

My girls bring me joy.

I love the light in their eyes when they see themselves succeed.

I truly enjoy making other feel good about themselves.

I, myself, suffer from crippling low self esteem.

So when I see confidence, hope, and trust flood

a small, scared face, I feel a spirit inside me that fuels me for days to come.

 

Temple Lights

Brent and I took the girls to see the temple lights.

We have been in 3 years and it was well passed due!!

 

 Yes we match.

Yes on purpose!!

 We met up with my parents,

and they had my brother's son with them.

He frolicked about with my girls!!

 

 Grandpa's girls!!

 

My little family!!



Laid to Rest

My oldest uncle, Alma Raoul Leavitt,

passed away December 3rd.

The last several years he has battled poor health,

 but always seemed to rally back to life.

We always said that Uncle Raoul had 9 lives and he would out live us all.

The Lord had another plan.

He suffered a heart attack after months of complaining of heart burn.

He dear sweet wife, my Auntie Tresa, is a wonderful woman that I love.

She has always treated me with love and kindness.

 

It felt strange to bury my uncle.

He was always a vibrant, charismatic man with perfect teeth.

He was always the successful one with all the plans.

 

It was strange because it put mortality in glaring perspective.

It's a heavier sadness and more tears when someone too young passes away.

But it grants a certain amount of safety.

He was so young, that doesn't happen to everyone, it was an accident.

But this was the end of a well lived life.

75 years on Earth.

My uncle came to the end of his life.

And it was glaring.

7 siblings still remain.

SIX aunts and ONE uncle.

 

The most sadness for me,

is that I never see my mother's family anymore.

She comes from a large family,

that then went on to have their own large families,

and time and demands are focused on our own.

And it is completely understandable!!

I just miss the whole mass of them,

assembled in my granny's yard,

while Grandpa and Russell argued over how to grill steaks.

I miss Aunts fussing over us and bossing us.

I miss the slow swell of voices rising louder and louder as they all became more animated and enthusiastic.

Leavitts are loud.

 

 

In the passed 12 months I have been to 4 funerals to bury 2 uncles and 2 aunts.

I have a specific black dress I wear for funerals.

I have pulled it out too many times.

I'm ready to hang it up, put the plastic slip over it, (because yes I'm that fussy)

and leave it in the closet for awhile.

 

 

Judy, Bonnie, Beulah, Russell, Sally, Betsy, Katie

Animals Everywhere

Over Thanksgiving we had a house guest.

Buddha the Pomchi.

I had ALL the puppies!!

 My husband is such a good sport,
and indulges in my love of ALL the animals.
He even pets the little purse doggies with enthusiasm!!
 

I can't turn a corner with out some creature lurking in a place I am not expecting.

 It's startling!!

I bought my cats a scratching post.

So maybe they would leave EACH other alone.

It was to no avail.



 

There are other creatures in lurking in my house.

I think I'll keep those ones too.

Mountain Goats

My sister, my cousins, and I roamed these foothills by my parent's house

every year when they visited for Thanksgiving.

Dry or muddy.

Warm or cold.

We were released into the wild to become one with the air and dirt.

I haven't been back in so long I can't remember.

It was wonderful.

Being high in the fresh air,

out in the wild,

it stirred my soul.

 

My chickens and my nieces and nephews happily gambled about,

and nary a cactus needle had to be removed!!

Isn't this MY bed?

Brent worked nights for 2 weeks.

I let the girls sleep by me until he got home.

I don't like sleeping alone and I love snuggles!!

Only minor problem was,

all the pets thought this meant EVERYONE got to come snoodle into Mommy's bed!!

Kato is burrowed in under there somewhere.

Molly was down on the very bottom.

As far away from Floof as she could get while still getting to lay by us.

Le Floof is getting quite entitled.

It was a fun few week,

but I'm glad to have a little more space spend my REM sleep in!!



Sometime An Outfit Is Just Super Cute

And you have to document it!!

Ella had a field trip to Vegas to watch a symphony.

She was asked to dress nicely in a skirt or dress.

We had just got this one on the mail,

so it had its debut!!

 

Ella never sleeps,

but for some reason she drifted off on the bus during the ride in. 

Her teacher snapped this pic of her.

 Sigh.

She was supposed to turn 8 and stop there,

and never get older.

She did not hold up her end of the deal!!

Veteran's Day

I haven't been in the Veteran's Day parade since I marched in it as a high school cheerleader!!

Let me tell you,

as a parent,

walking in the parade is A LOT easier than sitting to watch it.

No obnoxious sirens.

No giant trucks that could run over someone.

No waitinggggggg for it to start and everything to pass by.

It was fun!!.

 

My beauties,

with one of my cheerleaders,

a cousin,

and a friend!!

8 Months Later

I am 8 months post surgical.

And I will not lie.

It has been one hell of a ride.

Or maybe a ride to hell.

It depends on the day.

I went to see a specialist and she ran blood tests from A to Z.

We discovered ALL my hormones were doing the wrong thing.

My adrenal glands were in stress.

I was low on Iodine. (?what the hell is Iodine right?)

And Vitamin D.

How am I low on Vitamin D,

in the desert,

in July.

 

I started some very low hormone replacement,

and barrage of 13 different supplement,

and our plan has been set.

Some days are great!!

Some days are terrible.

Truly terrible.

 

I have been teaching an MMA inspired fitness class since September,

and it (along with my cheerleaders) is a bright spot in my life.

I started this program after my hysterectomy because I had heart break.

And I had anger.

I was so angry.

I was tired of everyone telling me it was going to be ok and God had a plan for me.

I'm aware.

That doesn't make it NOT royally suck.

I started the program because I was bored.

But after the very first day I was hooked.

I didn't have to hold in my anger.

I got to pick an opponent,

and take out all my rage on that opponent.

The opponent I chose was life.

And I got to go into my bonus room and kick its ass every day.

I got to sweat out all of my angst and fury and disappointment

and leave it in a puddle on the floor.

 

 Every woman should find her inner fighter.

Every woman should get the chance to round house kick life to the face.

Every woman should get to picture that stupid kid who stop picking on her kid,

or the asshole who stole her parking spot,

or the same freaking pile of laundry in the same freaking place because apparently men can not learn,

and knee it right in the face.

And smile at it.

Because then she gets to leave it all on the floor and go home happier.

 

 

I hate pictures.

I get the necessity.

But bleh.