Richardson Report

Guys?  Can I just say that I am so incredibly happy in my new surroundings.  So, so happy.   Content.  It feels so good to feel that way after struggling against negative feelings frequently for the past 10 years.  Loved some great stuff about our old home and miss some great people - but it feels so RIGHT to be here right now, and that is a very satisfying feeling. We are still smack-dab in the middle of birthday season - Brynne was the latest victim.  And now I can finally talk about her birthday because the surprise part is over.  So.  Due to the untimely and sudden death of the iPod Touch that Brynne bought herself a few years ago, we thought she might like a replacement for her birthday (turns out that was a giant yes) - which pretty much used up our birthday funds for her, plus.  So she had a really quiet birthday, which we celebrated on Easter since her actual birthday ended up being one of those days packed with busyness that ...

This will be disjointed because photos load how they load and I don't want to take time to fix them. playing at the park!  A break from the rain! Faith.  Because she's our favorite two year old. Quick trip to CA to see our friends in Windsor Valentine party with Homeschool group And Hannah getting ready for the dance Silly girls.  Faith LOVES playing with natalie Love my bug - this was heading to Corvallis for A's baptism Faith loves our backyard puddles. Surprise!  First day of school! Natalie's 7th Birthday - trip to Wildlife Safari! Highly recommend with a Groupon.  $35 for our car with the three girls.  You get to drive through twice and then there is an area you can get out and walk around and see the flamingoes, snakes, etc. He hid right under her nose! I just loved how Faith was sitting so cutely loo...

If you're following me on Facebook you'll know by now that on Tuesday Kenna and Natalie had their first day of school (2nd and 1st grades).  What a big change for our family!  They've been pretty happy. This was precipitated by lots of frustration on my part with getting Logan to STAY FOCUSED on his schoolwork.  He is a super smart kid but he has been struggling since September with getting his work done, asking for help, staying on task.  His schoolwork is harder this year than he's used to (the last two years at the charter school were way to easy) and he is having to spend more time on it.  I think that's part of it.  Plus he found everything I did with the little girls way more interesting than challenging coursework.  He's a great big brother, but he really does have to work on his education and not worry so much about helping me, or reading to the girls.  Finally this last Saturday I was complaining to Josh, again, that Logan was driving m...

Tonight I pulled out my old Michael McLean songbook that pretty much got me through high school.  Sappy, I know.   But there were some tough years in there where I pretty much came home from school, plopped down at the piano, and sang these songs to remind myself that the hard times weren't going to last forever.  I hope my kids have music that speaks to them and lifts them during their challenging times. Here are the two that were probably my absolute faves  if you're in the mood for a return to LDS music in the eighties!! You're Not Alone Will He Really Answer Me Good Times.  Good Times.

First, a recipe recommendation.  I've made this Creamy Root Vegetable Soup twice now.  It's super easy.  Peel and dice a slew of root veggies (that will test your skills in the produce section of the store - how often do you even buy celery root and parsnips??), but otherwise you toss it in a pot and cook it.  If you have an immersion blender that makes it easy.  If you don't, be careful blending it.  I'd let it cool for 30 minutes first so you don't burn yourself.  This is a dairy free recipe and the soup tastes AMAZING.  My kids all eat it and enjoy it because it is naturally sweet.  It has the texture of a baked potato soup, but the taste is totally different.  Plus it uses veggies that are totally in season right now that probably aren't in your normal rotation.  GREAT way to expand your palate without feeling like you're eating bitter veggies.   This one gets two thumbs up from all my kids! January 2, Kenna was so, so ...