A Moment

Several days ago, Mallorie came into the bathroom I was attempting to clean with dirt on her nose and giant alligator tears. She'd fallen, face-first, onto the grass from her little bar hanging in the willow tree and was feeling sad about the whole experience. (Spencer, I might add, solemnly followed her up the stairs and proclaimed that he had nothing to do with this fall. He's been in trouble recently for his part in tears shed by this older sister.)

We got the dirt off her nose, dried her tears, and as I sat snuggling her for a moment, I had this feeling of peace. Confirmation that I made the right decision April 2018 to walk away from practicing as a veterinarian to stay home full time with my little circus. I want to be the one kissing boo-boos and wiping dirt off faces. I want to be the one providing snuggles for tears and snuggles for joy. And thankfully, I can.

It was a lovely moment.

Look Mom - I'm a librarian!

Hard Things

For about two years, I've been trying to manage some extreme muscle tightness in my shoulders, neck, and chest. Tension headaches are the worst symptom! My functional medicine practitioner recommended an elimination diet to see what foods, if any, were causing inflammation in my gut and thus lending to the pain in my neck/shoulders. Man, am I addicted to food and the buffering provided by putting something in my mouth!! It was the hardest 2.5 weeks I've had in a l o n g  t i m e.  No beef, dairy, eggs, peanuts, soy, gluten, or sugar. Gone were my go-to items for breakfast and snacks. I was having so much anxiety about what I would eat! Seemed silly, even at the time. Luckily, a dear friend had been through something similar and provided ideas for substitutes. She probably saved me from a major meltdown (thank you, Megan!). 

I tried enchiladas with zucchini in place of tortillas (bigger zucchini would have been ideal), making bread with almond flour (it was nasty, but the chickens enjoyed it), oat and pumpkin pancakes (not bad), and having the most delicious salads at lunch (feeling so grown up not eating peanut butter and banana every day). 

I was obsessed with food - what I could eat or couldn't. At the end of said diet, you are supposed to introduce one new food item back for three days and keep track of how your body feels. Well, I had just driven ~900 miles to Albuquerque with my kiddos and Mom and planned to stay a week before driving back to Boise. The willpower to stay on the diet was wearing thin (I cried the first night back home when my parents and children ate pizza and I had dry salad with chicken) and I didn't do so well introducing one thing at a time. But the bowl o'papas with green chili from Weck's had never tasted so amazing! 

No, I didn't feel any amazing changes in my shoulders and neck but I did learn that I could do hard things. That having to feel my feelings instead of eating or drinking something was possible. It's a baby step in the right direction. Now to keep stepping......

Life in Pictures

Photo dump. Two legs or four, someone is always doing something goofy. Unfiltered, unedited bits of my life over the last two months.

His New Favorite Quote

Chadwick's new favorite quote came from the most recent book club book, The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene:

"When the great lord passes, the wise peasant bows deeply and silently farts." 

~Ethiopian proverb

And Then She Turned Nine

Last month, our oldest turned nine. This sweet, smart, book-loving girl who made me a mama has been with us for nine years. 

The time has gone so quickly. Morgan Magoo is strong, enjoys school and especially her Gifted Talented class she attends weekly, loves to read, and has discovered a passion for downhill skiing (especially with her friend, Syd). 

She plays piano and is learning the challenges of gymnastics. When in the mood, she runs and jumps and wrestles with her younger siblings. She's a great helper around the house and I try to remember to utilize her as often as possible. Recently, Morgan has turned author and has the start to a delightful fantasy book. When grown up, there's a debate in her head about whether to open an exotic pet shop or obtain training for veterinary medicine. In either case, she plans to be an author on the side. I love her humor, her smile, and desire to learn. She makes our home a better place! 

There was an underwater theme for the family birthday celebration. We made cupcake octopus and the girls decorated the house. Family celebrations are always chaotic and fun and full of energy. This time was no exception and I'm grateful for the wonderful people in our lives. 

The countdown was on until Grandma and Grandpa Hunt returned from their mission and Morgan noted that they'll be here for her 10th birthday. I think she's missed them more so than her younger siblings. 

We also went to see How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in theater with our family as part of her celebration. Dinner followed at Idaho Pizza. It was a great week!

We love you Morgan Magoo!

When the Hubs is Away.....

Things I can "get away" with while Chadwick is playing in Alaska at the 47th Annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race:

• Leaving my muck boots by the back door
• Not having the house *totally picked up of the toys and clutter that are part of my day
• Cooking easy, kid-friendly meals without guilt
• Eating breakfast for dinner
• Turning the sheep loose in the back yard and pasture
• Not putting away the hair straightener/curling iron after each morning use
• Being lazy about folding laundry and putting it away (I did promise that when he returned it would be a different set of clothes in the baskets in the den)

Idaho Sled Dog Race 2019

Things I miss while Chadwick is caring for the sled dogs:

• Help with dishes after a day of cooking and eating
• Having a priesthood holder in the home
• Taking turns singing songs to the kids before bed
• A warm body breathing next to me while sleeping
• His wrestling and playing "ouchie game" with the kids after work
• Taking Darwin for a run to get the wiggles out (Darwin is a better dog when he runs at least twice a week)
• His being the operator of and stress-carrier for CBH 
• A willingness to listen to my "brain dump" of all the stuff rattling around in my brain at the end of the day

December and Christmas

Yup, posting about Christmas six days before Valentine's Day. That's how we roll in the Hunt household that I call mine.

Let's set the stage.....

The two remaining lambs have been sent to the butcher and designated freezer homes outside of our garage. Side note: Morgan wouldn't hear of keeping any of the lamb, lest it be Nutmeg. Spencer, on the other hand, asked for a couple weeks when we would be eating the lambs. *sigh*

Abbie the Elf made an appearance and is up to her usual shenanigans - fishing in the tank, sitting on cactus and regretting it the next day, and hiding the in the best places.

Our neighbor brought over a beautiful gingerbread house that he created and which we proudly displayed the last two weeks of the month. It was broken apart and the edibles consumed by cousins Christmas night....

Both girls had concerts at school for music class. No great pictures obtained as we didn't have a great view. The back of someone's head with small children dots in the background don't make for interesting viewing. The music was great! The school has such an awesome, fun, and dedicated music teacher. The girls love her.

Morgan also had a piano recital, which she rocked. Mr. Bob has some amazing students under his tutelage and it was fun to listen to the varying levels.

New windows were installed December 20!! Three new windows in the bedrooms upstairs and one over the kitchen sink. Doing dishes has never been so beautiful.

End of December. The perfect Christmas tree has been chosen, cut, decorated, and losing needles by the handful for at least a week. Presents started accumulating under the tree, and Morgan has them all memorized - which ones are hers, which ones are new. We haven't had any snow since the beginning of the month (pictured below) and while there really isn't any in the forecast, we are all hoping against the odds.

Christmas Eve inched closer. School was released Friday. Chadwick had Sat-Tues off and we got to work making food, wrapping the final presents, and dreaming of snow. James, Jolynn, and their kiddos joined us for Christmas Eve smorgasbord. We ate and ate and played some games.

Then ate a bit more. I love the food of this season! Brings back so many memories of Christmases as a child. Christmas morning, I actually had to wake the kids up to open presents!! Well, that was after all three were awake from 3-4 am to get water, go to the bathroom, or be tucked back into bed. Wrapping paper was everywhere, there were squeals of joy with each one opened, and it was over too quickly. The girls and Spencer seemed to feel like they scored big, and we didn't see them the rest of the day as they played and played. (That is, perhaps, one of my favorite things - watching them play together for hours.) One of Chadwick's clients gave him a basket of gourmet dog treats. They were so lovely, I had to check the back twice to make sure it read "dog treat" as they looked too pretty to give to Darwin!

That night, we joined the rest of the Boise/Meridian Hunts, Austins, and Hambletons for dinner at Stephen and Tara's house. The lasagna was delicious and it was SO great of them to host the chaos.

The remainder of the month was spent playing with toys, playing with friends, and enjoying the lazy morning schedule of no school.

And that's December in a nutshell!