Just let them sleep in a snow cave

Because they will survive in a snow cave.
And be proud to tell about it.

We do have winter in Arizona.  I love it.  Cool evenings and 70's in the day time.  But a month ago it was COLD!  And if you drive up into the mountains its even colder.
So the Deacons, well the non-wussy ones, went on a "winter-camp" in the Arizona mountains, a month ago.
The mountains were covered in snow and it rained most of the18 hours they were there.
But Seth slept in a snow-cave, swore he was toasty warm, and lived!  He is still very much alive, and as fighting with me about piano, as ever.

I have a over-nurturing condition.  So knowing my boys are suffering or perceiving my boys are suffering, tends to cause me pain.  When my neighbor picked them up for the camp-out, she wondered how her sons' equipment fit in one backpack and my boys had a large garbage bag and rubbermaide tote each.  I wondered myself.  Her poor, unwaterproofed, son.
My strategy for living through the thought of them living through the campout?
Left town.  Flew home to Utah for a late Anniversary celebration.

Like I said both of my boys were happy and warm when I returned.

An now a quick update of blessings and realities.:

• James is playing on a comp basketball team and loving it
• Peter just started little league football here
• Seth is enjoying flag football and soon soccer
• notice 2 of these sports are outdoors because you can play sports outside in January in ARIZONA
• Dave was able to go to the most recent Deacons camp.  weather was gorgeous!  Hiking and biking was awesome he says
• Peter found a friend who likes pokemon and legos, maybe as much as he does
• this friend even influenced peter to purchase 2 songs from 'the piano guys".  The rest of Peter's ipod is full of top 40 teenage, excuse my language, "crap", and some classic, though still a little hard, "rock" music.  So we are welcoming this addition of some instrumental music. 
• while Peter was with said friend, and the other 3 were at a campout, I watched the Emma Thompson/Hugh Grant version of Sense and Sensibility at a girlfriends house.  Since we talked through the whole thing I will just have to watch it again. 
• And. . . . I found out I had somehow missed the BBC version of Sense and Sensibility.  I happily rectified that Saturday.
• Seth successfully completed his 6th grade castle, it took 8-10 hours total time
• the home owners association approved our in-ground basketball standard (already purchased and partially installed before receiving a letter that they had to approve it.)
• Dave is now acting in his bosses position.  His boss is leaving to work in SLC at Kennecott, so Dave is the "acting" whatever his boss was.  What a blessing for our job security as his project was cut by 75% of its funding. 
• I finally joined a gym closer to home
• My little sister was Broadway quality fantastic in BYU's elaborate and professional production of The Phantom of the Opera.  Dave and I flew in for one night to see it and it was worth it, beyond description!!!!!!
• I am finally making a difference for about 1/2 hour a day at my job
• A kindergartener asked my the other day if I had "tie-dyed" my hair.  My hair did look different that day, so I'm assuming he was wondering if I had "dyed" my hair.  It was endearing. 
• fondue dessert on Valentines day
• fondue for dinner tonight
• No School on Presidents Day!
• having some scripture reading moments where the boys are ALL focused and seem to be getting something out of it

Reality Check:

• James is really being challenged on this basketball team.  Its hard on us all for him not to be the star.  He is learning lots of good things though. 
• Peter was so sore from his first practice he could hardly move.  I am not exaggerating. 
•  Seth scored 2 touchdowns his last flag football game (did I mention these games are played outside? he, he. )  Well just after that, he went aggressively doing whatever you do in flag football and slit his knee open on some metal grating near a drain on the side of the field.  5 stitches and 4 Saturday hours (which are the hardest hours of the week to give up) later, he is just fine and has a great war story to add to a growing list. 
• after Peter plays the "piano-guy" version of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars theme all day and then all day the next day, and then on and on to infinity, you start to go mad.
• Seth building a medieval castle out of foam, and turf, and paint and hot glue makes a mess that we are still finding little remnants of, 5 days later.
• I tried a spin class (that's indoor cycling) at this new and, so close to home, gym.  It was a torture sessions.  Not a workout torture.  I like to work hard.  I like to sweat.  It was a mental form of torture.  Seriously what has happened to the world where spin instructors are now clueless as to how to instruct a class!
• I have a lot of gray hair so I have to die it a LOT
• my boys took for granted my gestures to make Valentines day sweet for them.  I made heart shaped pancakes and pink smoothies for breakfast, and "heart-attacked" the sliding glass kitchen door with love notes and candy, and only one of them gave a sincere thank you.  I think they are too spoiled.
• had to drain our pool and have the surface redone.  We have never used the pool.  Crossing our fingers we didn't hire a faulty contractor
• having nights where contention leaves one or more boys skipping scripture study
• these are all light-hearted sorrow, but trust me, we have the deeper ones too.  Stay Praying and Carry On.