Quarantine Snapshots

It's funny how everything seemed novel and exciting at the beginning of quarantine, and now it's all become routine and less photo- and blog-worthy.

Social distance swimming

I know that life will return to normal and I'll forget these moments one day. Now they all seem too real and I'm frankly sick of most of it.

These little ones love to check the eggs and visit the chickens.

Caroline isn't even two, and she will pick up that white chicken (Gladys) like she owns the place!

Annie's favorite part is collecting eggs. Look at that girl! She's growing up fast!

There is nothing cuter than a little toddler girl with her first pigtails! These lasted approximately 2.5 seconds after the picture was taken.

Uncle Micah

Micah always makes time for his nieces and nephews. I wanted to always remember this exchange one Sunday evening during the golden hour between Micah and Eli.

Micah invited the little guy into the hammock with him so they could swing and talk about the deep things of the world.

Eli's mind is very unusual for a three-year-old, and that deep thinking leads to many funny conversations. This time, Micah was explaining to him what it's like to live on Venus and that you'd burn up on the surface. Eli didn't quite believe Micah until he'd received corroborating evidence from other adults.

I love this part of Micah's personality. He's really got a soft spot for the little one, just like his two older brothers, my brother, and my dad.

It will make him a great dad one day.

Just like it has his older brothers.

Eli didn't want to leave the provocative conversation with Micah, so Tucker threw him over his shoulders, teasing that Eli was his prisoner, and forcing the screaming kid into his carseat to go home to bed.

How High Can You Go?

Don't mind us here in AZ.

We know you're struggling with subzero temps, snow up to your kneecaps, and freezing wind.

February in Arizona is glorious. It's why we live here (if your allergies don't sideline all your outside activities. I've stayed on top of mine this year, thankyouverymuch, and I'm not sneezing my life away every time I'm outside. There's still time for that).

What better way to enjoy a gorgeous 70-degree day than bouncing as high as you can on a trampoline?

These two had a blast, laughing and screaming and flailing and begging for more.

I must be getting old, because I worry they're going to get hurt, but I seem to be the only one around with these concerns . . .

Guess I should relax a little. In the 20+ years we've had a trampoline, we've only had one injury that required a little more than Mom TLC.

Remind me of these days when it's 118 outside, would you?

It's Time to Say Goodbye

A few years after we bought our first house in 1995--so probably around 1998?--we inherited bunkbeds from Brad's mom for Teeny Ben and Not-So-Big Tucker. Money was really tight in those  days, but I wanted them to have matching comforters. My mom was visiting for a week, so I took advantage of her mad quilting skills and planned a quilt-tying project. I took advantage of my best friend, Karen, and enlisted her skills and borrowed her quilt frames. 

Not being able to afford much, I bought four twin-size flannel sheets on clearance, one king-sized bat cut in half, and a skein of red yard--for two quilts I'm sure I spent less than $40 because I remember the sheets were $3.57 apiece. The three of us tied two quilts while six little kiddos (Karen's three and my first three) ran under the quilt, or pretended it was a fort, or cried when we ignored them and quilted for too long. 

What a great memory.

When I woke Hyrum up for scriptures last week, I noticed the state of the last surviving quilt. Its brother was thrown away a few years ago, loved until it was full of holes and threadbare.

It may be time for the surviving quilt to join its brother. And it makes me sad.

Think about how much of my family's life this quilt has seen:

• How many books read with a flashlight beneath it when Mom said, "Lights out!" (This may be the last one.)
• How many forts it created--books precariously stacked on its edges
• How many movie nights
• How many tuck-in times
• How many pretend games of "house" 
• How many legos and Goldfish crackers hidden in its folds
• How many times Mom begged it to be made
• How many bedtime stories
• How many deep talks
• How many adventures on the lawn or at the park
• How many drops from a humidifier or doses of cold medicine 
• How many early morning scripture times it was dragged off a bed because someone needed a few extra minutes of cozy
• How many sleepovers
• How many cold nights backstage at the Easter pageant
• How many tears and snotty noses it's wiped

Seven kids and 22 years.

That's a lot of cozy.

I feel like I owe it a deep Marie Kondo "Thank you for your service" ceremony. If I can bring myself to say goodbye.

This Is All of Us

Recognize this picture? This used to be my blog header. 

The original Dentons and our first in-law.

Now look at us.


All 22 of us.

I had big plans for a great family picture just before Thanksgiving dinner this year, but I forgot to charge my camera battery, and we only got a few mediocre shots.

But look at all these people that I love.

I'm so blessed in my life. That's the truth. Can you identify everyone from their Memoji?


Look out, 2020. Here comes everyone from the Denton Sanatorium!

Ringing in the New Year, Denton Style

Happy New Year from the Denton Sanatorium!

We aren't that festive or exciting around here on New Year's Eve, but I did plan a few Minute-to-Win-It games. The kids liked them ok, but then Brad upped the ante when we finished playing a kid version of beer pong.

After an unsuccessful round on the table with $20 prize, Brad made it more challenging and more rewarding. He placed the Solo cup on the floor, gave each person one chance to stand on a chair and try to bounce the ping pong ball into the cup from 12 feet away.

Prize? Benjamin Franklin.

After four or five of us unsuccessfully attempted the new challenge, Tucker landed the ball in the cup and I wish this moment was on video! And immediately after him, Karli's brother Troy landed a second ball in the cup!

Brad was nervous at this point, thinking he would be bled dry by the end of the challenge, but thankfully for him, there were only two winners. I don't think Troy had ever held a $100 of his own. Not bad for five seconds of work!

On January 1, we headed north to the cabin. (Tucker's family plus her two youngest siblings, Ben and Makayla, and us with our three youngest. Lily, who lives in the land of ice and snow while she's in school, opted to stay home and clean the entire house for a small fee. I quickly agreed to that deal!) Snow in the AZ mountains is unpredictable, and when the forecast shows a snowflake, we desert rats quickly comb through the snow clothes and drive 90 minutes for a few hours of winter.

 The snow level was lower than I've ever seen it as we drove up--snow-capped saguaro cactus and the desert grasses bowing under the unfamiliar weight of heavy, wet snow.

 It was beautiful.

My boys inherited their teasing from their dad. While I was asleep, the family started a snow fort and tried to build a sled track down our driveway (not enough snow for that, unfortunately). Brad incessantly pelted everyone with snowballs or tackled  people to the ground to whitewash them.

Finally, the boys took it upon themselves for a little revenge. Brad didn't stand a chance against his three biggest boys (with Hyrum egging his brothers on from the sidelines).

 Micah landed the lucky shot . . .

 . . . which landed right in Brad's face. He may tease a lot, but he takes it when the kids dish it right back at him.

I love this picture. And I love this man and the family and life we've created together over the last almost thirty years.

Although the snow wasn't deep enough for a proper bobsled track like we've built in the past, the kids still had a great time sledding down the hill . . .

. . .  and making actual "snow" cones.

Summer is a great time to head north and escape the heat of the Valley, but winter and snow are my favorite times in the pines of central Arizona.

 Especially when surrounded by people I love.

The best part? After frozen pizza and quickly straightening up, we drove back to the Valley and were all in bed by 9 pm.

I may have said this before, but I love the cabin.

And So It Begins, When We Wondered If It Really Would At All

Scandinavia here we come!

Boots in June. It's got to be a good day, right?

This day almost didn't happen.

Brad is the trip planner in our family. He researches destinations and plans activities and books flights and airbnb homes with gorgeous views. He does it all.

Sunday night, just as we were winding down for the night, kissing kids and reading stories, Brad came to the top of the stairs and said, "My passport is expired."

Yeah, right. For those of you who know Brad, this is a common way for him to tease. I didn't believe him, but I should have. His passport was fourteen days expired.

After a few hours research online and three phone calls with the nicest lady in government service on the East Coast at 1 am her time, Brad planned to spend Monday driving to Tucson for an emergency passport.

Whew.

One government program that works better than expected.

Today's the big day. Seattle then flying to Iceland by morning tomorrow.

I've been so excited. But a few wrinkles in my kids' lives have made this departure difficult.

Heidi broke her arm a week ago, and her consultation for surgery is this morning. She needs the ulna repaired, and the doctor thinks he may need to replace the head of her radius. Four small kids at home (Ellie is only 6), and she can't even open a sippy cup. And did I mention she's seven months pregnant? That's hard for a mama to leave behind. Lily is flying up on Thursday to help with the kids for a week, and when I get home, I'll see if they need me then. Lily is almost as much help as me--she loves Heidi's kids and can drive. Plus, they have all the seasons of Gilmore Girls to keep them busy.

Tucker and Karli are in the process of getting their first house. Looks like that might go down while we're gone as well (but you never know with these things).

And then there was Eve this morning. When I woke her for scriptures and prayer, her blond bedhead couldn't hide her tears. I know she will be fine while I'm gone--Ben has lots of fun things planned--but leaving her crying in the garage broke me and almost convinced me to stay home.  And two phone calls from home since sitting in the airport and a promise from me that I'll call one more time before our flight leaves.

Sigh.

I love mothering my kids. But it's good for parents to get away and enjoy being together sometimes.

And plus--Scandinavia!

Christmas Eve Tradition--Phoenix Zoo

Even though Christmas Eve 2016 was rainy and cold, we still took our annual trip to the zoo.

It's not so much seeing the zoo that we love--it's that no one is there and we basically have the run of the place.

With so many littles, the best way to see the animals is on the train. Usually we get a huge bag of kettle corn and share it, but Gran forgot this time.

Nobody really seemed to mind.

One of my favorite things about the zoo is that it's a different experience each time.

This morning the tiger was agitated and paced right in front of the glass. The kids loved/feared him  and squealed every time he turned the corner.

Lily decided after this trip that she wants to raise a baby tiger.

I think this will be the closest any of them ever get to one, though.

Micah is now one of the big kids, patiently indulging the younger ones. That's so weird to me.

Jonah and Annie are only three months apart, but Jonah thinks he's big enough to pull her and Tommy in the wagon.

I think he was successful for a few feet before he got sick of it and ran off.

Heidi's little boys love Micah and Hammer, as they call him. And my boys love them right back.

It's fun, because my two older boys had cousins (Spencer, Myke, Matt, and Tommy Olsen) who acted as their big brothers. Now it's my little boys' turn to be big brothers to their nephews.

It was cold that day, and the orangutans were in the enclosure, with Baby swinging from the ceiling and causing trouble while Mama tried to clean her off and calm her down.

Sounds a bit like my house most days.

Our traditional end to the zoo on Christmas Eve is the carousel.

Jonah was disappointed when the Kimodo dragon didn't have wings. This was more what he had in mind, I think.

Girls sticking together.

Ben. Need I say more?

Spending a few hours at the zoo on Christmas Eve always helps the day go faster and keeps our family together most of the day. While it makes wrapping, baking, and prepping a little stressed, it usually forces me to have most things done before we leave.