THESE ARE THE DAYS

Here we all sit. 
At the end of another year.
Speeding towards the fiscal cliff,
On the flip side of a supposed Apocalypse,
Squeezing out the remaining hours of twenty twelve.  

If you are reading this, congratulations! we all survived the end of the world. 
In your face Mayans!

We should be really happy to be alive and well.

However, I am feeling a little ho hum, a bit of Deja Vu.
Like I've been here before.
I find myself feeling a little ho hum, a bit of Deja Vu, like I've been here before. 

And yet, again I am regretful about this year's end and romantic about the year ahead.
I again wonder...how I could have let another year slip by without doing _________(fill in the blank)

And for Heavens sakes, where did all the time go?

As you all know, 

               December the twelfth of this year was on a Wednesday, 
                             also known to the cool kids as 12-12-12.   
This particular Wednesday night, I was plum worn out. 
The teenagers had homework, the babies were ornery and passed their bedtime, 
and Dean was...well...the same.

But I pulled out my "mom card" again,
and forced them all to celebrate a day that comes around once in a millennia. 
We decided to make a time-capsule to be opened;
 December 12th, 2024 -
 twelve years in the future. 
The kids made ornaments and colored pictures.
Traced hands, wrote secret messages.
I suggested to Lauren that she include her phone in the time capsule.
She decided to draw a picture of her most prized possession instead.
 As a toast to the evening, Dean broke out the "bubbly" and the kids drank it like water.

We measured each of our kids, checked them for ticks...
(Dean had to stand on Brett's toes)
and broke the news to Lauren that she hasn't grown an inch since 7th grade. 

Dean even took my measurements, (if ya know what I mean *wink, wink
oops, sorry this a family blog.

We looked around for "the baby" and found him in a corner putting on his sister's makeup.
This photo went in the time capsule too.
Twelve years from now Canyon will be fourteen.
Perfection!

Brett scrambled and found a few personal items to include in the capsule. Things that he refused to show the rest of us. I just hope it didn't include a speeding ticket.  

In went pictures...and drawings...and trinkets...a favorite army guy...a Wal-mart receipt...
and promise letters to our future selves.
All together, and sealed to be opened up December the 12th of 2024.

The harsh reality is that in 2024,  I'll be 50 years old!

I'll have it made by then, right? promise me?

A favorite quote of mine is from author Anna Quindlen;


“The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make… 
I did not live in the moment enough."

she continues...
"This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less” 
~
My problem is that I worry that I will forget it all.
I worry that I'll forget the doing and the getting it done. 
I'm afraid one day I'll say "hey, whatever happened to 2009?"

So at the beginning of this year....the first day of 2012, (stealing an idea from the amazing Angie Davis)
I decided to take a picture for each and every day of the year.
All three hundred and sixty five of them. (Actually 366 because of Leap Year)

~
And so it was; 

May 14th - 
the day the kids found a bird in a parking lot... caught him...named him Ike... 

took him home...spent all day making an impenetrable cage...and we haven't seen him since.


January 6th -  The day we celebrated 'Roberts' boxing day
                                                     at our favorite Chinese restaurant.

The McDonald's dollar menu would've been a better choice.



February 26th - A boring Sunday in church...with friends.  


There were days that were filled with worry. We counted our blessings;
October 21st -

January 11th  - 

May 1st -


There were days to celebrate;
November 17th - River's 9th birthday

September 30th - Wade's Deacon ordination

March 2nd - Dean's work banquet. 

January 28th - Manti Temple with my brother and his 'forever family.'


There were days that we went places and did things;

February 29th - Leap Day at the Jazz game


November 23rd - Little Miss Christmas light parade,
 just before the girls froze in this position.

February 4th - Sundance snowboardin.

February 2nd - answering Brett's date.

And there were days that we simply did nothing at all;

April 23rd - 

February 6th -

April 20th -

September 9th -  Was the day that my son and my mom watched 
"Gangnum Style" together on YouTube.

November 29th - The day Quincy and Kal thought there was a dead cougar in the field.  I packed them snacks and sent them out to investigate, just thrilled at the idea of having them out of the house for a minute. 



There were days that we worked hard;
May 12th -


...but there were mostly days that we hardly worked.
August 26th - 

There were boring days when the only picture taken was this one; 
January 18th -

And other days when the picture opportunities were endless. 
August 15th - 
Also August 15th - 

Also August 15th - 

July 16th - 
Was the day we waited out a storm at Brett's ballgame.  

When the rain began to pour, Dean locked the kids out of the car...as they all expected he would. 


May 20th - The day Wade made a homemade telescope to view the Eclipse. 
Meanwhile Dean and I cautioned everyone else, "don't look directly at the sun"
of course, that's exactly what they did. 

July 2nd - The day Canyon had a mullet and a goatee! Brett was so jealous.

June 29th -
The day Brian (a family friend) came over for a haircut, just a day before his wedding day. The pressure was too much for me. My eye was twitching and I almost shaved him bald. 


March 25th - The day that Canyon finally warmed up to my Dad.
                                         It only took him four months and an iphone bribe. 


May 23rd - The day We went out to eat as a family. BIG mistake. Wade kept repeating everything that the family in the next booth was saying. Meanwhile, River shouted "my sister thinks you're HOT!" to every male, young or old that walked in.





July 5th - Christmas Day! Nah, just my brother Wes' birthday celebration at an all-you-can eat buffet. But, you would've thought it was Christmas Day.  


April 15th - The Sunday afternoon that I was really mad at Dean. 
The kids and I drove out to the Sand Dunes, but by the time I got out there, I felt terrible and only wished Dean were there with us. 
The wind was so fierce that we had to picnic in the car. Although the crazies didn't care and they played till dark or till the sand in their shorts started to chafe. 

April 19th - River's Daddy Daughter Date. River pounced on Dean the minute he came home from work. As she shoved him towards the car, he had a scared look on his face and mouthed the words "help me!" before they drove away.  


There were favorite days;

October 21st - the day we walked up to the deer camp.
or at least attempted to.

May 6th - playing games at Grandma's house. 



There were sad days.
May 7th -
The day we said goodbye to our little cat Fitz. She had cancer and we had to put her down.

December 8th - the day we had to break the news to the kids that our sweet Sissy dog got hit by a car and sadly, she wasn't going to make it. 


And again September 29th -
The day Dean took his beloved childhood horse on one last ride in the mountains.
Dean came home quiet and carrying the bridle.


April 24th - The night before my little baby turned two.
 I cried thinking about him growing up...but also I cried thinking about the terrible twos.  



November 15th - the day that our Katie, the best babysitter in the world got hitched.
Lauren loved it when I reminded everyone that Katie used to change Lauren's diapers.


April 10th - The day that Brett almost bested Dean...almost.

There were days spent with best friends;

February 7th -  

March 24th - 

June 1st -

February 26th - 


There were days of leisure, where all there was to do was relax; 
October 20th - Kal fell asleep on the trampoline.  
March  21st - painting rocks and themselves.

And there were days when we didn't relax at all. 
March 14th  -

November 24th - was the day that Canyon took the left-over pancakes to the dog.
He didn't find Skip home, so he thought about it for a minute...then ate them himself.



January 23rd - The only day in early 2012 that it snowed.
I'm sure the neighbors had Child Services on speed dial. 

There were days that the kids were good;
 January 17th -

And a bunch of days when the kids were not-so-good. 

February 15th - 1:30 a.m.

February 8th - car in a ditch. 

Not so good indeed! 
October 27th - don't ask.

 There were days when everyone got along;
October 29th -  

July 4th - 

...but mostly days when nobody got along at all. 
May 23rd -  

I'll always remember the day Lauren pretended she didn't see me at the High School football game.
October 5th - 
...walked right by me as I jumped up and down with my camera, imagine that. 

~
A year's worth of good times.

Although, out of the 366 days this year...
you want to know which day I think about the most?
...now that it's all said and done, 
...which is the day I wish I could have back in my hands to do over again?


My friends, it was the day that no picture was taken.


There were a dozen or so days out of this year,
that I regretfully was too tired or too busy to take a picture.

And I'll promise you,
...those are the days that I'll someday miss the most.

Comments

Unknown said…
Absolutley wonderful Hilary! One of my favorites...Taking the pancakes to the dog! What a neat family you have. I can really sense the closeness and love you have in your home. You are great parents, keep up the good/hard work!
I loved it. So fun to read through about your year. Hilarious, of course. You all have so much fun. The kids faces in the barbie house window made me laugh out loud. It took me a second to figure it out. :)
Tracie B said…
I will not be showing this post to my kids! You are such a fun mom! I seriously don't know how you do it! Miss you and your cute family!

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