It wasn't an avalanche...

...It was a rockfall.

Based on how it sounded, it was a lot like this (turn up your speakers):



I wonder what we missed, because we heard a lot more cracking than the above video (which is Horseshoe Canyon, Canyonlands). This isn't a winter danger I was aware of -- the ice gets into cracks and expands, causing the rocks to break free from the canyon walls. It's much scarier in retrospect.

Sharing the good news!

Very exciting news over at Susie's blog...

Hooray!

Christmas day is here

So, what do you do in Southern Utah when it snows on Christmas day?

You go to Zion.

The kids in the car on the way:





What we saw there:





We decided to drive through the tunnel:



No one else was in there, so we stopped and took pictures of the windows:





It was very snowy, so we went back to the main valley.





Elizabeth took this picture:



And Angela took this one:



When I got the camera back, I took some more:





We got out of the car at the Temple of Sinawava, to play in the snow:





Can you see how deep it is?





I was determined to build my very first full-size snowman (or snowwoman -- I thought about having her carrying a snowchild), but when I was about two-thirds of the way into my project, we heard a loud

CRACK CRACK-CRACK

that made us stop and consider running as fast as we could. It was LOUD and scary. At the end of the Temple, where the river curves against a tall canyon wall, something dramatic happened. We don't know if rock was breaking loose and falling into the river, or an avalanche of snow and ice (mostly ice, by the sound of it) was starting and would bury us.

We heard more CRACKs and decided not to chance it. I took a quick picture of my unfinished, genderless snowperson, and we left.



Icicles on rocks:



Deer watched us depart:



I hope your Christmas is warm and wonderful.

Christmas Eve...

We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve this year.

Anticipation:



...met fulfillment:

Christmas hair!

It took me two hours, but I did elaborate things to the kids' hair.

I made Elizabeth's hair into a ribboned headband:



Angela's was a wreath on top of her head:







The girls were filled with anticipation and took pictures of their gifts:

The horribleness spreads

Elizabeth's depiction of Bad Horse:



OK, not really. When I said, "It's Bad Horse!", there were loud protests ("No, it's not!" "It's a pretty horse!"), but a black horse with red eyes pretty much says "thoroughbred of sin" to my mind.

Snow days and princess parties

Elizabeth's snowman:



Christmas here is full of happy surprises:



Princess parties and making gingerbread castles:

Polar Express party!

Elizabeth's school program was last Friday. I have some pretty low-quality video clips of the event:

Entering the room in their boxcars:



Elizabeth's speaking part:



The first song (I moved places once I realized I wasn't going to be able to see her at all):



The Hot Chocolate dance:



More Hot Chocolate:

Final words

I haven't said one public word about Prop 8, and I stand by that.

I felt fine sharing that Onion article, because no matter your stance, you can't help but laugh at it, right?

...Unless you don't bother to read it. Within hours of posting the article, I received this insightful comment:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Worth repeating":

the mormom church needs to butt out of this fight in CALIFORNIA NOT UTAH and respect separation of church and state. then again any institution that adhered to the crazy principles it first did, go figure....let's have 400 wives and 5000 babies! talk about loving one another......

they only want people to have LOVE the way they dictate.

shameful. illegal. misogynist to the max.

*Ahem*

I don't know that I have anything more to add. My wonderful husband once wisely said that "If you act like a grown-up, it will be clear who the 14-year-olds are." So I will bite my tongue.

But I can't help laughing at this, especially in light of what my post actually said, the fact that I am a "Mormom" (that also made me laugh), and the inclusion of a new catchphrase ("misogynist to the max").

If there had been any hope that I would talk about this issue publicly, it's been dashed. There is no such thing as an intelligent exchange of ideas regarding Prop 8.

At least being a Mormom doesn't prevent me from approving of marriage between one man and one wolfman.

Worth repeating

Typo In Proposition 8 Defines Marriage As Between 'One Man And One Wolfman'

DECEMBER 17, 2008 | ISSUE 44•51

SACRAMENTO, CA—Activists on both sides of the gay marriage debate were shocked this November, when a typographical error in California's Proposition 8 changed the state constitution to restrict marriage to a union between "one man and one wolfman," instantly nullifying every marriage except those comprised of an adult male and his lycanthrope partner. "The people of California made their voices heard today, and reaffirmed our age-old belief that the only union sanctioned in God's eyes is the union between a man and another man possessed by an ungodly lupine curse," state Sen. Tim McClintock said at a hastily organized rally celebrating passage of the new law. But opponents, including Bakersfield resident Patricia Millard—who is now legally banned from marrying her boyfriend, a human, non-wolfman male—claim it infringes on their civil liberties. "I love James just as much as a wolfman loves his husband," Millard said. "We deserve the same rights as any horrifying mythical abomination." On the heels of the historic typo, voters in Utah passed a similar referendum a week later, defining marriage as between one man and 23 wolfmen.

From The Onion.

"Nothing happens by accident"...unless you're 5

We went to Snow Canyon, because it was blanketed in snow. We were going to play and take lots of pictures there.

It was beautiful.



The snow brings out lovely details in the rocks.



The above picture was taken moments before Elizabeth shouted, "I NEED TO GO POTTY!" Of course, I'd already passed the only restrooms, the snow was piled high on each side of the road, making turning around dangerous at best and in most places simply impossible, and I wasn't about to leave any yellow snow in the park. So we left. It was slow-going. The north end of the park was unplowed and treacherous.

But on the way home, I saw some amazing scenery. Look at how low these clouds are:







We ended up driving right into these clouds, which scared the kids, who instantly thought we were nowhere near home. Driving through fog does strange things to your perceptions. It felt like a lot longer to me, too.

Car accidents were avoided. The other kind of accident, though. was not completely averted.

Good questions!

Elizabeth, who has unexplained insight into my deepest fears:
"Mom, do robots know everything?"


This week I am fighting off a sinus infection. I didn't know you can get those from crying, but evidently you can. I couldn't tell for a long time that it was there, because of all the crying, but once I started feeling better, it was painfully obvious.

So I'm on a regimen of antibiotics and other fun stuff. Angela asked me about the medications I'm taking, and I explained to her about how antibiotics kill the germs and decongestants clear out the mucus, "and this one is a pain reliever."

Her question:
"What does a penguin-leaver do?"

How in the world do you keep a straight face? I'm not sure I'm even going to try anymore.


Elizabeth has a box-decorating project for school, so she and her sister have spent a lot of time adding their own personal touches to the largest box we could find. I've also spent an unexpectedly large amount of time trying to convince one or the other (but mostly the younger one) that no, they cannot sleep in the box, no matter how many blankets they've put in it.

Last night they were both sitting in the box, and I told them to lay down and cuddle up like puppies (it was startling how much they looked like puppies when they did). Then I closed the box and said I was shipping them to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Did they protest? Nooo:

"Are we going to live there??"

Recommendations

Tom Waits: Go to iTunes. Buy "Bend Down the Branches." Listen, and repeat. That is all.




Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: If you haven't seen this yet, take the plunge. You won't regret it. Best 43 minutes of entertainment I've seen in a long while. It made me laugh out loud many times. Now I'm completely behind the NPH hype. (Catch it free on Hulu!)



Popcorn and hot chocolate: It's what's for dinner. 'Tis the season! Perfect for when it's cold outside and you have unwatched Netflixes calling your name.


Awkward transitional blogs: Perfect for changing the subject when you are unable, or unwilling, to follow up the previous post.

This does not seem real. Jennifer, my sister-in-law. I miss her.

Jennifer Alene Gilbert


GILBERT, Jennifer Alene Brown

Jennifer was born June 6, 1974 and passed away suddenly on Monday, November 24, 2008 at the age of 34 in Sacramento. A Sacramento resident all her life, she is survived by her beloved husband, Troy, and three loving children, Makenzy, age 7, Kacy, age 5, and Jake, 9 days old. She was preceded in death on February 23, 1994 by her mother, Sherrill L. Miller. She is survived by her father, Bradd Brown and stepmother, Ann Brown of El Dorado Hills; stepparents, Norm and Cynthia Miller of Fair Oaks; brothers, Kurt (Katie) Brown of Provo, UT, Brian (Jennifer) Miller of Roseville, Steven Miller of Fair Oaks; father and mother-in-law, John and Susanne Gilbert of Orangevale; brother and sister-in-law, Chris and Naomi Gilbert of Rancho Cordova; and numerous step-brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and other close family members whom she loved and who loved her dearly. Jennifer graduated from Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks where she was active in cheerleading and student activities. She held several jobs as an event coordinator in the hotel industry, Jennifer married her high school sweetheart in June 2000 and became a wonderful, loving mother to three children. Jennifer valued her family relationships above all else and she was devoted to her husband, children, parents, brothers and her large extended family. She had a joy for life, loved keeping family traditions, and was an understanding and supportive friend to many. Her good-natured, sweet, and down-to-earth attitude made her easy to talk to. Jennifer also found great joy in her service for the LDS Church where she worked in the Primary and Relief Society Organizations. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends. Words cannot express our profound grief at the loss of Jen, beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. Services will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, November 29, 2008 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 5505 Hackberry Ln, Sacramento, CA 95841. Interment to follow at Sierra Hills Memorial Park, 5757 Greenback Lane, Sacramento, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jennifer Gilbert Children's Trust at Bank of America. Arrangements by East Lawn Mortuary 916-732-2020.

It's a dark day...

This will be short and sweet. I have more to do today than time in which to do it.

Quote of the day

Elizabeth: "It's okay if we drink blood, right, Mom?"*

Yeah, I'm a little excited for tonight.

Love Ramona? Me too.

Bursting into tears, she threw herself face down on the couch. She kicked and she pounded on the cushions with her fists. Everyone was against her. Nobody liked her. Even the cat did not like her. The room was silent, and Ramona had the satisfaction of knowing she had stopped their laughing. She heard responsible old Beezus go to her room to do her responsible old homework. Her parents continued to sit in silence, but Ramona was past caring what anyone did. She cried harder than she ever had cried in her life. She cried until she was limp and exhausted.

Then Ramona felt her mother's hand on her back. "Ramona," she said gently, "what are we going to do with you?"

With red eyes, a swollen face, and a streaming nose, Ramona sat up and glared at her mother. "Love me!" Her voice was fierce with hurt. Shocked at her own words, she buried her face in the pillow. She had no tears left.

The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

The Today Show ran a segment about doulas. I don't know what their purpose was in airing it, but it was not to educate the public about what a doula is and does. Their main consultant was an obstetrician whose hospital has banned doulas because of past conflicts. Apparently this particular hospital had a doula or two who made it difficult for the doctor's recommendations to be followed -- doulas are not supposed to give medical advice or do anything that can be construed as doing such; it's against our code of ethics. The OB said in no uncertain terms that doulas are not medically trained (which is true) and that therefore they only interfere with the medical aspect of birth (I have no words for this because every time I try to open my mouth, fire comes out instead of speech). The upshot of the segment was "Don't get a doula because they're poorly trained. Oh, and trust your doctor unquestioningly."

Well, of COURSE obstetricians are going to have a skewed perspective about doulas, because they're not in the same line of work. They work in the same sphere, but they have different objectives within that sphere -- or, more accurately, they're responsible for different parts of the same sphere. The boundaries of our practices do not really overlap.

But it is a little like asking a gay rights activist to explain the beliefs of the LDS church. You're not going to get a very favorable perspective, and the good points will definitely not be emphasized, if they come up at all. I don't know why they chose the approach they did, but what I do know is that a lot of people take The Today Show as factual information, and this sort of publicity will take some effort to overcome.

Well, I'm going to go chant with my rain stick for consolation now. My doula recertification is coming up and I'm way behind in my chanting.

*The context was that she was worried after swallowing a little of her own blood during a recent bloody nose. That was all.

Pictures of the girls

I thought both of these captured their personalities almost exactly:

Wherein I reveal that I am truly a geek. But at least my kids are cute.

Angela, at her friend Rusty's birthday party:

Angela: "Happy birthday!"
Rusty: "Happy birthday!
Angela: "Actually, it's not my birthday, but thank you."


Conversation at church:

Angela: "Smell my breath!"
Me, teasing: "Eww!"
Angela: "Now smell me."
I smell her neck and she giggles.
Angela: "Now smell something not on my body."
I pick up her hand and sniff it and she laughs.
Angela: "Nooo! Not on my body! Smell the church."
I breathe in deeply (smelling nothing) and say "Ahh."
Angela: "It smells YUCKY! because I tooted!"

What I've been doing:

• Getting ready for next week! We have family coming in to town for two weeks over the holidays. That means Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations this week. Whew!

• Reading! I've been devouring books lately. And I achieved my goal of finally, finally, finishing Pride and Prejudice.

• Teaching! I have had the opportunity to see fear turned into confidence as women learn about childbirth. In discussions and classes, those who worried about what would happen during birth, avoided learning about it out of fear, and then found out that their fears were exaggerated...it is thrilling. It reminds me that though we often avoid the things we're scared of, we might find, through facing our fears, that they're not nearly as bad as we'd thought. We shouldn't let fear keep us from the truth.

• Feeding my 70's sci-fi appetite! Rob and I have been watching as much of Solaris as we can stand, and I have to say that watching a creepy movie before bedtime helps with the nighttime cuddling.

So, if there was ever a week beyond July 2007 to geek out, this is definitely it.

Halloween parade

Elizabeth's school Halloween parade:

A lone Yoda:


Here she comes!



Getting closer...



...And then she lost a shoe, found it, and then RAN to catch up with her class, missing the photo op and not seeing her mother in the sidelines but finding her classmates:



Walking back to class:



Here is the Mary Poppins costume (I didn't get a great picture of it, but as you can see, it was awesome):





"Look! I can touch the ceiling!"