Chinese New Year

It didn't take much effort from me--red paper plates, a few Taiwan mementos, dumplings for dinner and bok choy in our broth--but the kids saw the magic in our Chinese New Year celebration and were thrilled by every last detail. I mean, I was just setting up a simple dinner and they kept saying, "Oh, look at our party! This is such a fun party. I love that we're having a party!" Oh to be as easily pleased as my little chickens! We ate with chopsticks and learned to count to ten in Chinese and finished the meal with mandarins and cookies straight from mainland. To be honest, Everett stole the show with his dragon art on the wall, his recitation of each of our Zodiac animals and my very favorite part, his hand-made envelopes for each of his siblings with a $1 bill inside. Last year we made hundreds of dumplings and hosted an army and it was so fun, but this Wiggy party of five was just as sweet. Welcome to the year of the Pig!

Cousin Fun

A couple'a weekends ago our Stevenson cousins came to visit and we had the best time hanging with them. They were Disneyland bound and we were lucky enough to steal them for a few days before they landed in the theme park. Three out of our four kids are born within a few months of each other and they all just played and played and had so much fun and as always it left me wishing for a family compound, or at the very least teleportation! I love being an aunt and I love those babies. Can't wait to squeeze and love them again soon!  

This was the best and cutest cheering squad for T and Ev's jogathon. 

We missed them too much after just a few days away so we met up at the beach. It was so cold and somehow Talmage still ended up swimming in the waves, crazy kid. Uncle Bryce was a rockstar and made a pretty impressive fortress in the sand.  

There were plenty of beds but these kids all wanted to snuggle and sleep together. Oh my it was cute!

In praise of scruffiness

 Toddler Valentines Party at our place. We're missing almost 10 little ones from this picture, they were busy playing in the bedrooms or outside, but these babies are just too cute!

Recently my mom sent me an article called "In praise of scruffy hospitality" and just the title alone sold me on whatever life-lesson this author was selling. Robin Shreeves talks about her quest to embrace her authentic life, family and home, which maybe wasn't perfectly put-together but was full of warmth and love. The article really resonated with me because it's my reality. We have friends in our home almost on the daily and while the windows never sparkle and the floor is rarely without a fishie or two, I know they feel welcome and safe within my walls. And that is enough for me. No, that is everything to me.

Shreeves quotes someone named Father Jack who says, "Scruffy hospitality means you're not waiting for everything in your house to be in order before you host and serve friends in your home. Scruffy hospitality means you hunger more for good conversation and serving a simple meal of what you have, not what you don't have. Scruffy hospitality means you're more interested in quality conversation that the impression your home or lawn makes. If we only share meals with friends when we're excellent, we aren't truly sharing life together."

Isn't that amazing? I was so encouraged after reading this article and realized that I was creating the home I have always wanted for our family.

But that's not where the story ends. No, that's not even really where it begins. I had no intention to mention this article on here at all were it not for a special experience I had this morning that made me see the principles it shared in a new light.

I dropped Cora off at her playgroup and rushed to the temple, trying to make the best use of my two hours sans kids during the week. Just after parking and before running in the doors I glanced in my rearview mirror only to realize that in my haste to get the kids ready, fed and out of the house I somehow forgot to apply half of my make-up. Oh well, I thought a little self consciously, no time to go home so I'm going in. Already feeling a little out of sorts, I started putting on my white temple dress and immediately noticed that despite my preparations it was wrinkly beyond belief, and more than that it had a couple of dark spots that must have happened when I washed it last.

A little embarrassed, a little disappointed, I got dressed and looked at my wonky reflection in the mirror. Unexpectedly, this silly article about scruffy hospitality came instantly to my mind and warmth filled my body. Although the parallels are not perfect, I immediately knew the lesson I was supposed to be learning. While praising scruffy hospitality came easy to me, I was taught that accepting my deep and good desire to be a disciple, no matter my scruffiness, came easy to the Lord. My clothes are not what matters in the temple, frankly my clothes are never what matters to the Lord, it's my heart He desires and it was in the right place. I want to be the kind of disciple that hungers for His word and accepts that although I am not perfect, He loves me perfectly. I knew how to be a scruffy host, and this morning I learned how to be a scruffy guest, because sometimes it is what it is, right? And there is beauty in it all.

I ended up spending a wonderful hour in the temple, one of my best experiences in recent memory. I cried at the beauty and simplicity of promises that God has given me and I felt angelic while serving along so many other faithful women. When I was getting back into my normal clothes I realized that not once during the hour had I remembered my imperfections, I guess it didn't really matter after all.

I'm far from perfect, like really, really far, but I'm showing up to my life and trying to do the right thing and I'm so grateful for little moments like this morning that remind me I'm doing alright.

Writing on the wall

There are mothering moments I know someday I will be thrilled to put behind me. The deafening noise. The never-ending laundry hamper. The disagreements over what constitutes dinner deliciousness. The necessity to find a babysitter if I want to do anything. Ever. So many late afternoons see me praying out loud as I walk through the house. I ask for peace. I ask for patience. I ask for strength and clarity and grit. I ask that someday my babies will remember all the good times, and maybe forget the late afternoons all together because it just never shows me at my best.

But there are also some mothering moments I have a hunch I'll always cherish, and maybe even miss. A few weeks ago I was cleaning the house after another long day when I saw the smallest and most darling little person drawn in pencil on the wall, courtesy of my Quinny Cat. Don't get me wrong, I do not condone wall drawing and only a week before this discovery she had gotten in major trouble for scribbling all over the smooth wall leading to the backyard, but there was something about this little person that made me smile, that tugged on my heart strings. It was so teeny tiny, barely as big as my fingertip, and I wondered how long it had been hanging there before I found it. I could just see that little Sunshine Kitten, tongue out in concentration, trying to make her new little friend as small as possible so as not to mess up Mama's walls like she was instructed. Call me crazy but I just found the whole thing so adorable that I ended up leaving it there for weeks and seeing it in the hallway reminded me how much I love having little people in my life and in my home. They make life interesting, unpredictable and just so stinkin' cute.

Laundry and dinner are still on my naughty list, but believe it or not I may just miss the writing on the wall.

Sunday School at the Tidepools

Quinn's new thing is to tell me what she loves me more than. I think it all started when I told her that I loved her like a fat kid loves cake. It was literally like her mind was blown! Now, every time I tell her I love her, she replies back with something she loves me more than, usually cheeseburgers because, duh, greater love hath no Wigginton. We end up going back and forth with I love you more than cheeseburgers and fries, and then Quinn adding a shake, and then I add a cookie for dessert. It's really endearing and I love that Quinny likes to play along. We were in the middle of playing this game at bedtime when Cora said she wanted to do it to. "I love you Coco!" I said as I turned on their ocean sound machine. She took her binky out of her mouth, sat up from her pillow and said, "I wuv you more dan oatmeal, Mama!" Oh my heavens, that baby girl! I scooped her up and couldn't help but nibble on her cheeks (I tell her they taste like strawberries!) And lest you think she was mocking me by saying oatmeal, you have no idea how she begs for that breakfast food at every meal and can down two or three bowls of steel cut goodness every morning. She loves her oatmeal, and she loves me. And if it wasn't apparent enough, I love her. And her sister. And those brothers of theirs who are too big for nibbling but are adored just the same.

Anyway, this post had nothing to do with that story but I just needed to record it before I forgot it and thought, what the heck, let's do it here and now! 

What this post is really about is how we turned our Sunday family scripture study into beach time and how any feelings of skepticism about two-hour church faded when I realized the potential for awesome family time on Sunday afternoon. James learned that Abalone Cove would be experiencing the lowest tide of the year so we hopped on the opportunity to see the sea. I baked some apple cinnamon muffins, James prepared a lesson, and then we were off to the most beautiful landscape to read and study the scriptures together. We're still getting the hang of teaching our children these lessons so that everyone is learning something, but each week I think it gets a little bit better, and when your view is basically a spiritual experience in and of itself the teaching is way easier. Here's to 2019 and trying something new!  

Room with a view, huh?

These two were everywhere, with a blonde little puppy following closely on their heels.

We saw three octopi, a bunch of starfish, anemones, a sea slug, fish and crabs and so many other things. It was the most successful visit to the tide pools that we've ever had. 

We are Harry Potter fanatics right now, and Ev goes almost nowhere without his round glasses and list of spells. 

Another scout in the family

A few days ago Everett grasped me tightly around my waist and said, "Mom, I just never want to stop hugging you for my whole life." He's getting older, wiser, more mature and so ridiculously tall lately, but he's not losing that innocent, all-consuming and tender love for me, the luckiest Mama in the world. He's always been my little love bug, so content to cuddle up in blankets on the couch all day, and the older he gets the more I realize that these are his traits, this is him. Everett is love. Everett is acceptance. Everett is a calm afternoon and a warm embrace. Everett is a slow, late, lazy morning. I feel so lucky to know this kid, and to continue getting to know him each and every day.

At the beginning of the year Everett met a major milestone--he started cub scouts. In our church troop, we usually start the boys in scouts when they turn 8, but recent changes have allowed these young boys to start the January of the year they turn 8 so Everett was in, six months earlier than expected. To say he was excited is just such an understatement, and when the day finally arrived he was dressed in his scouts garb hours before we left. Those almond eyes, round cheeks and beautiful smile get me every time but the addition of a little yellow neckerchief nearly did me in. I love that baby boy of mine, and I'm so excited for a full and fun year of scouts for him!   

The cutest little wolf I ever did see!

All the heart eyes for these brothers in uniform. 

Chasey and Ev, partners in crime! I'm so excited that these little besties are once again on a grand adventure together. 

Strike School = Mom School

The teachers in LAUSD went on strike and I chose to keep my kids home and have Mom School for as long as it took until they were ready to come back into the classroom. I'm rarely political and not nearly as educated as I should be on anything, but I love the teachers at my kids school and if they felt passionate enough that change was needed then I wanted to be there for them. The strike ended up lasting a little over a week and as silly as this sounds, I was sad to send my babies back to school. You know me, always up for an adventure and with them home I was planning one every day. In just a week we went to the Peterson Auto Museum, the Autry Western Museum, the LA Zoo, the La Brea Tar Pits, Franklin Canyon, the Annenberg Space for Photography, the Vasquez Rocks and the Abalone Cove Tide Pools...plus a few parks, the library and lots of play time here at home. I planned daily lessons, projects, reading and tests for formal education and the boys and I continued our Harry Potter reading (which we've called our Harr-athons). Quite a few times during the week I wondered whether pulling them out and homeschooling them would actually be a better experience for our family because I loved having them home so much, but I think at least one of them was definitely missing the constant stimulation that a school atmosphere provides. Anyway, school is back but I'll always have the sweetest memories of our random week in January when we pretended like it was summer and played all day, e'ry day! 

The Peterson with pals.

We had a constant flow of children and friends in our home whose parents had to work during the strike but didn't feel comfortable sending their kids to school. I kept telling my boys how lucky they were that I was at home to watch and teach them, and I know they were grateful. 

Quinn goes to a private preschool so she still went to school during the day while the boys were home. She kind of hated having to leave them, but if I wanted to get anything done with the boys academically then it was better for her to be at school with her friends. I tried to keep the big adventures to when she was there, but on Tuesday we went to the Autry and I was all sad seeing Quinn's dairy without our little Quinn with us. 

My little flamingo with some of her flamingo friends. 

This is the best swing around and T pumped Cora for almost an hour, bless him! All she wants to do is swing, swing, swing when we are at the park.

Cutest birthday cake!

We put the training wheels on this bike and Quinn and I went on all sorts of rides around town.

James' first time to Franklin Canyon and it didn't disappoint. It was so clear we could see the ocean from the top of the hike!

Annenberg Photo Exhibit was amazing!