Merry Christmas 2013!

It's been yet another year of transition for the Scharman family.  We started 2013 in one place and are ending it in another.  In June we made the move from Fairfax, Virginia to Houston, Texas where we are hoping to sink some roots and hang our spurs for a good long while.  

We continue to have much to be grateful for and recognize the many ways that we have been blessed.  We have been surrounded by amazing people,  terrific opportunities and abundant blessings.

HALEY turned 12 this year.  She is growing up way too fast for our liking but we are impressed with her tenacity in taking it on.  She jumped into her new junior high with both feet and has found things to keep her busy and happy.  Haley loves to try new things but has stuck with her talents for music as she continues to take piano and play violin in her school symphony orchestra.  She is taking a dance class this year as her PE credit and it has her dancing all over the house, all of the time.  She surprised us recently with her volunteering to participate in a district spelling competition with only one other person from her school.  They may have placed 2nd out of only two schools but it was a close one! and we were proud of our not-so-little seventh grader for trying something new.

ABBY is 10 and started 5th grade this year.  In grand Abby tradition, she had a mess of friends after the first day in a new school and is as enthusiastic and easy going as ever.  She has completely immersed herself in books this year and very often she will disappear for hours up in her room, reading. She loves to be hanging out with friends or snuggling on the couch in her pajamas.  She has been working on writing her own short story about a girl with special powers living in the mountains - watch your local bookstores!

MIA turned 8 in September and was baptized a member of the church.  It was so fun for her to have so many people there to support her, including both sets of grandparents, lots of Aunts and Uncles and tons of cousins.  She has lost so many teeth this year the tooth fairy is beside herself.  Mia has really found her love of reading this year too and is reading every Geronimo Stilton book ever written.  Her favorite place to be is under your arm.  She loves playing the piano and drawing.  I was surprised at parent teacher conference this fall when her teachers said how quiet she was at school.  I shared, with a giggle, that her nickname at home is Mia Megaphone but was glad that she is happy and doing well in class. 

 HAZEL turned 5 in April and started kindergarten this fall.  She is terribly shy initially but warms up as a good friend and a sweet helper.  She is as silly as ever and is so excited to be starting to read.  When she is home, she is connected to my hip and wants to do everything I am doing and going everywhere I am going.  She loves to help with Jonah and loves doing her homework with the big kids. She writes everywhere, and I mean everywhere.  We have erased her letters from many a surface in the house already.

JONAH is a one and a half year old boy.  Did I mention he is a boy?  I mean it in every connotation there is.  He loves dogs, planes and being outside.  He climbs on everything.  He plays with anything but toys and does not like to be held or strapped down in anything.  He is a joy to the family and the girls adore him, a little too much for his taste sometimes.  He definitely keeps me on my toes during the day but is a sweet boy that sleep wonderfully for naps and at night.  He loves to engage and play with us and is just as silly as each of his sisters.  He is just busy, busy, busy and still blond as ever.  I get comments almost every time I go out about his white hair and big, blue eyes.

EMILY, that's me, is still doing what I do, raising children and keeping the house mostly clean.  It's a constant motion at our home to get everyone where they need to be, getting homework done and keeping everyone happy.  My favorite times though are when everyone is home and close by.  I love our Friday night pajama parties and playing together in the backyard.  My current hobby is simply setting up our first real home in a very long time.  I am discovering a style and making it feel like ours has been really fun. 

CLARK finished up a 13 year run in the Navy this Spring.  It's been a tremendous experience with amazing people all along the way but it was time for our family to move on.  He took a job with Chevron here in Houston in May and the family followed shortly thereafter.  Clark worked hard from early last year into the beginning of this year training for various races including his first marathon.  Much to Emily's disappointment (knowing he would have to start all over again at some point) he had to drop out of the race just two weeks prior due to an injury.  Even though we have made the move to a somewhat milder climate, he still loves road biking and golfing whenever he can.  Clark was recently called to be the Bishop of our congregation here in Northwest Houston.  I don't think he will have the time to train for another marathon anytime soon.  He continues to amaze me with his drive to do anything, help anyone and go anywhere.  He is a great husband and father and we are grateful for him.

In conclusion, we are still healthy, happy and grateful for the many people that bring so much joy to our family.  We wish you all the very best, a Happy Holiday season and a tremendous New Year!

Love,

The Scharmans

A Noteworthy November

So this is how it goes when time is just flying by - a month in review.  It's almost easy seeing as how I don't even carry a camera anymore.  My phone takes better pictures at this point so I go with it.  Plus, it somehow gives a more accurate glimpse into our everyday, which I like.
It naturally begins and probably ends (and lots in between) with pictures of my baby.  Because that's what Moms do.  They take an exorbitant amount of pictures of their own kids doing funny things because we find them adorable and sometimes, just sometimes, need a reminder of how adorable they are when they are being not-so-adorable.
In short, Jonah is still cute.  And I love him so much that occasionally I have to preserve the moment in pictures. And since his pediatrician keeps asking me at every visit if I have ever noticed his eyes drifting together, its all I see in photographs.  I like to think they just look that way because they are so big.  Makes total sense in my mind.

One of Jonah's favorite things to do is jump on Mia's wheely backpack and hitch a ride.  Its especially funny when we are walking down the street.

One night Clark took the older kids to a high school football game, while I stayed home with the youngest two.  I put Jonah to bed and had a little Mommy Hazel date where we made caramel apples and watched a movie of her choosing off of Netflix.  Born Free based on a true story from the 60's maybe? about a wild lion raised in the home of some game keeper something or other in Africa.  It was totally interesting and boring at the same time.  And the theme song is really "Born Free" which kind of made me laugh.  Hazel fell asleep 2 minutes before the end. I was half expecting the lion to up and eat the couple at some point during the movie.  The lion's name was Elsa.  She didn't eat anyone.

Yep, still cute.  Just checking.

Mia had her third grade Veteran's Day program at school.  I love Veteran's Day programs.  I adore them.  They make me feel all patriotic and weepy and happy.  She is in the white shirt in the middle of the group there.  She got to play the bells for one song, such talent :)

At the end, all of the veterans in the audience were invited to come to the stage and share when and where they served.  More tingles and tears.  I love that man of mine. 

Every change of season in a house full of girls, brings with it the joys of bin swapping.  I have to go through closets and drawers, remove unworn and outgrown clothing and shift it all around.  It's both exhausting and kind of fun.

Sometimes I see pictures like this on my phone and I feel very frightened of what awaits us through the teenage years.  I'm not sure that I am prepared.  In fact, I'm positive that I am not prepared.

Then one day, I found a piece of bacon in the back of the car.  I know not where it came from but I'll be honest, I wanted to eat it.
I didn't, just in case you were really wondering.

My amazing sister in law, Sadie received her mission call to serve in the Fresno, California mission.  I am so excited for her.  She is outgoing and sincere and genuine and will make a fantastic missionary.

Plus, she gets to ride a bike around California which sounds pretty awesome to me.

I miss a lot of the great outdoors of the East coast so I am happy to find good spots to walk and explore when it is not a bajillion degrees outside.  Fall and Winter bring a lot of amazing weather around these parts so we try to take advantage of it.  This is a trail along a bayou not far from our house.  It goes and goes for miles and the day was perfectly pleasant.

Even for the stragglers...

Now that Haley is 12, she can attend and participate in parts of the temple ordinances.  It was a very special day that she was very excited for.

It was especially special that Clark and I both got to go with her that day and help with the large youth group from our ward.

Hazel has entered the note-writing stage that I rather love.  She leaves notes and letters all over the place and each and every one is the most important message from her so you'd better not throw any away!  By the way, Emlee is just how Coach Magee said my name in high school so it makes me laugh.

I started an incredible quiet book for Jonah.  Now that Clark has left us for the stand at church for the foreseeable future, I needed some backup in the pews.  I pulled out all the creativity I could muster and made several pages that I found pretty fantastic.  I was so excited for the first Sunday, where he ended up playing with a pen cap for an hour.
The problem is I can't shut off the ideas that keep flowing but can't bring myself to indulge in making any more pages...on the other hand, the older girls have quite enjoyed it even though as a 12 year old you can only put Jonah in and out of the whale's mouth so many times before its not that fun anymore.

Of noteworthy news also would be, of course, the rat that died in the ceiling of our closet.  The weather had been pretty cold so it wasn't until our warm 80 degree weather returned that its rotting carcass was brought to our attention.  Gross.  Double gross.  Triple quadruple gross.  We pulled out all the stops.  Short of cutting a hole in our ceiling, the problem has been dealt with which is a good thing because my next plan of action would have been to burn down the house or move.  Luckily we have not had any vermin inside the living part of the house and hopefully never will because I don't really want to burn down my house or move.  That would be kind of a pain.

Hazel had her Kindergarten Thanksgiving feast.  She was adorable.  It was adorable.  Fun was had by all, even the 4 kids out of all the grade that were willing to volunteer to dress like pilgrims because everyone else in kindergarten wanted to be an Indian.

The weather this time of year is noteworthy in Houston too.  As you can probably gather from this picture, this day was both 29 degrees and 78 degrees.  I'm serious, some days we have more than a 30 degree swing in temperature which  makes sending kids off and receiving them home extra interesting.

I was overjoyed to see matching socks at our house! It doesn't happen very often.

Too bad they were on two different people.  It makes my job as sock-sorter much easier. I've actually seen the girls take a pair of socks and separate them on purpose.
I have stopped matching socks.

Our friend Kristin included us in a groupon that she had purchased back in the summer for a tour of our local froyo shop.  It consisted of peeking their heads in the freezers in the backroom and letting them mix flavors.  The kids loved it because they got to wear rubber gloves and then make the biggest heap of yogurt/candy topping they could fit in a cup.

And then a Thanksgiving dream was fulfilled for Clark.  He killed and dressed our own turkey.  An amazing family from our ward has kids in 4H that raise and sell turkeys this time of year.  They allowed Clark to come learn from them.

 I'm pretty sure we crossed a few lines of respect where our food sacrifice was concerned.

That's our turkey right there.  His last few minutes of life were spent running away from Jonah.
We ate that turkey.  I ate him.  And he was delicious.  I made sure to tell him thank you before, you know, they chopped head his off.

Abby is our rough and tumble kind of kid.  She not only caught the turkey but she helped pluck feathers and clean out guts.  I was both impressed and totally grossed out. That's not my scene.  Also, doing their laundry was not super fun.

I find my family thoroughly amusing, even when they are being gross and immature.

 Then I watched Clark play football.  It always makes my heart flutter just a little.

She makes my heart flutter too.  Those cute girls.

And though we don't get to do it as often as before, I love face-timing and skyping with this little munchkin.  Japan is much to much too far away.  And they are about to bring home a second adorable little baby girl that I will have to admire and oogle from afar.  It hurts.

The one problem with not having my camera is that I sometimes forget to take pictures of the obvious things, like the adorable, delightful company we had for Thanksgiving.  This is the second place we have lived within driving distance of my cousin Missy and her fam.  They are fun and cute and so nice to have around.  We are so grateful that they drove from San Antonio to spend a couple of days with us (even though I loaded the one picture where Lyndon's eyes are close, oops.) Thank you for coming!

Re-evaluation...and it's not even January 1st.

I've had some clarity as of late.  Clarity is good because it is just enough validation from time to time to know that I have permanently lost my ability to think and organize and get things in order.  I sometimes go for long stretches of time without clarity so I cling to and feel great gratitude for those fleeting vistas of pure thought and understanding.  A couple of things come to mind.
Moderation in all things.  I like to think of myself as one who strives for good moderation.  I know that sometimes I get an idea and talk it up real good. But as far as action I am also human.  Sometimes a good idea needs a lot of talk for a little bit of action.  My end goal is just to not swing too far one way or the other.  I don't want to get caught up in fads, or monopolize my time and energy on any one thing, outside of family, naturally.
I think the trick as a woman, wife and mother is to just find what works best.  What works best for me?  for my marriage? for my children? for my home?  Then pursue it.  If there is negativity, leave it behind.  If there is discouragement, look up.  Move on.  Seek for the good.  Invest in the good.  Lend yourself to people or situations in need when able but don't saturate yourself in the un-good.
There is a constant motion swirling around our family and each of the members in it.  It is also a trick to find a balance.  It requires constant attention to and nurturing of this balance.  If we get distracted from that, for whatever reason, it takes time to find it again.  And that's OK.  It helps us learn and grow and progress.
One of these many things that I have made a decision about, like many friends and family is the decision to refine my activity on Facebook and social media...really that just means Facebook.  Blogs are good-the ones that I can spend time reading and catching up on and feel like I have invested my time instead of wasting it.  I won't waste my precious time on blogs that anger me, or make me feel wriled up.  But I will read about friends and family that enrich me and build me up. It wasn't really even until a year or two ago that I became more "active" on Facebook.  I'm never on Twitter (even though I have an account, I have no idea how it works.) I dabble in instagram though it is becoming more attractive to me as I really don't have much interest in most of what people have to say on Facebook.  It just means that I have pared down who I follow on FB.  If I don't know someone that well, chances are I don't include them in my feed.  And after a recent talk with a very wise woman, I have become more selective about what I post after asking myself the important question of "why do I feel a need to post this?" Most of the time I do it purely for entertainment value.  Plus I do indeed see the value in connecting with and keeping in touch with people, and that means being amused and happy with what they are doing right now. In short, blogs are good.  I am hoping to get back into a more regular posting groove.

More cousin time.

More adorable baby time.

More time enjoying the fact that Houston winters consist of amazingly perfect weather with a cold snap here and there that allows us to don our winter things.

More kids doing good thing.

More dressing up? Not really, but I had to include Halloween in there somewhere.  Every time I take a picture now that I want to post on FB I quickly have the thought that I would rather post it somewhere that my family will see it again...like in the blog books from years past that are slowly filling my bookshelf.  I was totally unprepared for Halloween this year.  I wasn't really even looking forward to it - it is not my favorite holiday.  In years past I have really enjoyed planning and sewing costumes for the kids but I just didn't want to this year.  So I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to come up with great costumes last minute.

Bestill my heart, did I really get to marry this man forever more? So lucky.

More adorable kids (even though I couldn't get Abby to NOT pose like she is 20 and on the cover of a magazine.)

Jonah had about 4 different costumes since I have so many in his size.  Why not use them all?

Sister in law Sadie turned 19 and we took her on a scavenger hunt where she had to do things like find a suitcase that she could fit inside of, buy and give away flowers to perfect strangers, and catch one of her sister's chickens.  That was my favorite.

More time with wonderful people.

And a trip to Austin to have our family pictures taken by the always talented, Kristen Duke.  We were only there for a very short time but it's always fun to see her and reconnect - and my walls thank you endlessly for the amazing pictures she has done for our family over the years.

On to Christmas and 2014 and all that comes with it!