BowDaisy

Have you met Clark's cousin Katie? She's a crafter. A cute crafter. A talented, cute crafter. And she just started up a new hair bow business. You'd better believe there is cuteness going on over there. So click on the link, check it out. I know we're planning on getting some bows (um, did I say "we"? I'm guessing that Clark doesn't actually know about that, so I should say I, I am planning on getting some bows) for Julia. I just want to get an Easter dress first, so they can match. (Um, Clark might not know that I'm fully planning on getting an Easter dress either. Maybe I shouldn't be announcing my plans to spend all our money on the interweb before I tell Clark?)

The point IS, you should check out the hair bows. They're cute.

Weekly Quote 3/30/09

"The whole city reeks."

"I'm starting to get used to it."

"You are? Really? Then you're gonna love hell."

Last week's quote was from Monk, the episode where the garbage workers are on strike. Hilarity ensues. New quote up!

No!

First off, how cool is this kid?


Julia has now learned to say, "No." She says it all the time. Except she really doesn't mean, "No," usually it means, "I want that." She also does this funny thing where it almost looks like she's saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah," but no sound is coming out, her jaw is just going. Let's look at the videos, shall we?

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

(I think in the first video she is wanting to be fed, as evidenced by her walking over to the highchair. And yet, I didn't feed her. Mother of the Year Award, right here.)

Lieto Voices

Where does the time go? Seriously, we're less than a week away from APRIL?! Do you know what happens in April? Julia turns 1. Good heavens!

But that's not the purpose of this post. The purpose of this post is to inform all my local readers (you know, all 3 of you), that my choir concert (for Lieto) is coming up this Saturday, March 28, at 7:30pm, at the Dolores Dore Eccles Fine Arts Center, at DSC. Come one, come all! Admission is $8 per ticket. We're doing a collection of sacred music for this concert, and it will seriously be a miracle if I don't bawl my way through this stuff, it's amazing. If you aren't coming (and even if you are) you should youtube "There Will Be Rest" by Frank Ticheli. Beautiful, and moving.

I thought I'd try to put a copy of the flier on here, but the website has been down for the past day and a half, so no dice. Not a good time for the website to be down, folks. Anyway, it should be a fantastic concert, and you should consider coming.

Weekly Quote 3/23/08

"Ireland I am coming home
I can see your rolling fields of green
And fences made of stone
I am reaching out won't you take my hand
I'm coming home Ireland."

Sabrina put this on a CD for me many years ago, and I've always just liked it. I didn't even know it was Garth Brooks for the longest time. It doesn't sound incredibly country to me. Anyway, I thought it was appropriate for St Patty's Day last week. New quote up!

Mostly Pictures

First and foremost, I failed to mention that Brian and Emilie were so generous as to let us stay at their house when we went to Provo last weekend for the race. We had a fantastic time with them, and I know Julia was in toy/balloon heaven.

She also enjoyed playing with her new friends, McKenna and Hadley. Here's a cute picture:

Thanks for letting us stay, and feeding us yummy cupcakes.

And the rest of this post is pictures. I've been a little camera happy lately. I blame the Deseret News, instilling hope that I can actually take a good picture of my child. Also, Julia got some new shoes, and it was so warm yesterday that she wore her darling sundress from Grandma Blockburger. And we turned on the sprinklers for the first time yesterday, so we were out exploring that. It would appear that Julia is somewhat allergic to grass, as evidenced by the red bumps all over her face after she faceplanted into the grass. Whoops. Anyway, here are the photos:

Secret's Out

Do you want to know a secret? Well, a not-so-well-kept secret? Not so much a secret as something that I have purposefully not been mentioning on the blog?

Out with it already!

I've been running.

This is somewhat strange because I don't run. I've never liked it. In fact, I've always hated it. And I figure, why do something you hate? Especially when there are so many other forms of exercise out there.

When I started going to the gym (which I did in an effort to improve my heart health, not to gain muscles [and that along with the medication seems to be working, as per my most recent cardiology appointment]) , I would use the elliptical machine to get my workout. And I actually enjoyed that. So I decided to give the old treadmill a try. And while it wasn't SO fun at first, I've actually come to like it. I think part of it is that they have individual TVs now. I don't get to watch TV at my house, so this is motivation to get me on the treadmill. And the TV is such a fantastic distraction. That and I can keep a close eye on how fast I'm going, how far I've gone, and how long it's taken me. So many people talk about how they hate to run on a treadmill, but I think I prefer it to running outside, honestly.

Now, I still suck. I'm not very fast, and I do more of a run/walk combination. BUT. I ran the Rex Lee Run 5K this past weekend, and didn't feel like I was going to die. Woo! I ran it in 36:47, a vast improvement from my walking times. (I just looked up some old times, and it turns out the last time I actually ran, I was at 35:48, so I guess I suck even more than I thought, but I'd like to point out that last time I ran, I wanted to vomit by the end, so I think I've improved.) And I got a new shirt!

So that's what I've been working on that I haven't told you about. I'm hoping that I continue to improve. Don't go thinking that I'll ever do anything crazy like run a marathon, or eve n a 10K. I'm not that into my new hobby. But maybe someday I'll run a 5K without walking. I hear there is one in Hurricane in May. . . we'll see how it goes.

Weekly Quote 3/16/09

"Is that my little girl? The tall, gangly thing?"

You guys are good, shooting back Parent Trap quotes in response to last week's quote. I've started saying the above to Julia, not that she is in any way tall or gangly, but I feel like I looked at her one day and discovered a little girl rather than a baby.

Anywho, new quote up!

Things that Rock

I've got a few random things on my mind, so here we go:

My List of Things that Rock

1) The St George library. I had turned in a DVD back in January, and somehow it didn't make it through the check-in system. It was deemed lost. They looked for it for 6 weeks, as per protocol, and then fined me for it. This is not cool. Especially since they charge you $19.99 for the DVD, and then a $5.00 processing fee. For a DVD that I did not lose. They lost it. It's tough, because I realize that I can't prove I turned it in, and they simply don't have it there, so it makes sense to charge me a fine. BUT. I mentioned to the librarian that I was perturbed about paying this fine (only because Clark was there with me as my moral support, I normally avoid confrontation at all costs), and she directed my question to the woman in charge of Lost Items. And Ms. Lost Items came, took a look at my account, and decided to waive my fee. Fee waived! Woo hoo! She said that it had 136 check-outs, so they got good use out of the item, and then she waived it. I thought I'd for sure have to pay up.

2) My husband. We went to the grocery store together last night (which never happens, and taking Clark to a grocery store is a whole different post). When we got home and started putting stuff away, I mentioned to Clark that we needed to write dates on the food storage items. So he pulls out the pen, and says, "Go to the movies. Go to the donut shop. I think up GREAT dates!" So now we have "Making out on the Y" bread.

Where does he come up with this stuff? Hilarious!

3) Religious diversity. c jane posted about the Mormon in a panel of religious students at Harvard earlier in the week. First of all, Rachel Esplin does an amazing job of explaining our faith. She's well-spoken, and very bright. I enjoyed watching the video of her. And then I watched the videos of the rest of the panel, and really enjoyed those as well. With each religion spotlighted, I found myself agreeing with something. For example, the Buddist girl talked about how we have to live in the present, not the past or the future, because the present is the only thing that we have. While I don't agree with all of that (I believe in an afterlife, for one thing), I do think it's important to enjoy the moments of our lives, and not constantly wait for the future. So many times we make plans, and they are good plans, but they don't work out, and we have to remember that we aren't really in charge, God is, and sometimes we just have to sit back and enjoy the ride as best we can. It'll all turn out how it needs to. Our job is to accept what comes our way, and find what joy we can. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I love religious diversity, because it gives us all a chance to expand, grow, and learn from each other.

4) Blossoms. Oh, Spring, we have a complex relationship, you and I. You are the harbinger of Summer, that vile heatwave that means sunburn, sweat, higher electric bills, and general discomfort. But you are so beautiful, with your blossoms and buds, your moderate temperatures, and the promise of new life. I can't help but love you. Especially your blossoms.

You see that? That's our peach tree right now.

(As an aside, something that doesn't rock? The bees that come with the blossoms. Sure, I suppose they are a good thing, helping to pollinate, yadda yadda yadda, but they scare the heck out of me. And did you hear that they found killer bees in Utah? In St George?! Yeah, you thought I was scared before, I'm all kinds of freaked out now.)

5) My daughter. Did you think I could come up with a list of things that rock and not include her? She's been walking a lot more lately, and her funny little personality is really starting to shine through. Here's a video to prove it:

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Gina Gina Bo Bina

Maybe you know my friend Gina? She's a finalist (one of three) in a Martha Stewart contest for a short story she wrote about having a green thumb. And boy, does she ever have a green thumb. I read about her garden last year, and it sounded lovely. You know, her garden on her apartment balcony. Now that's a resourceful woman. Anyway, you should go vote for her. I've been told you can vote every day. Check it out.

Update: To vote more than once, you can use this link:

http://www.vizu.com/vot/Entertainment/Grab-bag/Food/Family+%2F+Parenting/Personal+Matters/Gardening/Martha+Stewart/Contest/poll-vote.html?n=151802&cId=0

The other link will only allow you to vote once per computer. Thanks in advance for your help!

Two

We've had little Mr. Lowe visiting with us since last night, as his mother is in the hospital, trying to stop pre-term labor (she's only 31 weeks, your prayers would be appreciated). Funny story: At bedtime, neither Mr. Lowe nor Miss Blockburger were excited about going to sleep. Clark was in charge of Z, I was in charge of Julia (you know, since I'm her bedtime snack [tmi?]). When I left Julia's room, they were both wailing away. It was kind of sad, but also kind of funny. I decided that I had to record this, so I ran to grab my camera so I could shoot a video. By the time I got back to the closed doors, Julia was quiet. And only a few minutes later, Z was quiet. Success!

All was well, until Julia decided to get up at 2:30 AM. And basically this was the routine: she cries, I worry she's going to wake up Z, I go in and soothe her, I go back to bed, I'm almost asleep, she cries, I worry she's going to wake up Z, I go in and soothe her, I go back to bed, and so on. She was waking up every 15 minutes or so from 2:30 to 4:15, at which point I gave up and fed her. Which kept her asleep until 6, and then we did it all over again. Oh, I was so mad at her. Luckily, Z wasn't bothered by her. But I was. I was SO bothered by her. And, needless to say, I'm really tired today.

While we're talking about it, how does anyone ever have 2 kids? I'm seriously dead after watching those two this morning. (to the Lowes: your son is really being quite good. it's my daughter I'm ready to murder.) Granted, our children won't be 10 months apart, but still. I'm thinking Julia will have to be at least 5 before we have another one.

I thought you'd never ask!

I often worry that I'm posting too many pictures of Julia, because, well, let's be honest, as her mother, I never tire of the subject. I think my child is the most beautiful and brilliant baby ever to grace the earth, and I would (and do) talk about her all day long. But I recognize that not everyone is as in to her as I am. And So I have backed off from the pictures a little bit. That and I'm not the world's greatest photographer, so it's not like I have fantastic pictures to post anyway. But since Gina asked (as did my sister Kim via the phone), here we go!

I set Julia down on the bed (which is stripped of sheets [Monday = laundry day]), and took off her pants because I suspected a poopy diaper. There was no poop, but then she started running away before I could put her pants on, and it became quite a fun little game. So I pulled out the camera and got some fun shots.


And a video. In which I sound like a crazy woman. Seriously. Crazy. I promise, I don't need to be committed. We were just having fun.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And then Julia insisted I pull her favorite picture off the shelf so she could have a good look.

She loves it so much, and is always pointing to it.

It's Grandma Diane and the wee little Clarky. Julia can point to Grandma, and blows her a kiss, and then she points to "Baby Daddy," as I call him. It's really quite fun to say, Baby Daddy, Baby Daddy.

Weekly Quote 3/9/09

"I could be wrong now,
But I don't think so!"

This is from the song in the opening credits of Monk (after the first season). We've been watching Monk like crazy over here, thanks to Kim and Patrick. They let us borrow 4 or 5 seasons of it, and since we don't have TV, that's what we do when Julia goes down for the night, watch Monk. And now we are both having dreams about unusual murders.

New quote up!

Burnt

Last night, I made soup for dinner. Something had been spilled on the stove burner, so our house smelled like burnt. Then, a little while later, I decided we needed some cookies for dessert. Something had been spilled in the oven, so our house smelled like burnt. Then this morning I had toast for breakfast. Something had been spilled in our toaster oven, so our house smelled like burnt.

I'm tempted to light a candle, but based on the last 16 hours, isn't that just tempting fate?

A Warning

Clark posted a picture of our yogurt shelf. Well, Clark took the last yogurt to work today, so it was time to get some more. Luckily, they were on sale at Smith's this week! And I had coupons! I was going to stock up once again!

Unluckily, the Smith's ad said they had yogurt on sale, but they actually didn't. No, that's not entirely true. Out of the 5 kinds of yogurt listed in the ad, they only actually carry 1 of them. And it's the one that I didn't have a coupon for, because I used it up last month.

Luckily, one of the other kinds of yogurt was also on sale at Harmon's for the same price, and I had already purchased it when at said store, just in case Smith's was out.

Unluckily, I basically went to Smith's only to buy yogurt. And milk. At least I got the milk. But still. Lame. Who puts stuff in their ad and then doesn't carry it?

Now that it's official. . .

Clark's not the only one with a new calling. I'm now a Relief Society teacher.

I think Julia would put it best: "Uh-oh."

People will tell me they are so excited for me to be in this calling, and ask if I'm excited about it, too. Excitement isn't exactly the word that comes to mind. I'm more than a little nervous. At the same time I know that it'll be really good for me, and in that respect, I guess I'm excited. But I can guarantee that one Saturday a month I'll be flipping out because, "I don't know what to say, I don't know how to teach, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO??" And then Sunday evening I'll feel like it went pretty well, and I won't know why I flipped out. But it'll happen again the next month.

I taught a lesson last month as a guest teacher. I guess it was more of an audition, and I guess I passed. But that lesson was on Elijah and the Sealing Power. That is a feel-good topic. This month (this week, in fact) I get to teach about the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy. More of a feel-sad topic. On the up-side, I think I have an idea for a centerpiece: a bowl of lemons/limes. Get it? Bitter fruits? Yeah, I don't know if I'm brave enough to have a centerpiece that is purely a joke, we'll see.

This will be an adventure, that's for sure.

Julia update:
She had another "first" yesterday: first diaper rash. Poor little baby bum! But I'd say that's pretty good, 10 months with no diaper rash, wouldn't you agree? And it's mostly cleared up today, thank goodness.

Weekly Quote 3/2/09

"There's no cake, there's no ice cream. Happy Birthday."

Last week's quote was in honor of my dear sister, Kim. It's Brian Reagan. He's hilarious. New quote up!