Blogburger

Two Pennies

2012-01-20T13:23:00.003-07:00

I have these two pennies sitting on my dresser. They've been there for, oh, a couple of weeks. As fate would have it, my dresser is clean these days (or at least cleaner than it used to be), so I actually get to see these pennies every day as I'm getting dressed. And every day they remind me to slow down and take time for my daughters.

You see, at Meijer (the local grocery/department store), they have a mechanical horse named Sandy. Sandy only costs 1 cent to ride. A penny gets you a minute or so of toddler heaven. (This, along with looking at the fish, the lobsters, and the free cookie at the bakery, is what allows me to grocery shop with 2 kids. Without these crucial stopping points, it couldn't be done. I'd go insane.) Sometimes Sandy is out of order; for a while Sandy wasn't even in the store. But when she's there, I generally allow my girls to have a ride.

One day I was in a bit of a hurry, and Julia asked if she could ride the horse. "No, I'm sorry honey, we are in a rush, we've got to get home." The woman behind me in line said, "Oh, how long could it take, really? Two minutes?"

I'll admit, there was a part of me that was thinking, "HI! I'm The Mom! I get to make the choices about how much time we have. You are A Stranger! You have no say in my life. Shut your yap." But then I got thinking about what she said. And honestly? We usually have 2 minutes. We might be 2 minutes later getting home for lunch, but that is 2 minutes where my kids are happy, where they are wearing smiles and enjoying life.

I decided then and there that if the horse is working (and we really aren't pressed for time - sometimes appointments can't wait!), we will ride that horse. There was one day I had already gotten my pennies out of my wallet, only to find that the horse was out of order. I shoved them in my pocket and we headed home. That night, I set them on my dresser.

And there they sit. Reminding me that, really? You have 2 minutes. Slow down. Make them smile. Let them be happy, and not always rushed. Because those are the moments that make motherhood worth it.

Predictions and Resolutions

2012-01-17T14:09:00.005-07:00

Most people make resolutions for the new year. And we have at least one of those. Facebook friends (of Clark's) will note that we also have resolved not to leave the house a dump all the time. I may or may not take umbrage to that. But my family has a better tradition, if you ask me: we make predictions.

It all started years ago when my mom heard the idea somewhere, so she thought we'd try it out. We put on our thinking caps and made a lengthy list of all our predictions for the upcoming year. They ranged from serious (Shannon will pick a major!) to kooky (Dad will wear a tweety bird tie!). And then Mom tucked the list away, to be opened in one year. It was really quite fun to make the list, and even more fun when we got to read it in a year. It's become one of my favorite family traditions. We get silly, we get introspective, we think about current events and global issues. It's delightful.

We did it again this year, with the Blockburgers phoning in on Skype. I wish we could have been there in person, but I am SO glad we have the technology to allow us to video chat. We had a great time, and got some good stuff in there.

Would you like some examples? Here are a few predictions from 2011, with the results:
-Julia will eat a Popsicle this summer (This didn't happen. HOW DID THIS NOT HAPPEN? I've failed as a mother.)
-We will go to Canada (Check!)
-Julia will learn to ride her trike (Check! Well, after we bought her new bike. . . poor trike. . .)
-Ella will be snugly (It took until December, but we did it! We have a snuggler!)
-We will move out of this apartment (Not yet. Sigh.)
-We will sell our house (YESSS!!!)
-Julia will have a tea party (Check!)
-We will visit Chicago (Not yet. But soon.)

I'd write up some from this year, but they are already packed away with the Christmas stuff. I'm pretty sure Julia eating a Popsicle was on there, as was moving out of this apartment, and going to Chicago. Also, that we'll have a new niece or nephew (fingers crossed!!), that Ella will become the littlest goof, and that Dad will wear a Tweety Bird tie. Because we always predict that Dad will wear a Tweety Bird tie. It's tradition.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

New Year's Eve is an odd holiday, if you ask me. Sure, it's good to celebrate a new year beginning, to look back on the old year and reassess where we are and where we want to be. But staying up until midnight to do so? Meh. It's a holiday for the young and single. When you are a kid, you just fall asleep. When you are a parent, you just fall asleep. And when you're young and single, you stay up past midnight all the time, what's the big deal? It's never been a favorite of mine.

So. Anyway. Julia informed us that on New Year's Eve you are supposed to watch spooky movies. Maybe she got that from "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?" (You know, the song.) Who knows. She also declared that she wanted to sleep in her tent that night. We decided to humor her, at least with the tent. We pitched camp in the front room, sent Ella to bed, and watched movies. Julia stayed up until about 11. Clark and I went to bed shortly after our midnight Martinelli's toast. Wooo! Happy New Year!

Christmas!

2012-01-09T20:12:00.003-07:00

You know, no matter how old I get, I still have a hard time sleeping on Christmas Eve/Christmas morning. I just get so excited for the magic that happens on Christmas morning! This year was no different. I was up at 5am, laying in bed, so excited for the girls to wake up. I swear I was awake for at least another hour, tossing and turning. And then the girls finally woke up! And it was 8:00! I have no idea how that happened, but I'm glad I got an extra bit of sleep for such a busy day.

I think I pretty well captured Julia's reaction to Santa's offerings at our house. Unfortunately, I didn't get Ella's as well as I'd have liked. She was enamored with the 2nd thing Julia noticed, so she remains off camera for a good portion of this video. But she still makes a happy appearance.

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That's right, we got a fish. Inherited a fish, actually, from some friends who moved. He's a little beta we've named Winston. Julia calls him Winnie-boy. Or "Whipston." In case you didn't catch it, her first reaction to having a pet was, "He needs some food." She is VERY diligent in feeding that little guy. Of course, her one true desire is to get a snake, but I'm not sure anyone else in our family wants a snake. We're hoping the fish will be good enough for a while.

The rest of Christmas morning was a whirlwind of presents, hot cocoa, Skype, and baths. We were all spoiled, in the best sense of the word. Then we went to our 1 hour of church (which was lovely). After naps, we headed out to a friend's for dinner and games. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and came home feeling full and happy.

All in all, it was a great day. A full day. Merry Christmas!

Santa's House

2011-12-21T12:41:00.006-07:00

Did you know that Santa has a house in Midland? He comes and stays here every year for the month of December. It's a delightfully magical place. You walk in and there are things! happening! everywhere! Trains are running, elves are working, airplanes are flying through the air. It's really quite fun. And then, of course, there is Santa!

Last year, Ella was 5 months old and really didn't care too much about Santa, though as I recall she thought his beard was fun. And Julia. . . well, Julia cried. Not too surprising if you know our girl. She did NOT want to sit on his lap. Well here, look at the picture from last year:

Notice the death grip on Clark.

So this year I had low expectations. My goal: no tears.

We walked into the house, and the girls were both very excited about the decor. Loved all the action. About halfway through the line, there is a sleigh photo-op. We snapped a photo:

Then we attempted to get one more with Julia looking at the camera:

Julia was still distracted, and Ella desperately wanted to be held. This did not bode well for Santa-time. At this point you could tell that both girls' anxiety levels were rising.

As we got closer I would let Ella take a look at the kids in front of us in line, and let her see that they were sitting on his lap. I told her she could do that if she wanted, but she didn't have to. And I tried to make it very clear to Julia that she didn't have to sit on his lap. No one would make her do anything she didn't want to do.

Ella went first. She wanted nothing to do with Santa. But, I didn't force the issue, so she didn't cry. A picture with Santa with no tears. 1 girl down, 1 to go.

Clark set Julia down on the stool next to Santa. You could tell she was nervous.

Julia has a hard time talking to strangers. But I think she felt she had to tell Santa what she wanted, or else she might not get it. So I was bursting with pride as I watched her muster up all her courage and say, "I want Hello Kitty squinkies and Hello Kitty slippers." I think it took every ounce of bravery in her little body. But she did it! And she didn't cry! I was so very, VERY proud of my girl.

Then we played in the igloo outside, and all the anxiety was forgotten.

Mission accomplished. NO TEARS. Maybe next year we'll get girls smiling at the camera while sitting next to Santa. Baby steps.

Snow Day!

2011-12-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

The last day of November we had the first (and only) real snow of the year! It was enough to delay the public schools for 2 hours, which means NO PRESCHOOL. We were all a bit bummed, especially since it was my day to co-op, but we made the most of it and got some play time in.

Julia delights in snow angels. And she says she is going to make a "Snow Baby Jesus." I'm not sure what her thought process is there.

This was Ella's first time really in the snow. Last year she wasn't walking yet, so she didn't really get to experience it. I don't know if she quite knew what to think of it. But since Julia loved it, Ella was willing to go along for the ride. She wants to do everything Julia does. And so far, Julia enjoys having Ella around. I think she likes to show her how to do things. It makes her feel like the Mom.

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It was also a great opportunity to discover what kind of snow gear we needed for the upcoming winter season. I couldn't find Julia's mittens, so she wore some of Ella's, and then I couldn't find one of Ella's other mittens, but Julia wasn't about to give up the ones she had on, so Ella got one mitten and one of my gloves. We rectified that situation within days when I saw some kid gloves at the dollar store. And then I found Julia's mittens. And then I found Ella's missing mitten. So our hands are COVERED. I also learned that Ella doesn't have winter boots or snow pants. (I say this like it's shocking. We lived in St George for 4 years. Of course we didn't have winter boots or snow pants.) Good thing Christmas is coming up - Ella's needs will be covered in 4 short days.

Um, Christmas is in 4 days. WHAT?!

Our Budding Photographer

2011-12-20T19:03:00.005-07:00

Julia has become quite the little photographer. I knew she liked the play with the tripod and pretend she was taking pictures, but I really didn't know how many pictures she had been taking with the real camera. I vaguely remember giving her permission to do this, but I didn't realize just how many pictures she was taking. So it was a fun little surprise to see what was on the memory card. It kind of makes me think of little Clarky's "Sounds Around the House."

Here is a smattering of the findings.

While I wasn't paying attention to Julia playing with the camera, I also wasn't paying attention to Ella playing with the phone. It would appear that I need to pay closer attention to my children.

Oh, so that's what's under the couch!

Two of her favorite subjects: Maggie and Violet.

And then Maggie posed with the ball.

Ella doesn't sit as still as the dolls.

I'm not sure what setting the camera was on, but I thought the reflection from the Christmas lights was exciting.

The map!

Another common theme: coloring book pages! With very little coloring!

Dad and Ella. So he was fully aware of this shot, obviously. Maybe I shouldn't feel so bad.

And she even took a video of me playing the organ.

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It's fun to get a glimpse of her world, don't you think?

Ella's Stats (from October)

2011-12-19T14:11:00.004-07:00

Oh hey, Ella had a 15 month doctor's appointment. 2 months ago. On Halloween, actually. I am finally getting around to cleaning off my desk and I have a little piece of paper with the stats on it. So, 2 months ago she was:

21.3 lbs (25%)
31.5 inches tall (75%)
18 inches around her head (48%)

Long and lean, apparently. Though, the way they do percentiles at this clinic is a lot more fuzzy than the way they did them at our old pediatrician. The old clinic plugged it into the computer and let technology calculate it for them. The new clinic has the nurse eyeball it on the chart. I feel like your choices are a) 25%, b) 50%, or c) 75%. So who knows, really.

Good, now I can throw that paper away.

Gratitude Day 30 (The Last)

2011-11-30T13:37:00.002-07:00

My little gratitude project is coming to a close. Can I be grateful that it's over?

No, I'm only kidding. It's been wonderful to slow down and be grateful for my many blessings this month. Big and small. I truly am blessed. But I've saved the best for last.

The thing I am most grateful for is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is what defines me. It encompasses who I am and who I want to be. It is everything.

How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father. I am grateful that "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) That is how much He loves us. And that is the power of the atonement - that we can have everlasting life.

I know that my Savior lives, that He died for us, and that through His atonement, we can be exalted and receive everlasting life. I know that the only true way to gain happiness in this life is to live the principles of the gospel. And having this knowledge gives me great peace, comfort, and joy.

And that, my friends, is what it is all about. That is what makes life worth living. That is what I am the most grateful for.

Gratitude Day 29

2011-11-29T19:02:00.001-07:00

You know that scene from Mary Poppins where Uncle Albert is laughing on the ceiling? And then everyone else laughs their way up there, too? I always thought that scene was awesome. I mean, who doesn't love to laugh? I never understood why they had to knock it off and be serious. That's just boring. If laughing that hard means you have to live on the ceiling, I'd say that is a small price to pay.

I am very fond of a good, deep, belly laugh. The kind where you laugh so hard your abs hurt. The kind where you laugh so hard you cry. Like this. I am crying again just watching this video. Seriously, tears. Or this. And anytime someone mentions swimsuits and galoshes, I am a goner. Think about it, a swimsuit and galoshes! Tell me that doesn't make you laugh! Obviously, laughing until you cry is a common occurrence at my house.

Laughter is the way I get through life. It's they way I cut the tension during a fight. It's the way I push myself through hard times. And is there anything more heart-warming than a baby's giggles? It soothes the soul.

Yes, I am thankful for laughter.

Gratitude Day 28

2011-11-28T19:45:00.002-07:00

Here I sit, at the end of November, paying all the bills. And I remember: I only have one set. No more double electric bills! No more double gas bills! No more rent AND mortgage payment!

I will say it again: I am ever, EVER so grateful that our house in St George finally sold. What a burden lifted! What a load lightened! Life is good.

Gratitude Day 27

2011-11-27T20:08:00.002-07:00

There was a time in my life that I wasn't the most avid scripture reader.

There have been lots of times, actually, where reading scriptures was not high on my "to do" list.

In fact, there have been times that going to Sunday School wasn't on my "to do" list. A friend posted on Facebook that all the kids in her Sunday School class skipped out on her lesson. She said not even candy could compete with iphones and teenage hormones. Cue the guilt. Back in high school, we used to skip out on Sunday School every week to go sit, by ourselves, in an empty classroom hidden at the end of a hallway. We had a young, cool teacher. We just didn't want to go. There were no iphones. There were no boys (at least, most of the time there were no boys). Just hanging out, by ourselves. Being stupid teenagers. (So, Heather, it's not your fault! Teenagers are just . . . thoughtless.)

Sorry for the tangent. I've been thinking about it all afternoon and had to confess my wrongs. To all my Sunday School teachers, I am truly sorry. Anyway, back to the scripture reading.

In recent times, I've made it a point to read my scriptures every day. Even when it's 11:00pm and I am dead tired, I have to read my scriptures before I go to sleep. Drowsy scripture reading is not the recommended course of action, especially when one is reading Revelations. That makes for crazy dreams, my friends. Crazy, CRAZY dreams. But crazy dreams or not, I have to do it. I really do notice if I go a day or two without reading them. I'm crankier. I'm not as patient. All the trivial things in life blow out of proportion, and I have no eternal perspective. I get caught up in the thick of thin things. But when I do read my scriptures? Peace. Patience. Love. Our home has an added measure of the Spirit. And I can remember what is actually important (let me clue you, it's not what time we eat dinner).

I'm thankful for the scriptures, and the direction they give in my life. I'm thankful for the Spirit they bring to our family, and the lessons we can learn from them.

Gratitude Day 26

2011-11-26T17:58:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving is over, and we're on to Christmas! Yesterday afternoon we put up our little tree and decorated our house. Julia was so excited to put every decoration in exactly the same spot that it was last year. She remembered what went on the bookshelf, where the tree went, everything. I was so impressed. Unfortunately we put the tree in a new spot, and that was the cause of some grief, but I think she's getting used to the idea.

Anyway, the tree is up, and that means: tree time. Every night (or, at least, we try for every night, we don't always make it) we sit in front of the tree and have a quiet moment. It's a great time for everyone to wind down from the excitement of the day and enjoy being together as a family. We've done it the last two nights in a row. I absolutely love it.

It's an example of one of those rare quiet moments we get as parents. This is another one. I was thinking today about all the sacrifices we make as parents. When I signed up to be a mom, I signed up to barf for 3 months straight, face the possibility of heart failure for another 3 months, lose sleep for over a year (maybe 2 if you count the pregnancy), gain weight, lose sanity, wipe bums and noses, clean up messes, and any number of other thankless tasks. But, in return I get to read books in the rocking chair. I get to watch my children learn everything, from body parts to numbers to the way things work. I get to kiss pudgy cheeks and tickle baby toes. I get slobbery kisses in return, and lots of adorable giggles.

I live for the quiet moments that make all the work seem like nothing at all. I am grateful for the quiet moments.

Gratitude Day 25

2011-11-25T23:30:00.001-07:00

You thought I'd be done with this thing at Thanksgiving, didn't you? HA, you were wrong! We're going to the end of the month, baby! 5 more days, and then I'll go back to my regular once a week/month posts.

Yesterday I was grateful for food, which is quite a broad category. So today I am grateful for one of my all-time, absolute favorite foods EVER: Pie.

I hosted a Pie Party back in March, and it was. . . well, it was definitely one of the best ideas I've ever had. All that pie, in one place. Wow. Magnificent.

Maybe I should have done it again now that it's Thanksgiving time, but I opted to just make and eat pie on my own. A lot of it. I'm grateful for that little dessert.

What's your favorite kind? How about we have a poll? I haven't done a poll in ages! YEAH, a pie poll! Go vote for your favorite, you have until December 1st. I thought about letting people pick more than one, but then I'd just pick them all, and that would be no fun.

For the record, my favorite is peach.

Gratitude Day 24

2011-11-24T19:12:00.003-07:00

On this, Thanksgiving Day, I feel it only appropriate to be grateful for good food.

Like these sweet potato fritters I whipped up today. Or the Apple Cheddar Pie I baked, recipe courtesy of the folks at Pie Lab. Also the Thanksgiving staples: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy. Pumpkin pie. And a new favorite way to prepare butternut squash, courtesy of our hosts this evening. WOW, it was good.

And, since it's Thanksgiving and all, I'm thankful once again for good friends. This day would have been very sad and lonely if we hadn't been invited to a friends' house tonight. Instead, it was an awesome day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratitude Day 23

2011-11-23T20:28:00.002-07:00

Today I took the girls for an afternoon walk around the neighborhood (how wonderful that we can still do that on November 23rd!). I walked by numerous houses with a fleet of cars in the driveway. Cars with out-of-state license plates. Families gathering together. I also walked by a couple houses with cars being loaded up and families getting ready to leave for the weekend. And I may have been a bit misty-eyed as I thought about how far away my family really is, and how long it will be before I see them.

We currently live 1,684 miles from my parents (only 1,672 miles from Clark's parents!). That is really, really far. Seeing that number makes my heart ache. Especially during the holidays.

BUT. We are in Michigan for a reason. For many reasons, actually. I now have a happy husband with a stable job, which is the big one. You could live almost anywhere if it meant you had a happy husband. I feel very strongly that we've met people here that we were supposed to meet, that we've influenced their lives, and they've influenced ours. I really enjoy living outside of Utah. And I don't mean that to be a knock on Utah, I love Utah, I'd live there again. But it's kind of refreshing to live somewhere. . . different. Somewhere that I am different. And last, but not least, I am one happy camper to live somewhere with winter. Real, honest winter. And mild, happy summers. Which makes me strange, I know, but it is what it is.

I am grateful we moved to Michigan. Even though it's far from family, it's where we are supposed to be. And I am happy here.

Gratitude Day 22

2011-11-22T18:53:00.003-07:00

I've already been thankful for my husband and my kids, so let's throw the rest of my family on there, too!

Let's start with my siblings. Growing up we had our fair share of squabbles, and even physical altercations. I may or may not have slapped my sister's leg and then claimed I was swatting a fly. I may or may not feel guilty about that to this day. The point is, we were normal siblings. But now that we are all adults, I feel like we get along great. These people are my friends. (Hopefully they feel the same way, or this is a really embarrassing post.) I have this dream that someday we'll live closer to one another and then we'll be able to get together for game nights, where we can chat and play and laugh late into the night. I don't know that it will ever be reality, but it's a great dream. I mean look at these guys, who wouldn't want to hang out with them?

Then there are my parents. My mom and dad are all that is good and right in the world. They both have degrees in library science, which is AWESOME. Between them, I think they know everything there is to know in the whole world. If I ever have a question, I just call my mom. She's almost as good as Google, and a lot more personable. And I think my favorite thing about my dad is the way he plays with my kids. Julia and Ella LOVE their Opa, and they have such a great time being "goofs."

Also, my extended family is amazing. And far reaching. I have found numerous connections with people here in Michigan through my extended family. And all the Hursts are so close with one another. It's not often that you find such a large family that supports each other so completely. Makes me glad to be a part of it.

And then, AND THEN, I have been blessed with the best in-laws you could ask for. Once again, I wish we lived closer so we could hang out. I have felt so welcome in their family ever since we got married. No, that's not true, you'd have to go back further. Ever since. . . I met them? That might be a little closer to the truth. Maybe someday we'll all be in the same place at the same time again (this summer?? hint hint? anyone game?).

(And is this really the most recent picture I have of the Blockburger clan? I guess I have one on my dresser that is a bit more recent, but still. I'm serious about this summer.)

What it all boils down to is, I am grateful for my family. My large, ever-growing, extended family.

Gratitude Day 21

2011-11-21T19:05:00.003-07:00

This past Sunday one of the speakers referenced this talk by President Monson about gratitude. More specifically, he read the story near the end. The story is great, but one little thing stuck out to me: this family didn't have a washing machine. They didn't even have electricity. I mean, yes, this was back in the day, but they didn't have a washing machine.

So I got to thinking how grateful I am for my washing machine. First off, I'm grateful that someone invented that blessed machine. Seriously makes my life better. Can you imagine having to scrub all those clothes by hand? No thank you. And then, I'm grateful that we own one. I did gain some funny little stories from my laundromat days, but I'm so glad they are over. And especially now that we have kids, we do a lot of laundry. I always say, we might not get much done, but as long as we are caught up on laundry and dishes, we are going to survive.

AND, there are few things as wonderful as using a warm towel straight from the dryer. OK, so I guess that's my dryer, not my washer. I'm grateful for that, too.

Gratitude Day 20

2011-11-20T17:31:00.002-07:00

A few months ago, I sort of whined about how crazy our Sundays have become. I stand by the statement that they are crazy. BUT, I feel like they've gotten a bit better. Ella is a little older, they split the nursery at church (40 kids is too many for one class, don't you think?), and it probably doesn't hurt that I know we only have to do 11:30 church for a few more weeks and then we get the coveted 9am start time.

Every time Julia prays, she says the same thing: "Bless the Sabbath Day." She sometimes mixes up "Bless" and "Thankful," so we'll just pretend that she says, "Thankful for the Sabbath Day." She says this on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, all the days. As I've been pondering what I'm thankful for (it's harder than you'd think to come up with 30 things!), I thought it was appropriate that we are thankful for the Sabbath Day. Sure, it's crazy, but it's a good crazy. I'm so grateful that we have one day a week that is different than any other day. One day that we don't do anything but focus on Jesus Christ and how we can come closer to him. One day that we spend going to church and being together as a family. It's rejuvenating, really. And it helps me keep my focus where it needs to be, not bogged down in the everyday minutia.

I'm thankful for the Sabbath Day.

Gratitude Day 19

2011-11-19T14:11:00.004-07:00

Not to get all Seriously So Blessed on you, or to be repetitive on my gratitude, but today I'm thankful for my musical talents.

I'm not a concert pianist, but I can play the piano pretty well. I can hold my own on the organ, as well. And, if we're being honest, I can sing. I can sing well. I can sing very well. I don't always say it like that, because I don't want to be braggy, and I'm certainly not a professional singer, but really, I sing well.

Unfortunately, I don't get a lot of opportunities to challenge myself as a musician. Or opportunities to perform. I'd love to join a community choir, or some small singing group. I really miss being a part of something like that. I miss taking on difficult music, practicing every week, and being surrounded by musicians that I really respect and admire. The ward choir is great, don't get me wrong, and it definitely has its place. But it's not quite enough for me.

But. With Christmas approaching, there is an increase in musical numbers all around. I get to practice the piano for our Messiah sing-along (and practice, and practice - Handel is hard). We've got a group together for a musical number at our Nativity Exhibit concert. There are lots of little opportunities popping up. I'm loving it.

Let the record show that if anyone ever needs a musical number, I am ready and willing.

Also, I think we're going to have to create a family band. Here's a little video, with Ella on the wrapping paper drums, and Julia on the blow-up guitar. They put on a rockin' show.

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I especially like when Julia stomps on the guitar. Rock on!

Gratitude Day 18

2011-11-18T23:30:00.001-07:00

Day 18 is all about my kids.

I love my kids. Even though we have our trying moments, I am so SO grateful to have them here. There was a time when I thought I wouldn't get any biological children, and to have 2? Wow, I'm blessed.

I have loved watching these girls learn and grow. I have loved seeing them transform from helpless newborns to walking, talking individuals who have thoughts and feelings and opinions. I love Julia's budding sense of humor. I love Ella's desire to be like the big kids. I love discovering ways they are like me, and ways they are like Clark. I love them.

One day at breakfast, I realized that we are all very much alike. Or, at least, our girls are trying to be just like us. It made me chuckle.

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Gratitude Day 17

2011-11-17T23:30:00.002-07:00

I talked to my friend Sabrina today (finally, it had been far too long), and she told me about her daughter's febrile seizure. What a relief that it's nothing serious, but in the moment that sounds terrifying. To watch anyone have a seizure would be scary, but your own child? I can't imagine.

Anyway, the point is, it got me thinking about our family health. We are all really quite healthy. OK, I guess I have a heart condition, and that is kind of a big deal, but when I'm not pregnant it's entirely manageable, and nobody is terribly concerned about it. But Clark? The man hasn't been to a doctor more than once in our 7 years of marriage. And that was for infertility stuff. (It wasn't him! TMI?) I've taken Julia to the doctor for a sick visit all of twice. And both times it was good that I took her in (once when she was a few weeks old, once when it was possible she had strep), but it turned out she just had a cold. She has never been on antibiotics. Ella has gone in once (because she had no appetite), and they gave her some antibiotics for a possible UTI, but in the end she didn't have one.

Sure, we have all had colds and coughs, we get sick from time to time, but when all is said and done? We are healthy folk. And today I'm quite grateful for that.

Gratitude Day 16

2011-11-16T19:50:00.006-07:00

Remember this vest? I wore it today. Still alive and kicking. And awesome. I'm thankful I looked on that clearance rack that day, because it has provided years, years I tell you, a DECADE in fact, of delight. And awesomeness.

Try not to be too jealous.

Gratitude Day 15

2011-11-15T18:27:00.004-07:00

I've already been grateful for my favorite radio show, so it only seems right that I should be grateful for one of my favorite television shows: The West Wing.

This show is quick, and funny, and so well done. I love all the banter between the characters. I love the characters. I love the setting. Heck, this show makes me love Democrats! (Not that I am a Democrat. Not that I am a Republican either. That's a whole other topic. Back to the West Wing.) Clark and I borrowed the first 4 seasons from Suzanne early in our marriage and went through them pretty quick. Then she didn't have season 5, so we didn't watch any more. And then, Netflix entered our lives. Glorious Netflix! The West Wing has been a part of our lives ever since. We watch all 4 episodes on a disc over 2 days, then turn it back in, wait 2 days, and get another disc. We are currently in the last season. After tonight, we'll only have one more disc to go.

I'm kind of sad to see the end of the show. It's such a great show! And it was so sad to see Leo McGarry go. What a great character! So while I'm excited to watch the last few episodes, I'm a bit hesitant to go through them too fast.

Ah, who are we kidding? I can't wait to watch them. In fact, I'm off to watch another episode (or two) right now! So grateful we've been able to watch it in its entirety. Any suggestions for a replacement show once we're done with this run?

Gratitude Day 14

2011-11-14T12:35:00.002-07:00

I mentioned on Facebook that I finally found my glue gun after a year of looking through boxes for it. I had missed that little guy. So grateful I found it and was able to get to a whole slew of gluing projects. Mostly fixing things, like hair bows.

But the very first thing I did was pull together this wreath. I saw the idea for a book wreath a really long time ago, and I thought it was delightful! But there was one problem: I can't just rip up a book. Books are for reading, not for ripping (a phrase repeated all too often in our house these days). Why would I want to rip up something I might read someday? And if you think I'm about to put a bad book on my wall, you are sadly mistaken. A Shore Thing will never appear in my house, let alone on my wall.

Enter the library used book sale. I popped on over there looking for a good, classic novel that had some bad binding, so I wouldn't feel bad about ripping the pages out. What I found was even better: a copy of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Pages already falling out. I couldn't have come up with a better find in my dreams.

So I spent a day or so pulling out the pages, rolling them up, and gluing them together. I LOVE the way it turned out. Is it perfect? No. I would make the inside circle line up better if I did it again (which I might do, I only used half of the book).

I think it's a delightful addition to our home decor. I'm grateful for my glue gun, so I can make projects again.

And as a completely random post-script, Julia said something great today. I have to write it somewhere. She said, "It rained today. The rain was just falling from the sky like garbage!" I do NOT want to live in that world.

Gratitude Day 13

2011-11-13T19:53:00.002-07:00

I think I've mentioned our neighbor before? George is 95, and he's wonderful. He bakes, and gives us the extra (pies, cakes, banana bread, etc). He gave the girls a special Halloween surprise (trick-or-treat baskets with goodies inside). It brightens my day to see him out and about on his motorized chair with the orange flag blowing in the wind. He's very spry, and he loves the girls. And the girls love him! I am so grateful that we're his neighbor.

But the thing I am Officially Grateful for today is George's gift of the newspapers. I mentioned to him a while back that I don't really know what's going on in the world as we don't get the paper, and we don't get TV. (In case you were wondering, we HAVE a TV, we just don't get any channels. And we still watch plenty of television programming, courtesy of Netflix and Hulu.) So he asked me if I wanted his newspapers, when he's done with them. Um, YES. He gets the local paper, and he was getting the Wall Street Journal, but he just switched to USA Today (he likes their sports page better). It has been delightful to get the paper again. And it really doesn't matter that I get it a day late (if that, George is a quick reader), because I wouldn't have time to read it before then, anyway. I sort of can't believe that I went so long without it. I love reading it. AND, as a bonus, we get all the Sunday coupons.

Now, if you'll excuse me, the Sunday comics are calling to me.

Gratitude Day 12

2011-11-12T21:04:00.002-07:00

This bit of gratitude is somewhat complicated.

I had a friend call me today searching for advice on how to deal with nausea in pregnancy. Or really, hyperemesis gravidarum. As you likely know, because I'm very vocal about my distress, I had hyperemesis with each of my pregnancies, and it was bad. I was miserable. I can easily say that it was the hardest, worst time of my life. Being sick like that for days on end makes you incredibly depressed, not to mention all the physical side-effects that ensue (dehydration, weight loss, possible tooth decay, all that fun stuff).

So this friend asks me if I have any advice, and I say yes! I have loads of advice! But most of it didn't work for me. I just got to be sick. Even zofran was worthless for my first pregnancy (#2 was better, but still hard). I remember sitting in the Walgreen's parking lot, waiting for my prescription FROM THE ER to be filled, 30 minutes post intra-venous zofran, barfing up a saltine cracker into a paper cup. Not a happy time.

So the first part of my gratitude today is that this particular horror is over and done with for me. I made it through, and now it's behind me, and I might not ever have to do it again. (Maybe.) Is that weird? Being grateful that a trial is over? Well, weird or not, it's true.

But am I grateful for the trial itself? I'm not sure. I suppose I did learn and grow. I learned to rely on others for help. It's kind of a miracle that Julia survived when I was pregnant with Ella, and I can only attribute it to kind, kind friends who would take her every morning, or come and stay with me for a week or two to help out. KIND, kind friends, that I am eternally indebted to. I learned to rely on my Heavenly Father more. I certainly have more empathy for others. I guess I'm grateful for the lessons learned, but not the method of learning. I'd rather learn another way, thank you.

Like I said, kind of complicated. Really, it's what I've been thinking about all day. But there is some gratitude in there! Gratitude that we learn from trials, and gratitude the trial is over. EXTREME GRATITUDE that I'm not puking right now today.

Gratitude Day 11

2011-11-11T19:57:00.002-07:00

It feels only appropriate that I should be thankful for Veterans today. Words seem inadequate for how grateful I am for all those men and women who have served or are serving our country in the military. "Thank you" seems so. . . not enough. But I don't know what would be enough.

I posted this poem before, and I love it so much I'm posting it again. Happy Veterans Day.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Gratitude Day 10

2011-11-10T21:07:00.002-07:00

We had a bit of a cold snap today. We went to the library when the sun was shining, wearing only our jackets. We left the library in a flurry of big, fat, juicy snowflakes.

I have always been a fan of winter. I'd rather be cold than warm. So I am really happy to be living in a place with real winter again. On this tenth day of gratitude, I find myself thankful for the cold weather, because it allows me to bundle up and be cozy. There is something so wonderful about getting hot chocolate from 7-11 (I'm high class, I know), or throwing on a sweater, or wrapping up in a blanket. I've got a mountain of blankets in my possession. I am typing this in my slippers and robe. (By the way, I'd like to point out that I think Snuggies are dumb. A Snuggie is just a robe backwards. How is this a revolutionary idea?) (And yes, I look like a white trash housewife in my slippers and robe. I'm high class. See above.) And flannel pajamas? Yes, please.

And while we are talking about it, there is something absolutely magical about the first snow of the season. I don't care how much you hate snow, you have to admit, it's like magic. White flakes gently falling from the sky, softly blanketing the ground. Nothing like it. I'm thankful for that, too.

Gratitude Day 9

2011-11-09T15:55:00.003-07:00

You didn't think we could make it 30 days without my expression of gratitude for my Clarky, did you?

Clark mentioned on his blog our recent trip to the blood suckers and his extreme aversion to having blood drawn. I'll admit, it was more than a bit unnerving. All this time I just thought he was squeamish about needles, sort of like how some people are a bit scared of the dark. (I may or may not fall into that category.) Um, no, it was much more intense than that. He got really pale and just looked very wrong. Ill. Not well. White. I had never seen him like that. It made him seem so vulnerable.

I'm sure Clark appreciates me sharing this with the world. But before you go thinking I'm married to a weakling, he was better after about 10-15 minutes and back to my normal, chipper Clark.

I tell this story because this was one of the few examples of me being the "strong one" in our relationship. I am usually the blubbery mess about something ridiculously trivial. I am the one who falls apart at 5:45 on the dot every day, courtesy of the rush of hungry, impatient, attention starved children at my feet while I'm making dinner. I'm the one who starts the fights. Clark is the one who ends them. By patiently waiting for me to fizzle out. He is the calm to my storm in our family. And I am ever so grateful to see him at 6:00 every day, because the Mom Monster goes away the second he walks in the door.

Seeing him laid up for 10 minutes made me realize how lucky I am to have him, calm and strong, all the other minutes.

I married well. Clark makes me a better person. And I'm grateful.

Gratitude Day 8

2011-11-08T15:58:00.003-07:00

We all know that pregnancy does weird things, right? All those crazy hormones can send a whole lot of things out of whack. One of those delightful side effects for me was dry eyes.

Dry eyes was really the least of my worries when I was pregnant. The barfing and the possible heart failure sort of trumped that. But it did mean that I couldn't wear contacts. I had to wear glasses, which I hadn't done on a full-time basis since I was 12. I quietly embraced the frump that was my old pair of back-up glasses and waited the nine months until I could successfully don the contacts again.

Oh wait! I still have dry eyes when I'm nursing! Fast-forward another year, and I could finally wear contacts again. AND THEN, we decided to have another child. More glasses. And I breastfed her, too. More glasses.

But a few months ago, I decided it was high time I banish the frump. (In fact, I was thinking of having a whole series of blog posts on "Banish the Frump," but then I realized that it would be one entry. This one. Not really very inspiring. So I shelved that idea.) I made an appointment with the eye doctor. I went right in and bought myself a new pair of glasses, glasses that weren't 7+ years old and significantly less than beloved by their wearer.

And: new contacts. Soft contacts. I am now the proud wearer of soft contact lenses. They are a big, happy change from my gas permeable ones. And an even happier change from the frump glasses.

I can see better. I can go walking in the rain. I can open the oven door or walk into a warm, humid place without getting foggy. And most importantly, I feel like the old me again. The girl I was before I had kids. It makes me a little bit giddy to look in the mirror and see that face again. Maybe that is vanity, but I think it's important to feel good about the way you look. So that's what I'm thankful for on day 8. My beloved new contact lenses.

Gratitude Day 7

2011-11-07T12:08:00.005-07:00

Currently I am "reading" 4 books (I use the term loosely because I haven't picked up one or two of them in a while, but they still have a bookmark in them, and they are still sitting on my nightstand, and one of these days I'll pick them back up):

Maphead by Ken Jennings
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Dorian by Nephi Anderson
Press On by Joseph B. Wirthlin

I was thinking about what I was grateful for today, and thought about how thankful I am for good books, and the variety of reading that is out there. And I realized that my nightstand is a pretty good sampling of my varied taste in books. I like non-fiction, I like young adult, I like children's, I like religious, I like classics. I like to read books written by my great-grandfather, because how cool is that? Not everyone gets to read a book written by their ancestor. I like a little bit of everything. Though, I generally shy away from adult fiction unless I have a recommendation, mostly because of sex scenes and the swears.

The point is, I am always reading something, and I hope to keep it that way. My "to read" list is too long to do otherwise. And I'm grateful that there is so much good reading out there.

Gratitude Day 6

2011-11-06T12:08:00.001-07:00

And now I am grateful for the vast collective knowledge that is the internet.

Even though it is sort of an addiction of mine that needs to be curbed (I'm looking at you, Facebook).

Even though it can be a supreme waste of time. (Seriously? A video of someone watching and commentating on a video game that someone else is playing? I love you, Clark, but I still think this is a bit ridiculous.) (Not that the websites I frequent are a better use of time.) (I really do love you, Clark, don't be mad!)

Even though the knowledge isn't always accurate.

I love the internet.

And I could push this button all day.

Gratitude Day 5

2011-11-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me? The NPR news quiz? If you haven't, do yourself a favor and go download the podcast right now. It's free. It's hilarious. It's what gets us through long road trips in the car. And it's what I'm grateful for on day 5.

Someday we will go to Chicago and see this show live. It will be a dream come true, especially if Paula Poundstone is there. Until then, I look forward to the dishes once a week, because it means I can listen to this podcast.

Anyone else a fan?

Gratitude Day 4

2011-11-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's time to play catch up. I was doing pretty well at staying on top of this daily gratitude thing, and then we went out of town to visit to fabulous friends that we've been missing for the past couple of months, so all things interweb got pushed to the side. But does that mean I wasn't grateful? No!

In fact, this fourth day of gratitude is all about friends. I am so grateful for good friends. The kind of friends that you can go visit after months, even years, of being away, and it is almost like no time has passed at all and you pick right up where you left off. Friends that you can call when you need advice, and text when you're bored. Friends who listen to the mundane details of your life, and rejoice over your big news.

And this weekend I'm especially grateful for family friends, I guess you'd call it. Friends that come in families. Friends where EVERYONE gets along. Our kids had such a great time this weekend, playing with friends, and the adults had a great time while the kids entertained each other. We got to chat, play games, go out to eat, visit museums and Clark even got to watch football with someone who cares! It was glorious. And since Kalamazoo is only 3 hours away, I'm thinking we can make it back there sometime in the not too distant future.

So here's to friends! May we all have them in abundance.

Gratitude Day 3

2011-11-03T23:50:00.002-07:00

I'm sneaking this in a bit late. But today I am grateful for good music. I went over to the church today to practice the piano. More specifically, to practice for our upcoming Messiah sing-along. Most specifically, the Hallelujah chorus. That little number is awe inspiring. It never gets old. In fact, the whole Messiah is incredible. And, of course, there is a lot of other good music out there, in many genres. I am often inspired by Guster, or Dashboard Confessional, or Nickel Creek, or any number of bands. There is just a lot of great music. And I am grateful for the way it infuses my life with bits of happiness.

Grattitude Day 2

2011-11-02T17:07:00.002-07:00

Today I reminded Julia that November is the month of Thanksgiving, and then asked what she was thankful for. "Turkey," she said. Another good one.

Me? I'm thankful that I get to go co-op at Julia's preschool. I go in once or twice a month and help out, and I love seeing all the things they are doing in class. It gives me a much better idea of what goes on when I'm not there. It also warms my heart to see Julia playing with friends. I had no idea that would give me such a thrill, but I love to see her make friends. And to sit in the play kitchen and be served a variety of pretend foods by 8 three-year-olds was absolutely priceless. I especially liked the grilled cheese sandwiches with lemon and lettuce and red pepper. Mouthwatering.

Let the Gratitude Begin!

2011-11-01T19:30:00.004-07:00

It occurred to me today that we are now in the month of gratitude. November = Thanksgiving. And as such, I've decided to be grateful for one thing each day. So I had a little chat with Julia today on our walk home from the park (that's right, the park. On November 1st. It's a glorious thing, this season called fall.), and asked her to think of one thing that she is grateful for.

Her answer: Fruit. And more specifically, grapes and apples.

I think that is a fine answer. I, myself, love some good fruit. Healthy, and yet sweet. Good one Julia.

So then I told her that I was grateful for fall (see above). It really is a lovely season, what with the changing leaves and the cooler temperatures and the apples (you know, fruit). I have really enjoyed the past 2 months, and I've REALLY enjoyed the fact that fall has lasted 2 whole months, instead of the week and a half it usually is in Utah.

It was after this delightful little conversation that I decided I need to make this a daily occurrence in this fine month of November. Because we all need to be a little more grateful, and I definitely need to teach my dear daughters how truly blessed we are. And the best way to make sure this happens is to do it publicly. Then I feel accountable. So there you go. Day one of gratitude. 29 to go.

The Elephant and the Peanut

2011-10-31T12:04:00.004-07:00

We'll take more pictures tonight, but I thought you all needed a little Halloween cheer from the Blockburgers. Happy Halloween!

Julia's Song

2011-10-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is part two of Kim's request, since she did ask for video of the girlS.

Today at Julia's preschool the kids went on a little Halloween Walk/Parade for the office workers at the church and the Happy Diners, which is a group of senior citizens who eat lunch together everyday at the church. (As an aside, I told our 95-year-old downstairs neighbor that Julia's preschool would be doing this today, and he made it a point to be there. He's our surrogate grandpa/great-grandpa.) They even learned a special song for the occasion, and we've been practicing all week.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

She is, indeed, wearing her swimsuit cover-up. She loves that thing and treats it like a robe these days.

Ella's Tricks

2011-10-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

As per Kim's request, here is a video of Ella and her latest tricks.

We start out with some animal sounds, and then move on to body part identification. Finally, I try to get her to say some words, which is harder than you'd think. She doesn't say them on cue very well, it's all about spontaneity with her. But she does manage a few on camera. Like I said before, if you didn't know that's what she was saying, it certainly wouldn't sound like the word. Lots of "wah" and "daa," that sort of thing. But I speak Ella-ese, so at least I know what she's saying.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

My Imaginary Robbery

2011-10-24T09:48:00.005-07:00

Last night I was startled awake at 11:30 by what I thought was a man in a plaid shirt, walking by our room. I, of course, had a silent little freak-out session in bed, before I realized that I had not seen a man in a plaid shirt walk by our room, because there is no way I could have seen anything to that degree of detail in the dark without my glasses on. It was all a figment of my imagination.

Let me take a moment to say that the number of times I have woken up in the night CERTAIN that someone was robbing my house is ridiculous. Has my house ever been robbed? No. Have I ever lived in a neighborhood that is particularly dangerous? No. One time, when I was a teenager, I'm pretty sure I laid in bed for 1/2 hour, my heart pounding, trying to keep as still as possible, waiting for the intruder to leave. And then it took every ounce of courage inside of me to slowly pick up my glasses and slide them onto my face. And then I saw that I had been hiding all this time from the closet. The closet. Not a madman come to murder me in my bed, a closet. Ridiculous.

So, back to our story. Clark left for work this morning to find the front door open a crack. It had been open all night long.

Cue a second little freak-out session.

Julia was playing down there yesterday, and we must have forgotten to close the door. Or there really was a man in a plaid shirt in my house last night! You wouldn't even know if we'd been robbed, our house is such a mess right now! But don't worry, nothing of value is missing. Just a few puzzle pieces. However I'm pretty sure the culprit of that crime is less than 3 feet tall and doesn't own a plaid shirt.

Piggies!

2011-10-23T17:39:00.002-07:00

We have hair long enough for piggies!

On this day, at least, she definitely looks like a girl.

Family Pictures

2011-10-23T17:24:00.004-07:00

I've had a request for family pictures. I feel so honored to have an actual request! (Note to all readers: if you request it, it will come.)

Here are our pictures from way back in June. If we're related and you'd like a copy to hang up on your fridge, you just let me know. Or you could possibly wait until Christmas, when we will possibly send out a Christmas card. But then again, we might not. I have last year's Christmas card right here, saved in the drafts of my emails, pictures and everything. Never sent it to a soul. If you'd like to read that, request it, it will come.

Smatterings

2011-10-14T10:57:00.003-07:00

It would appear that I haven't blogged much in the past, oh, month. Here's a smattering of the happenings:

Ella is learning to talk. It's amazing to me that I now have a little PERSON who TALKS and can communicate her desires! . . . OK, when I say talk, you know I don't mean talk, right? I mean that she uses the same sound to mean the same thing, and it's somewhat close to the actual word. For instance, she is BIG fan of hand washing. She asks for it numerous times a day, by rubbing her hands together and saying, "Wa." We're trying to keep track of how many words she has, and it's somewhere around 20 now. She's even starting to say Julia, "Ju-ah." It's all very exciting, and very cute.
Julia loves preschool! I couldn't tell you exactly what she does in preschool, because she is pretty vague on the details, but I know it's fun! They started to practice cutting with scissors last week, and that was a big deal to her. She's been itching to use scissors for a long time now. We even got scissors to take home and practice with. So now I find little bits of paper all over the table. Good cutting, Julia! She tells me she is going to make them into a castle. I'd love to see how that turns out. She also told me the other day that someone's mom is having a baby. I'm pretty sure that mom isn't having a baby. So we had to have a talk about not assuming someone is pregnant. EVER. I just pray our talk sticks and we don't have any embarrassing situations on our hands.
Have I ever mentioned how much I love fall? Because wow, I love this season. And fall in Michigan? GLORIOUS. Everyone talks about fall in New England, and while I haven't been there in person, the pictures look amazing. However, the fall here seems every bit as spectacular as the fall there. I think it feels that way to me because fall in Utah, while beautiful, doesn't compare. There simply aren't as many trees. And not as many maple trees, to be specific. The brilliant reds that are lining every street here are magnificent! I think the peak was last week, which the weather cooperated beautifully for. I went on a few afternoon walks with the girls, just in the neighborhood, and it was magic, I tell you. Absolute magic. The warm fall air, the sun streaming through the brightly colored leaves. And there are leaves all over the ground, but not in a dead, compost, mulch-y way, they are still such vibrant colors, it's almost like walking on rose petals. But they are crisper, so you get that fall crunch beneath your feet. AH, it's dreamy. Apparently I could do a full post on fall alone. I'll move on now :)
Hey, remember General Conference a couple weeks ago? I just wanted to mention that it was wonderful. And since we had no expectations that we'd get to listen to any of it due to small, restless children, it was a much more pleasant experience than 6 months ago. In fact, we did get to listen to a good portion, which was a nice little surprise. We even went on a little drive Sunday morning and listened to a podcast of Saturday morning's session. (I love technology.) It was such a spiritual boost.
We are getting geared up for Halloween. The girls' costumes have arrived (via mail), and they are pretty cute. Julia is going to be an elephant, and Ella is going to be a peanut. Julia wants to eat Ella. I kid you not. I'm a little concerned that we're going to be stuck with a theme for a while, as last year Julia was a gorilla and Ella was a banana. Poor Ella, I think 2 years of being Julia's food is enough! Next year you get to pick your own costume, ok? I'm not sure if Clark and I are going to dress up. Any suggestions?

Weekly Quote 10/14/11

2011-10-14T10:55:00.002-07:00

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween,
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night."

This was from Nightmare Before Christmas, but more importantly, from the Halloween card so thoughtfully given to Julia last year. It just barely died. A YEAR of that song is a very long time. But there are worse things. And worse songs. So I won't complain. Much.

New quote up!

Weekly Quote 9/30/11

2011-09-30T10:33:00.002-07:00

"J'ai faim! J'ai faim! J'ai faim! J'ai faim!"

This was from L'Argent de Poche, or Small Change, a movie I watched a thousand years ago in high school french class. There was this awesome scene where the parents left this little girl at home while they went out (maybe to a restaurant? Like I said, it's been a while since I've seen this) because she was being a brat about it. Instead of going hungry like her parents intended, she pulls out a megaphone and shouts "J'ai faim! (I'm hungry!)" out the window. The neighbors all feel bad for her and send food on the clothesline. It's hilarious. Maybe my description is poor. Or my memory is bad. I noticed it's available to stream on Netflix, so maybe I'll watch it again one of these days. You should, too.

New quote up!

Sold!

2011-09-23T19:32:00.003-07:00

We closed on the sale of our house today.

How do I feel about it? Awesome! And sad. But happy to be done! But really depressed when I think about the dollar amount we took to the table. Holy smokes, that's a lot of money. And then when you factor in the amount we had in equity. . . wow. We lost big. But, that wasn't a surprise. We knew it would be this way. Clark has compared it to waiting for someone to punch you in the stomach, and when they finally do, it still hurts, but at least you aren't waiting anymore. It's just over and done with and you can move on. So, it's time to move on.

Speaking of moving on, I suppose it's time I update ye olde blog header. No longer is this blog about the adventures of a St Georgian. It's all Michigan now, baby!

And before you ask, let me tell you that it's going to take quite a long time for us to recover from this mis-adventure in real estate. A very. long. time. We won't be buying a home for, oh, years. But we are finally moving forward instead of standing still!

Big Bike

2011-09-14T12:52:00.002-07:00

I don't think it was mentioned on the blog, but Julia's trike was a casualty of the move. We moved to Michigan in November, when it was much too cold to be out biking. Then we hunkered down for the winter and let all the boxes in our garage sit in our garage untouched. Come spring, we decided to look for the trike. It was no where to be found. I don't know who was more heartbroken, me or Julia. OK, that's a lie, Julia was BY FAR the most upset about it. Near as I can tell, it made it onto the truck, but not off of the truck. Or it came off the truck in Missouri instead of Michigan. But since it was so long after the fact that we finally figured it out, there wasn't anything we could do.

Except for buy a new bike! A two-wheeler this time. With training wheels, of course. When we first got the bike for Julia, she couldn't pedal or steer. Those things are kind of essential to bike riding, in case you didn't know. So we worked on pedaling. And then steering. And now, we've got a bike riding fiend!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

But we do have to tell her to watch out for drains. She'll ride right down the slope to the drain and then never make it out. And she does need a push to start. But the progress! It's astounding!

And now, winter shall commence and bike riding will cease. Sigh.

I'm on the phone, Mom!

2011-09-14T12:41:00.002-07:00

Ell has been obsessed with the phone lately. Anything with buttons is immediately pressed to her cheek as she says, "Hi!" And when she is granted the rare privilege of playing with my phone, or better yet, actually calling someone? Oh, wow, it's like Christmas.

Of course, she doesn't see my phone as a rare privilege. She sees it as her God-given right. She is, and always has been, entitled to access to my phone. Any time she wants. Even if Mom is already talking on it.

I'm trying to limit our phone time (who thought I'd be saying that already?).

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

First Day of School

2011-09-12T10:54:00.005-07:00

This girl has been excited about preschool for months.

MONTHS, I tell you!

Today, the first day of school finally came. Julia woke up this morning and said, "Today's the big day. I am going to go to school! And I'm going to play, and eat a snack, and do art projects, and then you'll come pick me up." And that's about how it went. Her favorite toy? The hair station (a mini-salon). And the dolls.

No tears here. Just a happy Julia!

And while I'm talking about my firstborn, let me fill you in on a little something. The child is learning to read. We were sitting at a stoplight on the way to school, and from the backseat she says, "No. Turn. That sign says no turn, Mom!" The sign did, indeed, say no turn. She picks things up fast, this one. And, she has taken to checking out non-fiction books from the library. Last week was penguins, this week we've got a book about spiders. You should ask her about penguins or spiders, sometime. The stuff she has learned is incredible!

Weekly Quote 8/29/11

2011-08-29T12:56:00.002-07:00

"There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions."

I have to admit something. I found this quote and thought it was beautiful. So I shared it on my blog. And then I did what I always do, I didn't update for a long time. So I thought, "Oh, it's time to change the quote of the week!" And when I looked at that quote, I couldn't remember for the life of me where it came from. QUOTE FAIL. And then I avoided the whole thing for a few more weeks. Doesn't avoidance make problems go away? No? Oh. That explains so much!

It turns out it's from President Uchtdorf's talk, Of Things That Matter Most. New quote up!

Blueberries!

2011-08-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, July is blueberry picking season in these parts. Since we all love blueberries, we had to take advantage of this opportunity, and went twice. Our first venture (the one we actually got pictures of) was right at the beginning of the season. There weren't as many ripe berries yet, though there were plenty for our needs. Julia and Ella were done picking after about 45 minutes. We got about a pound and a half. The second time we went there were a lot more berries, and we did our best to get as many as we could in our 45 minute window. 4 pounds. Not bad, when you consider we had to keep a close eye on the girls so they wouldn't go wandering off, and Julia kept spilling her bucket. But I do wish it was more! I love them, so!

I think my favorite part is you get to eat as many as you want while you are picking. Ella got her money's worth, let me tell you. Of course, some of them might not have been ripe, and some were from the ground, but she still got plenty of good ones.

And while we're talking about it, eating a blueberry straight from the bush when it's been warmed in the sun? It's like a little blueberry pie in your mouth. Heaven.

I have a strong feeling this is going to become an annual tradition.

A Trip to the Zoo

2011-08-29T12:30:00.001-07:00

Back in June, we went to the zoo! (Wow, June? I'm terrible at this blogging thing.) We have been to multiple zoos since then, but I don't think I actually took pictures at any of those zoos. (Wow, really? No pictures? I'm terrible at this "recording for posterity" thing.)

ANYWAY. The point is, we went to the zoo in Saginaw. Suzanne was thoughtful enough to get us a membership for Christmas, and we have loved using it!

This is a small zoo. A very small zoo. But it turns out it is the perfect size for my two little girls. We can see everything in the zoo before they start to get tired and bored. And, they have a carousel! And a train! And if you are a member, you get to ride both of those for free! Julia picked the bunny.

The horse just to the side that you can barely see? That would be a CSA horse. Meaning a Confederate States of America horse. Yes I am serious. It had the stars and bars on the side and everything. I was about to take a picture, when someone actually sat on the horse, and I thought picture taking would have been awkward.

We also saw some animals. Like these tortoises. Julia's favorite are the otters. She will go on and on about the otters. Just ask her, I dare you.

Hooray for the zoo!

4th of July

2011-08-29T12:01:00.001-07:00

I just took a little look at my dashboard and found some unpublished posts from over a month ago. AWESOME WORK, SHAN! I went to all the trouble of uploading pictures, and then never did anything else. So now, we play catch up.

Hey, remember the 4th of July? We had a great time that day. I made this fabulous flag cake that I had been dying to make since I saw it last year:

A little flag on every plate! It was really quite fun to make. Of course, we didn't have a great opportunity to share it with people, but we enjoyed it ourselves, and we took a few pieces to our neighbors.

Shall I introduce you to our son?

We thought it would be great to dress the girls up in red, white, and blue, but it turns out that Julia has no red in her wardrobe, and when Ella is attired in those colors she looks like a boy. (Would she be called "Ello?") Poor kid needs to grow some hair.

But back to the holiday. We made the insane decision to keep the girls up late for fireworks. Ella gets crazy busy as she gets more tired. CRAZY. BUSY. She starts running around in circles. One day, she was literally running back and forth in our living room, sucking on a toy car. And she normally goes to bed at 6/6:30. So by 8:30, she was in crazy mode. This did not bode well for staying up well past 10 for fireworks. But we put our heads down and powered through.

And it was all worth it for that moment when the fireworks started and she tilted her little head back, mouth agape, and stared in awe. That giant, open mouth grin was worth it all.

Julia had a great time, too. We watched them from the church, so there were kids to play with and sparklers and all sorts of fun to be had.

From Chaos. . . More Chaos.

2011-08-26T07:21:00.002-07:00

My house is a disaster. Not just today. Not just this week. Always. I live in a disaster zone. Toys cover the floors in every room. Little pieces are scattered throughout the house. Papers and books and other junk are on every counter. The counters are, in fact, overflowing, because that is the one place Ella can't reach. EVERYTHING has to go up there.

Apparently I wasn't meant to have more than 2 kids. Because I can't seem to get ahead with the two of them around.

I think it might be easier just to move. Leave all our stuff behind and buy new stuff, but less of it. Is that an option?

30 by 30 Wrap Up (sort of)

2011-08-09T06:00:00.002-07:00

Well, as yesterday was my 30th birthday, the deadline has passed; the window is closed; 30 by 30 is over.

In case you were counting? I got 25 out of 30. Not 30 by 30. FAIL.

In all fairness, it was a daunting list. There were a lot of things on there that I knew I'd have a hard time completing. Would you like a recap of the things I didn't get done?

#10: Find a family name to take to the temple.

It turns out my family has done a lot of family history. I have no idea where to even begin on finding a family name to take to the temple. Granted, I didn't try too hard on this one, but only because I have tried in the past and had absolutely zero success. Also, with 2 small children, finding time is a tricky task. Lack of time, lack of direction.

#21: Learn to play all the hymns on the organ.

I have 88 hymns left on this one (I didn't count the men's or women's hymns at the back of the book, in case you were wondering). I tried my best to steadily cross hymns off, but in the end it wasn't quite enough. It turns out practicing the organ is hard with, once again, 2 small children. Julia is content to play in the chapel (irreverent? maybe.), but I simply can't let Ella run around because she doesn't navigate stairs well. So after about 15 minutes of practice time, Ella has had it. Generally this means I only practice what I'm going to play in the upcoming Sacrament Meeting. Which is usually not something that needs to be crossed off my list.

#22: Learn to play a new song on the guitar.

I made the rookie mistake of learning my ukulele song first. The ukulele is much easier than the guitar. Much, MUCH easier. So I figured I could whip out a guitar song in a day or two, only to discover that it hurts my fingers, and there are all these extra strings to worry about, and I couldn't do it in time for my birthday.

#25: Learn to play the William Tell Overture.

Remember how our piano is not in our house? And remember that whole small children thing? This did not lend itself to practice time. Enough said.

#26: Visit Chicago.

I really really hoped we could squeeze this one in, but it wasn't meant to be. I kept telling Clark that we had to take this trip before we went to Utah, because after Utah it just wouldn't happen. And he kept saying that he felt like we just couldn't do it before, it would have to be after. But it turns out no one wants to go on vacation the week after they got back from vacation (especially when you'd have to plan the whole thing in 4 days), so this one will have to wait a while longer.

I found it somewhat disappointing that I didn't finish all the musical tasks. I thought they were going to be some of the easiest ones. It all came down to time. There is never enough of it!

I am hopeful that I can finish these up sometime in the next month or so. I should probably give myself a deadline, because if I don't have one, I don't do it. The music ones I know I can do within the month. The other two are a little more out of my control. I'll post it when I complete them.

30 by 30, #23: Learn to play a new song on the ukulele

2011-08-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I've done this one, I just haven't recorded it on video yet. "If I Fell," by The Beatles. I have a hard time figuring out the vocals at the beginning, so I haven't felt ready to record it. But the ukulele playing is up to snuff! I thought I should put up there that I've done it by the deadline. More details forthcoming.

30 by 30, #5: Climb a tree

2011-08-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I climbed a tree this evening. I think the last time I climbed a tree I was probably 6 or 7. And I think I have only ever climbed 2 trees in my life. I have a vague memory of someone falling out of a tree and breaking an arm, and that freaking me out to the point that I no longer had any desire to climb trees. It made me too nervous.

I was reminded of that nervousness as I was climbing the tree today.

I was not made to climb trees. I got up there, sure, and it wasn't terribly high. But man alive, I was nervous about falling. Clark asked if he could come up, too. I said, "Nope. Because I'm coming back down now."

So. I guess I challenged a fear by doing it. That's a good thing. But I certainly won't be doing it again any time soon.

30 by 30, #4: Play a full round of Frisbee golf

2011-08-08T10:28:00.002-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I'm once again sort of cheating on this one. We have a disc golf course right in town, and I thought it would be so much fun to go try it out (knowing, of course, that I wouldn't be good by any means, but it's still fun to get out and try something new). But it turns out we have 2 children. And maybe we could have gotten a babysitter, but we have this complex about finding babysitters - mostly that we don't want to make the phone call and face rejection. Which is ridiculous, I know. So we brought the children. On a sunny, warm (very warm) Saturday afternoon. Can you see where this is going?

We got 5 rounds in, and then the kids were done.

But we still had a (mostly) fun time. If you take out Julia's whining about who knows what, we had a great time! Ella liked running around, I was terrible as predicted, but no one was watching so it didn't matter. We noticed that we weren't the typical golfers, but Clark has already blogged about that. Generally, I liked it. And I'd do it again. Maybe next time we'll get a babysitter and play a full rou

30 by 30, #8: Read and study all of Preach My Gospel

2011-08-08T10:00:00.002-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I just now finished this one. Just now! I have felt for quite a while now that I should read Preach My Gospel, but I never seemed to get around to it. So I threw it on the list.

I thought that Clark and I should read and study it together. Well, that worked out for a little while, but then we'd get distracted and forget to read, and put it off, and suddenly it was July and I knew that this was no small task, reading this book. So I set out to read it on my own.

It really was no small task. Holy smokes, there was a lot to read. A lot of scriptures. A lot of studying. But I did it. I did it all. Clark and I read the discussions together, all except lesson 5, the one missionaries teach after baptism. I read that on my own yesterday and today. And I finished it! I was getting a little worried about finishing this one up, let me tell you. But I did it! I squeaked another task in at the last minute!

30 by 30, #19: Learn to milk a cow

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

Not much to say about this one. I had never done it before, but thanks to a trip to Wheeler Farm while we were in Utah, I did it. I was one of the idiots that couldn't figure it out right away, but eventually, I milked that cow. It was pretty fun, actually.

30 by 30, #13: Read the complete works of Jane Austen

2011-08-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

Cheryl actually inspired this task. She mentioned she wanted to do it, and I thought it was a great idea. I read Pride & Prejudice in high school, though I'm not sure I finished it. I read Northanger Abbey in Jr. High, but I think it was a bit over my head, especially the satire. And I listened to Sense & Sensibility on CDs back when I was commuting from Provo to Sandy. And considering my great love of all movies made from these books, (particularly the ones Masterpiece Theater did a few years ago, wow those are good) I thought it was high time I actually read them.

For Christmas, Clark got me this beast of a book. 7 for the price of 1! To be fair, I didn't read Lady Susan. I figure if she didn't submit it for publication herself, it doesn't really count. Though maybe I'll read it one of these days. Anyway, 6 books. It took me from Christmas until mid-July to get through them all.

I started with Persuasion, because it was the shortest. Then we went to Mansfield Park, Emma, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, and finally, Northanger Abbey. It was very interesting to start out with the lesser-read novels, and then read Pride & Prejudice, which is widely popular. You can see right away why it is so popular. It's very well written, and much more engaging than the first three I read.

I think Sense & Sensibility is my favorite. And I would go with Mansfield Park for my least favorite. But in general, I really liked them all. Glad I read them. Glad I finished them in time!

2 days. . .

2011-08-06T09:51:00.002-07:00

. . . until my birthday. Prepare yourselves for a flurry of blogging, relating to my 30 by 30 project. I've been working like a mad woman to get these things done.

I'll save you the suspense: there is no way I'll get all 30 things crossed off by Monday. BUT, it'll be pretty close. Stay tuned.

30 by 30, #20: Make a denim quilt

2011-08-06T09:34:00.002-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I've had a bin of old jeans sitting around since. . . well, since we moved to St George at least, maybe since we got married. A ridiculously long period of time. The plan was to make a denim quilt. I've been full of intentions and devoid of actions. I started cutting squares, oh, 2 years ago maybe. And then I never finished. So the time had come to actually get some work done.

I kind of feel like this is a 30 by 30 fail, because it's not a quilt yet. I still have to put something on the back and then quilt it. But there is a small problem, in that I don't really know how to do any of that, especially when I don't have any frames. Even if I did have frames, I'm still not sure where to begin on that project. So, fail.

But then again, I did complete the big nasty task of cutting all those squares and sewing them together. The big bin can now be re-purposed for something else. And really, that's what I was going for. So, not fail. Completion.

Here it is, the product of a bucketload of sewing during naptime.

It feels so good to have that dang quilt done (almost)!

30 by 30, #17: Create a new recipe.

2011-08-05T11:36:00.001-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

Note: I wrote this post back in May, and then never posted it in case I came up with a better recipe. I didn't. So here it is!

I really wasn't sure how this one would pan out. I'm not what you'd call a chef. I follow recipes pretty much to the letter. So I knew that creating a new recipe would be more like tweaking a recipe, and that is ok. It's a start, anyway.

I make pizza all the time, and we usually have either BBQ Chicken or Pepperoni. But last week I thought I'd try my hand at some sort of Ranch Chicken pizza. We had some leftover shredded chicken, and a tomato that needed to be eaten. So I made a pizza crust, slapped some ranch on it, added the chicken, some Monterey jack cheese, chopped tomato, and baked it up. It turned out. . . well, it was decent. I might even say good, though not great. I think it would have been better if the chicken had been cooked with some seasonings, or maybe if I'd added garlic salt on top, or something. It was a little bland. But like I say, it was a start, and it got me excited to experiment some more.

Joy

2011-08-02T10:11:00.004-07:00

I had this memorable moment today. One of those times when everything just seems right in the world and you take a step back and think, "Can it get more perfect than this?"

We went over to the Chippewa Nature Center this morning for a little "hike" and play time. It was a cloudy morning, looked like it could rain any second, but I really wanted the girls to have some outdoor time, and with no sun it was really quite pleasant out. So we headed out on the path through the forest. And thanks to the shady trees, it was even cooler on our walk. Delightful!

So we are all walking, even Ella, and it's like she has never seen anything so lovely and exciting before. Which, actually, might be a little bit true. Usually she is strapped in on these jaunts. She was right down with the flowers and the leaves and the dirt and the squirrels, and she could not have been happier. At one point, I found a big stick for Ella, and then another one for Julia. There we were, walking under the trees on a warm (but not hot), cloudy day, the girls each carrying their sticks and looking like they were in heaven.

And it was like I mentally (spiritually?) took a step back and thought, "These are the moments we live for. This is what makes it all worthwhile." To have both girls so incredibly happy and fulfilled, to be surrounded by such natural beauty, to have a moment of much desired peace? That, my friends, is pure joy.

It only lasted about one minute, maybe two, and then we were back to reality. Ella fell down and then needed to be held. Julia wanted in on that action too, but I didn't have enough hands. I got a couple of bug bites. But oh, that one minute, maybe two, is something I'll treasure for the rest of my life. It reminds me how grateful I am to be a mother, and how wonderful parenting really is. Also? I have a Heavenly Father who loves me. A lot.

Life in Michigan

2011-07-28T19:55:00.004-07:00

This post has been brewing for a while.

It all started when I was annoyed by a number of . . . quirks in our apartment. I made a mental list of them and thought I'd blog about them, because isn't that what we do on blogs? Rant and rave about life's little annoyances?

But then I didn't want to come off as whiny. Nobody likes a whiner.

So then I started thinking of all the good things about our currently living arrangements. This time I made a physical list. (In case you couldn't tell, I'm a list person.) I put the grievances and the perks side by side.

The perks list was twice as long as the grievance list.

So instead of being a big fat whiner, let me share with you some things I like about our apartment here in MI (This kind of turned into a long list. But I realized that I haven't shared much about our home here, so hopefully this answers all your burning questions. Cause I'm sure you have them.):

Our complex is basically a neighborhood full of townhome-like buildings. We share no walls, only a floor. And our downstairs neighbor is a very sweet 95-year-old man who gives us cake and cookies and never complains about the noise. In fact, he told us he was glad to have us back in town and he'd missed Julia's stomping. The best neighbor we could ask for.
To go along with only sharing a floor, we live upstairs. Which means we have lovely high ceilings that keep us nice and toasty in the winter (and in the summer, but I am pretty sure everywhere is toasty in the summer). Of course, stairs are tricky for moving pianos. Ours didn't make it up. But our organ did! And in case you were worried, our piano spent a few months in the garage, and then was moved to a temporary home with some friends who are debating buying a piano. Sort of a test run for them and storage space for us. Win win.
Being upstairs, we have a balcony instead of a patio. This makes me much less worried about wildlife eating our tomato plant, as there are regularly bunnies and squirrels in our backyard. Also, I feel better about leaving our door open at night to cool things off. And balconies are just more romantic.
We brought my most favorite lampshade with us and it is hanging in our kitchen. It makes me happy every single time I see it.
We have a garage. The griper in me would tell you that it's only a one car garage, and it isn't automatic, and the key to it doesn't work which makes for interesting shenanigans when I get home from the grocery store with the girls, but it is a garage. And we have many boxes in it. Also, 3 strollers. What would we do without it?
Speaking of storage space. . . we have none. No, ok, I guess we have a little, but it's definitely limited. Luckily (see? you thought I was just whining, but no, here is the ray of sunshine!), our apartment is only 50 square feet smaller than our house. So while we've had to downsize a little bit (and get kind of creative in our storage solutions), we aren't cramped by any means. Which is a good thing, because we might be here for a while. (Our house is still for sale! Tell your rich friends!)
We are in a 3 bedroom unit! These appear to be rare around these parts. We only looked at a couple of other places, and I wouldn't want to live in those dungeons. This place miraculous opened up while we were in town looking for housing, and we snatched it right up.
We live by lamplight these days, which is really quite soothing. They don't believe in overhead lighting here. The bedrooms and the living room have exactly zero overhead lights. I find it strange, but whatever. It made for a very exciting move-in day. "The sun is setting. . . we need to find the lamps, quick!!"
We live in an apartment. This means they shovel the walks and rake the leaves and plant the flowers and mow the lawn. This means that when our dishwasher breaks down, we just call the office and Mr Fix-It comes by the next day to take care of it, at no cost to us. The golden days of apartment living!
But I think my favorite part of living here is Clark is a happy man. His work situation is much improved, and he's just happier. That alone was worth the cross-country move.

To close, I have to share a couple of gripes. One is that we have no counter or cupboard space in the kitchen. It's annoying. I keep hoping to find a solution, but there just is none. Sigh.

The other is the toilet paper holders. They don't hold a roll of toilet paper. This is their one job! And they fail miserably! They are the kind with no stick in the middle, just two posts, that are ever so slightly too far apart. The TP will teeter on there, but if you have any desire to actually USE it, it'll fall right into the garbage can. It's ridiculous. I think about this every time I go to the bathroom, and it's been driving me nuts!

The End.

30 by 30, #29: Go to a Farmers Market and buy something.

2011-07-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I realized how important it is to buy local. I wanted to make the effort to do this more often, I really did, but I really haven't been up to the task. Things like babies and small children and hot summers have kept me from being the regular I would like to be at the Farmers Market. I have been to a Farmers Market before, and I've even bought something there, but I'm pretty sure it was one time, and I only bought one head of lettuce. Kind of lame.

So I made the goal to get to the Farmers Market. It turns out Midland has a great one every Saturday and Wednesday morning from May to October. I've been meaning to go, but once again, things keep getting in the way. The biggest hindrance has been my fear of going to a crowded public place with two children by myself. (Clark plays basketball every Saturday morning.) I know, I'm weaksauce. Anyway, I finally made the effort this last Saturday, and I was very pleased with our haul.

I had to keep it small and simple since we are going out of town on Wednesday. I needed some yellow squash and zucchini for dinner on Sunday, thought spinach and peas sounded good and healthy, and couldn't resist the flowers, cherries, and strawberries. The flowers have added such cheer to our house, and the strawberries? WOW. How have I been eating these big fat tasteless things from the grocery store for years? These Michigan strawberries are FABULOUS! They are bursting with flavor. Little morsels of heaven.

We also went blueberry picking, and those taste amazing as well, but that will have to be another post. I must say, I'm a big fan of fresh, local produce.

And then my daughter turned one.

2011-07-11T16:45:00.004-07:00

I'm sort of in denial about this whole "birthday" thing. How is my little baby one year old?!

Happy Birthday, Ella! Our family is more complete with you in it. We will be celebrating by eating lots of blueberries (Ella's favorite!) and then dragging her - kicking and screaming, I'm sure - across the country tomorrow. But at least we waited until the day after, right?

30 by 30, #16: Sew matching dresses / skirts for my girls.

2011-07-11T16:19:00.005-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

This project was a long time in coming. It wasn't terribly hard, just time consuming. I decided to make these darling twirly skirts, and then I picked out some awesome fabric, and then I realized how many little strips I'd have to cut out, and that I don't really know how to gather, and I sort of sat on it for a while. Then I asked my friend Mindy for help, which was the best move I could possibly make. First, she has a rotary cutter and self healing mat, which saved me oodles of time. Second, we got to have sewing playdates, wherein we sewed and our kids happily played together. Third, she showed me how easy gathering is. And fourth, I had an excuse to sit down and actually sew the things.

It took way longer than it should have (I thought they'd be done by Easter, and then I thought they'd be done in time for our family pictures, but no, I think I finally finished them on June 30), and they certainly don't look professional (seriously, don't look too close), but from a distance, I think they turned out pretty cute.

Uh, do you know how hard it is to take a decent picture of 2 kids? Pretty hard. This shadowy thing is the best I got. But it gives you the idea.

Weekly Quote 6/27/11

2011-06-27T13:10:00.002-07:00

"Not enough minerals."

This is all I hear about whenever Clark plays Starcraft. That and, "You wanna piece of me?" Delightful.

New quote up!

Grammie and Opa come to visit!

2011-06-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

My parents came to visit back in May, and boy howdy, did we have a great time! Julia and Ella soaked up every moment they had with Grammie and Opa. Here are some pictures, courtesy of my mom :)

I think this last one is my favorite. We went to Frankenmuth, and ventured across the covered bridge to discover a couple of peacocks and peahens hanging out at the park. I had never seen a white peacock before, isn't it awesome? Looks like a giant dandelion fluff.

We absolutely loved showing my parents around Midland, and discovering a little bit ourselves. Can't wait to head to Utah next month for a visit!

Ella Walks!

2011-06-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, my parents were here visiting (pictures from that will be forthcoming). We thought we'd start practicing walking with Ella, sending her back and forth between us in the hopes that she'd take a step on her own. She picked it up really fast. Like, after a day she was getting a good 4 or 5 steps in there before falling down. And now? Now, she walks everywhere. If she falls down, she'll stand right back up and keep on walking. No more crawling, no sir!

I've been meaning to post about this for a month, but I couldn't find the time to take a good video (because now I'm chasing after a toddler, ack!). I finally happened to get one with her walking, but it wasn't very good, and it sat here, unpublished, for another couple of weeks. Then I finally got a good one a week ago, and now I'm FINALLY going to post it. I'm a little slow, can you tell?

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I realized yesterday that now I've got a toddler and a preschooler, instead of a baby and a toddler. It's all going so fast! But I am excited about every step these girls take toward independence.

Dress Up

2011-06-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

Some friends in the ward were generous enough to give us all their old dress-ups. Julia is in little girl heaven. There are all sorts of things in the box: hats, a poodle skirt, princess dresses, tutus, pom poms, high heels, etc. Ella is a big fan of the hats. She actually leaves them on for a few minutes, which I think is pretty impressive for an almost-one-year-old.

I think my favorite number is this hat. I cannot fathom why someone would create such a thing. Sheer awesomeness.

And finally, a little video! I was a little surp

rised to find that Julia knew exactly what to do with the pom poms. I'm sure she picked it up from TV. She makes one EXCITED cheerleader.

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

Weekly Quote 6/16/11

2011-06-16T18:53:00.001-07:00

"For nobody else gave me a thrill,
With all your faults I love you still.
It had to be you, wonderful you,
It had to be you."

Good old Frank Sinatra. New quote up!

30 by 30, #1: Go to a Zumba class.

2011-06-16T18:29:00.002-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

Whenever I tell people that I have a degree in Exercise Science, they get this knowing look on their face and make some comment about how healthy my family must be, or how useful that knowledge is. And every time, I have to explain that I didn't learn about aerobics, I took a bunch of anatomy, physiology, and biology classes. And I really didn't learn anything that can be applied to real life, per se. And then I have to admit that I, in fact, hate to exercise.

But really, that's not entirely true. I just don't like certain forms of exercise. OK, maybe most forms of exercise. What it all boils down to are two things: 1) I hate running, and 2) I don't have a lot of hand-eye coordination. So all sports that involve balls are right out, and running all by itself is like torture for me. But it turns out that I do enjoy things like dancing. Which means that I enjoy gym classes, like aerobics. (I've never tried swimming for exercise, and I think I might like that, but that's not the point of today's post.)

SO. Dance-y things are a good fit for me. Zumba is a particularly dance-y aerobics class. It seems like the perfect class for me to take! But I've never had the guts to go by myself. And I've also had a hard time juggling it with the kids. But today, the planets aligned and I went to my first class.

My awesome friend Sarah had a Free Pass to the gym, and when I mentioned that I needed to try a Zumba class before I turn 30, she graciously offered to take me. We got up at the horrific hour of 5:30 and headed to class. I almost abandoned the plan, since Ella was up in the night, and Julia was in our bed for a bit, and I was pretty tired, but I knew I just had to get my duff out of bed and do it.

I really, really liked it. Sure, I'm not perfect, and I'm pretty white (literally) so I probably look a bit ridiculous, but I think I would really enjoy doing it on a more regular basis. I'm going to have to look into my options and figure something out.

I think the best part of this particular experience was I mentioned that I needed to do it, and then the next day I was doing it. Usually I'm full of intentions and have no follow through, but this project has forced me to make things happen. It pushes me a little bit, and it's so good for me.

15 down, 15 to go. Yikes.

30 by 30, #28: See Niagra Falls.

2011-06-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

So. We went to Niagara Falls. It was a very quick trip (out on Friday morning, back by Saturday evening) but we did what we wanted to do, so it was just right.

We stayed at the Comfort Inn in Clifton Hill, which was nice and close to the falls. Clifton Hill is like Amusement Park Niagara Falls. Lights and noise and people and ice cream shops and a celebrity wax museum and general chaos. But close to the falls, like I said. We got there Friday afternoon and walked down by the falls for a while. Ella was obviously taken with the display:
It is amazing how close you can get to the Canadian side, you are just right there, watching the water plummet into the mist below. You could practically reach out and touch it.

My big recommendation? Don't go to Niagara Falls with glasses. I was constantly "misted up." So I'd wear contacts. Of course, I'd wear contacts anyway if I could. I am DYING to wear contacts again. I wean Ella next month. I'm counting down the days.

Friday night we ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. I think the girls liked all the animals, though I'm not entirely sure. We sat next to some elephants, and I'm pretty sure Ella didn't trust those guys. She kept a close eye on them until they calmed down. But then Julia really liked the monkeys and the fish and all the other animals. But then when the thunderstorms would hit, both of them would be near tears, so I don't know. I think we'll wait a few years and try again.

Saturday morning we went on the Maid of the Mist boat tour. That was fabulous, but very wet. The girls did not like the wet and windy part. Neither did I, frankly. Once again, not glasses friendly. But it was neat to be on a boat and get so close to the falls. It also gave me a good laugh to see the picture they take and will sell to you for an exorbitant price. Neither of the girls was particularly interested in having their picture taken at that moment. It was almost worth buying it for the bad picture entertainment, but not quite.

As a side note, my grandparents went to Niagara Falls on their honeymoon, so I kept thinking of them the whole time we were there. They were married in Detroit, and I would love to go to the spot where they were married, even though the house was torn down a little while ago. Is that weird of me?

Saturday afternoon we headed back home. The girls were great little travelers, and Julia was pretty happy to see something that had been mentioned on Little Einsteins. All in all, a great little weekend trip.

I'm still here!

2011-06-07T18:46:00.002-07:00

It turns out I haven't blogged much in the past month. I feel like I have very little to say, and yet I want to post about our trip to Niagara Falls and my parents coming to town and how stinking cute my girls are and how excited I am that summer is here! And how excited I am that I'm excited for summer to be here! (Dear Summer: We've had a rocky relationship the past few years. I'm so glad we have made amends. Be gentle with my fair skin! Love, me)

Also, I was getting into a regular routine of blogging every Tuesday night while Clark played basketball, and then Clark quit playing basketball on Tuesdays. Now he only plays on Saturday mornings. Little girls are very much awake on Saturday mornings, so there is no time to blog. Sigh.

Sorry we've been a bit sparse. We'll see if we can't get going again here.

30 by 30, #30: Use my passport.

2011-05-31T11:56:00.001-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I've had my passport for 5 years now, and I've never used it. Not once. One might wonder why I got it, if I had no plans to use it. Well, this was back in the days when Clark was going to work for Schlumberger, and it was possible that they'd send him to Egypt or Scotland for training, so I got my passport just in case. He didn't end up working for Schlumberger, and I didn't end up using my passport. Missing out on the possibility of Scotland was a bummer, but not moving to Evanston, WY more than made up for it.

Clark's passport expires June 1, so it was decided that we needed to get to Canada, and fast. My parents came to town (more on that later), and it just worked out that they day they left was one of the last possible days for us to head out of town for an overnight adventure. So we headed to Niagara Falls!

Since seeing Niagara Falls is a separate goal, this post is all about Canada, eh. I don't have a whole lot to say about Northern Montana, but here are a few things.

We told Julia all about loonies and toonies, though I don't think she quite grasped it because she then called her happy meal toys "toonies" even though those were Zoobles. Have I lost you all yet?

Driving through Canada was very pleasant, and Clark was very excited to switch our speedometer over to km/hr.

Crossing the border into Canada only took us about 1/2 hour, which isn't too bad. Crossing back into the US took us about 5 minutes, which is obviously better. Go USA!

We felt it was necessary to eat donuts in Canada, and apparently Tim Hortons is a big name in Canadian coffee and donuts, so we went there. It helped that there was one close by our hotel. It was delicious. We have a Tim Hortons here in town, so I guess we can go back whenever we want! But Tim Hortons at Clifton Hill? How do you not take Visa? How is that even possible? Thank goodness you take American cash, or else we would have had to put back our $2 worth of donuts and we would have felt really dumb.

All in all, we had a great time.

Moms Day

2011-05-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering, I had a delightful Mothers Day. I have learned my lesson from years past, and had low expectations for Mothers Day. I did NOT expect to have a day completely to myself where I am pampered and doted upon by my loving husband and children. Instead I planned on enjoying my time with my children, and remembering how desperately I wanted them, and how lucky I am that they are here.

And the day did not disappoint. Julia and Clark made me pancakes for breakfast. . . ON MY NEW GRIDDLE! I love it. I also got 2 new orange peelers (as mine keep breaking - I seriously will be getting one every year for Mothers Day from now until I die), and a new shower poof, as my old one completely fell apart. Which was comical, actually, to be scrubbing with a poof and then, POOF! no more poof. Just a long stretch of netting. Anyway, I got a new one, and I was glad for it.

I also got to attend Relief Society, and while I was in and out with Ella, I still got most of the message, and it was a good one. I planned an easy dinner that Clark could make, and with minimal dishes. And then we headed over to the Dow Gardens and partook of the beauty therein. Seriously amazing. Tulips everywhere! Blooming magnolias! Rhododendrons! It was divine. And it was a beautiful, sunny day. I am so glad we went.

All in all, a great day. I am so glad to be a mom!

7 Years

2011-05-16T18:09:00.001-07:00

See? Mormons can send flowers. Also, there is nothing quite so wonderful as having your husband walk in the door right when you are about to fall apart, and to have him standing there with flowers. It's the best pick-me-up ever.

Our anniversary was on a Thursday this year, so we decided to postpone the festivities by one day and go out on Friday. We got a real live babysitter (!) and went out on the town. We most certainly don't do that enough. I'm hopeful that maybe we can do this more often now that Ella isn't quite so dependent on me for food. Also, she goes to bed at 6pm now (that's a post for another day. . . maybe), so we can put her down and then go out.

We headed out to The Creek Grill for dinner, and thoroughly enjoyed a dinner without children. No demands for more food, no messes to clean up. Adult conversation. Someone else to do the dishes. It was fabulous.

Afterward we went over to the Tridge for a few minutes, and then walked along the Rail Trail. I was worried it would rain on us, but it was nice and dry. We even sat in a little gazebo and watched the sun set. You can't plan that kind of perfection.

Then we picked up a couple of $5 movies from Walmart and headed home. We were only gone for 3.5 hours, but it was delightful. We so need to have a more regular date night.

Happy Anniversary, Clark! 7 year itch? Please.

For the Grandmas: 5/15/11

2011-05-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Ella has been learning all kinds of new skills lately. She makes kissy faces, she cruises (and is getting closer and closer to walking), and she waves and says, "Bye." That was a pretty easy one, since "Bah" is her favorite syllable. She also signs milk, more, and all done.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Julia has been doing a lot of pretending, especially when playing with all her new My Little Ponies. There is usually a birthday party involved, and they all play duck duck goose and eat cake and have a grand time. It's so fun to see her creativity taking off. I also have learned that she has a skewed perception of fire hydrants and fire stations. She apparently thinks that fire hydrants shoot fire, and that when you go to the fire station they "put fire all over you." I suppose it would make some sense, you go to the grocery store to get groceries, so why wouldn't you go to the fire station to get fire?

I still laugh when I think about the fire hydrant shooting fire. Pure comedy.

Weekly Quote 5/15/11

2011-05-15T18:10:00.001-07:00

"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."

Party on, dude! Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures. Most excellent. New quote up!

Butterflies!

2011-05-14T12:00:00.005-07:00

The Dow Gardens had their butterfly exhibit in March and April, and Julia and Ella LOVED it. We went there at least once a week, sometimes more. Ella would follow the butterflies around with her eyes, and I'm sure she would have loved to get her hands on one, but I'm thinking the butterfly would not have enjoyed that.

Julia really liked looking at the butterflies, but she was a little wary of actually holding one. Thankfully a friend snapped a picture of the one time she let one sit on her finger.

Julia also really liked the Julia butterflies. That's right, there are Julia butterflies. How cool is that? Here is a picture of one:

She would run around saying, "It's me! It's me!"

Julia also liked to visit the craft barn and pose for pictures. The egg:

The caterpillar:

The chrysalis and butterfly:

Blockburger flowers:

Also, Julia has made up a Blockburger song. It involves marching and lots of, "We are the Blockburgers! We are the Blockburgers! We've got the power!" It is awesome. Taking pride in her heritage!

30 by 30, #15: Read Articles of Faith by James E. Talmage.

2011-05-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I have never been what you might call a religious scholar. Do I read my scriptures? Yes. Do I understand the gospel? Of course. But do I really dig deep and go out of my way to read up on doctrinal topics? Not so much. I have heard people use the excuse, "Well, I don't know much about the gospel because I didn't serve a mission." And I may have used that excuse myself, though perhaps I had never verbally expressed it. But it sounds pretty ridiculous when you are a 60 year old woman claiming to know less than a 20 year old missionary. It turns out you've had 40 extra years to work on this, surely you know something by now. I don't want this to be me. Clark has pointed out that a good way to start would be to read the missionary library. And so, I finally read Articles of Faith.

It took me quite a while to read it. Partly because it is some heavy material, and most definitely requires "ponder time," if you will. And partly because I mostly read it on Sundays. Originally I was going to read an article a week, and be done in 13 weeks, but then I found out that some of the articles are more than one chapter, and some are more than 2 chapters, and then I discovered that some days I couldn't get through a whole chapter, and then Sundays turned into crazy days, yadda yadda yadda. But the point is, I eventually finished it. And I'm glad I did. It was very enlightening and uplifting. It made me think about things, spiritual things, that I had never considered before.

I'm on my way. Maybe I can read the rest of the missionary library in the next 30 years.

Lazy Crazy Sundays

2011-05-04T18:29:00.004-07:00

Let me just say that, for the record, I am not a fan of 11:30 church. I thought it wouldn't be so bad, but I was wrong.

Every week feels like Fast Sunday. You have to leave by 11, so nobody eats lunch until 3pm. Or, if you stay after for choir (which we do), 4pm.

Little girls don't get their naps, which turns them into cranky kids. Julia can somewhat handle a missed nap, though she is extra sensitive. (I know, I didn't think that was possible either.) But Ella? Ella becomes desperate. She needs to be held! She needs to be put down! She needs to eat! She needs to crawl! She is so squirmy and all over the place, and yet she won't just fall asleep.

I am in the nursery every week. Officially, I am the Primary Floater, but they always need me in the nursery, so that is where I go. They are sweet kids, and I am happy to be in there, but I will admit that it leaves me feeling. . . high strung some days. I feel like my time at church involves one hour of wrangling my own kids in Sacrament Meeting, followed by 2 hours of wrangling 15 other kids (in addition to my own) in nursery, followed by another hour (choir) of wrangling my kids again, with the added bonus that they are now cranky and tired, and I'm trying to sing. Clark is playing the piano, so he is exempt from this last hour. Thankfully, one of the young women grabs Ella every week, so I only have to worry about sad little Julia.

Well, this past Sunday it all came to a head and the meltdowns were glorious. Ella wouldn't be content anywhere but my lap, and even then it was short lived. Julia was sad and then happy and then sad and then really sad, and then sobbing on a bench in the chapel wanting to go home. So I took the girls to the car and drove around the parking lot for 10 minutes while Clark finished playing the piano. Nobody fell asleep like I had hoped, and all that little maneuver got me was some more sobbing from Julia, this time because, "We left Daddy! We can't go home without Daddy!" Though, at least they weren't bothering anyone but me, so I guess that was good.

There are some Sundays where I really just wonder what the point is. I know that church is important, and I wouldn't miss it for anything, but it's definitely not like it used to be. Remember when I would read the paper on Sunday mornings (back when I got a paper. . .) and leisurely get ready, and then go and enjoy 3 hours of peace and reflection at church? Sigh. Someday it'll be that way again. But then I won't have Ella's baby smiles, and I won't get to be in nursery watching my little girl play and sing and learn about Jesus. It feels like my mantra in all aspects of life is, "It won't last forever. Enjoy it while it lasts." But that's hard advise to follow at 6:00 on Sunday evening, when I feel like I'm a hundred years old.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T17:46:00.004-07:00

Seeing as the girls got matching Easter dresses, I thought it was high time for a little photo shoot.

And those are the 2 "good" ones. The rest? Well, I learned a few things about taking photos with my girls:

Don't ask Julia to say, "cheese." You'll get one of these:
Generally, no one is looking at the camera.
Ella wants to move! To see things! To explore! Julia wants to be done already so she can see the pictures.
Bunny ears are cute, but there is no way they'll stay on Ella's head.

But all things considered? We still had a good time. Happy Easter!

30 by 30, #9: Go to the temple at least once.

2011-04-15T07:31:00.003-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I felt somewhat ridiculous including such a low-effort goal on this list, but the fact of the matter is my temple attendance has been sadly lacking since ~~we moved to Michigan~~ ~~Ella was born~~ I was sick and pregnant with Ella. It's really embarrassing to admit that, but there it is. I was sick and pregnant and couldn't even feed my child, let alone spend time in the temple. And then I was pregnant and tired and constantly finding babysitters for doctors appointments, so going to the temple fell to last place on the list. And then we had a newborn who wouldn't take a bottle, so I couldn't leave her for more than 2 hours. And then we moved to Michigan where the nearest temple is 2 hours away, and Ella still wouldn't take a bottle (still won't, actually), and I was at a loss for logistics. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

The sad thing is, I'm sure that actually going to the temple regularly during all these giant, life changing events would have made things easier, not harder. You are blessed for going to the temple, that much I know. I was just having a hard time getting there.

But last month we finally worked out the logistics and went. There actually was a Sacrament Meeting that focused on temple attendance a while ago, and what one of the speakers said was a revelation: You don't have to attend the temple with your spouse. OH! It all makes sense now! So the new plan is to take a trip to Detroit every month and take turns going to the temple, so we'd be going every other month individually. That way we don't have to stress about leaving the girls with a babysitter for 6 hours at least, or finding someone to trade with, etc. Not that people wouldn't be willing, I'm sure they would be. It's just one more thing, ya know?

April was month #1, and I got to go do a session. It was absolutely wonderful. It was exactly what I needed. The peace felt there is otherworldly. Literally. All my stress melted away, and I was reminded of what is most important in life. And it's not selling our house (still for sale!), or stewing about Ella's weight gain (she's doing much better now!), or all the hundred other little things that crop up in the course of a day. Those things need to be attended to, but they aren't the most important thing. The most important thing is the gospel, the plan of salvation, and if we hold true to that, everything else will fall into place. I am so grateful that we made the effort to get to the temple. I only wish we'd done it sooner.

For the Grandmas 4/12/11

2011-04-12T16:31:00.004-07:00

Post edit: I tried to use Picasa to upload my pictures to my blog. Apparently it didn't work. You should be able to see them now.

No videos this week, just pictures.

I sent Julia to put on her pajamas one night, and came into her room to find this:

Yes, that's a swimsuit. Over her clothes. Most definitely not her pajamas. And she does, in fact, have awesome hair. She usually does. It's a gift.

Clark and Julia made pancakes for dinner on Sunday. I thought it was a sweet moment. And pretty impressive that I actually reached for the camera, no?

It's Birthday Week for Julia, and we've got lots of fun things planned. I was inspired by my friend Celeste (who was inspired by Secrets of a Super Mommy) to have a birthday countdown. Except that I am so not crafty, in any way, and even with 9 months to think about it, I never got around to actually making a board. But I decided that the thought was the important part! Julia picked all the dinners this week (pancakes, beans and rice, chicken nuggets, sandwiches, mac and cheese, meatballs, waffles, and taco soup). Last night we had an All About Julia FHE, where we talked about the day she was born, and told our favorite Julia stories. Later this week, she gets to go on a date with Mom, decorate the house, pose for a photoshoot, and go to the zoo.

For today's activity, we went to the candy store and she got to pick out whatever she wanted. As approached the storefront, I realized that it was Easter, and this trip could really backfire on me. They had enormous chocolate bunnies for sale, and who wouldn't want an enormous chocolate bunny?! Well, Julia didn't. She looked around for a while, and then chose a package of two chocolate coated peep bunnies. $1.25. I kind of felt bad, so I let her pick something else, too. She got a $1 package of gummy worms. Not bad at all! And she was in heaven.

Oh, Ella. You melt my heart. And then you run away and eat any paper you can get your hands on.

Julia begged me to take a picture of their "capes." So I did.

Doesn't Ella look like a girl who knows how to have a good time? Also, a girl on the move. 9 months old today. Holy smokes!

Weekly Quote 4/11/11

2011-04-11T07:42:00.002-07:00

"I've got a dirty thumb."

Robin Hood is one of the most quotable Disney movies of all time. At least I think so. New quote up!

A Generally Good Conference

2011-04-05T18:57:00.003-07:00

Ah, General Conference. A time of great spiritual enlightenment and uplift. . ment? Something like that. I really look forward to this time twice a year when we get to hear the words of the apostles and prophets. I feel like it's a chance to take a good look at where we are spiritually and reassess what we are doing with our lives. It's kind of like New Year's, only it happens twice a year. And I especially love that it happens in spring, when everything around us is being re-born.

However, since I became a mom, GC feels like just another day of taking care of the kids, with the added bonus that I really want to hear what these people are saying, but it's nearly impossible.

I'll admit, the Saturday morning session, I was pretty grumpy. I think I started the day grumpy, and then things fed off each other, and somehow by the time President Uchtdorf was welcoming us to conference, I was wound pretty tight. Then let's add in Julia's talking and singing and dancing and asking me for something to eat every 20 minutes (growth spurt?), and Ella's constant need for exploration and to put non-toys in her mouth, which is a particularly strong need in our bedroom, the one room in the house that we can stream conference. And then we'll throw in some kids who won't take a nap, and the ever present reminder that Ella needs to gain weight and yet won't eat (no matter how many times I tell myself that she is perfectly healthy and to quit worrying about it, I stew over it), and there you have a recipe for disaster. I was wondering what the point of all this is, no one is getting anything out of this and it's just causing more stress. I came back into the room during Sister Stevens' talk (yes, this was all within the first half hour of conference, I have no patience), and she was talking about the blessings of children, and I actually said, "Oh, you mean how your life is over after you have kids?" What a great attitude! That Shannon, such a ray of sunshine.

But I kept listening to her talk, and the Spirit once again whispered to me that this won't last forever. That these small children will grow up, and then be gone. I'll have years and years to listen to General Conference, but I'll only have my babies for a short time.

So I lowered my expectations. I knew I wouldn't get to hear every single word. I knew that Julia would never sit still for even one talk. I recognized that everyone has basic needs that must be met, regardless of who is talking over the pulpit. Poopy diapers wait for no one! And the rest of conference was so much happier. I felt refreshed, even though I probably only got about half of what was said.

And then, and then, to make my joy complete, Clark asked Julia what show she wanted to watch on Sunday morning. She is only allowed to watch church shows, "Primary shows" as she calls them, on Sundays, and she had already watched Mr Krueger's Christmas and The Restoration. She said she wanted to watch the Apostle show. It would appear that she liked it. She knows. I am certain that she can feel the spirit when those men speak. That made me 100% sure that going through the motions is important, even if it feels like no one is getting anything out of it. These little children are more attuned to spiritual matters than we think, and we are building the foundation for a life of devotion to Jesus Christ. Can I give you one more example? We read about Korihor in our scriptures on Sunday night, and Monday morning, Julia sat next to me on the couch and said, "It's going to be all right, Mom. There is a God." Why yes, Julia, it is going to be all right. There is a God. And I'm glad you know it.

So, while I can't tell you what every talk was about, I can tell you that I got a lot out of conference. What a marvelous thing! What a blessing to have the gospel in my life!

Weekly Quote 4/5/11

2011-04-05T18:53:00.001-07:00

"Trim your feeble lamp, my brother,
Some poor sailor tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a gleam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save."

Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy. I've been obsessively listening to The Lower Lights lately. Good stuff. New quote up!

For the Grandmas: 4/5/11

2011-04-05T18:34:00.002-07:00

Tuesday nights Clark goes and plays basketball, so I have a computer and time all to myself. Guess it's blogging night!

Ella has been learning all kinds of new things this week. She stood unassisted for about 5 seconds the other day, which was very exciting. She also does this cute thing where she has a "conversation" with you. You say, "Ba, ba, ba," to her, and she responds with her own, "Bah, bah bah." It is so cute. Well here, watch the video.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

She also likes to play, which makes her giggle, which makes me very happy. I think the cure for all woes is found in the laughter of a baby. Seriously.

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Today we went to the Saginaw zoo for the first time! Suzanne got us a membership for Christmas, but they are closed in the winter. We've been itching to go for months, and today the planets aligned and we went. (We had to go to the bank, which is in Saginaw, so I thought we'd hit up the zoo as well. And may I say, I am an AWESOME navigator? This was my first solo trip to Saginaw, and I didn't get lost once. Even with all the nasty construction on I-75. I remained unruffled at the sight of orange cones. I'm pretty proud of this, if you couldn't tell. Anyway.) Would you like to hear about the zoo instead of my navigation prowess? Let's hear what Julia has to say (WARNING: extremely long video in which not much is actually said):

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Oh wait, she apparently doesn't remember anything we did at the zoo. I don't know if she was just spouting out all the things she associates with zoos or if she really has that bad of a memory. I would like to emphasize that this is a small zoo. Very, very small. Their website boasts that they are home to over 150 animals, including such exotic creatures as the Domestic Dog, and American Cockroach. Um, I don't need to go to a zoo to see a dog. Or a cockroach. BUT, they do have other, more exciting animals, and Julia firmly declared that she loved the zoo and couldn't wait to go back. I think I would venture to say that this zoo is the perfect size for small children. We can see everything without being overwhelmed. And our membership allows us to ride the train and the carousel for free! Woo hoo! We are going to head back out there in a couple of weeks for Julia's birthday. Um, Julia is going to be 3. What the. . .

For the Grandmas 3/29/11

2011-03-29T17:58:00.004-07:00

You know, this is called "For the Grandmas," but I'm not convinced that the grandmas check this blog regularly. Which is fine, because I don't post regularly! But maybe I'll try to get some pictures up at least once a week, just to see if anyone notices. . .

The girls are growing up fast. So very fast. Especially Ella. I swear she's still a newborn, but no, she's a crawling, standing, cruising 8 month old who even communicates! Not much, mind you, she can only sign "more." And I think she might have signed "milk" today, but I'm not sure. The point is, she is learning how to ask for what she needs, and I couldn't be happier about it. She learned how to give "5" on Sunday, and yesterday she learned how to find Mom's nose. She also "combs" my hair (swipes a comb near my face), but not her own. How fitting, as she has none. She'll give you a kiss if you ask nicely, and she'll give you a hug if she's in a cuddly mood (Julia never had cuddly moods, so this is delightfully new to us).

Just look at this face. This is what I get to see every day.

Jealous yet?

How about now? Doesn't that smile just brighten your day?

Her favorite position is standing, preferably next to Julia. The one problem with this is she doesn't know how to get back down, so she has to whine for help or fall. Though, I did see her get down gracefully yesterday, so maybe we're learning. I had forgotten how much abuse their poor little heads get from all this learning to crawl, stand, and walk business. It's pretty sad, actually. Here's a little video.

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Julia is growing up, too. She answers "why" questions with real answers now. Before it was, "Why did you do that?" "Because I did." That sort of thing. I'm thinking I'll have to use this against her when she starts asking the tough "Why" questions. Anyway. She is also learning a lot about the world around her and how things work together. She's always telling me about things she has learned, like "Milk comes from cows, and eggs come from chickens." We can sit and have the funniest little conversations, and I love it. She's becoming more like a kid than a toddler.

And, of course, she's obsessed with potty humor. "Bum" makes it into an astounding percentage of our conversations.
She's also quite excited about her birthday. She has a list of what she wants, she's agonizing over the big cake decision, and we're trying to decide if we want a friends party or just family. (I'm leaning towards just family. Because it's easier. Is that bad?) I can't believe she's almost 3. Where did the time go?!

And, of course, a little video. An interview gone wrong. (I got a better "interview" with her afterward, but it's almost 4 minutes long, which is too long for the blog. If you really want it, I'll send it to you.)

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Weekly Quote 3/28/10

2011-03-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

"I've made a huge mistake."

Arrested Development, how I love you. New quote up!

30 by 30, #7: Keep a journal for at least 30 days in a row.

2011-03-27T19:09:00.002-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

I have never been good at writing in my journal. Seriously, never. A few years ago I found an old journal from when I was like 7, and just about every entry starts, "Sorry I haven't written in a long time." In fact, I think one time that was the whole entry. "Sorry I haven't written in a long time." I obviously had an awesome life. I'll often think that I'm going to change that and start writing more regularly, only to quit after about 2 days. Or, I'll think that I need to write in my journal, and then realize that it's been months, and I've got so much catching up to do that it will take forever, and so I don't even bother.

But 30 by 30 waits for no man, and so the time had come to buckle down and be a journaler. Journalist? Oh, that made me sound a lot cooler than I am. Journaler.

I decided to just start from now and not worry about catching up. That's why I have an entry from a month ago saying, "We live in Michigan now. I don't want to spend the time catching up. Just know that we moved. That is all." And we moved on from there. It actually made it a lot easier to write short entries, which made me more likely to write every day.

I figured that if I wrote for 30 days in a row, that would establish the habit, and I'd be good for. . .well, for the rest of my life, why not! So that was the goal: write in my journal every day for 30 days in a row. That in a row part is very important. If I missed a day, I'd have to start over. I won't lie, there were some days that I really didn't want to write in my journal; I was already in bed, and I had nothing of note to say anyway. But no, I had made this goal, and I was going to see it through to the end.

On day 31, I didn't write in my journal. So much for that!

But on day 32, I wrote in it again. And I'll write again tonight. I think it's kind of fun. And it's a good way to look back at the day and see what happened, what went well, and what I want to improve on. And it's a great way to write down the funny things that the kids say and do. I also thought it would be a good way to notice the hand of God in my life every day, like President Eyring suggested we do a couple of years ago. Which was a great idea, but I found the actual task to be challenging. Perhaps God is more involved in President Eyring's life than mine (maybe), because there were some days where I couldn't see much. And most of the experiences involved me once again praying for patience with my children, and finding some inner strength to keep myself from flopping down on the floor and giving up. My life is less than glamorous, didn't you know? But even when nothing of note happened that day, I still wrote something down, maybe something I'd been thinking about lately. And I think that is perhaps more important than the details of day to day life.

10 down, 20 to go. 20 to go?! This thing might come down to the wire.

30 by 30, #27: Host a Pie Party.

2011-03-22T10:52:00.003-07:00

In case you aren't familiar with the 30 by 30 Project, here is the original post, with the big fat list.

Do you know about my love of pie? My love of pie is great. It is vast. If it was an ocean, it would be the Pacific. I love pie like Clark loves Jimmer. We are talking seriously love of pie here.

I heard about the idea of a Pie Party around Thanksgiving time, which also happened to be when I was creating the 30 by 30 list. Inspiration, if you ask me. Anyway, some people invited their friends over every year for a post-Thanksgiving shin-dig, wherein they could bring their leftover pie to share and start the holidays right. Kind of an early Christmas party. I thought it was brilliant. But there was no way I was waiting for next Thanksgiving to enjoy a plethora of pies. I quickly decided that Pi Day (3/14) was the day, the absolute best day, to host a Pie Party. You get to celebrate that Queen of Baked Goods, The Pie, and simultaneously bring joy to the math nerd of your home (does every home have one of those? Or is it just me?).

And so the day came. We invited some friends over, and being a Monday night, we had a Pi(e) themed FHE. Lots of scripture references of 3:14, fun pi facts, and, of course, we partook of many pies. Many, many pies.

Our friends brought an Oreo pie and a Razzleberry pie (notice the pi shape in the Razzleberry!). I made Pumpkin, Cherry Cheese (Allen's Favorite Cherry, for those who are familiar with the recipe), and Apple Cheddar pies. The Apple Cheddar pie recipe was courtesy of the Pie Lab (Why do I know about the Pie Lab in Greensboro, AL, you ask? Because I love pie, remember.), and it was OUTSTANDING. Seriously good pie. The cheddar cheese is in the crust, which makes it not overly cheesy. Just the right amount of salt to balance out the sweet of the apples. And to make things even better, it's not terribly difficult to make. I highly recommend it.

I also wanted to attempt making some Pie Pops. Unfortunately, I never made it to the craft store to purchase the sticks. Do they even sell lollipop sticks at craft stores? I have a hard time doing anything but the basics with my kids. But that is another post for another day. Anyway, I opted to make "Mini-Pies" instead. Julia still called them Pie Pops, though :)

I thought they were pretty cute, and really quite easy. And, of course, delicious. That is the most important quality, really.

All in all, I felt like the Pie Party was a success. People had fun, we all ate pie, and then I had leftover pie for the rest of the week. Did you know a slice of pie makes a delicious breakfast? Also, a snack. And dessert. I'm thinking that this will have to be an annual event. Actually, bi-annual, we'll do it at Thanksgiving too. Maybe it should be tri-annual, so we can take advantage of all the fresh fruit in the summer. Don't you think?

Mmmmmm. . . . pie. . . .

Weekly Quote 3/10/11

2011-03-10T23:30:00.000-07:00

It's not a Monday. It's been much longer than a week. But who cares, I'm changing the quote!

"It's not that bad, people get shot all the time."

"No they don't, they get . . . paper cuts."

". . .I mostly get shot."

This winner was from the movie Red, which is fabulously funny. Kind of like Bandits, if you've ever seen that. I recommend it.

New quote up!

For the Grandmas: 3/1/11

2011-03-01T13:00:00.007-07:00

It has been far too long since I posted pictures of the girls. Like, a month. A short month, but still, a month. This might be a long post.

Let's start with Julia. Winter can be hard on a kid, and Julia is no exception. While we've handled it pretty well I think, she is still very excited for spring. She wants to go to the park, she wants to play outside, and I can't blame her. I want to get out and go walking, feel the sunshine, go hiking (flat hikes are still hikes, right?), and maybe even eat on our balcony. Doesn't that sound delightful? Take a couple of chairs out on the patio and enjoy the warm weather. But, it's still winter. So we've had to get creative.

The other day we played The Clip Game. This was entirely of Julia's invention. She got these little clips from her cousin Lauren (I quietly rue the day we got these clips, or as I call them, choking hazards), and she carries them around with her in a little baggie everywhere she goes. She loves them. So The Clip Game is when you take all the clips and put them in her hair.

We also did some pudding fingerpainting. Holy smokes, I had no idea this would go over so well. We minimized the mess by putting her in the highchair, and putting plastic wrap over the highchair tray, and she wore a smock. But it was so much fun I think we'll do it again.
And finally, Julia started checking out books the other day. Do we have another librarian in the family?

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Then there is Ella. In the past month Ella has cut a tooth, learned to crawl, and been to the doctor twice. It's been an eventful month. I realized that I never posted on here about her crawling, just on Facebook, and now I feel bad. I always felt that my blog was the REAL way I posted information about our family, and here I've sold out. Well, no more. Blogging is back, baby! So, here is the video of Ella beginning to crawl.

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While she can get up on her hands and knees and move, she's still not coordinated enough to be fast about it. She much prefers her army crawl, which is usually performed with a toy in one arm. Ella is a girl on the move. She wants to get into EVERYTHING. Well, everything except for toys. Toys are lame. Paper, crayons, books, shoes, THESE are the things she really wants.

Also, she wants to put EVERYTHING in her mouth. Well, everything except for food. We'll have none of that garbage. I really want to know how she knows what is food and what is not. We even gave her one of those fresh food fe eders, thinking that it certainly doesn't look like food, but that was a big no. A look of disgust was all she'd grace us with. Then she went to try and reach the electrical cords. Winner.

("See, Mom, this is a fake strawberry. I'll gladly eat that. None of this real food business.")
(This is after giving her water on a spoon. She was none to happy about that one. IT WAS WATER.)

In fact, her hatred of food got so bad that a couple of weeks ago she decided not to nurse either, her only source of nutrition up to this point. I fed her at 5am, and then she refused to partake all day. She's 7 months old. This is not good. So I called the doctor, just to see what they thought. She had no other symptoms, wasn't even fussy really, just wouldn't eat. Of course, this happened on a Friday. So when I talked to the doctor's office, it was 4pm. The nurse was mostly concerned that she could be dehydrated, and with a baby that young you'd just hate to miss something like that. So off to the Urgent Care center we went! What a joy! 2 hours later we saw a doctor. She really didn't know what to tell me, but did discover that Ella had a low grade fever, so she tested for a UTI, just in case. Holding down your baby while they catheterize her is great fun, let me tell you. Anyway, she set her up on an antibiotic and sent the culture off to the lab. Monday morning they called to say it came back negative, but we needed to follow up with our regular pediatrician. The follow up was last Friday. He was a little concerned about her weight gain, so we're going back in a couple of weeks to make sure she's eating enough. In the mean time, I'm to push solid foods. At least try to feed them to her 3 times a day. The thought of all that mess for zero bites makes me weary.

I feel that I should mention that the past couple of days, Ella has decided that solid foods aren't that bad, and has actually eaten them 3 out of the last 5 times I've offered them. Maybe we're finally over our food aversion.

But in general, she is a pretty cute kid.

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And last but not least, a couple of random pictures. Because everyone wants to see Clark in a fairy headband!

And I know you are all dying to know how we deal with our lack of counterspace.

Oh yeah, and Clark had a birthday. Read more here. (I don't write about these things on my own blog, I write on HIS blog.)