good times, noodle salad

a little blog CPR...

2012-01-26T22:26:00.003-07:00

Man, I am so far "behind" in regaling my three readers with tales from my life that I fear it is useless to even begin to catch up. I am also very far behind in reading tales from all the other bloggers out there. I guess that is what happens when life hits.

But, in other news, I had the opportunity to give a talk in sacrament meeting on redemption. I was really grateful for the opportunity to prepare the talk as it was a wonderful topic to mull over for a week. I was not, however, grateful to get up in front of everyone and actually give the talk, as about half a dozen sentences in, the emotions ran high and stayed there the entire time. But from all accounts, I was still intelligible, so there you go. I got a lot of positive feedback afterwards which made me really grateful that I'd decided to get personal rather than just stick with the standard platitudes. So, for anyone who might be interested, here it is:

Redemption
by Mindy Gonzalez
January 22, 2012

What is meant by Redemption?

Elder Curtis said that to redeem is to buy or to buy back.
Synonyms include set free, rescue, ransom and restore to honor.
One dictionary definition stated compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something, as in "a disappointing debate redeemed by an outstanding speech," or
"the sacrament meeting program, with its uninspiring talks was redeemed by the excellent musical performance". (Though I do hope that this talk won’t need too much in the way of redemption.)

I feel like this definition is very relatable for me. Christ compensates for my faults and can strengthen me and rescue me from both the effects of the frailty as well as help me overcome the actual frailty.

One more point I would like to share about the definition is from the Bible Dictionary. The last sentence of that definition says simply
"He redeemed us with his blood."

When I read that earlier this week in preparation for this talk, it hit me right in the heart. How does he redeem us? Not with money or persuasive arguments or sheer physical strength, but with his blood.

I think that growing up Christian and as members of the church, many of us take for granted the amazing, incredible gift of the Savior's Atonement and sacrifice for us. It is easy to let it just become the background in our lives. The problem with this is that you can't appreciate the "background" things in your life. Friday I was driving on the freeway and one half of the sky was bright and sunny and the other half was covered with fairly dark clouds. But on the dark side of the sky, there was a small window where the clouds parted enough to let the sunlight come streaming down on a small area of the mountain. It was truly breathtaking and made me think of the power of light over darkness. But when we are surrounded by light, we don't fully grasp the beauty and power of it.

Something I first read years ago in what has become one of my favorite novels has stuck with me and helped me to view the Atonement from a fresh perspective. This is the story of an Indian boy, named Piscine, son of a zookeeper, who is raised Hindu but becomes fascinated and ends up falling in love with both Christianity and Islam.

“Catholics have a reputation for severity, for judgment that comes down heavily. My experience with Father Martin was not at all like that. He was very kind. he served me tea and biscuits in a tea set that tinkled and rattled at every touch; he treated me like a grown-up; and he told me a story. Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, A Story.
And what a story. The first thing that drew me in was disbelief. What? Humanity sins but it’s God’s Son who pays the price? I tried to imagine Father saying to me, “Piscine, a lion slipped into the llama pen today and killed two llamas. Yesterday another one killed a black buck. Last week two of them ate the camel. The week before it was painted storks and grey herons. And who’s to say for sure who snacked on our golden agouti? The situation has become intolerable. Something must be done. I have decided that the only way the lions can atone for their sins is if I feed you to them.”
“Yes, Father, that would be the right and logical thing to do. Give me a moment to wash up.”
“Hallelujah, my son.”
“Hallelujah, Father.”
What a downright weird story. What peculiar psychology.
I asked for another story, one that I might find more satisfying. Surely this religion had more than one story in its bag—religions abound with stories. But Father Martin made me understand that the stories that came before it—and there were many—were simply prologue to the Christians. Their religion had one Story, and to it they came back again and again, over and over. It was story enough for them.
[Martel, Yann. Life of Pi, 53]

Now that we have defined what redemption is, what are we redeemed from? We are redeemed both physically and spiritually, as we have need of complete and total redemption.

In Ether 12:27, the Lord states "I give unto men weakness." I find it interesting that as part of our earthly experience, when we are physically separated from our heavenly father, flying solo in a lot of ways, that he gives us weakness. It seems like giving us strength would be a much better idea. But we are weak, and in such a wide variety of areas.

So why the weakness? Who sends their children off on a long journey and give them some additional impediments? It doesn't seem like a very good parenting strategy, so why do it?

For one reason: So we will come unto him. When we come unto him, THEN we can become strong. We aren't intended to be strong alone, we are supposed to be strong FIRST through Christ and then WITH Christ, able to stand at his side. Because only in Christ will we find complete fulfillment. All other sources of strength will eventually fail. As the 4th article of faith says, we must FIRST have faith in Jesus Christ.

In Elder Curtis's talk, he references several stories of redemption, all based on similar scenarios: person has strayed through sin, comes back to the Church as he or she is changed and redeemed by the power of the Atonement and goes on to be serviceable in the kingdom and it's even better if they become some sort of leader or have children who become leaders. These are great stories because the contrast is so poignant. Mormons love these sorts of stories, think Alma the Younger, Alma the Elder, Paul, King Lamoni. In the lives of these people, it is so easy to see the power of the Atonement in changing their hearts and their minds. Obviously the Atonement works because they have truly changed! We can all marvel at such a powerful redemptive force at work.

But I don't think it is enough for us to appreciate how others are redeemed through Christ's atonement.

In my life, I don't have a tale of redemption like those shared in Elder Curtis's talk, though I do love to hear such stories. They testify of the amazing power of the Atonement to work change in our lives. But I've never strayed much off the strait and narrow path, so I haven't had to be redeemed in that sort of dramatic fashion.

In Alma chapter 5, Alma the Younger is teaching his people about repentance and redemption. First he reminds the people that they should remember the captivity and the mercy of God in delivering their fathers from captivity. Then, in verse 12 he talks about the mighty change wrought in the heart of his own father as he listened to Abinidi speak. (Again, appreciating the redemptive power in other people's lives.)

Verse 14 is very often quoted and I'd like to read it now,
"And now behold, I ask of you, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

This last part of this verse, about having experienced a "mighty" change of heart has always kind of niggled at me. I haven't felt a mighty change of heart, at least compared with what I expect the two Almas experienced. Does that mean that I haven't felt the redemptive power of Christ in my life?

The answer is an unequivocal no.

In my life, I have been redeemed from doubt. A few years ago, my faith in many aspects of the Gospel had wavered to the point that it made attending meetings and participating in personal prayer and scripture study dissatisfying and often very discouraging and frustrating. If I hadn't been a mother and a wife at the time, I very likely would have just quit participating in the church. But as it was, I felt obligated to keep trying before giving up on the Church. I didn't want to make a mistake that would affect more than just myself, so I stuck with it. But I also felt a responsibility to not just keep going through the motions. Would it be fair to raise my children in the gospel if I didn't believe it was true? It's a rather demanding lifestyle to participate in without have the belief to push one forward. The answers took a while to come, probably in part because I was often too upset to ask the questions. Sometimes I think I wanted to hold on to my doubt and frustration. But over time, as I slowly opened my heart, I felt the redeeming power of the Savior pull me out of my doubt. Verses 23 and 24 in Mark, Chapter 9 spoke to me: " Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help though mine unbelief." By putting forth the effort to believe, the Lord has helped my unbelief.

This isn't to say that all of my questions and concerns have been eradicated, but I have been able to see what is most important and also what can appropriately be placed on a really way back burner for now.

I have a friend who just a few months ago lost her only child in a tragic accident. As she has shared her thoughts with me, I have witnessed the redeeming power of the Savior operating in her life. But being redeemed from sorrow and grief and doubt isn't a one time thing for her. I see her drawing on the power of the Atonement on a daily basis, just to get through her pain. I have had times in my life when it felt like the only way to move forward was to do so on my knees, and I know that I received strength through Christ's Atonement during those times.

I think it is imperative that we fully accept and act upon Christ's role as Redeemer. What plagues us presently that we need to be redeemed from? It could be sorrow, fear, unkind thoughts, temptation, anxiety, impatience, disappointment or any of life's other challenges. To quote Elder Neal A Maxwell (this one is long, but really good, so bear with me),

"There is certainly no shortage of relevant clinical experiences, is there? Strange as it seems, we sometimes respond better to larger challenges than to the incessant small ones…. One can be sincerely grateful for his major blessings but regularly murmur over minor irritations.... Enduring large tests while failing the seemingly small quizzes just won’t do. Such shortcomings must be addressed if we are really serious about becoming more like Jesus.

While so striving daily, we will fall short. Hence the avoidance of discouragement is so vital. So where is the oft and much needed resilience to be found? Once again, in the glorious Atonement! Thereby we can know the lifting tide flowing from forgiveness.
Furthermore, by applying the Atonement we can continue to access the other nurturing gifts of the Holy Ghost, each with its own rich resilience. The Holy Ghost will often preach sermons to us from the pulpit of memory. He will comfort us and reassure us. The burdens not lifted from us, He will help us to bear, thus enabling, even after we err, to continue with joy the soul-stretching journey of discipleship. After all, while the adversary clearly desires our lasting misery, the Father and the Son truly and constantly desire our everlasting happiness."
[Elder Maxwell, October 1997 Conference "Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ"]

I have a very strong testimony of Christ as the Redeemer of the world. I am so grateful for the times in my life when I have undeniably felt His presence in my life and for his willingness to redeem my soul from fear and doubt and sin and death. In closing, I'd like to share 2 Nephi 1:15, which in my opinion is the scripture that does the best job of describing what it feels like to be redeemed:
"But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally the arms of his love." My prayer for me and for each of us is that we will more frequently seek His arms to feel that love.

halloween

2011-11-02T17:19:00.002-06:00

Much to Noodle's delight, I made a marginal effort to have some more decorations this year. She thoroughly enjoyed doing the spider web on the door and drawing the Jack Skellington.

so much to do...

2011-10-07T12:36:00.002-06:00

Well, I figure 3 months without any blog post means my blog is on its way to death, and that makes me sad. Sad enough, in fact, to give it an extra burst of life by posting something. Not only have I not been writing for my blog (though I did post one entry on my homeschool blog last month), I haven't been reading other blogs much, either.

David started a new job at the beginning of September. The same day we started our homeschool year. That was a hard week, with me thinking multiple times a day, "Why on EARTH am I doing this to myself, and my children, for that matter?!" About our third week in, some things seemed to click. Now we just finished week 5 and I feel like we have some good momentum going, finally, and it doesn't feel like I'm fighting to not lose "it" everyday. So hey, maybe we've turned a corner.

David really likes his job. It's about a 25 minute commute, so not too bad. With only one car, we were alternating having him drive and take the bus in September. For October we have opted to give the bus a try everyday. M-Th this week that worked fine. This morning he was too tired to do his standard early wake-up (5 a.m.) and then we ended up missing the 7:01 bus by literally one minute. So I had to drive him all the way to work, which turns into a 50 minute round trip drive for me. Which ate into my usual morning "work time". He usually catches the 5:57 a.m. bus and gets to work early and exercises for an hour or so before starting work for the day.

I have more stuff to blog about, but it seems like the sort of thing that merits its own post, so for now this will have to suffice.

I can see clearly now....

2011-07-19T16:38:00.002-06:00

Last summer, Sprout got a hold of my glasses (which I only wear in the mornings, usually, before my eyes wake up enough for contacts) and broke off one of the earpieces (is that what they are called?). So I've been wearing "one-armed glasses" ever since. Plus the prescription was 8 years old and all that, which all added up to me not really being able to see very well if I didn't have my contacts in. But since I'm so blind, I have to get the ultra thin lenses, which means any pair of glasses I get is at least $100. But, I finally ordered some and they came on Monday. I can see AND they don't fall off my face every time I move my head. AWESOME!

Mormon Scholars Testify

2011-06-27T06:46:00.001-06:00

A lot of what she says reflects my own feelings and testimony. Emily Bates

I believe that God is the source of goodness and doesn’t send bad things to the world—that the bad things and events come because of mortal life, our own bad decisions, and others’ bad decisions. I believe that, in general, the commandments lead to a good and happy life—that their purpose is to minimize the hardship and hurt in the world. I especially love the word of wisdom and see that as a great witness of God’s love and wisdom. I believe that God understands why we doubt, fear, and end up messing up a lot. I think it saddens Him because He knows we are sacrificing something good that we can’t see for some momentary fix. I have felt His love after I messed up and tried to come closer to Him again. I have felt redeemed and close to God after periods of neglecting that aspect of life. I believe strongly that family relationships and other deep relationships are necessary and important for us in this life. Learning to love and care for each other is one of the main points of life.

little high, little low

2011-06-15T22:23:00.003-06:00

I seem to have a good week followed by a bad week. And not that events are bad, just my hope and faith and fortitude and all that stuff that is necessary to get me through this time of life. The last two weeks I felt really positive about life and even the uncertainty of our future in so many areas didn't get me down, but this week has been a lot harder. I guess that's just life, but I sure wish I could hold on to the good stuff more permanently.

My friend Julie had linked this Mormon Message on Facebook, and it made me cry like a baby. It was an appropriate reminder for me this week. I wish the things that DON'T matter most mattered even less and didn't cause me such anxiety.

We did go to the park last night because my niece wanted me to take some pictures of her (she is recently returned from a mission and doesn't have any current ones for her sweetie who is out of state all summer). Here's an album: Fun times

And here is one of my favorites:

here's the story...

2011-06-01T14:30:00.002-06:00

of a lovely ducky!

Monday night the family went on a bike ride down to the lake. We climbed out on the rocks next to the flooded docks and the kids had fun being rock monkeys and tossing rocks in the lake, while David and I enjoyed the view. On our way back, Zion noticed a lone duckling swimming along the side of the river. The bank was higher in this part than in other areas, so there was a fair distance between us and the duckling. We watched it for several minutes, hoping its duck family was nearby, but no other ducks were in view, and we hadn't seen any other ducklings along the trail. The kids, especially Noodle, really wanted to try and get it, but we discouraged it, and David said, "You want that duckling, you need to pick two pets to get rid of." We end up deciding that we probably can't help it, and we head home. The entire way, though, I was thinking about the little duck and how I want the kids to WANT to help others, whether little creatures or other people, and how if we DID help the duckling, this would be something they'd remember for years. And they'd also remember it, and worry about it, if we did nothing.

So after we returned home, I snuck back outside with a little plastic cage and a butterfly net. I wasn't able to find a working flashlight, so I figured it was all for naught as the sun had already set and it was quite dark. But I still wanted to try. I rode as fast as I could pedal back to the river trail and back to the area where we'd last seen the duckling. I got off the bike, took my shoes and socks off and rolled up my pants. I listened for its peeps, but didn't hear anything. I chirped, and then heard a response.

I had to wade into water about up to my knees, then climbed on a floating log and walked about six feet along there until I came to some bushes/flooded trees/branches (not sure) in the water. I chirped some more and heard a response out in the branches, out of my reach. I just stood there, peering into the darkness looking for movement and chirping periodically. Finally I saw the little duck swimming towards me. I couldn't reach it though. I kept chirping, and it swam a few feet away, so I stuck out the butterfly net and miraculously caught it! I was so surprised when I pulled the net back and it had something in it! What were the chances!? I also figured if I hadn't caught it that first time, the duckling might have been too spooked to come close to me again, so it was really fortuitous.

I put him in the little plastic critter carrier in my bike basket and headed home.

The kids all had a blast with him (me too!) and we would have kept it if we didn't have so much up in the air right now. We just couldn't commit to another pet right now. Today we took him down to a wildlife rehabilitator who has someone raising 6 or 7 other ducklings so it can join them. It definitely strengthened our desire to get ducks someday, though! So stinkin' cute and fun! I put an album up on facebook, too. You should be able to view it without an account.

More duckling!

At the rehabilitation place, Patti (the rehabilitator) had me help her hold a little flammulated owl with a broken wing while she administered some fluids. It was AWESOME! I am hoping I can figure out a way to volunteer there, as it is what I've wanted to do for YEARS!

P.S. David wasn't very upset...though I think he was relieved that my plan wasn't to keep it!

oh yeah, she's awesome

2011-05-28T16:54:00.001-06:00

Here's the proof:

movie review + thoughts on challenges

2011-05-21T00:45:00.003-06:00

I watched the Temple Grandin movie tonight. For those unfamiliar, Temple Grandin is a woman who has autism and when she was a child, the standard "treatment" for autism was institutionalism. It was also thought to be caused by an unloving/unresponsive mother during some critical phase of the child's early development. (Hell, compared to that, society blaming it on vaccines for a few years seems like a definite improvement.) Anyways, she has gone on to get a Masters and PhD and has revolutionized (not an exaggeration) the handling/care of livestock in the United States. Because of her autism, she sees in pictures and is uniquely able to see her surroundings as animals see them (particularly highly visually sensitive prey animals, like cows). It may seem like a simple or trivial thing, but I appreciated how the movie made the point that, in Temple's words "Nature is cruel, but we don't have to be." Even though the ending point for the cows is the same (they'll be killed and eaten), they don't have to feel fear, confusion or pain.

Her revolutionary ideas were ridiculed at first even when they had been demonstrated to work because they were new and upset the status quo. A thought I had while watching the scene of the demonstration of the very calm "cow dip" (which is when cows swim through a bath of stuff that kills parasites and whatnot) is that it made me wonder if perhaps God mightn't have looked down and seen how the cows were being treated and thought, "Those children of mine can do better than that. It isn't that they are cruel, they just don't see it." (I'm operating under the assumption that God approves of meat eating, at least to some extent, which I think he does even if I don't choose to consume it myself) And then he decided to send someone down who could see it. But in order to see it, she'd have to be different, because if she were "normal," she couldn't see it. Maybe she even would have signed up for that lot, given the option.

I have such a hard time going through challenges and having faith that I will come out on the other side of the challenge intact, let alone improved. I try so desperately to hold on to what I have now, what seems so important, that I am afraid my hands will still be clenched so that I'll miss them even if (when?) the blessings do begin to pour out upon me. I am sure that God looks down on me and wishes I could just see, or even just imagine, the brightness of life ahead of me. But I get so afraid. The uncertainty of the unknown future feels like all consuming darkness. I so desperately want a plan of some sort, even if it is a poor one, or unlikely to pan out. I really am trying to wrap my mind and heart around the concept of "..all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.." But I pretty much stink at it.

Anyways, the point is, for Temple Grandin, "all these things" were the ridicule and the difficulties she has experienced going through life being different - avoiding human touch, not reading social cues, poor interpersonal skills. They have definitely given her experience, and have not only been for her good, but have improved others lives as well. (And not just the cows...her improvements have greatly improved the lives of those who handle the animals.) It helps to think that our challenges have purpose, even if only to show us our weaknesses so we can be gradually strengthened as we go through life. Annoyingly, I can point to the times in my life when it has been really hard as the times when I have experienced the most pronounced growth. Hmph.

The best way out is always through.
Robert Frost

I've read this a couple of times now...

2011-05-17T23:02:00.001-06:00

and it has been a powerful reminder of eternal truths each time.

Thanks Be to Our God

so awesome!

2011-05-14T20:10:00.002-06:00

So a couple of years ago we found out that our backyard neighbor is the son of my dad's best friend (now deceased) from childhood. This neighbor sent me the following pictures the other day, and I think they are the youngest I've ever seen of my dad. They make me so happy. There is just something neat about being able to see your parents as children and realize they are essentially the same person they were then, even though they've been educated and "roughed up" a bit over the years. My dad turns 76 this summer.

all that and a bag of chips

2011-04-26T22:05:00.004-06:00

I've decided that if I blog at least monthly, my blog is not dead. Aim high, right?

Last week for Earth Day the family and I headed over to the River Trail to pick up trash. It was a bit chilly, but the sun was shining and it was nice to get out and enjoy the trees in blossom and see just how crazy high and fast the river is flowing right now.

We had a nice time, picked up a garbage bag filled with garbage, including a number of soda cans for Spud's can recycling efforts (he and his Pop Pop make pretty good money...for a six year old, anyways). As we were finishing up by the new bridge over the river, the kids were exploring and Spud found an unopened medium sized bag of barbecue potato chips. It was probably somebody's stash or forgotten snack, but we claimed it as our own and enjoyed it as our reward for our good deed!

good times

2011-03-26T19:57:00.004-06:00

It has been a rough couple of weeks, but some good points to mention:

We went to a friend of a friend's house for a dinner. This guy is a true foodie. The meal was amazing, and afterward he pulled out his "collection" of balsamic vinegars. I had no idea that there was such a wide variety of balsamic. We had a tasting of about 10 different vinegars, some of which ran up to $5-600/bottle, and these were NOT large bottles! We learned all about the aging process of the vinegar as well. I have to say I was not immediately enthused about the idea of a vinegar tasting, but the flavors really were delicious. It was fun to taste the different "notes" of the various types. (Look, I'm sounding like a foodie now.) Yum.

Seeing Hairspray with five awesome friends at the Hale Center Theater last week. I wish I could go a few more times. It was SO fun. I had seen the movie version (we own it, actually) and really enjoyed it. The cast was amazing! I really loved the person who played Tracy. The only downside was not being able to get up and dance along during a few of the numbers.

Field trip to the Provo Airport with the Boys Club (plus sisters). It was really neat. The kids got to sit in the airplanes (these were little 4 seaters), take a turn on the simulator, and learn a ton from what has to be one of the greatest tour guides. He is a UVU flight student, but he was so friendly and engaging. It was really fun and I could tell the kids were just eating it up.

Fabulous book club discussion today about the book Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic who became a Saint. The book itself was very inspiring, but our discussion turned to how we can find our own path and mission and have the faith to step out into the unknown and trust that we will find something solid to step on. It was really what I needed this week.

Also, I am addicted to Sammy's battered fries. And we had an AMAZING peach cobbler shake. Soooooo good. Those are right up there now with The Cocoa Bean's Love Potion frappe. So much delicious goodness.

I am so grateful for good friends to share this life with. It really means a lot to have people who care and are willing to share their lives and help bear our burdens, and also those who enrich our lives just by making it so much more enjoyable.

are you a dummy?

2011-02-17T19:36:00.002-07:00

(No, the picture isn't really correlated to the blog title. I was just playing around today while the kids were playing around and I liked Sprout's expression.)

I have a lot on my mind lately, but it doesn't feel like the stuff to share indiscriminately (with my handful of occasional readers) or like stuff I just want to have "out there," so I've not said much here lately. I also spend most of my online time working, so there's that, too. But one quote that keeps running through my mind is this exchange from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, the movie, as I haven't confirmed that the same passage is in the book.

Grandpa George: There's plenty of money out there. They print more every day. But this ticket-- There are only 5 of them in the whole world, and that's all there's ever going to be. Only a dummy would give this up for something as common as money. Are you a dummy?
Charlie: No, sir.
Grandpa George: Then get that mud off your pants. (gives 2 thumbs up) You've got a factory to go to!

A couple of weeks ago I listed to an episode of This American Life called The Invention of Money which was really interesting. I've also been thinking about how most (if not all) of what seems necessary and normal by our standards and expectations is completely fabricated. We are so shaped by our experiences that we really believe that life is the way we think it is, that to be a human means what it means to us. The human experience has changed drastically (I can't even think of a strong enough word) in the last 200 years. The abundance of information and communication is mind boggling. I don't really have anything profound to say about that, but there has to be something to figuring out the true "essentials" for your own life.

TWO!

2011-02-01T23:52:00.003-07:00

Today was the little guy's second birthday. David made an Elmo cake for him (as he has become a HUGE Elmo fan over the past two months thanks to Youtube Sesame Street videos) and we had a low key party for him. He got some books from us and David's parents, a fun block train, a handmade beanbag from Spud, a handmade toy pillow and snake from Noodle, a card with five dollars from my parents, and a handmade super plush bunny from me, He really loves books and had to look at each of them as he unwrapped them.

He is such a super fun little guy. I'd blather on more, but it's late and I'm sleepy. I just wanted to get this out while it was still officially his birthday. Happy birthday little guy!

The Key to a Happy Christmas*

2011-01-04T15:40:00.001-07:00

*you could probably substitute Birthday, Valentine's Day, Anniversary, etc.

Low Expectations.

That might sound a bit like a Debbie Downer thing to say, but I don't mean it to be. This year I think was the first time that I really didn't have anything I wanted or hoped to get. I had zero expectations of gifts, and was really just grateful to have some money set aside to buy gifts for the kids. And I really enjoyed Christmas, and truly felt like everything I got was a "gift." (Though, I did get a particular item of clothing from my parents-in-law about which I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit put out. It's a sweater that doesn't look like anything I would ever wear and is totally the wrong style for me.)

But, overall it was a great holiday and lots of fun. We got some fun gifts for the family, including the game Qwirkle Cubes, SnapCircuits, a zOrv digital microscope, and two ukuleles! I sewed a new design of monsters for the kids this year and they have really loved those.

One new activity for this year was a get together with my brother and his family and my sister and her family who live in the area. We don't usually get together at Christmas, and it was a lot of fun to do so. We had a fun white elephant gift exchange and just socialized, played games, sang some songs and ate yummy food. I hope that they all enjoyed it enough to want to do it again next year. We usually just see David's family at Christmas, and I felt kind of left out.

One of these days, I'll pull the last couple of months of pictures off my camera and have a mega picture post.

whoa.

2010-12-11T01:17:00.003-07:00

If I didn't post this post (that will barely count, really) and didn't post any more for the rest of the year, this year would TIE as my worst blogging year since I began. Especially sad, since back when I started (in 2005), I didn't even start until July. I barely posted half as much this year as I did last year. Hmmmm... Maybe that means I've been superly awesomely productive in the real world. ::snerk:: I can't even hold a straight face after that comment. Though I will have you know that last week I patched up four pairs of jeans! While jean patching is supremely tedious and often more fraught with difficulty than it should be (usually because I'm trying to rush), I do love "rescuing" a pair of jeans from the scrap heap.

And tonight, the reason I am up waaaay too late is due to a mad wrapping storm. I wrapped all of Spud's birthday presents (his birthday is Christmas Eve, and I vowed when he was born to never wrap his gifts in Christmas wrap) and all of the Christmas presents that were in the house still unwrapped. There are still some en route from Amazon.com that will need wrapping, but for now, I'm caught up. I love wrapping presents, and it truly gives me a modicum of pain that, due to the Minnie cat's penchant for ribbon eating, our gifts must be wrapped in only paper. Because we all know that the only thing better than a wrapped gift is a wrapped gift enhanced with CURLY RIBBON!

Yeah. It's late. I should be in bed. But it seemed like a worthwhile post 1 a.m. endeavor to rescue 2010 from the despair of "Tied for Worst Blogging Year."

I leave you with some Sesame Street funny.

Baby Spanx

2010-12-08T22:42:00.001-07:00

Oh my, I couldn't stop laughing. The adorable chubby baby looks so much like one of my nieces did when she was a baby. So chubbily delicious!

more me, all the time

2010-12-08T12:53:00.003-07:00

How odd is it that last night I was thinking that I could just take my facebook status updates and compile those and they'd give a pretty representative Annual Review for a Christmas letter, and then today I see that there is some facebook app that will compile a lot of your status updates into a "collage"? I thought that was pretty coincidental. But since I'm a sloth, once again, and not getting Christmas cards out, there's not even a letter to bother with. I really do want to send out some sort of card, though. Maybe I'll get ambitious and send out New Years or Valentines cards. (Do not hold your breath over this, though.)

Anyways, just because I think it is fun and what is a blog for if not for shameless self-promotion and navel-gazing...

(Click on it to see larger, then try "control +" or "command +" to make it large enough to read. This is all of course assuming you even bother looking at it.)

fun with kids

2010-11-15T23:37:00.004-07:00

I think one thing I love about kids, particularly my kids, is how easy it is to have fun with them. Sprout loves balloons, so I blew one up for him this evening and then the older kids wanted to play balloon bop (where we try and keep the balloon up in the air in the vaulted entryway), so we did. We tried various ways of hitting it, and used certain parts of our bodies, and one time I said "Power punch!" as I fist-hit the balloon as high as I could, and that was immediately adopted as the preferred method, especially punctuated with loudly shouted "Power punch!"

Prior to that, Noodle taped her thumbs to her index fingers for a half hour or so, just to see how difficult it was to do things with no thumbs, like draw, eat, open doorknobs, give a thumbs up (we called it "nubs up"), pick things up. I told her that she was doing pretty well, so we could cut off her thumbs and it would be no big deal. Then she could go around inspiring people with all she could do without thumbs. She opted not to pursuit that route, though.

Spud was doing some activities on the educational/reading website Starfall.com today, and one of his favorite things to do is get into the part where there are little songs playing, and he gets up and dances around. He's done this since he was about 3, I think, and it's ridiculously cute. So today when we heard the song playing, Noodle and I came and spied on him. He gets so self conscious about things sometimes it is especially fun to watch him when he doesn't know it.

The kids did an awesome job cleaning up the playroom today, so when I went up for the inspection, Spud wanted me to toss him into the giant beanbag. So I did, and then of course had to do it a couple times for each kid. It is such a simple little thing, but they always love it.

Before the ballon bop game, Noodle, Spud and I sat in a triangle with our legs spread out and feet touching, with Sprout in the middle and he took turns run-hopping to each person and giving them a big hug. He seemed to skip Noodle regularly, so it was a joke that he didn't really love her, and then the kids tried to entice Sprout to come to them by making ridiculously sad faces.

I once had a framed saying that said, "Stay close to the young and a little rubs off." It's cheesy, but true. I go through short-lived stages where I think it would be fun to get a Wii system for the family, but I know we would lose a lot of these activities that come up just because we are hanging around doing not much of anything. I don't want my kids to have a childhood where one of the primary pasttimes is video games or TV. I don't mind if it is part of their experience, but it shouldn't be a main focus. They don't miss not having them now, but I know if we introduced them, it would be something they wanted to do much more regularly than I'd want them to.

Elf Yourself - Surf Party

2010-11-11T12:17:00.001-07:00

Elf Yourself - Hip Hop

2010-11-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Elf Yourself - Singing

2010-11-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Elf Yourself - Pets Only

2010-11-11T09:24:00.001-07:00

Elf Yourself - 80s

2010-11-11T09:14:00.001-07:00

Elf Yourself - Country

2010-11-11T09:06:00.004-07:00

The kids & I are having lots of fun, so I'm going to share these here. :o)

thoughts...

2010-11-09T23:21:00.003-07:00

David shared this blog post/article with me today. I really enjoyed it. I think it is an outlook on the Gospel and the church that would be beneficial for me to utilize. I especially like the part about the Lord not running a bed & breakfast. We have a vested interest in this whole deal.

And, while I'm waxing religiously philosophical (okay, not actually waxing because it's late and I'm tired), I have been meaning to share this link, The Two Trees. I have to say that this is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. I feel like it meshes very well with my understanding of various gospel components, but it is put together in an entirely new way. It actually makes the Plan of Salvation more meaningful and relevant because EVERYONE, regardless of gender, has an important role. There is a lot of lip service about the importance of women in the church, but it is hard to buy the line when it comes from a (nearly) all male leadership. Anyways, I've been wanting to discuss this article with like-minded friends for the past month, but I don't know if anyone I've shared the link with has taken the time to read it. If you read it, tell me what you think.

This Is Halloween!

2010-10-30T22:19:00.002-06:00

Halloween isn't my favorite holiday by far, but I do like seeing my kids look cute in their costumes. That is probably the reason we adults put up with all the hassle. (The extra kid is Noodle's best friend who slept over last night and enjoyed the festivities tonight.) Sprout dressed up yesterday for the Homeschoolers Halloween Skating Party, but didn't go out tonight.

Toddler GQ

2010-10-19T23:49:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I think he's ready.

hmmmm....

2010-10-06T22:24:00.000-06:00

I wonder if this would look good in my upstairs hallway. What do you think?

life divided

2010-10-06T14:01:00.002-06:00

So, I have a hard time sometimes deciding what to post on this blog, and what is better off on my homeschooling blog. I would love to have a snazzy combined blog, with different tabs across the top, but I don't know how to do that. So, I have two blogs.

Anyways, yesterday we went on a bike ride again with some fellow neighborhood homeschoolers. We rode along the river trail again (last week we rode out to Utah Lake) and it was cloudy and a light rain fell occasionally. The colors along the trail are AMAZING, and the cloudy day made them all the more vibrant. I imagined I was on a vacation in the pacific northwest. It was perfect, you could wear a jacket or not and be comfortable. I love that type of weather.

I am presently quite content in my denial of winter. Last week was unseasonably warm (mid to high 80s), and I really felt it was just as it should be. I feel the need to come up with a survival strategy for winter, but that would require admitting that it really is just around the corner. I need to start my Christmas sewing projects, which is at least something that makes it bearable. Yeah, I'm a dork. Or nerd. Or geek, or whatever type of person it is who likes to sew things.

Thursday, Friday, Happy Days

2010-09-30T22:51:00.002-06:00

So, I would have sworn there was a line in that song that said, "Good days, Happy days," but I looked and nope. There isn't. Oh well.

Today was a happy day. There were a couple of hiccups/bumps along the way, but it was overall a really nice day. We ate lunch outside on the patio set that David's dad bought me, and I got to spend a few minutes weeding the lawn. The kids invited the neighbor across the street's dog over so they could play Dog Hotel with their friend. I made dinner for our belated birthday celebration with David, and then the kids and David (and me, some) played outside with our parachute thing. Sprout was hilarious and would explode with excitement when we'd start moving the parachute to bounce the balls. So fun. Then we had brownie sundaes for his birthday dessert. Yum!

I am trying to do better at noticing and enjoying the little things in my life that bring happiness and really savor those moments. Like the way Sprout can't help but start dancing when he hears some good music. And the funny things the older kids think of to do and say. There are enough of these moments to fill my life with joy if I learn to bask in them. It can be too easy to get dragged down by the things that go wrong. I'm going to try harder to be lifted up by everything that goes right.

I also had some fun looking for funny tee shirts for David for Christmas this year. It is kind of a tradition that I give him one or two every year now. This isn't one of the funniest ones, but I think it is really cute. I think this year I will finally have to buy this one because I love it so much, and just thinking about it makes me smile.

I love funny.

home decorating

2010-09-22T14:45:00.005-06:00

"We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.” - Donald Horban

Last night we had a Relief Society activity where we got to visit other people's homes in the neighborhood. We went to four homes (and a backyard, so on the way to the backyard, we peeked in the home briefly) and they were all lovely. So nicely decorated, different styles, but all fabulous. I'll be the first to admit that I have no eye for decorating a home. On the very rare occasion that I do have an idea, it takes me 6 months to two years to get around to implementing it. I like to think I'd be better if we had more money to spend on things like decorating, but I don't think it's true. So, I felt kinda bummed after the fun activity, just because I want my home to be beautiful and homey. But then I realized that the MOST important thing I can do right now is GET RID OF STUFF. The lack of clutter is one thing all the homes had in common, and getting rid of stuff is free! Last month I decided I didn't like using the top of the kitchen cabinets for storage because it looked cluttery, so I cleaned out and reorganized the pantry so the important items could fit in there. I've seen lots of houses with cute decorative stuff on top of the cabinets, but we don't have a lot of room there, so I don't know what, if anything, would look good. I might have to consult some of the ladies from last night. But, I do like the "empty" look a lot better than the cluttered look, so that's something!

So, that's my plan. I am involved in a lot of things that lend to clutter, or at least, require materials: homeschooling, cloth-diapering, keeping pets, sewing, letting the kids do arts/crafts... But there has to be a way to do these things and not let the stuff take over my life. I'm committed to figuring out how.

I found these two articles on Zen Habits with great tips. Last night I cleaned out my inbox on my desk. Now I need to clean the rest of the desk!

the sucky thing about Fridays

2010-09-17T22:54:00.002-06:00

is when you don't have anything even kind of cool to do, you feel lame. Especially if you are all alone (kids don't count). But, since it is SUPPOSED to be fun, you don't feel like doing anything productive, either (like folding laundry or cleaning up). Which is why I just end up dinking around online and eating two bowls of Chocolate Chex. Whoo. Party animal.

the point of hugs

2010-09-14T19:40:00.003-06:00

"Mom, you know what is the point of hugs if someone is gone? Actually feeling them, not just seeing them." -- Spud, after giving me a hug after asking, "Mom, do you need some hugs?"

I think this is in reference to the "hugs" we send to David through the phone and through Skype while he is in California.

clueless cooking, easy spanish rice

2010-09-14T18:55:00.002-06:00

I made rice and bean burritos and green beans the other night, with Spanish rice. To make the Spanish rice, I just cooked the rice in the ricecooker, and then added 1 cup of salsa and about a tsp of cumin. Just enough spicy to make it interesting.

Tonight we had Tilapia fillets (cooked in butter with seasoned salt on them) and Spud said, "Mom, your fish is as good as dad's!" And Noodle said that the "skin" was the perfect amount of crispiness. So, hooray! We had leftover Spanish rice and cucumber salad. I can't remember if I gave the recipe for the cucumber salad before, but you just peel a cucumber (or two or three), slice it up, make a dressing of equal parts vinegar (red wine or white), water & sugar, mix it up, and put the cucumbers in. Adjust sourness to taste. Noodle LOOOOVES this salad. She is a sour fiend.

Another recent meal is what the kids named "krabby patties" from SpongeBob. I make whole wheat rolls with the help of my breadmaker, and we put tunafish and cheese on them. They make very cute little sandwiches that the kids love to eat.

the reluctant wedding photographer

2010-09-08T13:35:00.009-06:00

My brother Eric had two children get married in the last month. My nephew Jason was married in Logan the first week of August, and my niece Ashley was married last Friday in Boise. I had taken Jason & Katie's engagement pictures back in June when they were in town for my parents' 50th Anniversary, and they asked if I would do their wedding pictures. I told them I'd never done a wedding, but if they wanted me to, I would. They said they did. As I started preparing, I started to almost wish I'd said no. I spent about a two weeks reading, practicing, and reading some more. It was a great learning experience, as I finally had to learn some things that I'd been able to avoid learning up until now. I knew that I needed to know my stuff inside and out because I'd only have one chance at these wedding pictures.

I didn't sleep at all the night before Jason's wedding. Every time I'd almost be able to "count" myself to sleep (I sometimes try relaxation exercises where you count your breaths in & out), aperture, ISO, flash settings and shutter speeds would start racing through my head. It would have been laughable (it is now) if I hadn't been in such a panic.

After the wedding, my brother and his wife asked if I was interested in taking Ashley's pictures. I said I'd be willing to do it if they wanted me to, but they needn't feel obligated to ask me. And I suggested they wait until they see the pictures from Jason & Katie's wedding before making up their mind. They ended up asking me, and thankfully it wasn't nearly as stressful. Though the Boise Temple didn't have quite so many "photo spots" as the Logan Temple, but we ended up with a number of great shots. I think they'll be pleased.

Ashley's wedding pictures are first, then Jason's.

Oh, and if you are wondering if this means I want to do wedding photography now, I can safely assure you that the answer is NO WAY! I had a lot of fun doing these two weddings because I knew the couples and I was going to be at them anyways, but I don't have any interest in spending entire days away from my family or dealing with bridezillas or any of that. Ashley and Katie were super laid back and a ton of fun. But if somebody else in the family gets married in the next couple of years, I'd be willing to shoot their wedding if they want me.

sadness

2010-08-25T23:50:00.002-06:00

It's late, and I need to go to bed. I stepped outside to check that I'd turned the sprinkler off and I glanced next door. And the wave of grief hits again.

Monday night my next door neighbor died in a plane crash in Nepal. Leaving behind her husband of 29 years and five children, the youngest a 14 year old daughter. One son is on a mission for the LDS church in New Jersey. She was in Nepal with her best friend to do a hike to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They'd been planning and training for the past four years. She was celebrating her 50th birthday.

I heard the news Tuesday morning. My friend called and when he told me, the first thing out of my mouth was "You're kidding," even as I knew that he wasn't, and that noone would joke about this. My thoughts first went to the kids, who have been wonderful friends to us since we moved in four years ago. How would they survive this? How can they be strong enough to bear this grief that I can't even imagine? I needed to talk to someone, so I called my sister-in-law Cristina into the room since I couldn't reach David on the phone. She cried with me and hugged me. I told the kids after breakfast, and then we went next door. There were other friends and neighbors there, and we just hugged them and cried with them. "I'm so sorry," is all that I could say. Hugging them seemed like the best way to share their pain. It was then that my thoughts moved from the kids to the father. They had lost their mother, but he had lost the love of his life, his companion. He's alone now. The anguish in his face was wrenching, but I could see the strength that he was mustering for his family right now.

It's just so sad. The kind of thing about life that makes you really angry, or it would, if you could get past the sorrow.

So when I stepped out tonight, thinking of my own little world here in my home, I look next door and wish I could somehow lessen their pain. I wish that my own sorrow could somehow take away some of theirs. But all we can do in these instances is to mourn with those that mourn, I guess. And I hope that's something.

The Deseret News published a really touching article about the family.

Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

sweet deals

2010-08-23T18:11:00.000-06:00

Screamin Coupons

I just got some discount passes to the Tracy Aviary. Yay!

two guys

2010-08-22T23:43:00.000-06:00

DISNEYLAND!!!

2010-08-18T15:53:00.010-06:00

So, as a sort of compensation for "stealing" my husband away, David's Uncle Brian took us all to Disneyland at the beginning of July. It was SO AMAZINGLY FUN! I haven't been in twenty years (which makes me feel weirdly old to be able to say that about something) and I really think I enjoyed it more as an adult than I did as a kid, and that's saying something. Honestly, since I've become an adult, I think I kind of pooh poohed Disneyland because it is so expensive and could it really be worth spending all that money? Well, I can definitely say it was worth spending all of someone else's money to go. The entire two days we were there, I really did feel like it was a wonderful vacation from the realities of life. Who has time to think about bills and schedules when you are contemplating whether to ride Splash Mountain or shoot aliens with Buzz Lightyear? Certainly not I.

We had a blast, and I purposefully didn't carry my camera both days because I wanted to enjoy the experience without trying too hard to capture it. But we did have Noodle's little point & shoot for half of the other day until the batteries died.

In addition to Brian, my sister-in-law Jenn and David's cousin Mikhail (age 10) also came. The kids had a blast with Mikhail, and I think it created a nice dynamic to have another kid to interact with. And I highly recommend the 1:1 kid:adult ratio! We'll have to remember that when we go back in four years.

Noodle and Spud rode EVERYTHING! Well, we missed a few of the smaller rides, but there was nothing too fast or too scary for them. I was very impressed. Noodle closed her eyes until after the upside down loop on California Screamin', but she still went on it again. They both liked the Tower of Terror, which was almost too intense for me. And they absolutely loved Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain and the Matterhorn. It is nice that Spud is so tall for his age, as there wasn't anything he wasn't big enough to ride. That's why we figure we can go back in 4 years when Sprout is 5 1/2. He should be tall enough then to enjoy everything.

Thanks Brian, for a fabulous time!

clueless cooking, continued

2010-08-16T22:08:00.004-06:00

There is no way I'm going to be able to come up consistently with alliterative post titles, so I guess I'll have to go with something boringly sequential. Any ideas?

So, we had a whole bunch of green beans and bell peppers. The bell peppers were left over from my sister-in-law Jenn's farewell party last week and were supposed to be grilled by Kent, but her forgot. It's a six pack of red, yellow and orange, so I knew I had to think of a way to use them. I ended up sauteeing them in olive oil and we had them on our burritos, so they were a little fajita-ized. REALLY good. Noodle even ate her whole burrito, and she doesn't care much for beans. I think the peppers took away some of the beaniness for her. I also cooked the green beans: pour olive oil into the pan (I used our large cast iron griddle) and add green beans, turn heat up to 5.5. Add onions and garlic if desired. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of water, cover, and cook for 5-8 more minutes. The lid I thought would cover the pan didn't, so I had to use a large plate instead. Salt & pepper to taste. This is a great way to prepare fresh green beans--they don't get soggy or mushy like they would if you just steamed them.

confessions of a clueless cook

2010-08-15T22:26:00.002-06:00

So, those of you who don't know me well (or in person) might not know my terrible little secret: I can't cook. Maybe it's because I was the youngest child of a working mom, maybe it's because I was quite happy living on baked potatoes, spaghetti, salad, and the occasional dish I'd make from a cookbook, but I never got the knack of looking in the fridge, seeing what was available and figuring out how to make A Food out of that. I don't suppose I'm all that different in that way from a lot of girls of my generation. Then we get married, and it's like, "Aw crap. Now we're supposed to eat food that is actually in meal form." And generally, the wife (still) does most of the cooking. But I got lucky. I married an Oldest who actually LIKES to cook and, more importantly, is really good at it. So, I kind of forgot some of the skills I used to have as I let him do 99.99% of the dinner prep over the past 9 years.

Due to his new working situation/schedule, it's become obvious to me that the kids and I can't eat my "quick meals" all the time. So, I need to learn to cook. A couple weeks ago, I made my first ever stir fry! It was really yummy. Last night and tonight again, I made what we call "Cucumber Salad," which is super easy. Peel a cucumber (or more, depending on how many people you have), mix about equal parts vinegar (white or red wine), water, and sugar (maybe a smidge less sugar) and add some salt. Mix with cucumbers. Eat. Noodle ABSOLUTELY loves this salad, and will eat bowlsful if given the chance. Spud told me at dinner tonight that he hates this salad, but after taking a bite of the one cucumber slice I forced on him, he said, "Mmmmm...can I have one more?"

I also did a rice stir fry and cooked FISH (my first time doing that, too). It was easier than I expected. Melt butter in the frying pan at 4.5 on the burner. Add fish and up the temp to 5.5. Wait and watch. The fish was really thick, so it took about 10-12 minutes total to cook, I think. I flipped it after about 6 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste. It was yummy. I think the fish was salmon, but it wasn't labeled and it wasn't pink. Is there non-pink salmon?

I'm writing these things more for me than for you, as I'm guessing most of you know how to cook this stuff. I need to be able to find my "notes" again for future reference (my culinary memory stinks), so I figure blogging about it will be motivation to actually sit down and type it up. Maybe I'll even try and plate the food nicely and practice my food photography. ;o)

"It only hurts when I poke it."

2010-08-13T11:06:00.003-06:00

There are a lot of blogs out there. Blogs are easy to start, fairly painless to maintain, and we all get to feel like we have a few moments of fame every once in a while. Moms, especially, seem to be drawn to blogging as a way to create and maintain adult relationships and have an outlet that is easily accessible from home, at any time. And, as you can tell by my list of blogs on the sidebar, I like to read others' blogs. But there are a couple of blogs that I know of that I do not enjoy reading, yet I find myself reading them once every few months, anyways. For some reason, I can't stay away permanently. I made the mistake of spending a few minutes on two such blogs about a week and a half ago, and I ended up with a really unpleasant sensation for a good part of the afternoon. Irritation mixed with disbelief,mixed with, I dunno, probably a bit of superiority thrown in that I'm not like that person, whatever my flaws might be. (You'd think that superiority would give it a positive twinge, but it's true that no form of pride really makes us feel better.) So, why do I do it?

For some reason, although I know that there are all types of people in this world, with different experiences and their own versions of reality, I tend to approach most people with the assumption that they see life fairly similarly to the way I do. This generally works, as I don't have occasion to spend much time in diverse or new company. But sometimes, I get THE SMACKDOWN. I'm made painfully aware that, NOPE, there are a number of people who see the world vastly different than I do. Sometimes I'm okay with that, and sometimes, it results in the above mentioned experience and sensation. I'm not one to go around looking for battles or things to gripe about, so I tend to shake it off and move on. After all, it's not like I have to LIVE with those people! So why do I revisit these blogs that make me want to throw things?

'roids

2010-08-12T18:59:00.002-06:00

So, after 36 hours, Noodle's eye was not much improved, still quite swollen. So we went in to the InstaCare this morning and the doctor gave her a prescription for a steroid. The swelling has noticeably gone down, for which she is very grateful. The doc said we should be vigilant with future stings, as her body might be forming a "memory" which could result in an allergic reaction.

Poor kidlet.

noodle

2010-08-10T22:54:00.004-06:00

The original. I still can't believe that she's 8 years old. Here she is helping me out while I practiced shooting "Jump shots" this morning.

Poor thing got double stung by a wasp this afternoon. Once on her eyebrow and once right under her eye. It swelled up a TON. It's still pretty swollen, but it has gone down a bit since the incident, so I don't think it will need anything more than time and maybe some more benadryl in the morning.

i could tell you

2010-08-09T17:23:00.002-06:00

about my nephew's wedding last week (which was really fabulous) and how they asked me to be the photographer (which was also fabulous, but stressed me out and I didn't sleep a wink the night before the wedding) and how nice it was to see so much of the family, la dee dah etcetera. I could even share some of my favorite pictures from the day.

But instead, I will share this blog with you, that I discovered a month or so ago from a friend on Facebook and it never fails to make me laugh. A lot. So, enjoy. Hyperbole and a Half

Be sure to check out the "Best of" on the right sidebar. You won't be disappointed. And if you don't laugh, well, then, maybe we aren't that much alike after all. ;o)

Spud

2010-07-28T12:19:00.003-06:00

This kid is so awesome. Seriously. :o)

life

2010-07-22T22:51:00.002-06:00

So, I have a lot of fun things I could post about. Happy developments, fun trips, good times, noodle salad...you get the idea. But what is on my mind is the nature of life, and particularly the hard things in life. It is common to hear people talk about God "giving" us challenges for a reason. After wrestling with some of my own challenges over the past couple years, I've decided I don't believe that at all. I don't believe God gives us challenges. In the scriptures it says how everything that is good comes from God, and I just don't buy that we are supposed to look at really sad, heartbreaking things as "good" because we can learn from them. I think it is okay to say, "That is a terrible/bad/sad/heartbreaking thing," and NOT feel like we are somehow not acknowledging God's love for us. The crappy things we have to deal with in life are simple a result of living here on this earth, which, for all its bounty and fabulousness, is not perfect. What I think is God's gift to us, is the strength to handle our hardships and heartbreaks, and the gift of the Savior not to have to do it alone. I don't believe that God looked down on some friends of mine who had conceived after a decade of trying and caused her to miscarry. I don't even think it is His "plan" for them not to have kids. I think it just is part of the whole package deal of life, and some of life stinks. Big time.

In Doctrine and Covenants 122, the Lord told Joseph Smith that no matter what awful things happened to him (and He listed a good number of the possibilities), that all these things would give him experience and would be for his good. I used to interpret that as a, "See, the blessings will come later," or "You will learn important lessons from this trial," but I don't see it that way anymore. It isn't a promise of better things in the future (Joseph Smith sure didn't have better things in his future), nor is it a "Everything is good because you learn from it," thing. The whole point of life IS THE EXPERIENCE, and THAT is where the good comes in. Before we came down to this earth, I imagine we got a pretty good idea of all the awful, terrible, disappointing, sad, miserable things that could happen to us. But we still wanted to come. The goal on the other side of this life was so magnificent that nothing would deter us. And even though we were made aware (probably painfully so) of all the crap we might have to wade through, we also knew that this life would provide a vast array of theretofore unexperienced wonders. The wonder of having a body, even a very imperfect one, and experiencing so many things for the first time was certainly something to look forward to. It's easy to be overly critical of our bodies here on earth, and other people's bodies, too. But every body, even the ones that might be viewed as less attractive or the ones that can't do everything that others do, is pretty awesome. If only we could remember that and celebrate it.

I wonder where we'd be if we didn't have ideas of physical beauty. I think its definitely hardwired into our biology, as evolutionarily, many organisms (especially birds and mammals) have criteria on which to judge potential mates, symmetry being frequently a key indicator of "fitness" (which as a biology term means ability to successfully reproduce, not hours spent at the gym). And if it is a "thing of the flesh," perhaps after this life there won't be a concept of physical beauty. With only perfected beings, I don't know if it is so much that we will all be beautiful (if judged by mortal standards), or that we will be freed from the biological limitation of seeing physical differences as negative.

There is something to seeing the real beauty of an individual. It's definitely something I can improve on, and something I'd like to be sure to teach my children.

"Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." -- The Little Prince

tough week for Sprout

2010-06-27T21:28:00.004-06:00

Sprout had his adenoids removed this week. The surgery went off without a hitch and was really quick. He had a hard time as he was coming out of the anesthesia, but after we got home and he took a nap, he was in much better spirits. Then Friday, he fell and bashed his eye on one of the steps with a metal edge. He cried so much, and it's left him with quite a shiner. Poor guy. He and I stayed home from church today and I had fun taking pictures of him playing around the sofa. He's such a trooper.

furkids

2010-06-23T16:01:00.003-06:00

So, back when I had fewer dogs (only 2), still 2 cats, and more "other" pets (4 rats and a rabbit {now deceased} and a fish), my sister and her (then) four kids came to visit. After her kids thoroughly enjoyed helping Noodle & Spud with their pet chores, she commented to me, "I can see why you aren't in a hurry to have more kids. With all these pets, it feels like a houseful." She was right. And even though we've mixed it up a bit since then, by adding a third kid AND a third dog, two tank-dwelling frogs, and not "replacing" the smaller mammal pets, it's still a houseful.

Most of the time, it isn't overwhelming and is just our regular, happy life. Usually it is Noni, our male cat, who throws me in to "WHY DO I HAVE ALL THESE STINKIN' PETS?" mode, and it is usually because he gets a UTI or starts showing his displeasure at something by peeing/marking. The latest thing is his displeasure at Orbit's arrival, and he has marked a few places in the kids' room. I've been trying various home remedy conconctions, but it has been a big pain. I ended up moving Orbit's crate into their closet, so I can block it off from the cats, and closing the doors during the day. Also, I've put around butcher paper and other things cats don't like to walk on. I don't think there has been any additional marking, but I still can't quite get the full odor out. It doesn't help that I have a super sensitive nose. So, that's the current frustration.

We had Orbit neutered about 3 weeks ago, and for the next 10-14 days, he seemed to have some difficulty urinating. Plus, he was peeing in his "playpen crate" a LOT. He'd been doing so well with his housebreaking prior to the surgery, so this was disappointing. Over the last week, though, he seems to have gotten back to his pre-surgery level of bladder control, which is a relief. Since he was a cryptorchid (that means he had undescended testicles), they had to do a more invasive surgery than a standard neuter. I was afraid they might have messed something up inside him, but it looks like all is well.

It's funny, because I don't blog about the pets that much, but I really enjoy talking about pets with other people. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of friends locally who share my interest in animals. I've been spending bits of "free" time lately reading through some of my issues of Bark and have really enjoyed it. I love reading books about dogs, dog training, dog behavior, dog evolution, etc. I also enjoy all of those dog movies targeted (usually) at kids, like Hotel for Dogs and (especially) Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Well, I am not a huge fan of the "Buddies" movies, but they are harmless enough. I'm kind of a sucker for animal movies in general. Babe and Babe: Pig in the City are two of the best movies of all time. The latter has so many fabulous quotes, such as "It's all illusory. It's ill, and it's for losers." David and I use that one quite frequently.

Here are some pics of two of the pooches from today's game of Kitchen Fetch. Also, one crappy shot of Orbit modeling his "Sit." He was a hard one to teach sit, only because the best way is to catch them sitting, click&treat, and then after doing that a dozen or so times, you teach them the word "Sit". He almost never sits down. He runs around, jumps, and lies down, but seldom sat except for in his playpen, which made training difficult. In my experience, Sit is one of the most useful commands because you can then require that the dogs be doing a good thing before you let them inside, outside, give them their meals, etc. When they are sitting, they can't simultaneously be jumping around or otherwise going nuts. I make Rudy sit and stay while I pour his food out (he eats outside or in the garage, off the floor so it takes him more than 1 minute), and he is so good, he'll sit even as I walk away until I give him the "Okay," release. He doesn't know too many other commands, but we get a lot of mileage out of Sit.

dads

2010-06-20T22:46:00.002-06:00

I am grateful today for my own father. I'm especially grateful that he's still around. I love him a lot and am so appreciative of the man he is.

And, I'm still madly in love with this daddy, even after nearly 9 years of marriage. My kids are pretty lucky. I hope they know it.

50 years!

2010-06-09T14:38:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was my parents' 50th Anniversary.

50 years. 6 kids. 31 grandkids. (Not everyone is pictured here.)

Not too shabby.

Thanks, Mom & Dad, for saying "Yes" all those years ago.

to my daughter...

2010-06-01T23:23:00.005-06:00

At this time, 8 years ago, I was trying to figure out if it was time to go to the hospital. We eventually decided that it was, and tomorrow morning is the 8 year anniversary of your birth.

Until I became a mother, I never really had given any thought to the fact that it's almost funny that the birthday is all about the child, because the mom is the one who did all the work. Since they obviously won't remember their own birth, the memory of the original birthday is something that only the parents will recall each year. I wonder about my own birth day.

Nothing in life changes you so much as becoming a parent. At least, nothing in my life has. Getting married, while a big change, doesn't demand so much. You are still yourself. Your spouse sees you as an equal, a peer. But to your child, you are, at first, the world. Then as her world grows, you move in to the background. I don't know how much kids "see" their parents. Certainly it varies from family to family, but so much of parenting is what goes on in the background of kids' lives.

I remember feeling so much worry when Noodle was a baby. She had some weeks of colic, and I thought it would last forever. I also thought her never sleeping well would last forever. I chose "This too shall pass," as a mantra of sorts after David reminded me, yet again, that it wouldn't last forever. Nothing does. I'm so grateful that with Noodle we made an effort early on to enjoy the stage she was at, not to wish away her infancy, or babyhood, or toddlerhood, or childhood. The most important baby item we've ever owned are the Maya Wrap baby slings. They are only "holdable" for so long. Even with my big giant boys, I still have been so glad to hold them and carry them as long as possible.

I can't believe it's been eight years. Looking at her first year album (the only one I truly commit to doing), I can remember how I felt being in charge of this little person. Since we were in grad school, we hauled her around with us. Though she was our daughter, we kind of viewed her as the Mascot of Team Gonzo. Not that people haven't and don't regularly do harder things, but we felt like the two of us going to grad school as parents was a grand challenge, an adventure. We were still newlyweds, too, really, having been married not quite 11 months when Noodle arrived.

I love who Noodle has become. Granted, I could do without some of the attitude that seems to be springing up, but I appreciate her kindness and her artistic talent and her willingness to include her younger brother in her fun. She is a hard worker (when she wants to be) and I am grateful to get to spend so much time around her. There is so much I know now that I wish I would've known 8 years ago when I was starting down this parenting road, but I guess that's the flip side of being the first child. You might have some time of undivided parental attention, but you are also the guinea pig.

Ah, Baby Z (as we called you in utero). How I love you.

And here she is at one:

And two:

And three:
And four:

And five:

That seems sufficient for now.

since I do, in fact, have three kids

2010-06-01T23:19:00.002-06:00

I have rather enjoyed this website:
Having Three Kids

banana boy

2010-05-26T17:20:00.002-06:00

So, I say to Spud today, "Hey, can I take some 5 year old pictures of you?"

"Okay, if I can take some with bananas."

note to self

2010-05-23T10:23:00.003-06:00

Last Sunday I had a meeting at 10 a.m., and since I tend to forget things scheduled for Sunday mornings (because I like to be lazy and relax before church) I wrote "10:00 meeting" on my bathroom mirror. Normally, I would erase it after the event, but for whatever reason (sloth, perhaps), I didn't. Then it turned out to be a good reminder for something Friday morning, Saturday morning, and again this morning. All the meetings started at 10:00, so I was able to reuse my note, and not feel too bad about not getting around to erasing it. So nice when laziness actually is useful. I think I'll wipe it off today, though.

The Polar Express

2010-05-03T09:46:00.002-06:00

Last week we were able to get a great deal to ride the Heber Creeper, so we took advantage of it. Even though it was the end of April, it was snowing and OH SO cold. We did see quite a few deer, some ducks, Canada geese, and even two herons running around. And it was neat to ride the train.

happiness

2010-05-02T20:33:00.002-06:00

I think I have figured out how to be happy, at least most of the time. It's part having realistic expectations, and part enjoying the little things, and part letting the bad things slide "like water off a duck's back." There's also the part about being grateful for all the good things, and having hope for the areas that need improvement. I've liked this verse from Phillippians 4:11 for quite a while, now, and often think about it when I'm feeling discontent

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content

This week we made a chart to check off whenever we do our daily "Anchors." The Anchors are Morning Prayer, Devotional, Family Scriptures, Evening Prayer, and David & Mindy Prayer. I made a chart and assigned a monetary reward based on how many checks we get during the week. We got 23 checks this week, so we earned $3 for our Family Fun jar. (The max amount/week is $5 if we do 24+.) We've realized that doing the little important things really help shape our days and keep things in balance. We are more productive because we start and end things at a set time, instead of just whenever, which is a challenge when you homeschool and can pretty much set your own schedule. Anyways, it was a good week.

childhood

2010-04-06T21:17:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about childhood the past couple of months. I don't recall exactly what prompted me to start thinking about it (maybe these three children running around), but the thoughts have occupied a fair chunk of my free mind time. Not that I claim to be old or wise, but at 31, I feel like I have a fair understanding of what's important in life and am largely the person I'm going to be, though I hope to keep improving and yada yada. I look at my little daughter, who turns 8 in a couple of months, and am amazed at how fast her life has gone by for me. While childhood feels endless to us as children, due to the lack of comparable experience, it is really just a blip in our lifetime. It seems to me that true childhood ends at about 12 or so, and if we live to the age of 72, childhood is 1/6 of our lives. If you accept that by 24 we are "adults," then in contrast, 2/3 of our lives are spent as adults. Years 12-24 are not childhood and not adulthood, so they are a coming-of-age period, so that is the remaining 1/6.

Anyways, enough with the numbers. My point is, childhood is brief, but it shapes so much of who we are, and our expectations for how the rest of our lives should go. Along this line, I've been looking at what we require of children. We require them to spend a very large amount of time in school, often learning stuff that they won't remember the following month, let alone carry with them into adulthood. Not to say that we shouldn't teach kids anything but progressive skills, where they constantly have to build on what they've learned, but maybe it isn't so important that they spend so much time learning things that they aren't interested in and won't remember. And I don't think we do anyone a service when we force material on kids/youth before they are ready. An example of this in my own life is being required to read Great Expectations my freshman year in high school. All I remembered from that book was creepy Miss Havisham and weird images of her wedding cake and all the cobwebs and whatnot. About a year and a half ago we read it for a discussion group I was a part of, and I was AMAZED at what a fantastic piece of literature it is. So much depth and insight into the human condition. Great characters, vivid imagery and all that good stuff. I fell in love with a book that had given me, 14 years earlier, nothing but an odd, lingering image. Reading the book at age 14 could possibly be considered worse than a waste of time, because a waste of time typically doesn't do harm. But if I'd never picked up Great Expectations again, I'd have forever thought the problem was in the work, rather than in my immaturity at the time I read it.

About a year and a half ago, David and I realized that with Noodle being so much like I was as a child (in love with all things animal, particularly those things with fur), having a dog of her very own would probably be one of the defining experiences of her childhood. (I had a dog of my own, too, but I didn't get him until after 8th grade and it was the kind of dog my dad wanted--a German shepherd--rather than what I wanted--a cocker spaniel or similar dog.) Perhaps this would have been a better thought if we didn't already own two dogs, but nonetheless, we couldn't deny it. We told her she could get her own dog when she turned 8, and she started saving. Every dollar her Pop Pop gave her, all her birthday and Christmas money, any money earned from extra chores went into her empty TANG container. She saved $100! We found a dog of a breed we'd researched and thought would be a good fit, and on Saturday, April 3rd, we went and got him. Orbit is a miniature rat terrier, born December 30, 2009. He is a great pup. While he still has manners to learn, he is very snuggly and playful, and gets along well with the other canines.

It makes me wonder if there will be a similar defining experience we can give to Spud and Sprout. I hope so. I hope we'll have the wisdom to recognize it.

I wish I could better encapsulate my thoughts on this topic. I don't feel like I'm doing an adequate job capturing the poignancy I feel about it, but oh well.

from last fall

2010-03-23T10:34:00.004-06:00

more Spud talk

2010-03-21T17:04:00.002-06:00

Me: Can I give you a kiss?
Spud: Yeah, just don't steal one.
Me (kissing him on the cheek): Is this okay?
Spud: Yeah.

Noodle leans over and gives him a hug.
Spud: Hey! You stealed a hug!

forgot to share this...

2010-03-14T23:58:00.001-06:00

So, back in January, Spud was looking at my feet. I happen to have a very small "baby" toe, so after he looked at it a while he said, "If I had a skinny little toe, I'd get a fake toe and put it over it, like a cap."

Thanks, kid.

do more things badly

2010-03-11T12:53:00.002-07:00

Y'know, I think there is some truth to this idea.

What do you think?

good things from today

2010-03-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

 One clean kitchen floor  

 Two freshly bathed doggies  

  Three swinging kids in the backyard  

breathing

2010-03-09T15:55:00.002-07:00

So, Day 10 of Sprout's antibiotic treatment (prescribed by the otolaryngologist) was Saturday, and he is still breathing clear! So it looks like the congestion since the first of December was likely caused by a bacterial infection, maybe in his sinuses or adenoids. I am a bit frustrated that the family practice doctor I took him to for his 1 year checkup didn't suggest antibiotics, but he just said, "Everything looks fine to me." When I pushed and said that everything was obviously NOT fine, as the kid hasn't been able to breathe through his nose for two months, he suggested we try Benadryl at night and see if that made any change. If it did, we were probably dealing with an allergy. I am just so delighted that the little guy can breathe, and SLEEP, much better now.

In other news, two of David's sisters have moved in with us. One moved in a couple of weeks ago and the other arrived Sunday. So far, so good. They are both pleasant and fun people, so I think we'll be fine. Plus, it makes a difference to know that it is only for a few months. We are all mature enough to handle anything temporarily. They are living a bit more "snuggly" than they are used to, though, since they are sharing a room with bunk beds, something they haven't done for a while. But they seem busy enough that they don't need their rooms for much beyond closet space and sleeping.

Lately my blog-brain is kind of muddled. I will start thinking of a post, but then either forget it, or by the time I have some time to sit down and type it, it's kind of irrelevant. (Notice that it took more than a month to post Sprout's cake pictures!)

I'm also wishing for someone to send me $5-7000 to improve my yard/landscaping. Ah, wouldn't it be nice?

cake pictures

2010-03-09T15:51:00.003-07:00

I can't believe I didn't get around to posting these pictures from Sprout's first birthday celebration. For the other kids, we've gotten them a free "1 year old cake" at a local grocery store, but this year I just made one. It was a very very yummy cake, thanks to my good friend Betty Crocker. I made the frosting myself, though. (Impressive, I know!)

one fine day

2010-03-03T19:18:00.002-07:00

Today was a really nice day. Nothing extraordinary happened, but things went fairly smoothly, the sun was shining, and all was right in my world. I even took the dogs for a walk this morning at 7 a.m., and it wasn't cold! We had a productive morning doing school and were nearly finished by the time we took a lunch break at 1:00. I think a late lunch might be the key to us getting mostly done by lunch (which I think would be nice). After lunch, the kids and I took a walk around the block with my sister-in-law Tina, and Noodle practiced her roller skates. She's getting pretty good, I'm impressed. Spud tried his for a bit after we got home. I think we'll have to go to the skating rink soon so they can experience skating on a really smooth surface. It's harder, but more fun, too. After the walk, we spent some time outside just sitting on blankets and the kids played. Then I came inside to put Sprout down for his nap, and then I ate some delicious ice cream (with no kids around) and read a novel! It felt so deliciously decadent to ignore the many things I could have been doing (baskets of laundry to fold, things to organize, etc) and just have some "me" time. Perhaps I should do it more often. Seriously, the sunshine and warmer weather makes me feel like celebrating in a very pagan fashion. Where can I get a Maypole?

So, here's to spring and more fabulous days, where kids play outside, draw with chalk on the driveway, run around and through the yards and house, and don't complain to me about being bored.

i am not in college anymore

2010-02-22T11:57:00.003-07:00

Staying up all night kills me. I tried to sleep, but it didn't happen. I think my body rejected the notion of sleep because it knew that even if I did fall asleep, Sprout would wake me up before I got asleep enough for it to do any good. The little guy has been congested for 3 months. I took him to the doctor at the beginning of the month and he didn't find anything wrong with him. I pushed, saying that something HAS to be wrong, because the boy can't breathe out of his nose and hadn't been able to for the last 2 months. Doctor said, "Maybe it's allergies. Try some benadryl at night. If that clears it up, it's an allergy." It didn't clear it up at all. So I'm thinking it's not an allergy. I have an appointment for him with an Otolaryngologist on Thursday. Then at least we'll know if there is some sort of issue or swelling or whatever somewhere that is preventing him from breathing normally. Since Thanksgiving, I've had maybe 2 decent nights of sleep. Before that, Sprout was not a super sleeper by any means, but he would go a few hours at a time most nights. Now his snuffiness keeps him waking about every 45 minutes, at best.

So tired.

Like, Don't Like

2010-02-16T21:29:00.002-07:00

Like:

30 Rock
House
Ugly Betty
Glee
Modern Family

Don't Like:

American Idol
Other Reality-Type Shows

Lawyer shows

Crime shows

I like funny. And escapism. I like to be sucked up in a funny world for a little while, not subjected to the drama of other actual people. Isn't that why we have family and in-laws?

My sister is awesome

2010-02-15T20:36:00.003-07:00

Actually, both of them are very awesome, but this is about my oldest sister Melody. She has started a blog aimed at sharing the joy that living the gospel of Jesus Christ should bring. She is trying to get it out there, in the hopes that it will help people and help the world see that LDS women are happy and fulfilled. Every day that I've opened it up and read it, I get something from it, some great nugget of truth to carry with me for a few hours. I highly recommend that you check it out (and become a follower--she'd like to have lots of happy faces in that box). Here it is: Enjoying the Journey

Way to go, Melody!

Love is....

2010-02-15T10:07:00.004-07:00

banana nutella crepes.

don't you agree?

I got a crepemaker for Christmas (yay!) and hadn't taken the opportunity to try it out yet. As David and I aren't ones to do much for Valentine's Day, I had the thought to start a V day tradition of making crepes. So we bought supersized jars of Nutella and frozen berries at Costco, some overpriced bananas (and very cute baby bananas just for fun) at the latin market, and we had some killer crepes Sunday night. Ours didn't look quite so finished as the picture, but they still tasted divine! We ate some more this morning for breakfast. I think it is a tradition that I will quite enjoy for years to come. I'd like to make "dinner" crepes, too. I've had those before and they are quite sumptuous.

perspective

2010-02-07T10:38:00.001-07:00

My Baby is ONE!

2010-02-01T12:43:00.004-07:00

This year has FLOWN by. So much so, that it makes me think maybe I shouldn't have any more kids, since time seems to speed up with each new addition to the family.

Sprout has been such a wonderful addition to our family. After Spud was born, I had a hard time adjusting to my new reality as a stay-at-home mom with two kids. Up until his birth, I was a Grad Student Mom with ONE kid. I went through a really rough patch for about 6 months, and then started feeling pretty normal. After Sprout joined us, though, I realized that I'd still had lingering mild depression for the previous 3 1/2 years. When Sprout entered the world, he brought with him a calmness and serenity that really soothed my spirit. It was noticeable to those who were present at his birth and to those who spent time with him during those first couple of weeks.

Not too longer after Sprout's arrival, I had a bit of a scare with a thyroid issue, and (probably at least partly induced by those crazy hormones) I was paranoid that it was going to be cancer and that I'd die, leaving these three mostly fabulous kids without a mom. Through that experience, I came to realize that I had been wasting so much time and energy on worrying about things I couldn't control and hadn't been using energy on things that would bring me and my family true joy. That's obviously one of those lessons that is easy to forget after a while, but I have tried to make it a part of me, and I can see gradual improvement in my attitude and interactions with others.

Sprout has stayed "babyish" the longest of our three kids, and I've appreciated it. He crawled later, and both of the others were walking well by age one. He's such a big boy that it's kind of nice that his development is not accelerated, just average (Spud walked at 8.5 months--it was so easy to think of him as older than he was, and he's been like that his whole life).

He looks for things to be happy about. He is not one to cry or fuss for no reason, though he really is a mama's boy and prefers to be within eyeshot of me. He is very inquisitive about his environment and does to love to explore (perhaps I should have expected as much given his namesake!).

I'm so grateful to have him in my life. Before he was conceived, I was feeling a little fretful about disrupting our life with a new baby. I was worried about the rearranging that would be neccessary--making room for his crib and carseat and all that sort of thing. After three years, we'd gotten quite used to just being the four of us. I had a distinct impression that there was enough room in our lives for #3, and felt very calm and excited about the person who was coming to join us in time. I didn't worry about it at all after that experience. (Though there was a couple of weeks when the midwife wondered if he might be twins and I thought, "Crap, there's no way we can fit in our car!")

So, happy birthday my sweet little boy. Thank you for a wonderful year!

cruel irony

2010-01-28T07:43:00.002-07:00

The first night all week that Sprout sleeps well, David's cell phone alarm starts going off at 5 a.m. and I can't find it in the dark to turn it off (plus it was a really weird alarm so I didn't even know it was his phone until later--I thought it was his computer or the laptop or something) and goes off every ten minutes and he's not around because he's working out downstairs (except I thought he was in the garage and I didn't want to find him to solve the problem). I finally got up at 6. I did get out of bed twice and stumble around the room trying to localize the source of the sound before it stopped.

::sigh::

At least I had time to exercise this morning.

another picture post

2010-01-21T18:06:00.005-07:00

As the resident photographer, I don't often get on the "action" side of the camera.

little guy

2010-01-08T14:27:00.002-07:00

This little guy is so ridiculously lovable.

Earlier this week I was feeling frustrated that he wasn't going down for naps easily anymore, as the "nurse to sleep" thing seems to not be working so well. He's also too big for him to feel comfortable enough to go to sleep when I am holding him. So after lamenting to David, we decide to try and institute an actual naptime routine. This was Tuesday, so Tuesday afternoon I took him into the room where he naps, laid down with him, nursed him while singing a couple of songs, then laid him on my chest and patted him for a few minutes while humming, and within ten minutes he was asleep. And he slept for about 1.5 hours. Wow. I was impressed. The next morning, when he seemed to be getting fussy, I did the same thing. He was out in less than 10 minutes. That afternoon, same thing. On Thursday, same thing for both naps. Every time he has napped at LEAST an hour. And prior to this, for the past week or so, he'd been napping only 15-30 minutes at best during the day, unless David was holding him. Today, the same thing, plus we got up earlier, which I hope to continue as we'd been sleeping in a bit too late. Or rather, he'd be restless and I'd keep trying to convince him to sleep a little bit longer.

So, I'm really excited about this new "routine". The other kids were not so easily persuaded to sleep. Their naptime routines took at least 30 minutes. 10 minutes or less is great, since I'm usually in the middle of doing school with Noodle & Spud.

He's also into EVERYTHING these days. I think it deserves its own post.

So, hooray for naps!

one of those times....

2010-01-05T16:14:00.004-07:00

when you've failed to mention so much, so where do you begin?

Spud turned FIVE on Christmas Eve. Thanks to some good bargain hunting (and calling around to half a dozen Shopko stores when the item was on sale), he got some fun birthday gifts. The big one was a Hot Wheels Raceway. It's nothing super fancy, but you can race 4 cars at a time and it does tell you which car won, so that's fun.

Christmas was a lot of fun. We opened gifts here in the morning and then headed down to David's folks house. After opening gifts, hanging out and lunching there, we forewent (is that the past tense of "forego"?) the traditional Christmas movie (as we didn't want to take Leif to a theater) and went to my sister Melody's house. My brother Dave and his girlfriend showed up there a bit later, and we had a nice time playing games and just hanging out. I liked seeing my family, too. Even though there are quite a number of us around here (Dave up in Salt Lake county, and Melody and Jeff & I all around here with our families) we don't get together that frequently unless Mom & Dad are in town. I think I'll try and make more of a point of getting together with them on holidays when possible. It was fun.

With a lot of hard work, I finished all the kids' dolls before Christmas. Noodle is in love with her doll. She has been taking her everywhere. Spud likes his, too, mostly because he can play with Noodle. Sprout's doll is up on a shelf for now. He'd happily play with it, but I figure we'll save it for when he's older.

As for the New Year, I'm working on finalizing my resolutions. I'm giving myself the first 10 days to get it all sorted out. Don't want to be too hasty, you know!

mama

2009-12-22T11:11:00.002-07:00

Sprout now reliably says "mama" and "dada" for David and me. It's SO. COMPLETELY. CUTE! This morning he even stretched it out to be "Mahhhm." He said it a couple of times. He also points to himself and said, "Doh."

He loves to point to things and have us tell him the names.

and then there were none

2009-12-19T13:04:00.002-07:00

Otis, the last living of our four rat brothers, passed away this morning. This is the first time in nearly 7 years that we've had no pet rats living with us. We've had as many as seven before. We aren't planning on getting any more for a while, either. Probably not until the kids are a little older and able to do the cage cleanup on their own. (We have a HUGE cage.)

Otis had been alone since shortly after Thanksgiving, and I think it was mostly sadness and loneliness that hastened his passing, rather than illness. Poor guy just missed his brothers so much.

Rest in peace, little ratties.

temporary houseguest

2009-12-17T16:27:00.002-07:00

We are tending this little guy until Christmas (he came on Saturday) for a family in the neighborhood. He is so sweet and cute! It will be kind of hard to say goodbye. He loves to be scritched and makes the cutest little chirps and other happy noises. I foresee a guinea pig in our future. (Not the immediate future, but someday!)

clutter

2009-12-13T12:35:00.002-07:00

I am feeling overwhelmed by STUFF lately. Particularly kids' clothing. I don't know how to organize the outgrown stuff, what to save & what to give away/donate. Especially as they get older and the clothes show substantial wear, but still have a decent amount of wear left in them. For example, Noodle has outgrown her size 6 jeans, many of which we acquired secondhand (as handmedowns or from Savers), and they have knee patches, but now, with the knee patches, would be great for another girl to wear. But do I hold on to them for SEVEN YEARS? That seems a little ridiculous. So then I think, I'll just save the cutest or the ones in the best condition. Then I can't decide, and figure if I'm saving any, I might as well save them all, and I'm back to where I started. For being born a good 40+ years after the Great Depression, why the heck do I have so much angst about getting rid of stuff? Sigh.... I recently threw out some dollar store tableclothes that we'd bought for our Ichthoberfest party two years ago (and used). They were nice enough to reuse, but why did I hang on to them for so long? It would have been one thing if they'd have been in some designated spot, but they were just floating around from place to place.

I'm also the queen of repurposing. I use old containers for all sorts of things. I like the canisters from things for wrapping, we use peanut butter jars when we make freezer jam, we use empty cereal boxes for all sorts of crafts, large clear plastic containers for bug houses... It's hard for me to throw out anything that I can think of a reasonable re-use for.

But I'm tired of so much stuff around me. Papers. Projects. Books. Clothes. Toys. I feel like I really need to purge a lot of things. I don't know how to begin, or how to get over my "But what if I need it?" panics. Should I start with the stuff in the shed--the clothes and packed away toys? Then stuff that we DO want to keep that is cluttering the house can be moved out to the cleaned out shed. It seems like a good place to start. Maybe first I should try and get the office under control so I'll have a home base for sorting all this stuff out.

Obviously I'm thinking out loud here. Sometimes it'd be nice just to delete a certain trait and download an upgraded version!

cute handmade gift idea....

2009-12-11T17:32:00.001-07:00

I helped Noodle sew one for Spud this week.

The Purl Frog

I'm itching to make more, but still have dolls & clothes to finish. I think it will be on my "post Christmas" list of sewing projects, though.

oh the boogers!

2009-12-04T14:26:00.002-07:00

Sunday we left church after Sacrament meeting because Noodle was all sniffly. Monday, Sprout started in. Spud held off until Wednesday night and I finally succumbed last night. (Not surprisingly, since Sunday, Monday & Tuesday nights I got very little sleep tending to little Sprout.) Noodle is all better today, and was pretty good yesterday, too, so I guess I have a couple more days of this. I keep having mad crazy sneezing fits, which leave me feeling rather discombobulated. Better than painful coughing spells, but nonetheless unpleasant.

I'm amazed that we've been able to get as much done this week as we have. My folks are coming into town in the next hour or so, and while I'd like the house to be cleaner, at least the room they'll be sleeping in is presentable.

This is our first cold since starting school, so I think we are doing pretty good, healthwise. No doubt we caught it from some cousins at Thanksgiving last week. Sometimes I wish it were possible (and more fun) to adopt an isolationist strategy from November until March. Dealing with illness is such a drain. (Both literally and figuratively!)

love it!

2009-12-04T13:23:00.002-07:00

totally called it

2009-11-22T18:52:00.003-07:00

In this week's episode of Glee, the glee crew were going to sing a song to Quinn & Finn, and I knew it was going to be Lean on Me. (Yeah, not really such a big deal, but it made me happy to be right!)

Such a great song. I want to teach it to the kids.

And (one of) my favorite thing(s) about Glee is how unabashed it is in its own hokeyness.

Here's another fabulous song:

highlights of the week

2009-11-21T18:01:00.002-07:00

1. Spud read FIVE early reader books. (See details here if you are so inclined.)

2. I watched all the episodes of this season's Ugly Betty. We'd kind of decided not to keep up with it, but I ended up having enough evenings alone when I was working on sewing projects that I decided to watch it.

3. Glee was hilarious. So was 30 Rock. (I'm very grateful for good TV shows during the long, cold, dark winter.)

4. I got to order FREE photo cards! I also found another promo code and made up some flier type cards for my photography business.

5. I took pictures of my friend's daughter who turns 8 next month. She (and the pictures) are both very cute.

6. I sewed the hair on one of the dolls I'm making. It looks fabulous! I'm having so much fun making them, if only I had more time. I think I'll finish the ones I need to before Christmas, but it might be close!

7. I got to go out with a good friend to have milk shakes. It was yummy and fun, but next time we'll go to a place that isn't FREEZING so we can sit and chat instead of escaping back out to her car!

8. We finished up our second term for the year, and had a Fun Friday party to celebrate. Hooray for dance parties!

ups & downs

2009-11-13T22:44:00.001-07:00

Rough day today. Sprout was particularly fussy (as he was yesterday during the day), and I just felt really alone. Noodle and Spud were really good, which was nice, but as I tried to slog through some of the chores I had to do, all I really wanted was to have a friend come over and chat. I had a real need for some commiseration today, but it just didn't happen. I hate feeling lonely. I think one of the harder things for me about being a wife and a mother is dealing with the down moods. When what I most need is just some quiet time to think, read, pray, etc., I just have to keep my "game face" on and try to muddle through until my mood clears a bit. (And try not to bite anybody's head off.) I've opened up a dialogue with Noodle & Spud about how sometimes I just need a break, and they are remarkably good at giving me some time & space. Unfortunately, babies don't have that skill.

Such is life.

today I'm happy about...

2009-11-10T21:04:00.004-07:00

...feeding my family dinner & dessert for under $5. ($1 can of yummy soup, $0.29 package of cornbread mix, $0.99 half gallon of chocolate milk, $1.99 - $0.65 coupon vanilla ice cream, $0.69 2 liter root beer). Granted, it wasn't fancy or super nutritious, but they loved it and we can have root beer floats again tomorrow!

...Sprout's ultra-deluxe car seat arrived today. We could barely buckle his other one, and I know it had to be uncomfortable the last few weeks. Thanks to my awesome mom and (one of) my awesome SILs for helping with the purchase. This one should last him a good long time!

....it took me four tries, but finally I got a good fire going in the fireplace. I guess I'm rusty after 8 months of no practice.

....learning a useful embroidery stitch that will help me make cute faces on my Christmas projects. No more "fake" embroidery. Now I know something! (This video library of stitches is so awesomely helpful! It's like having your very own granny!)

....David's business is slowly but surely acquiring clients! There might be an actual income in our future!

The Obligatory Halloween Post

2009-11-09T16:01:00.005-07:00

The best things about Halloween this year:

1. The kids wanted to be things that were very easy for me, as we already had bunny & cat ears, and Sprout conveniently was the right size for the little cow suit.

2. As it was on a Saturday, our friends had an afternoon halloween party that was very fun. I ate way too much yummy food (which was fun for me).

3. The kids actually didn't trick or treat that much, so rationing their candy (after the first couple of days) wasn't that big of a deal. They finished the last of it this morning.

4. We get free pumpkins thanks to my in-laws' garden. Yippee!

And because I'm messing around with the picture size, some of them look a little blurrier than they should. Click on them for a crisper version (if you care that much).

for some reason....

2009-11-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

when I widened my blog, it deleted my "blogroll" of friends' blogs. I'm in process of remembering/tracking down all my favorite blogs again, but if you could help me out by commenting here and I'll follow the trail back to your blog, that would be helpful.

Like, Don't Like

2009-11-03T08:55:00.006-07:00

Fish Edition

Cute little porcupine puffer fish. Doesn't he look like he's smiling and waving?

Don't Like

This fathead fish. Okay, maybe I like him a teensy bit, just because he's so ridiculously ugly, but overall, Don't Like.

Really Really Don't Like

I think these fish might actually be the spawn of Satan. The data isn't conclusive at this point, though.

Fall

2009-10-26T18:40:00.002-06:00

This one is from today:

These are from last week, the morning that the kids saw that the leaves had fallen from the maple tree. Which makes me wish it snowed leaves instead of snow all winter.

Like, Don't Like

2009-10-18T19:06:00.005-06:00

So I have a confession. Sometimes as I go about doing my regular stuff during the day, I blog in my mind. Sometimes I get on and just spew whatever thoughts I have unedited out into the world, but sometimes I think of witty things to say. The problem is, often I've forgotten them by the time I actually have a few uninterrupted minutes to sit down at the computer. Or sometimes I realize they aren't as witty the next day when I'm operating on a bit more sleep.

But a couple of weeks ago I had the idea to do "Like, Don't Like" posts. I was entertaining myself by thinking of all sorts of related items, one that I liked and one that I didn't like. Example:

Like: Round toed shoes

Don't Like: Pointy toed shoes

Like: Wheat Thins

Don't Like: Triscuit

I thought this would be a fun and somewhat clever way to tell the world little things about me they might not know, and would never think to ask. Yeah, I realize they would also probably not care, but in this world of Facebooking, Twittering, blogging, etc., we are all narcissists. I think some of the others that I thought of were more interesting than the two examples I shared, but (naturally) I can't think of them right now. Perhaps because a baby is destroying things under my desk even as I type this and a fluffy dog is trying to persuade me to throw her rope for her. I need uninterrupted time to be brilliant. Which explains a lot...

fetch: fun for dogs AND kids

2009-10-15T20:36:00.003-06:00

So, my Daisy doggy is a fabulous fetcher. A fetching fetcher, if you will. She will race to retrieve all manner of soft squeaky toys or her tug rope time after time after time. She releases the toy to the command "Give," or just drops it on her own. It's a lot of fun to watch her fluffiness run and carry her toys around (she has a HUGE plush bone which is especially entertaining!). We play fetch outside and also inside. Rudy is not such a great fetcher. He will, however, play for a bit inside when he can try and steal Daisy's toys from her, or act like a roadblock just by standing longways in her path. Spud, however, is a most awesome fetcher. I think it is one of his favorite activities. Whenever I get Daisy going on a game of fetch (usually without Rudy around), Spud will come and join in the fun, racing Daisy to get the toys and bring them back. And he can keep these sprints up for a loooong time. It's a great way for both of them to burn off their excess energy, and it's pretty fun to watch.

Though there are days when one or more of the pets threaten to send me over the edge of sanity, I do love having them around, especially for the kids. I really can't imagine anything more fun for kids than to have pets to play with, tease (in nice ways), cuddle with and love. I know my kids will never fully appreciate their "good fortune" in having an animal-loving mother, but it makes me happy enough knowing that they are growing up with these experiences and will be animal-loving adults, too.

thinking out loud

2009-10-13T21:43:00.003-06:00

Kind of. I guess we need a blog-appropriate phrase for that. "Thinking at keyboard." Maybe that works.

A couple weeks ago was General Conference (wow, I guess it was only about 1 1/2 weeks ago, but it feels like much longer). It was my first attempt to actually involve the kids. In the past I was happy if they stayed out of my hair and managed to be relatively self-entertaining. I would tune every radio to conference, so it was playing wherever they were, but I liked to do my own thing and let them do theirs. This year I felt it was important for them to participate more, so I did a few things differently. I found some great Conference Bingo sheets, and also these Apostle Cards which I printed off and laminated. I also printed off some pages from various Conference packets--the most used page was the one where the kids could color the ties of each of the Apostles as they saw them. Pretty fun. Anyways, though it took more effort on my part both before and during the conference, I really felt like the effort was worth it to have the kids participate in Conference. As a child, I was allowed to bring toys in to the family room to play with quietly on the floor while the family watched, and I remember those times. I've always felt like Conference is a very important time, and I think it is because there was always the expectation to watch/listen to all the sessions. I want my kids to grow up with that, too. They did really enjoy the bingo sheets, and they earned treats for getting BINGO on both their Saturday and Sunday boards. So it's definitely something we'll do again.

We watched the Sunday session with David's family down in Springville. Since we don't have a TV subscription, we ended up watching Saturday's sessions in the office on my computer. Not nearly as comfortable as in our family/TV room, but at least the screen was a decent size. (I love my big monitor!) Between sessions the TV was on and there were commercials for various toys. Noodle said, "It's a good thing we don't have TV, otherwise we'd just want all these toys that they show on commercials." I thought that was rather an astute observation, and think it is very true. We do watch movies and a handful of cartoons, but we are spared from commercials. It's pretty great, really. It's hard enough for kids to be grateful and satisfied when they aren't constantly bombarded with commercials for the latest cool toy or trendy idea. My mom likes to say, "The play should be in the child, not the toy." I firmly believe this. I don't think this means only wooden or simple toys are appropriate (you should see the creative things Spud comes up with for his Transformers!), but rather that a toy should invite the child to use their imagination and not only have scripted play. One thing that Noodle does that I love is to "accessorize" all her toys. Shemakes houses for them, food out of Sculpey clay, beds, blankets, vehicles, musical instruments, etc. Plus she will write letters to/from the toy, illustrate scenes from their lives, construct a family tree, and on and on. Last week was our week off school and I sewed Noodle & Spud each a cute little plush mouse. It's pretty neat to watch how much fun they can have with one toy. Spud likes to build aircraft for his mouse from the Magformers.

love this not-so-little little guy

2009-10-12T17:23:00.000-06:00

piano boy

2009-10-07T19:59:00.003-06:00

Sprout absolutely loves to play the piano. He lights up every time he gets a chance to play.

things that are ridiculous

2009-10-06T22:24:00.004-06:00

My dog (Daisy) now wears to bed the following:

1. her plastic cone aka Elizabethan collar
2. an outgrown one of Sprout's rompers (long-sleeved, long legged onesie)
3. two socks on each of her back feet

Why?

Well, I'll tell you.

Over the past few months we have had one sore after another. One of them was a legitimate injury, exacerbated by her understandable licking at it (she had a foxtail embedded in her rump--ouch!), but the others have been various itches that she either scratches until they bleed or licks until they bleed. I don't know if it is an environmental allergy or food allergy or just because we live in a super dry climate, but I do know that it is a lot easier (though heavy on the ridiculous side) to prevent these sores than to deal with them once they are present. And I think the annoyance/discomfort to her is also less if I can keep her from making the sores. She actually doesn't seem to mind the onesie or the cone. The socks I think annoy her, but she's a pretty good sport.

Aren't you glad you asked?

On a somewhat related note -- today I gave her a bath and, for my first time ever, a haircut!! Four weeks ago I did part of her haircut by myself (David has done the haircutting for the past nearly 3 years that we've owned her) and it didn't turn out that great. But I learned from my mistakes and did a much better job this time. It's a small thing, but I'm happy to be able to take it off of David's plate and kind of proud of myself for doing such a nice job. :o)

we like to party

2009-10-02T23:36:00.005-06:00

We had an "End of Term" party for the kids tonight. We invited 12 kids over and made mini pizzas, ran around the back yard like crazies, and then had a dance party in the garage (complete with our cool "disco-esque" light ball thing [gift from a former roommate in honor of the Year of the Dance Parties]). Who knew that 14 kids in a garage could be so fun? I enjoyed the party, though, even if the only adults were David & I and my friend Leah. Kids are fun, especially when I get to spend time with them on my terms (not Cub Scouts, babysitting, helping out in a school classroom, Primary, etc.) My terms usually involve just wanting to do fun things. Anyways, the party was a hit and I'll post some blurry pictures if I get around to it soon.

Things are looking really promising for David on the work front. If you've been praying for us, thanks! and keep 'em coming. I've been working on being very mindful of the blessings we've received over the past year and have been diligent in keeping the fear and worry at bay. Heavenly Father has kept us going this long (with/through the generous help of a number of people here on earth), and I trust that he won't let us fail. I've been doing a good job focusing my energies on productive endeavors that pertain to my role in our family (nurturing & teaching the children), and honestly, that has taken so much of my energy and time that I haven't had any left to worry unnecessarily about the money situation. I feel like I'm doing the right things, and I think David is, too, so I think we are in the right place to do "the next thing." I have to say that I am so proud of the kids and I for doing as well on our homeschool these past six weeks as we have. It has been an adjustment, as it's been our first time doing real, official FULL-TIME homeschool. Last year we had kind of a funny schedule because of my working so much. Noodle has adjusted really well, and I think Spud is responding well to the one-on-one attention he gets when we do his preschool work. Also, now when he isn't doing his school, he'll often play nearby on his own, rather than just moping around or pestering. So we have made progress!!

Well, I'm rambling. It was a good day, and I'm glad we had the chance to have some fun and make some good memories with the kids. I hope we can be the sort of home where friends like to come to feel safe and have fun.