Talking to Myself

New Piano

2011-12-18T23:47:00.001-05:00

I have wanted a piano since John and I bought our first house in 2001. To me, a house doesn't really feel like a home without that tangible representation of music, something the whole family can share and enjoy. For a while we had an old player piano that I got for free from a church. It was an enormous upright with a solid metal frame, the player had been removed so it sounded kind of hollow and the stain had cracked and was peeling off in spots. It was a monstrosity that consumed our entire living room. At John's insistence we got rid of it before we moved to our current home. My sister-in-law gave me an older digital keyboard to use in place of it until we could find another real piano.Then last year Samuel started piano lessons and my desire for a piano became an actual family need. John and I put a lot of thought and research into our piano shopping. It took a year but finally, last month, on Black Friday - the day of wonderful sales, we bought a piano... The wrong piano. We were debating between two pianos, an upper tier Yamaha upright with a Queen Anne cabinet and a mahogany Essex upright. Essex is a newer brand, 10-15 yrs old, designed by Steinway and Sons. John and I both really liked the Essex piano but it was quite a bit more money and I could not justify the extra expense so we decided on the Yamaha. It was a nice, sturdy piano and would fit well in our home and be great for the kids to learn on. But as we drove away from the store instead of experiencing the expected elation, I felt sick. John and I talked it over and when he realized that I made the decision on what was more practical, not what I loved, he insisted we go back and get the Essex upright. I called my mom and sisters for some impartial-ish advice on the subject and they all agreed with John.So the next day, John and I took the kids with us to go and purchase our new Essex. Samuel even brought along his music books to test it out. He was almost as excited as me. The piano salesman had the good grace not to laugh out loud at my indecision. Last week, on Thursday, the piano arrived and we have not stopped playing it since. Samuel even pulled out his beginning piano books and started teaching James the basics! And every time I walk past the piano I grin and giggle a little because it makes me all sorts of goofy happy. We have a piano!Picture coming soon!

Hallelujah

2011-12-11T21:16:00.001-05:00

Our church does Handel's Messiah as a sing along every year. The last two years I was in charge of coordinating the rehearsals, decorations, food, choir and orchestra and everything else in between. This year it was someone else's job. (Hooray!) And although I had every intention of participating in the choir just for the fun of it, I never really made it to the rehearsals. Last week I was talking to my friend, Liz, who is running the show this year and she asked me to come and bolster the alto section. So with one rehearsal under my belt, instead of the usual six, I jumped up there and sang tonight. I have had a cold for three weeks and left my husband home with three somewhat grumpy kids.
As I was driving to the church I kept thinking, "I SO don't want to do this. Maybe I should just turn around and go home." But I didn't. I arrived at church, warmed up with the choir, said a prayer that I wouldn't mess everyone up too much and sang.
The soloists did a wonderful job and the orchestra, despite a few gaffes, had some really talented players and a great sound. Partway through I found myself thinking, "Hey, this isn't so bad, maybe it is a good thing I came." And then it happened. Somewhere in the middle of the last song, The Hallelujah Chorus, it hit me- that feeling that makes the whole thing worthwhile. This is Christmas. This music, the feeling that threatens to rise up and choke me with tears- this is the reason that we sing this music.
Liz gave us a little pep talk before we started and what she said is the perfect description for how I felt in the middle of that chorus. She said, "When I think about the birth of our Savior and about the choirs of angels proclaiming His birth, this is the music I hear." Exactly. Or, really, Hallelujah!

Hello?

2011-10-08T19:56:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am still alive. The summer is over, we are home from our various vacations- TBB (to be blogged)- and the big kids are back in school. I have just been struggling to figure out this new version of our usual routine and have not yet found the way to keep everything in balance. For example: I somehow managed to lock my keys and my two year old in my van last week. Luckily it was a cool day, only lightly drizzling and I was about five minutes from John's office. Needless to say, I am not quite ready to blog just yet. HOWEVER, our family room (my summer project (are you catching the theme here?)) is now patched, primed and ready to be painted. Once I get that massive project done I will use some of my precious free time (aka painting time, aka Matthew's naptime) to write some genius blog posts... or at least some entertaining ones... or, well, some. Hope all else is well in the blogosphere!

Groundbreaking!

2011-09-21T14:41:00.000-04:00

Finally! After years of anticipation we officially broke ground for the Philadelphia Temple on Saturday. Elder Henry B Eyring from the first presidency of the church presided over the event. President Jay E Jensen, presidency of the 70, was there too. Also in attendance the mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, and several other city officials and dignitaries as well as managers of surrounding properties. It was quite the event!
A few hundred people gathered at 17th and Vine, an old parking lot that had been set up with a stage and rows of chairs. In front of the stage was a small carpeted area with two racks of shovels and in front of that was a narrow strip of dirt where the concrete had been removed and a small pile of dirt left in it's place. The groundbreaking was invitation only but was broadcast to all of the chapels in the area.

Here's the rundown of the program. I hope I get it all straight. I was so excited and jittery (and freezing) that I might not have it all right.
Opening song: "High on the Mountaintop"
Vai Sikahema, a counselor in the Cherry Hill, NJ stake presidency, spoke about his first journey to the temple with his parents and siblings when he was 5. It took three days to get to the New Zealand Temple and they traveled by boat, bus and plane. It was a touching account as was his testimony of the impact the temple has been on his life, the lives of his siblings and of their children.
Elder Smith spoke next about important dates in Philadelphia (and PA in general) history and in Mormon history and events that combined the two.
Elder Walker (executive director of the temple department) spoke about the steps taken to secure the building site of the temple and of the cooperation and help from the mayor and other city officials. He also told us that Elder Eyring is from Princeton, NJ and how he had grown up loving the Philadelphia area.
The choir sang "How Firm a Foundation"
President Jay E Jensen spoke about the merchant who found the most beautiful pearl and wanted to display it so others could see. He commissioned a man to build a beautiful wooden box for it. But when his friends saw it they complimented the box more than the pearl. Pres. Jensen said that the temple is like the box. It will be beautiful and it is right to admire it. However, what is inside the temple is infinitely more valuable.
Finally Elder Eyring gave a few remarks (I'll see if I can figure out how to put my recording of it on blogger) and then dedicated the ground for the building of the temple in a special prayer. When he finished the sun came out from behind a cloud and shone right down on the parking lot that was now something infinitely more special.
The choir closed with: "I Know that my Redeemer Lived"
I know our church music is not the most exciting- especially to those who are used to gospel music. But our music carries the spirit and it was interesting to see how the spirit reached those in the audience who are not members of the church. For example, Mayor Nutter looked bored at the beginning of the song but was completely engaged by the end. Behold the power of music. =)
After the closing prayer, Elder Eyring, Pres Jensen and Elder Smith picked up a few of the golden (I know, silly) shovels and officially turned over the dirt, breaking ground symbolically. for the new temple. Then they invited the mayor and other city officials and neighboring property managers to come up and grab a shovel and turn over some dirt. Next they invited the six stake presidents from the new temple district to take a turn. Once that happened they opened the invitation to all in attendance to take turns breaking ground for our new temple. It was exciting and exhilarating and so, so, so wonderful! I felt lucky to be there (singing in the choir) but it would have been even better if John could have been there too along with all of our friends who have worked and prayed daily to make this a possibility.
But look at a few friends who did make it:

Doesn't the temple look beautiful?

For more information you can go to www.lds.org/temples

Fond Farewell

2011-09-21T13:33:00.000-04:00

There once was a bookstore called Border's
Which was Heaven on Earth to book horders.
Sad to say they went bankrupt one day.
Amazon now receives all our orders.

Goodbye Border's! We will miss you!!

9/11 Remembered

2011-09-11T21:20:00.000-04:00

Where were you on 9/11? How many times have you been asked this question? I was on my way to class at Temple University. As I got off the subway I saw people gathered around food trucks with TVs showing pictures of the Pentagon burning. The volume was turned down and I didn't stop to ask so I had no idea that there was anything going on other than an accident in DC. When I arrived at class everyone was chatty and the professor had a hard time getting our attention. When we finally quieted down, he told those of us who didn't know about what had happened in New York and then excused us to go home and be with friends and family. This class had over 100 people in it and I didn't know very many of them. But one girl started crying and someone said she was from NYC.
I began my subway ride home a little nervously. If they had attacked New York and DC, was Philadelphia next? We are right in the middle of the other two. When I was just about to get off the train my cell phone rang. It was my sister, Keri, calling to make sure that we were OK and that we knew what was going on. I got home in time to hug my husband extra tight before he had to go to work and in time to watch the first tower fall. Instead of a day of classes, I sat glued to the news watching the images over and over and over again.
I didn't lose anyone on that day but I have been deeply affected by it nonetheless. I think we all have. I remember in college I did a report on JFK's assassination. I had to interview two people who had been alive at that time and ask how it had affected them. I didn't get why it was such a big deal. I thought the conspiracy aspect was far more interesting and relevant than how people felt. What I didn't understand at that time was how completely a single, shared, tragic experience like the Kennedy Assassination or 9/11 can impact all of us. In many ways we now measure our lives by pre 9/11 and post 9/11. Our national imaginary bubble of protection is gone. My personal imaginary bubble of safety and security went with it. But I love how the country, and the world, drew together in support of each other. I just wish it would have lasted longer than it did. I wish that brotherly love and support wasn't just something we dusted off for one day each September.
My heart goes out to the families and friends who are still mourning the loss of a loved one on that tragic day. I am eternally grateful for the first responders who sacrificed themselves willingly to save others so they could return to their families and have a second chance to really live. And I am grateful every day for the soldiers across the world who watch over us and fight daily to protect us from the recurrence of such an indescribably horrible event.
Our church put out this very moving account of a 9/11 survivor and how it inspired him to really look at what was important in his life. I suggest you take the time to watch it.
Some great literature I have read that covers 9/11:

A fictional story about a boy who lost his Father on 9/11.

From the Story Corps project. It is transcriptions from all sorts of people and includes a story from a survivor and a story of someone who lost his fiancee that day.

Terrible Twos?

2011-08-28T16:40:00.000-04:00

So a few weeks ago my baby turned two. The last few months leading up to his birthday I was afraid that Matthew was going to be one of those toddlers who coined the phrase "terrible twos" but since his actual b-day he has mellowed quite a bit- or else we have been too busy for him to pitch fits. I'm not sure which.
Matthew at two is quite the charmer. He still has that killer smile and belly laugh and is just so stinking cute if I do say so myself. He talks non stop and is actually understandable much of the time. (Although I did leave a translation guide for the babysitter when I left the kids for a couple of days to go to Utah.) He acts like he is two going on eight. He thinks he can do anything and everything his biggest brother, Samuel, does. He has oficially hit tht Thomas the Train stage and is obsessed with his engines and tracks and plays with them all time. He also still loves all things Mickey Mouse. My parents sent him a couple of Mickey books for his birthday and now he makes me read one of them to him 10-15 times a day and he sleeps with it for naptime and bedtime. However, that means he will pleasantly go to sleep without screaming so I am all over that!
For his birthday this year we had a Mickey Mouse party, of course, with family and close friends. I even attempted a Mickey cake which turned out pretty darn well. (I am a little cocky this post!)

As for two year old pictures, I usually go to Target because they do a decent job and don't cost an arm and a leg. Unfortunately, since the last time we went, they started charging a $9.99 sitting fee per person. Forget that! I took my awesome camera (a Christmas gift from my amazing husband) and decided to take his two year old pictures myself. What do you think?

Eight is Great

2011-07-18T14:22:00.001-04:00

Last month Samuel turned eight. He has been looking forward to this birthday since January and not just for the party and the presents. Eight years old is a big deal! In our church eight is the age of accountability when we believe a child is old enough to decide if he wants to be baptized and officially become a member of our church. After baptism they are then confirmed a member of the church and receive the Holy Ghost to be a constant companion and advisor. Samuel is a sweet, sweet boy. He has the biggest heart I know and just wants to love everyone around him. He has a wide-eyed innocence and imagination that has somehow, miraculously survived two years of grade school. (Longer than I expected!) He is very smart and loves to play and learn and do all those things that boys do at that age. He has a huge spirit and more faith than I ever had when I was a kid. He was SO excited to get baptized! He has been anxiously awaiting his turn since his cousin, Nathan, was baptized last February. We have talked about the baptism non stop since then. Unfortunately, we had to make him wait a couple of weeks after his birthday to get baptized so that we could give family members a chance to finish school and get to Philly. But it was totally worth it! We had a great time and Samuel felt loved with so much of his family around him.

Some things about about Sam at age 8: He loves to read ( especially the Magic Tree House books- which are too easy but he loves the stories). He loves to play with Legos and would do that to the exclusion of all else if I would let him. He loves playing kickball and dodge ball. He can ride his bicycle without training wheels but it makes him a little nervous. He LOVES the water- ocean or swimming pool, it makes no difference to him. He loves the Narnia movies, Star Wars anything and Harry Potter 1-3 (he is still too young for the rest). He loves the fads: bey blades and silly bands and webkinz. He still wants to be a zebra doctor when he grows up. He is really excited to be a cub scout and enjoys passing off the various tasks in his manual. He is a great big brother who maybe teases a little too much but clearly loves his brothers more than anything. His best friend is still Keith- has been since Kindergarten and he is still friends with as many girls as boys and sees nothing wrong with that. As far as he is concerned, there is no such thing as cooties.

I love my Sam and his big heart!

Here are some of my favorite (recent) pics of Samuel:

The boys in their suits.

Our new cub scout

Red, white and blue- Happy 4th!

Can't you just see Sam as a zoologist?

The day he learned to ride minus the extra wheels.

Baptism Day!

All ready!

Singing with cousins?

Myrtle Beach

2011-07-06T12:48:00.000-04:00

We took our annual family trip (AKA John's medical conference- you can ask him all about that aspect in person) to Myrtle Beach in the middle of June. We did the math and realized that it was our sixth year and we have no desire at all to find someplace new. It is the perfect vacation for young kids. Although I have to say we did miss our partners in crime, Gavin and Jamie and the girls, Aunt B, Laura and kids and the Andrus family representative, who couldn't make it this year. Instead, Tip brought a couple of friends, one of whom was the self-proclaimed Exercise Nazi, Pat. She even got Jacko out exercising which is something of a miracle!
While in MB we rediscovered that Matthew has a disconcerting character trait. He is a wanderer. This is totally new to us because Sam and James always stuck right next to us in public. They did not like crowds or strangers or being separated from us even a little bit. Matthew has no such qualms. Case and point: The first evening we were in MB, we got back from the beach and got the boys bathed and dressed and set them in front of the TV so John and I could get ready for dinner. We had two bathrooms so John and I each hopped in a shower. When John finished he noticed that the front door to our condo was wide open. He heard screaming and looked out. There was a woman standing in the parking lot holding Matthew who was screaming his head off. Our little guy had figured out how to open the door, climbed down the long flight of wooden steps, and wandered into the parking lot. This lady saw him and had just picked him up, wondering what to do with him when John got to the door. John yelled down, "I think that is mine. I would come down and get him but I am in a towel." The lady was nice enough to bring Matthew up to John and we learned our first lesson- blockade the door to avoid unwanted exiting- there wasn't a deadbolt. A couple days later Matthew pulled his disappearing trick again, this time in an amusement park with hundreds of people around. John found him about 100 feet away from us just happily bobbing along.
Luckily we all made it home safe and sound and had a good time in the process. Here are some pics to prove it!

Matthew "helping" stuff his bear at the kids' activity tent.

S & J at their favorite place- the water park.

Riding the train with my boys at Family Kingdom.

Matthew tolerated the water slides- and maybe even liked them a little.

Taking a nap in Nonno's arms

Dinner at the Home Plate pizza buffet.

Issac, our favorite busboy, remembered us and signed some balloons for the boys.

Matthew wasn't too sure about Issac.

I have wanted to take family pictures on the beach since our first visit to MB. This year I finally got around to it.

But it was really windy.

And the boys were being goofy.

There we go!

They clean up well!

I tried to add a couple more pictures- including the traditional pic of James sleeping through dinner- but my computer is malfunctioning at the moment- or maybe it is just blogger. Will try later.

The Mormon Way

2011-06-06T22:52:00.001-04:00

So with all of the famous Mormons and Mormon related stuff in the media these days, I get more and more questions from my non Mormon friends about the church. This is a good thing and something I actually really enjoy, but there are days when I wish that I could broadcast my answers so that people who don't know a Mormon personally could be enlightened or disallusioned- whichever is necessary.
Today on FB a friend of mine posted this link to a Newsweek article on Mormons . It was actually a decent overview of the religion- or at least as decent as one can get in so few words. There are just a few things I would like to clarify:

1) The HBO show Big Love is not about Mormons. It is about members of the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Thanks for the correction, Zack). The actual LDS Church, or people that you commonly refer to as Mormons, outlawed polygamy over 100 years ago. It was a practice done only by a few members of the church in the 1800s.
2) The Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" is not put on by or sanctioned by the LDS church. It is used to poke fun at the church not to proselytize. This is not to say that it is all bad. I personally haven't seen it but I have LDS friends who have seen it and who really enjoyed it.

If you want to know what we believe, that Newsweek article did a good job of explaining a few things about us. Here is one more. Our 13th Article of Faith states:

"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul (yes, as in Paul from the New Testament)—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

To read the other 12, click here.

If you are confused about all of the misinformation about the church in the media go to http://www.lds.org/ or http://mormon.org/.- (Thanks for the suggestion, Sam.) You can read everything you want to about the church and actually get a comprehensive understanding for yourself.

Questions? Comment below.

Happy Birthday, James!

2011-06-01T10:53:00.000-04:00

We have hit the busy season so most of my blog posts have not made it from my head to the computer. However, I could not miss this one.

My sweet Mr James just celebrated his 6th birthday! Hooray!

I took brownies into school on his actual birthday then he had a party a Chuck E Cheese with his friends from school the next day and a family party at home on Sunday. Lots of fun!

Here are some fun facts about James at age 6:
James still loves Lambies (he has 5 stuffed animal lambs: Lamby the White, Lamby the Lamb, Lamby the Sheep, Lamby the Small and Lamby the Big), strawberries (he will eat an entire carton in one sitting if you let him) and playing Xbox or Wii with his daddy and big brother. He also plays really well with his little brother Matthew- most of the time, anyway. He is in his last two weeks of Kindergarten and is reading up a storm and loves to demonstrate his counting and math skills. His favorite class is Music (so my kid!). He also likes to swim and play soccer and he finally thinks that riding bicycles is a fun thing to do. He loved his after school art classes. His favorite tv show is the cartoon "Avengers" and he loves Spiderman and Iron Man (in that order) the best. His most favorite movie ever is "How to Train Your Dragon." His best friends are Jacob S. and Michael R and of course, Gracie K.

Here are some fun photos of James over the last year:

Happy Birthday to my sweet neglected middle child. One of these days I promise you will get all of the attention you deserve! =)

glowing recommendation

2011-05-01T22:09:00.000-04:00

So we finally started doing some work on the inside of our house. First step: The Family Room.

I have hated the color in the family room since we bought the house almost three years ago. And since we spend most of our time in this room I thought it was time to address the problem. But in order to paint we have to agree on a color. Since that isn't going to happen anytime in the near future I decided to start with something else- like lighting.
You see, most of the rooms in our house do not have overhead lighting which is annoying to say the least and dangerous at times due to my childrens' propensity to throw toys and play soccer in the house. (We have had more than one flammable item land inside the lamp.) John and I agreed that some recess lighting in the family room would be perfect for our needs.
I started calling random contractors and electricians to get my recommended three estimates. The first guy to come by was John Marbach from John Marbach Electric. He talked me through several different possibilities for the layout of lighting as well as some accent lighting. Since I had no concept of what I actually wanted he looked around the room and offered several ideas. We settled on six high hats (two rows of three) and an accent light (eyeball style) over the fireplace complete with dimmer switches. John's price: $800.
I received two more quotes for the exact same work, one for $975 and another for $1000+. Not only were the other two quotes higher but I did not feel like the other guys were nearly as helpful and knowledgable as John was. Needless to say, we hired him for the job. I called him on a Thursday to set up a time to have the work done. He called me back on Saturday and scheduled to come Monday morning (as in two days later) to put the lights in.
John showed up promptly at 9:30 as he said he would. He installed the lighting on his own with as little damage to the ceiling as possible, moved furniture, cleaned up after himself and all in all did a very solid, professional job. And he was a nice guy!
After hearing horror stories from friends and neighbors about electricians who never showed up when they said they would or who took weeks or months to complete their work, I am wowed by the fact that this guy did just what he said he would promptly and efficiently. A professional with ethics- a rare breed! Seriously, if you live in the Philadelphia area and you need some electrical work done, this is the guy to call!

Oh no!

2011-04-19T22:02:00.000-04:00

James and Samuel LOVE their stuffed animals. They take their animals everywhere with them. The animals function as toys, playmates and security blankets. Since James is more than a little shy and was incredibly nervous riding the bus this year, we made a deal (the same deal I made with Samuel when he started kindergarten): he is allowed to take a stuffed animal with him to school every day as long as the animal stays in his backpack at all times while he is at school.

This deal has worked really well for James. Having a favorite animal with him gives James a little extra confidence and if he is sitting by himself on the bus he has something to keep him occupied. We have not had a single problem with this arrangement until last week. On Friday, the day before our week long spring break, James was distracted (one of his friends threw up on the bus) and he accidently left Cowie (the animal of choice for the day- a cow webkinz) on the bus. His regular bus driver, Mr Tony, (who normally says goodbye both to James and his animal) was not driving. I realized James was missing Cowie just as the bus drove off. I ran inside, grabbed my car keys, and we hopped into Homer, my trusty Honda Odyssey, to take up the pursuit. The problem is, at the end of our street there are three possible ways the bus could have turned. I guessed one way and we zoomed around the corner. No bus. I flipped a U-y and went down another street. No bus. At this point James had tears streaking down his cheeks. I tried another way. No bus. I pulled over to the side of the road, fished out my cell phone and called the school district transportation office. I quickly filled in the woman who answered. She was very sympathetic and promised that she would get Cowie off the bus herself as soon as it arrived back at the depot. About ten painful minutes later she called to let us know Cowie was safe and we could come to pick her up (yes, Cowie is a girl stuffed animal (I have no idea why)) anytime.
We picked Samuel up at his bus stop and headed off to rescue Cowie. James spent the brief car ride filling Samuel in on the drama.
The reunion between James and Cowie brought smiles all around. The people at the transportation office were so kind and the extra effort they made to save a beloved (inanimate) family member will never be forgotten- at least not by my sweet five year old.

at least he's learning

2011-04-18T10:51:00.000-04:00

So yesterday Matthew wanted some noodles. I put some on a plate and gave him a fork and sat him on a chair at the table. (He is refusing to sit in his booster seat because he does not like being strapped in.) He promptly dumped all of the noodles on the table, climbed off the chair, took his plate and fork over to the sink and tossed them in. Then he returned to the table and ate all of his noodles. I just stood there and cracked up. We have been working with Samuel and James on clearing their dishes after every meal without being asked. I guess Matthew has officially entered the "monkey see, monkey do" phase!

Matthew and spring

2011-04-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

Sheer happiness!

How to Train Your Dragon

2011-03-21T12:50:00.000-04:00

Have you seen "How to Train Your Dragon" yet? If not, stop reading this and go watch it now! This is my boys' current movie of choice- and no wonder, it is awesome! Seriously, go and buy it. Trust me it is worth it. This movie is genius. The characters are uniquely loveable in a very tough, Vikingish way despite their odd names: Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs and Ruffnut. The main character, Hiccup, is your typical, awkward kid who wants deperately to please his father, but he just can't. Astrid is a strong, axe wielding heroine who is faster and fiercer than most of her peers and who will not back down from a fight. But she has brains as well as brawn. (Hooray for a cartoon with a great female lead!) The script is full of hillarious one liners and wry charm. And the soundtrack, oh, the soundtrack is lovely! It was nominated for an oscar. I purchased it on iTunes because I just LOVE it! We must have watched the movie 10 times in the last week (Sam has been home sick from school) and I still can't get enough of the music-- or the movie or the dragons for that matter. Oh. My. Goodness. The dragons are amazing! They are all unique in size, shape and abilities and have their own personalities that clearly shine through. Toothless, the main dragon is fearsome and dangerous and just one of the sweetest creatures I have ever seen. I would seriously keep him for a pet.

So let's review: great movie, buy it now and go watch it (two or three times even). It will be well worth it. Oh and if anyone knows where I can find a pet Night Fury, let me know.

Aubrey's Baptism

2011-03-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we traveled up to middle-of-nowhere (sorry Gav and Jamie, but it's true!) Massachusetts for our niece, Aubrey's, baptism. In our church we don't baptize children when they are born, we wait until they are old enough to decide if it is what they want for themselves- an age of accountability of sorts.
Anyway, Aubrey turned 8 on Friday and was baptised the following day. She was so excited and Samuel, who turns 8 in June, was just dying that it wasn't his turn. Jamie gave a sweet talk about the steps Aubrey has taken to prepare for her baptism. Aubrey enthusiastically 'helped' her. Gavin performed the actual baptism- twice- since it is baptism by immersion and Aubrey's toes peeked above the water the first time. John gave a great talk about the Holy Ghost using the boys and I to help illustrate a point.
For refreshments, Jamie decided on a Philly theme based on a craving for soft pretzels. It was a huge hit with everyone. The Tasty Cakes went so fast I'm not even sure they were really there.
The kids all had a great time together and we took the opportunity to take some family pictures.

pre baptism

three generations

the kids

after the party

artist in training

2011-03-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

James is becoming quite the little artist. Last fall I signed him up for an art class, offered by the Swarthmore Recreation Association, just as something to do after school and a way to see his friend, Gracie. Eve Walters, the woman crazy enough to run this class of twelve 3-5 year olds, is an amazing teacher! She takes time to really teach the kids about art history and well known artists as well as how to create their own art.

making Tiffany windows

James can not get enough. He now draws all the time. In fact, this week he has decided that he needs to teach me how to draw. So Tuesday we sat at the kitchen table and he said, "OK, Mom. We are going to draw a camel. Now first let's start with the head. Don't forget you need two humps and a tail. See what I'm doing? OK. Don't forget the eye. Are you making a girl camel or a boy camel? Now we are going to draw a unicorn..." It is adorable!
The SRA art class is one hour a week and six weeks long. The last part of the 6th class is the art show. Eve mats all of their artwork and displays it charmingly for the parents to admire.
The greatest thing about this whole experience is watching his growth. He is really getting better at art and enjoys it more than he ever has before. Today as we sat at the table to do some drawing he drew a picture of a lamb and of his stuffed animal giraffe. Not only were they both clearly recognizable but they were actually pretty good. I was totally blown away.
Here are some pictures from his latest art show. We are now starting our third series of art classes. Eve makes sure that their are new projects each session so none of the kids ever make the same project twice. So fun!

The wall of paintings

penguins sitting on ice bergs (James' is the one on the left)

James and Daddy next to James' self portrait

A picture made by putting masking tape over paper, painting the page and then peeling the tape off.

Ms. Walters welcoming the parents

James' sun made from all sorts of household items

And, of course, cookies and juice for refreshments after the big show.

quilting

2011-03-07T22:49:00.000-05:00

I have a bunch of friends who are having babies this month and have been trying to make baby quilts for them. Unfortunately, I am still lacking in the energy department so the process is going slower than I would like. However, I have been using some creative energy so that is always a good thing.
Here are pictures of the step by step process of the rag circle quilt I made for my friend Jennie. It takes a lot of time but turns out really cool.

Step 1: Cut fabric into circles

Step 2: Put two circles together (wrongsides touching) and sew around the edge. Repeat.

Step 3: Trace a square inside each circle

Step 4: Sew two circles together along the side of the traced square. Repeat.

Step 5: Sew rows together using the square edges.

Step 6: Fold over the flaps from the cirles and sew them down

Step 7: Cut around all of the seams 1/4 inch apart

Step 8: Wash the quilt and admire the results.

Granted, the above steps are over simplified but you get the general idea. I absolutely love this quilt but the amount of effort can be daunting. Most of the baby quilts I am making right now are not this elaborate for obvious reasons- but it was a fun exercise. I will pst more pictures soon.

breath of spring

2011-02-17T22:03:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day of spring weather of the year. I did not realize how much I have hated the cold until I felt the warmth again.
This first taste of spring brought to mind spring break and for some reason I started to reminisce about the spring breaks of my childhood. I grew up in southern Utah. All of the high school and college students in northern Utah used to come to my hometown for spring break for a taste of sunshine. For the entire weekend they would hangout on the Boulevard- one of the two main streets of my little town. There were literally hoards of teenagers just standing around. It had to be the police department's least favorite time of the year!
Anyway, traffic on the Boulevard was a slow crawl for the entire weekend. Most locals would avoid it but every once in a while our family would take a drive down it just to gawk at the crowds. One year my mom and my two teenage sisters were stopped in traffic on the spring-breakified-Boulevard when two guys opened the doors to the car and hopped in the back seat with my sister. They were just pulling a stunt and didn't look to closely at who was in the car. They had thought my mom was a teenager too. Boy, were they embarrassed! It ended up that the guys actually were good friends with some of our cousins who lived up north. Small world! If I remember correctly, my mom even invited them over for dinner. This quickly became a favorite family story to tell and is one that makes me giggle even after all these years.

eighteen months

2011-02-09T21:55:00.000-05:00

Our little guy hit 18 months on Monday. He had his first official day in nursery at church on Sunday. He played for the first twenty minutes and when he realized that I was not in the room anymore he climbed up on one of the teachers' laps and fell asleep. Just like James.
At the doctor's on Tuesday he weighed in at 24 lbs 12 oz and 32 inches long. I can not believe that he is getting so big!
The latest Matthew words: uh-oh, Mama, Dada, ball, chicken, hey, cookie, away, ho ho ho, choo choo, uh-huh. He loves to read books, lightsaber fight, tackle his brothers, ride on his buzz lightyear car and his brother's firetruck, build and destroy block towers and play with his daddy. He has the best laugh- something between a chuckle and a belly laugh. Take a look at this picture and you can almost hear him.

experiment

2011-02-07T23:06:00.000-05:00

As much as we love our little Matthew, his addition to our family caused our older boys to revert a bit and time is not helping the issue. Last Monday after both boys insisted on being dressed by Daddy instead of doing it themselves, I hit a wall. I was done with my 7 and 5 year olds acting like they were completely incapable of doing ANYTHING on their own.
Enter the job chart.
For family home evening on Monday we talked about responsibilities, how everyone does different things to contribute to the family and what happens when they don't do their jobs. What would happen if Daddy decided to stop going to work? What would happen if Mama didn't do the laundry? Etc.
So working together we made a list of things the boys should do on a daily basis and then get to check off each thing once it is completed.
The transition has gone better than expected. Samuel loves checking things off his list and will race upstairs to make his bed if he sees that he forgot to do it earlier. Practicing piano and doing homework are also much easier. James is getting dressed on his own witout any help at all and cheerfully making his bed and practicing his reading. They actually cleaned their room last week without me asking! They also take time to play with Matthew since I put that on the list as well.
Week 1 of the job chart, although not perfect, is a definite improvement. Why didn't I do this before???

longest two minutes of my life

2011-02-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

So Matthew and I accompanied James to storytime at the library the other day. James and 11 other four and five year olds spent half an hour engrossed in the creative story telling of our local children's librarian, Miss Lori. Even Matthew enjoyed it! At the end of storytime, Lori set out crafts and puzzels for the kids to work on. James created a masterpiece of a penguin out of tissue paper and feathers. I was rushing him out the door so I could go to the store before it was time to pick up Sam when I ran in to Lori and we started chatting about James' art class (a great topic for a future post). As I talked to Lori, Matthew let go of my hand and toddled off to the next room to look at the board books he loves so much... or so I thought.
I quickly finished the conversation so I could round up Matthew and James and get going. I walked over to the board books. No Matthew. I walked over to the doll house and puzzles. No Matthew. I walked up the stairs which he loves to climb. No Matthew. At this point I was getting frantic. The children's library is not very big and I searched all of it twice. No Matthew. I was making a second loop, asking everyone if they had seen my little guy when another Mom came up to me with a teary Matthew in her arms: "I found him on the elevator."
I uttered a heartfelt thanks and sat down on a nearby chair to snuggle Matthew, needing reassurance more than he did. Another mom came up to me. "My son did that once. The elevator button is so low that the babies can reach it. So scary!" Yeah, no kidding. It hit me that I was lucky no one had tried to summon the elevator to another floor while Matthew was inside by himself. Poor little guy! It must have been terrifying or at least terribly confusing! I can just picture him, so proud of himself figuring out how to make the doors open and then so confused why they closed and he couldn't get out.
For future library visits, maybe I will just keep him strapped in the stroller. From the time I realized he was missing to the time I had him back in my arms it was only a short two minutes. Although I gotta say, it was the longest two minutes of my life!

energy or the lack thereof

2011-01-19T21:58:00.000-05:00

I am exhausted- all the time. Admittedly, I don't get a whole lot of sleep. Between John's pager, Matthew waking up once a night (at least) and my older boys always finding a reason to wake up in the middle of the night (nightmare, drink of water, go potty, you name it) I feel like my life has devolved into a bad sitcom. You know, the familiar scene where as soon as the mom lays down on her nice, warm, comfortable bed and lets out a sigh of relief, a kid bursts in the room or the baby starts to cry. I honestly sometimes wonder where they are hiding the camera.
I know my struggles and exhaustion are on par with any other mom of young children so I try not to complain too much. It does not stop me from wondering if it would be worth the hassle of fighting my insurance company just so I can check myself into the hospital for a good night's sleep! (Is complete exhaustion still recognized as a medical condition or would the doctor just laugh in my face?) The beeping monitors and hourly check-up by a nurse would be more restful than trying to sleep with my five year old cutting off the circulation in my arm.
Those of you with grown children are shaking your heads at me and murmuring the platitudes I have heard so many times:
"Enjoy it while it lasts. It goes by so quickly"
"Just wait till they are older and your real problems begin"
"Better a sleepless night rocking a baby than a sleepless night waiting for your kids to come home."

Enough already! I get it! However, I don't think you remember exactly how debilitating it was surviving on interrupted sleep when YOUR kids were little. Well, let me remind you.
Most days I can barely remember my own name, let alone my three kids' names. I lose words all the time. I will be mid sentence and completely forget the word I was going to say. It feels most days like there is a wall inside my head and coherent thought is just on the other side. On the rare occasion that I can sit down for more than two minutes at a time I fall asleep. More than once I have driven across town without remembering how I got there. I have absolutely no ability to make small talk when in social situations; partially because I am too tired to think and partially because I am relishing the silence.
So being tired may not be the best excuse for the messy house, the inability to get ANYTHING done on time, my shoddy grooming, my lack of patience with the kids, my spotty blog attempts and my desire to stay home all the time instead of trying to be pleasant and sociable around other grown-ups- but for now, that's all I've got.

(Disclaimer 1: This is not to discourage first time parents-to-be! This is a state that you usually only reach one you have multiple children in the house.)

(Disclaimer 2: This is also not meant to be offensive. This is meant to be funny. I just thought I would let you all know that in case the humor doesn't translate as well in my dillusional/exhausted state.)

(Disclaimer 3: All typos are to be blamed on sleep deprevation!)

anniversary

2011-01-14T17:18:00.000-05:00

John and I got married when I was twenty - in the middle of my junior year of college. Most people would tell you twenty is far too young to get married and they would probably be right. In many ways I was far too young and completely unrprepared for it. However, I think there is something to be said for getting married when you are young enough that you are still growing into who you want to be. After all, don't the experts say that growing together is one of the things that helps to strengthen a marriage?

I met John at a swing dance club in Philadelphia during Thanksgiving weekend of my sophmore year. A friend from home, Hollie, had flown out for the long weekend and I was showing her around town. We met up on Saturday with my friend, Tiffany (from UPenn), to go dancing that night. Tiff invited John. He seemed nice enough but was horrible at swing dance and I initially wrote him off as a dumb jock (which is hilarious if you actually know him because he is one of the smartest people I know!). Anyway, it was not until he offered the three of us a ride back to Tiffany's and we walked out to see his brand new, very red, Mustang convertible that it occurred to me that ,maybe I should ask him a few more questions. He still tells people that I married him for that car (which is only partially true! LOL! ). When I saw the car I turned around and looked at him again, 'Wait a minute, what do you do?" I asked. He laughed a little and then told me he was a family practice resident. Once I picked my jaw up off the ground we started chatting, realized we had a lot in common and really didn't stop talking until he had dropped us off at Tiffany's. Now I knew he was smart AND a nice guy but I really wasn't interested in any sort of relationship with him or anyone else at that point.
You see, I had a plan. College was my time to meet lots of people and have lots of new experiences. I wanted to be foot loose and fancy free. Then, once I had graduated and found a job or gotten a solid start on graduate school, I could worry about things like a serious relationship. (Ok, you can stop laughing now!)
I hung out with John once or twice more, with friends, and then I went home for winter break. We emailed a little bit back and forth over break. He even offered to pick me up from the airport when I got back to Philly but that seemed too relationshippy to me so I declined.
My first night back John called and offered to take me out to dinner. I thought it would be fun to see him, get off campus and avoid dining hall food (not that it was bad, per say, but still) however I was a little unnerved by his enthusiasm. (Shouldn't he give me a day or two to get settled before he calls?)
The night of the date came. I sent all my hallmates off to dinner and then waited for John to show up. I waited. And waited. And waited... Two and a half hours later, he had the nerve to show up! He was doing a rotation at a hospital in South Philly at the time and had gotten held up, you know, saving lives. I gave him a hard time about not calling when he realized he was going to be late (as my family will attest I am not the most cheerful person when I am hungry) but, since I was starving and the dining halls were now closed, I went out with him. Things must have gone well because before the date was even over I invited him to go out swing dancing with me and some friends. He agreed quite cheerfully. Inwardly I was thinking, "This guy is a glutton for punishment" seeing as how the first time the dancing aspect hadn't gone so well.

Anyway, to make a long story short-ish, we finally went out dancing again. When we hit the floor I started leading but John stopped me, "Aren't I supposed to lead?" he asked. I laughed and said, "Go ahead." And he did! While I had been home for winter break, John had been spending his free time learning how to dance just so he could impress me.
So while John will tell you that I married him for his car, he is really just too shy to tell you that I married him because he took the time to learn about something that I loved to do just so he could see me smile. That is one of the things that makes our marriage so great. I love music he loves sports. I prefer hot climates and he likes the cold. But as different as we may be, I will read finance books while he reads home decorating books (a recent example) so that we can appreciate and intelligently discuss each other's interests. And while our marriage isn't always perfect (show me one that is!) we learn a lot from each other and enjoy our differences as well as our similarities. I can't imagine my life any other way.

Happy 11th Anniversary John! I love you!

Christmas and New Year's Eve in pictures

2011-01-04T23:07:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2010-12-28T21:17:00.002-05:00

Every year I plan to type up a clever, pithy note to accompany our Christmas cards to our friends and family across the country and every year it just does not happen. So here's my back up...

2010 has been a year of firsts for us:

Samuel, 2nd grade, started piano lessons (which he loves!), performed for the first time in his school's variety show and offers mini concerts for anyone who visits our home. He is also reading up a storm and continuing to play soccer in his free time.

James, Kindergarten, participated in his first ever art class- complete with art show. He is loving school and spends lots of time working on his reading and math skills, drawing pictures of anything and everything, and playing soccer.

Matthew had his first birthday in August and he covered lots of those usual major firsts leading up to it: sitting, eating table food, playing with toys, tackling his brothers... the walking came a couple of months later- during another first:

We took the kids to Walt Disney World!! It was a first for me ( I had never been further south than Myrtle Beach, SC) and for the kids. John had been years ago when he was a kid. It was an amazing trip and I promise I will finish blogging about it now that the holidays are almost over. In the meantime, check out some of the previous posts.

John is keeping busy with work and is still serving as the stake clerk at church. This was the first season since Sam started soccer that John didn't coach. He enjoyed watching from the sidelines.

As for me, I spend a lot of time chasing after the boys! =) In November I was asked to serve in the Relief Society presidency at church and after surviving my third Messiah production, was released from my stake duties. Whew!

We send lots of love to all of our family and friends out there and send hopes for a healthy and happy new year!

Disney Day 3 - Epcot

2010-12-03T23:27:00.000-05:00

We decided to attempt the impossible and try to see all of Epcot in one day. Lucky for us it opened an hour early- at 8:00am and didn't close until 9:00pm so we had lots of time to meet our goal. First off: a picture in front of the giant ball and then race over to "Soarin" - an awesome ride that feels like you really are hang gliding over California. Next we visited the other attractions in the land pavilion, the imagination pavilion, watched Captain EO, surfed through the ocean pavilion, and went on the travel through time ride (the ride inside the giant ball)- all before lunch. By the time we sat down for a late lunch, the last couple days of non stop action were starting to catch up with me and I was BORED out of my mind. Don't get me wrong, some of the things we had seen were interesting, just not quite what I had been expecting and I was itching to get to the international section- which was still several pavilions away.

The food woke us all up a little bit and we headed over to the space pavilion. The ride there was a space shuttle flight to Mars. The boys are still talking about this ride, two weeks after the fact. It was really awesome. Next we headed over to the test track. It was a ride where you test drive a car over pot holes, through hot and cold weather, through sudden stops and then a high speed roller coaster type ride. This was another favorite for John and I and the boys. At this point it was almost 5:00 and I was ready to hit the international loop but the boys still wanted to go to the Energy Pavilion to see the dinosaurs. So John and I decided to divide and conquer. Matthew and I went to scope out the International scene and John took the boys on the 45 min dinosaur/energy excursion.

As soon as I set foot in Great Britain I was in love. The atmosphere changed distinctly with each different country and walking around the loop really felt like a mini trip around the world-minus the jet lag. My favorite section had to be Morocco but I seriously loved all of the countries. I was kicking myself for not ditching the kids earlier- ok, I'm kidding... mostly. When I got to Italy, a mini replica of San Marco's square in Venice (where we have actually been before) there was a clown juggling soccer balls and playing catch with some kids. I watched the show for a while then continued on to meet John and the boys in Mexico. We stopped in Norway or Sweden to ride with the Vikings and then continued on back to Italy for our dinner at Via Napoli. At this point the kids were completely exhausted. We made it through dinner, though barely, and we're ready to head back to the hotel without staying for the fireworks. Luckily, an extra long line for the bathroom delayed us enough that we stayed to watch them. The fireworks at Epcot are shot out over the water surrounded by the different countries. There is a giant globe in the middle of the water that creates a light show complete with pictures that show up on it during the fireworks and then at the end it bursts open and shoots out more fireworks. Very cool. After that we dragged ourselves home to bed.

Oh and one more thing, after dinner Matthew decided it was a good time to start walking. He strolled around Italy without a care in the world- charming passers by as he did his victory lap.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

I figured I would take a hiatus from the Disney posts to pay tribute to this national day of thanks. On Tuesday I went to an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service put together by nineteen different churches in the Marple Newtown area and the Delaware County Life Center. Basically, it was an opportunity for people from the various congregations to donate turkeys and hats, gloves and scarves to the Life Center as well as an opportunity to share how our unique faiths' celebrate Thanksgiving. I sang with the choir, which was comprised of people from several of the different congregations.
These days people of faith are increasingly mocked and castigated by those who do not believe in God in any form. Apparently believing in God is no longer en vogue and to do so is naive and causes prejudice and cruelty in the believer. However, if you had been at the service with me on Tuesday you would see that this is absolutely untrue. As ministers, priests, bishops and rabbis got up to express their love for their fellowmen and their gratitude for all of the gifts we have in this earth it was clear that belief in God, any God, brings love and harmony where most often we find selfishness and callousness. As far as I am concerned, whether you believe in God or not, a concern for the people around you is absolutely crucial to the well being of our nation and the world in general. If you care how your actions impact those around you, you will be less likely to do something bad (IE: steal, mock, kill, lie,etc.) because that would have a harmful effect on your neighbors as well as yourself.
I was listening to NPR the other day and someone was explaining that the reason that our country has worked the way it does is because people have always held themselves to a certain moral standard. As morals are loosened or lost all together, there is a need for a larger police force to oversee things that would have normally been taken care of by our own sense of propriety. The increased need for police can quickly outstrip the amount of money allotted and can become yet another serious deficit to our economy. This is the direction in which our country is headed.
For the last month I have been listing daily on Facebook something for which I am grateful. I started because a friend of mine was doing it and it sounded like fun, but it became a great exercise in true gratitude. I actually spent a portion of each day examining my life and the many blessings that I have received so I could decide which one thing to list. If instead of this one day each year we all spent every day focusing on the things we have instead of focusing on the things we don't, imagine the change it would bring.
I believe in God and I believe that everything in this world and everything we receive are from Him. But I don't think you have to share that belief to acknowledge that even in these difficult times we all have so much more than we usually acknowledge: family, friends, love, a home, safety, freedom, food to eat, and on and on. Our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson recently said, "...to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven." Maybe I should have led with that.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Disney World Day 2

2010-11-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

Day 2 we woke up early so we could catch the first bus to Magic Kingdom. The boys were absolutely amazed by the castle and the atmosphere... and then we introduced them to the rides. We started out on It's a Small World and Matthew danced his way through the ride. He loved it! We made it through all of the rides in Fantasy Land- we even tried to pull the sword from the stone (no luck with that, by the way). Next we headed to Frontierland to ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain.

By 2:00 we were ready for lunch. Today we had a buffet scheduled at The Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. While we were waiting to be seated a show called "Dreams Come True" began in front of Cinderella's Castle. We could see it pretty well from where we were standing and the boys begged us to take them to watch it later. It ended up being one of their most favorite things about Disney World. We saw the show 4 times! Anyway, lunch was amazing and Sam and James loved meeting all of the characters. Matthew's reaction was still absolute fear. Poor kid.
After lunch and the show we went to Adventureland and did the Swiss Family Tree House (The boys need to see that movie!), the Jungle Cruise (Our driver had thee most obnoxious voice I have ever heard in my life!), Aladdin's Flying Carpet (Watch out, the camels really do spit!) and Pirates (Did you know they added Davey Jones, Captain Barbosa and Jack Sparrow to it?)! We went back and rode Splash Mountain again and then it was time for the Electrical Parade and the fireworks. Disney really knows how to put on a show! Some of the fireworks looked like Tinker Bell flying over the castle- like at the beginning of Disney movies and then they had an actual person dressed as Tink fly on a zipline from the castle tower to the other side of the park. Very cool!
We went home exhausted and grabbed a quick snack before bed- at least Samuel, John and I did. Matthew fell asleep on the way out of the park and James fell asleep on the bus.

Disney World Day 1

2010-11-21T23:02:00.000-05:00

John and I have been talking about going to Walt Disney World since we got married. This year we finally got our act together and took the boys. It was undoubtedly one of the best (if not THE best) vacations I have ever had! Those of you who have been to Disney World are probably shaking your heads, thinking I am crazy. Yes, it was crazy and chaotic and exhausting but I loved every second of it. We got to the park when it opened every morning and stayed until it closed. We had lunches and a breakfast with the characters, we watched parades, shows, fireworks and went on enough rides to make even the stoutest stomach a little queasy. We even managed to fit in a light saber duel with Darth Vader-- but let me start at the beginning:
We arrived in Florida about 7:00pm on the 13th. We were wisked off to Disney's Port Orleans- Riverside resort while they took care of picking up our luggage. Everything went really smoothly until our luggage wasn't delivered to the room until 2:00 am. Then I started getting nervous that this vacation was headed for disaster, but that was the only snag.

First thing Sunday morning we got ready and headed for Disney's Animal Kingdom. We arrived at Animal Kingdom as it opened. We had enough time to sneak in a safari ride before the breakfast. Sam and James got their first glimpse of what the week would entail and you could see that they were enthralled! We had a breakfast date with Mickey and Donald and Daisy and Goofy at the safari breakfast just after 10. We took our picture with Donald at the door and then meet the other three as they visited each table and stopped to hug the kids, take pictures and sign autographs. We learned at this first breakfast one very important detail: Matthew is terrified of the characters. When Mickey came up to say hi, Matthew let out a scream like I have never heard from him before. Anyway, the food was amazing, the service awesome and the characters took the time to pay attention to each of the kids. It was a great way to start the day. We spent the rest of the time wandering around hitting the major rides Kali RIver Rapids, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur and the minor rides as well. Since we had Matthew, John and I did a parent pass for each of the rides. He would take the boys on the ride, having to wait in line, etc., then he would pass the boys to me and I would get to take them in the fast pass line. The boys ended up riding every ride twice within almost the same amount of time that everyone else rode them once. Except for Dinosaur. They went with me and then were too scared to go a second time with John!
We saw two shows while we were at Animal Kingdom the first was a Lion King Spectacular where they sang a mix of songs from The Lion King and also had some fun additions. This was my and John's favorite show from the whole week. The second show we saw was Finding Nemo: The Musical. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It was actually pretty good and the way they created the characters was genius.
We were so full from our breakfast that we ended up only having a snack at the park instead of lunch and then we ate dinner back at the hotel since the park closed at 5.
Phenomenal first day! Just look at the pictures. Oh yeah, we bought Sam and James some mouse ears- after all, you can't bring your kids to WDW and not get them mouse ears! Matthew borrowed James' ears from time to time. This kid seriously does NOT like hats!

Mormonisms

2010-11-13T07:27:00.000-05:00

I was raised in the LDS church. At church we refer to leaders and teachers and other members of the church as Brother So-and-So and Sister Whozit. It is a recognition that we are brothers and sisters as we are all children of God. It is also a term of respect for your elders and for those in leadership positions. So now I find myself in a quandry. I am now officially an adult (and have been for some time as much as I choose to deny it) but I find I am having a hard time calling those who are still clearly older than me by their first name. Old habits certainly die hard. I have been working with one particular brother whose grown-up children are all (but one) older than I am. He was in the bishopric when I first met him as well. So now that we work together in a committee he insists I call him by his first name. Even at his insistance, I have to supress a giggle every time I say his name- like I am breaking some sort of taboo. But it seems, what I view as a term of respect, he feels it just makes him seem older.
So now that I am on the Relief Society presidency I am faced by the same issue with some of the women that I will be working with. Am I the only one to ever feel this way? Please feel free to weigh in!

Pumpkin Party and Halloween

2010-11-10T11:35:00.000-05:00

This year we had our third annual Pumpkin Party ala the Grey Family tradition. We had cookie decorating and crafts and the indispensible pumpkin carving as well as gobbs of yummy food. For the first time in our history of pumpkin parties we actually had nice weather. So the kids had a great time playing on the swingset too. My lovely friend Jewels took pictures for me since I was busy trying to juggle set up and Matthew. Thanks Jewels!!

The Halloween costumes for Sam and James turned out even cuter than I thought they would be. They still play with them and will probably be wearing them year round. =) The only downside of the costumes, according to Sam, is that he had to keep explaining to their friends who he was supposed to be. Matthew wore the monkey costume that we had bought for James when he was little. I had forgotten how cute it was! Since Halloween was on a Sunday we partied the entire weekend. School party and church trunk-or-treating on Friday, Pumpkin Party on Saturday and Halloween trick-or-treating on Sunday. After the trick-or-treating we hung out with our good friends Kelly and Chris and had some hot chocolate to warm up.

We had a great weekend!

She is good

2010-11-01T23:02:00.000-04:00

I was driving James home from his art class today. His special friend Gracie is in the class with him and had brought him a treat bag for Halloween. The following conversation took place as he was reviewing the contents of the treat bag:

James: Wow! Mom, how did Gracie know that M&Ms are my favorite?
Me: I don't know?
James: Mom, she put skittles in here too!
Me: Awesome.
James: Mom, she gave me a gummy saver too. How did she know I like those?
Me: (kind of laughing at this point) I don't know.
James: Mom, she gave me all of my favorites! Man, she is GOOD!

I laughed the rest of the way home.

Halloween and pumpkin party pics to come!

Back at the Mawr

2010-10-27T11:17:00.000-04:00

Monday morning I took Matthew on a fieldtrip back to Bryn Mawr College. I graduated 10 years ago in May and I still miss it. This year Bryn Mawr is celebrating it's 125th anniversay. As a part of the celebration the college sent out a request for former students to come and read letters written by students from the early years of the college and to contribute their own observations of their first years at Bryn Mawr.
I met BMC junior Mae Carleson in the archives and sat down to decipher the handwriting of a woman who attended Bryn Mawr from 1925-1929. The letters were written to her parents. The notes were hilarious and sweet and silly and strangly similar and yet completely different from my own experiences at Bryn Mawr. I felt like I was reading one of those guilty pleasure kinds of novels. But more about that later...
Anyway, the walk across campus was absolutely delicious. My first ever time experiencing a real fall was at Bryn Mawr. Where I grew up there was a two week period when the leaves turned brown and fell off. I had actually thought that it was an overexaggeration that leaves change colors other than brown. Anyway, on Monday the campus was already painted in reds and golds and oranges. There was a thick carpet of leaves on Merion Green and the view over the playing fields with the multihued trees somehow seemed to glow. It transported me back to freshman year- except for the baby on my hip. I am still kicking myself for forgetting my camera.

happy tears

2010-10-20T20:42:00.001-04:00

I just received the following email from the homeroom mom for James' class:

"Hi Erin:
I have sat in the writers workshop twice now and both times I've had your son in my group. I wanted to tell you that your son is such a sweet, mannerly little boy and is very intelligent. He does AMAZING with the writers workshop. You should be proud!
Just wanted to tell you that! :)
J. E. :) "

I think I can die happy now!

costumes, costumes, costumes

2010-10-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

For Halloween this year James was planning on trading off with a couple of costumes he has already worn. Samuel wasn't sure what he wanted to be this year but he was pretty sure it was going to be a Star Wars somebody- for the 4th year. So I pulled up the Party City website last night to let them look through costumes. They saw some adult costumes from the Lord of the Rings movies and decided that they definitely needed to be Legolas (Sam) and Aragorn (James). John introduced the boys to Lord of the Rings about a month ago when I was out with some friends. He figured that as long as he fast forwarded through the scary parts it was perfectly ok to show the movies to our 5 and 7 year olds. Sigh.
Anyway, since then the boys have chosen their favorite characters and we play Lord of the Rings now (The boys as listed above, John is Gandalf, I am Aowyn and Matthew is Gimli), alternating with our usual Star Wars and the latest craze, Harry Potter, makebelieve.
I told them I didn't think that they made kids sized LOTR costumes but that I would check. Lo and Behold!
You can find almost anything on Amazon. I could not believe that they actually had kids costumes for these movies! So John and I ended up spending more than we normally would for costumes for the boys. But we know that like some of their previous costumes, these will get A LOT of use before and after as well as during Halloween.
The bad news? No baby sized Gimli costumes for Matthew! LOL!
Sam and James really wanted John and I to get costumes so that we could dress up as a family. John just couldn't stomach the wig and beard for the Gandalf costume and they don't make any Aowyn costumes for me- although they do have a really cool Arwen costume, but who in their right mind pays over $70 for a Halloween costume?

the trouble with cars...

2010-10-15T21:50:00.000-04:00

So Wednesday morning I woke up groggy and tired and really wanting a shower, however, I also woke up late and I had to get the big boys on their buses and on their way to school and I had to get my house cleaned up so my fantastic friend who volunteered to watch Matthew for the morning (so I could go on a fieldtrip with Sam's class) would not think we live in a pig sty. So needless to say a shower wasn't in the cards for me.
The morning was great- had a wonderful time with Samuel on his field trip- will blog about it soon if I have the time- and everything went well getting home and thanking my friend and getting James and Matthew some lunch. Then the day went seriously downhill.
The plan was to run some errands, ending up at the grocery store and then hurrying home to see if Matthew would take a second nap so I could fit in a quick shower. John and I had plans to go out to dinner with his office that night and I really felt disgusting at this point.
Anyway, we finished the errands and the grocery store with no major problems but as I went to start my van it did not start. There was a young couple (decked out in black with multiple facial piercings) who were parked diagonally from me who witnessed the whole non-starting thing. They offered to try jump starting the van for me. They were incredibly sweet and helpful, especially when they realized that it wasn't going to work and I was stranded at the grocery store with two kids. Luckily, I was at the Acme in Ridley Park just a short walk from John's office. I pulled out the stroller, stuck Matthew in it, grabbed James' hand and began the longer-than-I-thought-it-was walk to see Daddy. After hanging around the office for a while, hoping John could take a quick break and drive us down to try jumping the van again (yeah, right), we headed home to pick up Sam who had gotten off the bus at this point and was hanging out with the neighbors.
I pack James and Matthew up in John's mustang, drive home, pick up Sam from the neighbor's house, grab some food for the kids and James' soccer stuff (just in case we can actually make it to his 5:30 practice) and head back out the door to pick up John from work and try to get my van working. We make it 3/4 of the way back to John's office and... his car shuts off. I manage to coast onto the shoulder before it stops completely and after frantically trying to restart the car I take a look at the gas gauge- empty. My sense of humor with the whole car situation is fading rapidly. I call John. After sitting on hold for 10 minutes, the boys fighting (Sam and James) and screaming (Matthew) providing me with background noise, he picks up.

Me: "YOUR car ran out of gas!!!"
John: (not sure whether to laugh or not) "Really? Oh no. Ok, I will ummm....I'll walk over to the corner gas station and get a gas can and walk up to get you."
Me: "You'll walk??? You are more than a mile away" (Boys screaming louder in the background- at this point Sam and James are hitting each other and screaming) "That will take forever!"
John: (safely in his office and getting a little frustrated with my craziness) "Well, what do you want me to do?!"
Erin: "I'll call your mom and see if she is home."

I try both Tip's cell phone and home phone and no answer. I call John back

Erin: (no hello or anything) "Your mom didn't answer!"
John: "I talked to my dad, he is on his way to pick me up and then we will come and get you."

The next 20 minutes seemed like hours. I got the boys to calm down by feeding them some of the snacks I had brought ( a serious NO NO in Daddy's car). He he he! Sad, but I got a little pleasure out of breaking that particular rule.
Once John and his dad showed up and put gas in the car we were on our way to a gas station to put some more fuel in the tank- despite John thinking it was not necessary, (What does he think cars run on anyway?) then on to resussitate the van.
No luck getting the van started. I ended up calling a tow truck (it was 5:15 at this point and I had to give up the idea of getting James to soccer) who assured me he would be there in 20 minutes. 45 minutes later he showed up and loaded my sad, sad van onto the flatbed (a process Sam and James thought was AWESOME) and took it to our mechanic. As he pulled away Matthew had a perplexed look on his face. You could tell he was wondering, "Where are they taking my ride?"

We ended up getting home at 6:25pm. Just enough time to nurse the baby, throw on whatever skirt I had that was clean and wrinkle-free and still be 20 minutes late for the dinner with John's office. Dinner was fun and they all had a good (sympathetic) laugh about the car situation.

As for my shower- I finally got one at 10:30pm.

14 months- where did the time go???

2010-10-07T20:57:00.000-04:00

Matthew hit the fourteen month mark today! Where did the last year go? Honestly, it seems like he was just born.
I gotta say, this kid is hilarious. He woke up early this morning and his fussing woke up his big brothers. I was playing with him on the floor in his room but as soon as he heard a sound from his brothers' room he crawled over to the door, used the doorstop to pull it open, crawled into the hallway and pushed his way into his brothers' room so he could play with them. He also often tries to climb into the bathtub with them even when he is fully dressed. He just thinks he's one of the big boys.
This stage of development is so fun. He loves to mimic whatever we do. At dinner we clap hands and pound on the table and make Indian noises and kissing noises just so we can watch him do it too.
Yesterday we went to Linvilla Orchards with James' friend Gracie and her family. Matthew insisted on walking around the entire playground (holding onto both my hands) and then went crazy climbing on the toy train. He wanted to follow James through the maze too, but I put the kibosh on that.

Matthew also excels at driving me crazy. He is so fast at getting around that I spend most of my day trying to keep up with him and cleaning up the path of destruction he leaves in his wake. His favorite activities include pulling DVDs and books off the shelves, pulling the Tupperware out of the cupboards and scattering them through the house, throwing things down the stairs from the kitchen, crawling down after them and then precariously climbing back up the stairs with the object in one hand so he can do it again. He also loves to throw a ball and chase after it and to full on body slam James if he happens to be sitting or laying on the floor. I think John may finally have his wrestler! I can't wait to see what the next few months bring!

heads, shoulders, knees...

2010-10-05T15:31:00.001-04:00

So my wonderful in-laws bought Matthew this cute toy puppy for his birthday. It sings songs and talks and lights up and is generally a perfect toy for a one year old- with only one glaringly major flaw: it does not sing a complete song.

For example, its' version of the alphabet song goes like this:
"A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P"

You keep waiting hoping that it will spout off the rest of the letters but, alas, no.
The songs programed into this toy are actually well orchestrated and on the surprisingly-less-than-annoying side of things. It sounds like the makers of the toy must have originally planned to use the complete songs and then at some point changed their minds. There is an abrupt cut off at the end (or rather in the middle) of each song. Matthew loves music and whenever he hears music he starts waving his arms and nodding his head and has a huge smile on his face. Which is one reason why this bothers me so much (don't even get me started on the lack of musical resolution). So he is just getting into the music when it shuts off.

If you are looking for a toy such as this for your favorite one year old, try the LeapFrog version. If this is Baby Tad is anything like the version my in-laws got for Samuel six years ago, this will do the same fun things as the fisher-price puppy AND it will play songs completely through.

In the meantime...

"Head, shoulders, knees and toes"...

Who needs "eyes, ears, mouth and nose" anyway?

I want one!

2010-09-28T20:20:00.000-04:00

My friend Tori is an awesome seamstress and super creative. Happily she just opened her own Etsy shop with some of her really cool creations. For anyone who is keeping track, I want one of her little snap clutches for Christmas! =)

Check it out for yourself.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/toriska

Phillies Phever

2010-09-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

Wednesday night John and I took Samuel to his second ever Phillies game. His first Phillies game was at The Vet when he was only a month old. Needless to say, he was more excited about this one. When we walked in the gate we were given rally towels which Samuel swung around with unmatched enthusiasm- hitting John and I in the head in the process every time.

I was glad I had the foresight to feed him a healthy dinner before we left for the game. We had only been in our seats for half an inning when Sam declared he was hungry. John and I decided to take him on a walk to show him the new(ish) stadium. Samuel ate his way around the entire stadium! He started out with cracker jacks (from a stand near our seats) which he had been dying to try because of the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." He got about halfway through the bag (about 1/4 of the way around the stadium) when he deperately needed some lemonade. Next it was the blue cotton candy at the half-way point. We got him to put it down for a few seconds to play run the bases but then he quickly finished it off and we had to find a bathroom to wash him down. Sam is my messy eater so you can imagine what he can do with cotton candy! After the pit stop (about 3/4 of the way around the stadium) we stopped to get some ice cream in the mini Phillies helmets. By the time we made it back to our seats, Sam's ice cream was mostly melted. As we scooted past people to sit down he tipped his helmet and dripped melted chocolate all over the seats of the people in front of us. I did a quick wipedown and got most of it just before they leaned back. I hope they weren't wearing new jerseys!

Samuel started getting tired around the middle of the 6th inning. However, he perked up once the Phillies Phanatic showed up. On the big screen we saw a Braves fan with a foam tomahock booing the Phillies. The Phanatic ran up to the fan, took off his Atlanta hat and threw it into the crowd. Then he stole the tomahock and hit him on the head a few times. After tossing the tomahock, the Phanatic ripped off the fan's Braves shirt and replaced it with a Phillies shirt. He also gave the fan a Phillies hat and a foam finger. The ex-Braves fan and the Phanatic started cheering for the Phils. It was totally staged but Sam thought it was the best part of the game!

As for the game itself, it was a shut out until the bottom of the 8th inning when the Phils finally managed to eek in a run which ended up winning them the game. We didn't see it though, we were getting Sam a soft pretzel.

bad day

2010-09-19T16:27:00.000-04:00

Emotional stability is a fragile thing. Any thoughts?

Stake Conference

2010-09-17T16:30:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I met an apostle of God. Elder Neal L Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to Philadelphia this weekend for our stake conference.   We have spent a lot of time the last month or two preparing for his visit and have been looking forward to it immensely.
On Saturday John and I had the opportunity to sit down to dinner with him, Sister Anderson, their daughters, the Stake Presidency and thier fabulous wives, our new Mission President and his wife and our other visiting authority Elder Gerard from the Quorum of the 70s and his wife. What a kind man Elder Anderson is! Unassuming and genuinely interested in us and our families and our lives, he took the time to answer questions and just sit and chat with us. He also enjoyed the time reminiscing with President Duckworth from our stake presidency who was a missionary in France when Elder Anderson was the Mission President there. What a small world the church is!
Anyway, the Saturday (adults only) session was great- practicly a date for John and I. The theme for the meeting was Temples. I want to share just one quick story then get on with the Sunday session.

Years ago, while Elder Anderson and his wife were living in Brazil, President Hinckley and Elder Faust came out to look for the perfect spot for a new temple. Elder Anderson was taking them around to look at several promising spots. He was sitting between President Hinckly and Elder Faust in the back of the jeep. President Hickly asked how big the first sight was and when Elder Anderson told him how big it was and that it was the largest of all the sites President Hinckley said, "We mow more than enough grass alread in this church." Then when Elder Anderson told him how much it cost, President Hinckley told him that it was too much. However, after they reached the site, walked around for a while, then visited all of the other sites, it became obvious that the first site was best. Elder Anderson wasn't going to say anything so he just sat quietly. Finally President Hinckly said, "In a few years we will not remember how much that site cost, besides, Nothing is too good for the Lord." And so that site was selected. I love that story! I wonder if that argument will work on John next time I want to get something for the boys?

Sunday morning was rainy and miserable but the chapel was already packed when we got there an hour and fifteen minutes early for choir practice. Since I am the stake Music Chair I got to put myself in charge of the choir. I love conducting the church choir and since we had an Apostle coming I simply couldn't resist. I also asked some very talented women to put together a children's choir from the city wards (P1 and P4) to sing for prelude. They were amazing! The kids (there were about 12-15 of them) sang their hearts out. Elder Anderson walked in when they were about halfway through their last song. He stood in front of them with a huge smile on his face while they finished singing and then warmly shook each one of their hands as they filed off the stand and back to their seats. He took the time to tell them how great they had sounded and how happy he was to meet them. You could tell that he was a proud grandfather (of 13 kids- two of whom he brought up on the stand to help with his talk) and that he loves kids. I had to blink back tears.
When the choir sang shortly after the beginning of the meeting I had to try not to laugh. I usually conduct from the left side of the podium (if you are looking at it from the congregation) which means that I was standing right in front of Elder Anderson. I almost got his toes with the music stand. Then, my stalwart choir members -who had done so fabulously in practice- were super nervous in his presence.   I had to give them the cue to come in twice. Once they started singing however, they relaxed and did an incredible job. Elder Anderson and Elder Gerard were very complimentary after the meeting.

The talks from this stake conference were all engrossing and thought provoking.

President Coe, our Stake President, talked about the need for us all to administer to each other. A couple of his really good quotes:
"Relative weakness and relative strength are episodic." So true- at least for me!
"I think the scripture 'When you are in the service of your fellow men, you are only in the service of your God.' was mistranslated. At least, the word "only" was put in the wrong place. It should read, 'Only when you are in the service of your fellow men, you are in the service of your God.'"
I love President Coe! He gives the best talks!

President Brown, a member of the stake presidency, talked about his experience on Trek this year with the young men and young women. (For those of you who don't know, Trek is when the teenagers, 14 -18, go out in the wilderness for two days, supervised of course, and recreate the pioneer experience of pulling handcarts for several miles with what little food the pioneers would have had.) It was during a heat wave and the water had been over chlorinated and Pres Brown had gotten them started in the wrong direction. He was ready to be done after the first couple of miles but was impressed by the kids as they continued forward, step after step, despite the increasing heat, thirst and exhaustion. Unlike him, the kids din't know the destination or how long it would take to get there, they just kept going step after step. He likened that to our daily lives- how we just need to keep taking those little steps (read scripture, pay tithing, fast, pray, etc.) because even though we don't know when, those steps will take us home.

Sister Gerard, who I came to really admire in the short time we had to talk, said, "To be acquainted with God is to know his love." I honestly couldn't tell you much more about her talk but that really stuck with me. She and her husband were recently sealed to their youngest boys- five year old twins they had adopted from Guatemala. We talked together about the joy and anguish of watching our kids start kindergarten.

Elder Gerard shared a story he heard at the National Day of Prayer meeting which he recently attended in Washington DC along with President Obama and ministers from all different faiths. It was a story shared by Admiral Molin (sp?) from the Joint Cheif's of Staff. (I'm paraphrasing) There where some soldiers in Afghanistan who came under fire as they were going up a hill. They found some large boulders to shelter behind until they could get some reinforcements. Every time they were being fired upon the corporal in the group watched the lieutenant dissappear around the other side of one of the rocks. When the shooting would stop the lieutenant would come back into view. Once they arrived back to base safely the corporal asked the lieutenant what he had been doing. The lieutenant responded, I was asking myself three questions. 1) What am I doing right? 2) What am I not doing? and 3) How do I make up the difference?
Then Elder Gerard quoted 3 Nephi 17:3 "Therefore go unto your homes and PONDER these things..."

Sister Anderson told this great story about when her kids were young she had wanted to do FHE on the conference talks.  So she went to make a copy of her Ensign from General Conference so everyone could have their own copy. When she went to pay the total cost was $50. At first she was kind of upset. $50 is a lot of money. But then she thought about it for a second "What is it worth to me for my children to have the words of God's prophets?" Really, what is it worth to us? I love that!

Finally Elder Anderson got up to speak. The first part of his talk was a self-effacing humor that although he appreciated everyone's enthusiasm to have him there, he was just an ordinary person like everyone else. He said that he and the other apostles were just ordinary people blessed with the opportunity to serve the church as a whole- however, he said, President Monson is not an ordinary guy. You can tell that the mantle of his calling has changed him- he is something more. Since we have so little opportunity (OK, none) to see President Monson, Elder Anderson shared some of his favorite stories about him with us. (I am paraphrasing them- any mistakes or misquotes are mine.)

President Monson has an amazing memory. Years ago, when the Berlin Wall was still in existence, President Monson went to East Germany to visit members of the church. Since he was not able to bring any official church materials, he was asked to memorize the entire Church Handbook of Instructions (approx 150 pages then) so that he could type it out for the East German saints when he got there. When he arrived he felt totally overwhelmed and had them take him right to a typewriter. As he sat down and started typing he looked up and saw the Church Handbook sitting on the shelf just above the typewriter! He was both frustrated and relieved.

Another story: President Monson loves indiviuals and values each individual person he meets. Years ago President Monson sent Elder Anderson to give a blessing to a boy who had had a terrible accident with a gun and had been shot in the face. Elder Anderson kept in contact with the boy over the years and was surprised when President Monson (then in the Q of 12) approached him and asked where the boy's mission papers were and why he hadn't sent them to SLC yet. Elder Anderson talked to the boy and the boy sent his papers in.  The boy had been reluctant because despite the 50+ surgeries he had gone through, his face was still badly scarred. On the day of his farewell, Elder and Sister Anderson went to his farewell. As they pulled in to the parking lot, they saw that the Stake President was setting a chair in a parking space to save it. Elder Anderson thought it was for him and started pulling in but was waved away. He looked behind him and there was President Monson coming for the farewell too. During the farewell President Monson spoke and quote D&C 84 "And whoso receiveth you, I will go with you... and I will go before your face."

One more: When President Monson was a bishop he got a phone call one day that one of his ward members was in the hospital and was very sick. President Monson promised he would visit that night. Later as he was at a priesthood leadership meeting he had an impression that he should leave and get to the hospital. The Stake President was talking and President Monson did not want to be rude so he waited until the end of the talk, ignoring the prompting. When he got to the hospital he raced up the stairs and met a nurse. He asked if she knew where he could find the brother from his ward who was ill. She asked if he was Bishop Monson. When he responded in the affirmative she said, "He was asking for you right before he passed away." That experience has stuck with him and President Monson strongly urges "Never, never, never delay when prompted by the spirit."

Elder Anderson continued his talk emphasizing the importance of parents- especially mothers- teaching their children the stories of Jesus. He said we need to pray for our children that they feel the spirit and that these stories will always be a part of them. He said that sometimes bad things will happen but that we should "Be not afraid, only believe." If we 1)keep the commandments 2) read scriptures 3) pray in faith 4) seek to do good 5) repent and 6) seek Jesus we will receive needed revelation that will help see us through.

All in all a spiritually filling conference and a great opportunity to have one of our apostles here. I am grateful I had the opportunity to meet him and I can attest that although he says he is just an ordinary guy, he is truly all that is best of men. His kindness and spirit were easily apparent as were his love for his family and our prophet and our Savior. We look forward to seeing him speak again- although it will probably only be on the tv during General Conference.

Mockingjay Review (spoilers alert!)

2010-09-10T22:57:00.000-04:00

I finished Mockingjay almost two weeks ago but have been unable to force myself to sit down and write a review for one reason only: I did not like it. I am an avid fan of the first two books in The Hunger Games series and had been looking forward to this book for over a year. The end of book two left so many possibilities! As a YA series it had been particularly gruesome- think Ender's Game to the nth degree but I thought, I hoped, that the third book would bring some peace to a society so deperately in need of it. Instead Mockingjay felt more like a piece of anti-war, anti-government propaganda. I felt like Ms Collins chose the absolutely worst possible route to resolution for the series. If resolution is what you can call it. While I appreciate her anti-war sentiment and the fact that she worked her charcters through the emotions of shock and trauma that accompany war, she did it in such a way that I lost almost all of my enjoyment of her main characters and the story itself. I found Katniss to be self-absorbed, indecisive and willfully ignorant (which is one of the worst traits anyone can have if you ask me!), Gale was obsessive and cruel and Peeta only a shadow of his former self. Of course, that was all intentional on the author's part. About halfway through the book I reached the realization that Prim was going to die. I was so upset that I almost put the book down and didn't finish. (I had the same sort of realization with Grey's Anatomy when they killed off Denny- but that is a whole 'nother post.) Can someone please explain to me the virtue of killing off Prim? Granted it was a way to finally put the kabosh on the Gale/Katniss relationship. Granted it was a surefire way to get Katniss to kill President Coin. But didn't it also negate the whole point of the first book in which Katniss sacrifices her own life to keep her sister alive? I thought it was totally unnecessary and cruel to the readers to kill Prim. I actually did put the book down after it happened. It took me a day to go back to it to finish the last few pages and quite frankly, at that point, I didn't care what happened. In general I was and still am horrified by the callous way in which the author unceremoniously killed off so many of the main characters. I am all for creative license and following your heart where the story goes. But at some point as an author you have to sit back and think about the impact of what you write will have on your readers- as far as I'm concerned this goes for fiction and non-fiction alike, especially when you are writing for young adults who are particularly impressionable! While I appreciate that the author had some practical applications to her story, especially in today's tumultuous hyper-political, war-ravenged society: sometimes the best choice is the lesser of two evils (or neither as the case may be), I feel like there are other ways she could have gone about it. There must have been some way to maintain at least a little bit of the characters we loved and still acheive her goal. For me Annie and Finnick's baby and a much altered Peeta/Katniss relationship doesn't really count as a happy ending.
I will probably reread this at some point to see if I can regain my love for the series. In the meantime, "May the odds be ever in your favor."

first day of kindergarten

2010-09-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

James had a good first day of kindergarten. Thank goodness! John actually gave him a blessing before he went to school- more for my piece of mind than his. I was so worried -which only got worse as I waited for the bus that was 20 minutes late getting him home. Gotta love the chaos of the first day of school.
Here are some cute photos of James before school and getting on the bus with our neighbor Michael.

And of course, my tired boy after school.

First Day of 2nd Grade

2010-09-07T12:44:00.002-04:00

Today is Samuel's first day of 2nd grade. He is excited but super nervous. I have heard great things about his teacher though and he is my little social schmoozer so I know he'll be fine. We all took him to the bus stop this morning and then took pictures with our neighbors. Matt from next door is starting 1st grade this year and Michael will be at Kindergarten with James.

I took James to meet his teacher today and see his classroom. It had the bare essentials and compared to Sam's kindergarten class, it was totally boring. His teacher was cold and seemed somewhat bugged by the kids- like she didn't even want to deal with them. I have an awful feeling about her and am debating options for what I am going to do. Does anyone know if TKP allows for teacher changes? I am so concerned I am even debating homeschool. Ack!

overheard at the Traverso's

2010-08-24T16:18:00.000-04:00

This is a whispered conversation that just took place between Sam and James after they got in trouble for not doing one of their (few and very easy) jobs.

Samuel: It like Mom's the boss of us. She's telling us what to do.
James: Yeah.
Samuel: It's not fair! I wish we could do whatever we wanted.
James: That would be awesome!

Apparently, I am parenting like I am supposed to... or at least a close proximity. I must have had the exact conversation with my brothers countless times.

my new hero

2010-08-17T23:13:00.002-04:00

Check out this blog!
http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/
This woman is my new hero. Ala "Julie and Julia" but with dresses! If only I dared to just cut and sew. Maybe I will take this up after Matthew is a little bigger.

Oldie but a goodie?

2010-08-16T10:41:00.000-04:00

There are some things that will never pass into obscurity. The Star Wars movies, for example, will remain favorites with every generation both because of their appeal to a wide audience and the fact that George Lucas (genius that he is) keeps finding ways to make them new and interesting. "Golden Oldies" music will also always be enjoyable because it is singable and dancable and fun in a way that much of the music today, well... isn't. But some of the "oldies but goodies" out there are ready to be retired. I find this mostly true where movies are concerned. While it is true that some classics will stand the test of time, others simply fail to make the grade.
I am referring specifically now to the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey." John's partner, Jack, recommended the movie to us. They recently upgraded to electronic medical records in their office and Jack, not very comfortable with computers, has named his computer Hal after the computer from "2001". We have now had the movie on loan from Netflix for two weeks and have not seen more than the first 40 minutes- nor do we have any desire to see more. In order to put it off we have been watching ANYTHING else we can find- this includes but is not limited to Disney Channel original movies and Lifetime specials. "2001" reminds me of the films they used to have on MST3K. In fact, having snide remarks interspersed with the few actual events in this debacle of a film would vastly improve it! While I appreciate the limitations they had on their technology in the 50s this movie is so painfully boring (seriously the first 30 minutes is watching men in gorilla costumes fight over a water hole to the sound of classical music) that I can imagine it could be put to more productive uses (new torture method anyone?), rather than be inflicted upon the unsuspecting public.

one already?!

2010-08-11T15:17:00.001-04:00

Obi-Wan Tissue Box Stephen Anthony Hungry Mr Squirmy Pants Matthew Monster Traverso celebrated his first birthday on Saturday. I can not believe how quickly this year has gone by. The next thing I know he is going to be getting on a school bus then going on a mission, going to college and then getting married (hopefully in that order!). He is an absolutely delightful little guy. He smiles almost all the time and loves to play and crawl and climb stairs and make lots of noise. His brothers, who used to be afraid to hug him because they didn't want to get drool on themselves, love to hold him and follow him around and play with him and tease him. He is definitely a hit as far as Sam and James are concerned.
At his one year check up he weighed in at 21 lbs 8 oz and 30 inches long! He is getting so big!
Here is the traditional montage of baby pics.
Birth-1 year:

adventures in baking - the rainbow cake

2010-08-04T14:16:00.000-04:00

So last week I tried a baking experiment. I found the instructions for this on the internet and have been dying to try it. Introducing (fanfare please!) the rainbow cake!

This gorgeous six layer cake, in addition to being a beast to make, has one major failing: it does not taste as good as it looks.

It is a relatively easy process.

1) Mix up two white cake mixes and divide into six bowls.

2) Using the special icing gel colors (from Michaels) color the cake batter the six colors of the rainbow.

3) Pour into six round cake pans (or in my case two square 3x- who owns 6 pans the same size??) and bake about 14 minutes.

4) Cool cakes then put together with white icing starting with purple at the bottom.

5) Cover entire cake in white icing. (I skipped this part as I had already used two jars of icing and did not want to invest a third.)

Sounds simple, right? Problem #1 started when I tried to get the first two baked cakes out of the pans. White cake uses egg whites only and the cake is a different, much more crumbly texture than I am used to. The top half of the cake came out but the bottom didn't. I scraped them out and reassembled the cake as well as I could to let it finish cooling.

Problem #2 manifested itself as I tried assembling the cake with my six noneven layers. When I make a two layer cake I typically cut the bottom layer to make it flat then add the icing and the second layer. Since I couldn't do that with the already crumbling layers I ended up with a much taller and precariously layered cake than I had planned on.

Problem #3 once the cake was assembled the kids were dying to try it. I cut us each a piece and although it looked absolutely stunning (perfect birthday cake if I had a girl!) it tasted like, well, not so good. White cake is kind of blah tasting anyway but combined with the mass amounts of frosting it just wasn't great. My boys LOVED it. Sam told me it was the best cake EVER! But John and I didn't finish our first pieces.

I am going to try it again. I have some great ideas on how to make it better. I think if I use a yellow or lemon cake mix for the three layers that use a yellow base (yellow, orange, and green) that would help with the texture and the taste. I am also wondering if there is a yellow cake mix that is not so yellow in color so that I could use it for the other colored layers as well.

It is an awesome looking cake. If you make one, feel free to experiment as the original has obvious flaws. Please tell me how it turns out. Oh, and invest in at least three cake pans of the same size. Trust me on this one.

Are we there yet???

2010-08-02T13:55:00.000-04:00

Is it time to go back to school yet? I'm done.

food for thought

2010-07-31T22:05:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine posted this quote on FB and I just had to pass it on:

"Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education, and children should be taught music before anything else."
--Plato

11 months old and going strong

2010-07-19T09:41:00.001-04:00

Last week Matthew hit the 11 month mark. He is a speed crawler and is pulling himself up and walking a little while holding on to the furniture. He hates to sit still at all- ever. You can imagine that plane rides and church are especially fun with him. (sigh) We have renamed him Mr. Squirmy Pants. We finally pulled out the baby gates because he is obsessed with the stairs and has taken a few tumbles down the four steps between the kitchen and family room.

Matthew's most favorite thing to do is play with Daddy and his big brothers. He is now strong enough to hold one of the pool noodle lightsabers from the boys' birthday parties. He sits there and giggles as he swings it around a little and the boys gently knock lightsabers with him. Too funny!

Matthew also started clapping last week- he is very proud of it too- and playing peek-a-boo holding the blanket himself!

I can't believe it has almost been a year! Now all we need to do is get him sleeping through the night... I wish.

Day 3 at long last

2010-07-17T13:26:00.000-04:00

Day three we woke up bright and early and took the kids out to Snow Canyon to play on the sand dunes. I grew up playing out there on the dunes and hiking through the canyons. It was amazing standing there in the early morning seeing the red cliffs reaching into the clear blue sky. I felt homesick even though I was standing right there.

Anyway, the kids had a great time. Mom (who stayed behind to watch Matthew (who does NOT like sand) and do some work) had bought them all their favorite color sand bucket and shovel so they brought them along to dig in the dunes. TJ spent part of the time tracking animals and looking for "specimens". We had running and jumping competitions and John kept a few of the boys entertained for about 30 minutes by burying an ant and watching it dig itself out over and over and over again.

Grandpa Lew dug some good sized holes in the sand and we buried a few of the kids (lying down) up to their necks. It was all fun and games until TJ started teasing Henry, who was buried, by stealing his hat and putting a bucket on his head. Henry was less than thrilled. He was able to get unburied on his own to chase after TJ. Cameron and Nathan needed a little help.

On our way out of Snow Canyon we pulled over to take a couple more pictures around the spot where John proposed to me. I really love this place!

After the sand dunes for a little over an hour (it was HOT!) we went back to Mom and Dwane's and did some swimming to wash off some of the red dirt and to cool off.

Funny thing about the red dirt, it doesn't ever really come out of your socks. Today I put on my socks that I had worn to the sand dunes that day and I got sand all over the place. I had washed them but the sand just sticks around.

In the evening we had another song practice- minus our accompanist who was teaching piano lessons in Las Vegas. After practice Keri went for a frozen custard run at Nielsons. Frozen custard is an extra creamy soft serve type ice cream that is super rich and can be mixed with whatever you like. The chocolate custard tastes a little like Cold Stone's chocolate cake batter. Yum!

oops

2010-07-15T15:08:00.002-04:00

In my excitement to post about all of the fun things we did on vacation I happened to skip day 3. I will add it in soon.

last day

2010-07-15T15:02:00.000-04:00

For our last day of the family reunion we went boating with Dad and Anne at Quail Lake (known as Quail Creek when I was a kid but whatever). It was July 3rd, a very hot day and we feared it would be very crowded as well. Lucky for us the lake was pretty empty. Dad took 5-6 people out at a time while the rest of us played on the shore. He had a taco that was perfect for the kids to ride on alone or with their parents. The adults and older kids started holding competitions for the coolest trick: standing on one leg, doing barrel rolls, etc. My boys just held on for dear life (with John or I riding behind them) and prayed that they didn't tip over. It was really a lot of fun for everyone. Around 2 or 3 the kids were done so I took them back to my parents' house and John stayed behind with Jared and Steph to do some water skiing.

That afternoon Mom found a random stash of fourth of July novelties in her pantry so she pulled them out for the kids to play with. Bedecked in red, white and blue we all traipsed outside to watch Tim launch some water balloons on his homemade water balloon rocket launcher. It hurled the balloons almost 200 feet in the air. We decided after a couple of test runs from the side yard (and almost hitting the neighbor's BMW twice!) that we had better take the launching to the park so we didn't dent any cars. On our way to the park our friends from Seattle, Laura (previously seen at Myrtle Beach) and Jeff, called to say they were in town and on their way over for a quick visit. They met up with us at the park and enjoyed Tim's water balloon launcher as much as the rest of us. They couldn't stay long (just long enough for Hayley and Sam to reconnect) but it was fun to see them again!

That evening (after John and I finished packing for our early morning departure) we were invited up to the neighbor's house to watch the fireworks from their balcony which had an incomparable view of St George. The kids (all 11 of them- Ty and Becca and Theo had left for MA earlier in the day) who had been going non-stop all week, dropped like flies during the 45-ish minute fireworks display. Only the oldest four actually made it through the whole thing without falling asleep or asking to be (and being) taken home.

It was a peaceful ending to the day and the week as a whole but I was NOT ready to go home. One week with my whole family is just not enough time! While we chatted about future get togethers, the majority was pushing for a full out vacation on neutral ground (so no one family has the responsibility of hosting- which is still stressful despite everyone taking turns cooking) with no cd so we could spend the entire time relaxing and playing. I highly agree. I just wish we could do it next month!

Day 6

2010-07-14T15:48:00.001-04:00

Day six was our scheduled recording day. Mom made Star Wars pancakes then John, Tracy and Dwane (our non-singing spouses) loaded up the older boys (Henry, TJ, Nathan , Cam, Samuel and James) and took them to the cabin to do some 4-wheeling. We got some neighbor girls and their mom to watch the little ones and then we took off for the studio. For this cd we planned an ambitious 5 group numbers and Mom insisted we do a rerecording of "Did You Think to Pray."

So the thing about recording with my family is that we all get along really well. Which is a good thing after a couple of hours in the studio! Some of our family (Jared and Steph) would rather not participate in the cds and are dragged into this kicking and screaming- or by decree from Mom who rarely lays down the law quite as firmly as she does when these cds are concerned. The rest of us for the most part really enjoy singing together and are willing to put in the work just so we can enjoy the cd later. When things start getting a little stressful or people start snipping at each other, inevitably, Tim or Jared will crack a joke to get everyone relaxed again.

We started the recording with a simple song: "How Can I Keep From Singing." This song was Lisa's suggestion and actually turned out to be our theme for the cd- as much for its pluthera of meanings as anything else. Our picture for the back of the cd cover is everyone covering each others' mouths (and Ty and Becca kissing - ewwww!) to keep us from singing. We took one with Jared and Steph trying to run out the door too, but it didn't turn out as well- too bad!

Around about our third or fourth song "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel," which is a tough gospel spiritual, we were all starting to get a little tired and frustrated. As we were waiting for our recording tech to hook up a mic for some drums (yes, our accompanist was multi talented) Tim started changing the words to the bass line to sing about how our week had gone so far. For example: "Can someone change the baby's diaper? Change the baby's diaper? Change the baby's diaper? Yes, yes I will." Things just snowballed from there until we were all taking our parts of the song and changing the words. If we weren't paying for the studio by the hour we probably would have sat down and written out lyrics so that we could record a silly version of the song as an extra track. As it was we kept ourselves thoroughly entertained while we were waiting to record some more.

With four songs recorded we took a lunch break (Three cheers for Cafe Rio!!!) as we waited for Dwane to bring Henry down from the cabin to sing with us and I went to feed Matthew. The last song "Battle Hymn of the Republic" went well and we did a quick one and a half times through "Did You Think to Pray" just so Mom could get it on the cd. At which point Jared and Steph got out of the studio so fast we didn't even realize they were gone. Of course, everyone but Tyler and Becca (She had some more recording of her own stuff to do) and Keri (who had a harp solo to do) took off for home to get ready for the next event: movie night.

Keri, Lisa, Mom and I are all fans of the Twilight books. Usually we try to go to the movies on the same day so that we can call and chat about it after the fact. Eclipse was the first movie that we all got to see together during opening weekend. Steph, Tim and Anne came with us. So the rest of the adults in the family took the older kids to see Toy Story 3 at the same time. While we were waiting for the movie to start, the manager of the theater came in with an Eclipse t-shirt and a couple of Eclipse pins. He offered them to anyone who was willing to get up and do some sort of talent for the group. Keri and I looked at each other and she said, "Well, we kind of have to, don't we." We had been in a recording studio all day after all. So all of us, (yes, even Steph) got up and did a verse of "Daniel" (minus the tenors who were at Toy Story 3). We had the audience clapping and everything. They gave us the shirt and the buttons. And the movie was fun, too. =)

I would love to post some of the song tracks once I get a copy of the cd- thanks for the suggestion, Sam. However, I have no idea how to do that so if anyone has some mad blogger skills and wants to tell me how, that would be great!

Days 4 and 5

2010-07-10T22:24:00.002-04:00

July 6th marked Dwane's 70th birthday. Since we were there the week before, Mom decided to have his party a week early. She spent weeks racking her brains to think of something special to do to celebrate and came up with hot air balloon rides. So REALLY early in the morning (5:30am!) on Wednesday we loaded up in cars to pick up the balloon guy and go to the launch site out in Washington Fields.

It was really cool watching them get the balloon unpacked and set up for rides. They used two smallish fans to blow up the gigantic balloon. I would not have believed it would be so easy. Although it did take them a long time to get the basket unloaded from the truck and ready to go. By the time the balloon itself was ready to take off we were all wishing we would have stayed in bed for a while longer.

The balloon guy (never got his name, sorry) said he could do three "hops" with three adults each and then a couple of tethered rides for the kids. Dwane went up with Casey and Chad for the first hop, Keri, Tim and Paige took the second and Mom, John and McKenzi went on the third. The trick for those of us on the ground was to follow the balloon so we could be there when it landed to switch the passengers. We felt like storm chasers. There was this line of 6 or 7 cars that were making u-turns and cruising down rutted dirt paths trying to catch the balloon. It was very Twister-esque. And very fun!

After the third hop, they anchored the ballon to the ground with a rope and did two quick up and down rides with Sam and I and some of the cousins on the first one and then Mike and Rebecca and some more kids on the second. The kids were not huge fans of the rides, mostly because it was super hot and loud. The fire they use to make the balloon rise combined with the fast increasing temperatures of St George was painful. I enjoyed the ride but didn't get much of a chance to look around. One of my little nephews was in tears so I was on my knees holding him for most of the ride.

The rest of the day was spent resting, swimming and recovering from the early morning- after we had cupcakes with Grandpa that is.

Day four was our first day in the recording studio. First up: the kids singing the song Lisa and Keri wrote as well as another primary song. The kids were excited to be in a studio. You should have seen Henry (11 years old, brilliant and in love with all things electronic) when he walked into the booth where our tech was sitting. His eyes where the size of plates and his fingers were just itching to push a button or 12. It took a while for the recording tech to set up so I entertained the kids by playing hot potato with a (clean) diaper. (It was all I had!) When they were finally able to record, getting them to hold still when they were singing was another matter altogether. I think my nephew, TJ, only holds still when he sleeps (and even that is debatable) and he was not the only one that had the wiggles, just the biggest.

After the kids, Mom and I and Keri were up. Mom really wanted to sing a solo. For my entire childhood, my mom was almost completely tone deaf. She would sing all of the hymns at church off key despite our best efforts to teach her otherwise. On school days she used to threaten us with her singing if we didn't get out of bed. By the time I left for college, however, she was starting to find her way musically and actually joined her ward choir. Lately she has even been taking voice lessons. However, she is not 100% comfortable singing on her own yet. Mom called me about a week before we were to arrive to see if I would sing her solo with her. I agreed, but with the arrangement she was using we ended up adding Keri in for the fourth verse so the solo ended up as a trio... until we started recording. We recorded it once and were preparing to rerecord the third and fourth verses when Keri suggested that Mom try the third verse (her favorite) on her own. Mom was so nervous I actually held her hand to help calm her. She did a beautiful job and although tenuous at the beginning, ended strong. I can't wait to hear how it sounds on the cd! I am so proud of her!

Once Mom and I were finished, we took the kids back to the house for lunch and to get ready for the water park. Everyone else who had a solo prepared stayed at the studio to record. The water park we went to was built just a few years ago as part of the Washington Rec Center. ( Washington is a suburb of St. George- although I use the term loosely.) The water park had a hydrotube, lazy river, infant area and some smaller slides and other fun water toys. The best part is that it was shallow enought that Sam could touch the pool floor everywhere so he just took off with his cousins and didn't need a life jacket. We spent a couple of hours swimming and sliding and floating and generally having a great time. It was a great way to relax and enjoy the kids before our looooonng recording day on Friday.

Stay tuned... (get it?! Ha! I crack myself up!! Ok, maybe I shouldn't blog when I am tired.)

Day 2

2010-07-08T15:17:00.001-04:00

Day two in Utah- still outrageously hot- we spent most of the morning indoors. The last few times we have all gotten together, my mom wrangled us into recording a cd. My family grew up singing and Mom has always been our biggest fan. She loves these cds so that she can listen to us whenever she wants since we aren't there in person. Before this vacation we had done two previous cds: one of Christmas music and another of showtunes. This year after much debate (via email and phone) we decided on spiritual music. Keri, our family organizer, ordered and sent out music and practice cds a month or so ago so that we would be prepared for our first rehearsal. This morning was our first practice.

Almost 3 hours later...

The kids, non singing spouses and even most of us singers were beyond done. The kids jumped in the pool to get rid of some extra energy while we got lunch ready then it was off to the dinosaur footprint museum.

Several years ago one of the local landowners had been turning over his land getting ready to plant and had discovered the single largest group of dinosaur trackways- so now there is a museum in St. George. James is totally obsessed with all things dinosaur so this was a special request from us. Of course, when you think of a museum you think of several floors and wings where you could spend days getting lost looking at all of the amazing artifacts, art, etc. Nope. This is a small building that takes about 20 minutes to look at all of the prints on display; perfect for the attention span of our group. It was pretty cool, though. After the museum we headed back to the house and the pool. After a couple hours of swimming we got the kids cleaned up and fed and the adults headed up to the Utah Shakespearian Festival in Cedar.

I have been going to the festival since I was a kid. This was my first time back in about 10 years. Before the evening performances there is a Greenshow with singing and dancing and juggling and jokes while strolling vendors sell fresh tarts and fancy programs. My sister, Lisa, actually performed in the Greenshow when she was in college- it was an internship that she had set up through Bryn Mawr. The Greenshow has definitely been downsized since I was last there. Instead of the traditional three stages of performers with live musicians. There was only one stage with prerecorded music and a fiddlist hooked up to a mic. Still fun though. The play we saw "Much Ado About Nothing" was spectacular. They really played up the physical and literary comedy of the show and Benedict and Beatrice were perfect for their roles. The guy playing Prince John (a role played by Keanu Reeves in the movie) was wearing a black leather coat straight out of The Matrix. It cracked me up! The play was performed in the outdoor Globe Theater: a replica of Shakespear's famous Globe Theater in London. John was even impressed- which really says something.

On the ride home from Cedar (about a 45 minute drive) TJ and Henry, my two oldest nephews, were riding in the car with Mom and Dwane and Lisa, TJ's Mom. Henry was telling jokes and reciting silly lines from the show to make TJ laugh. Just as TJ took a drink of water Henry told a perfectly timed line. TJ choked on the water and threw up all over himself and the back seat. He spent the rest of the time trying to blow chunks of raspberry tart out of his nose. Lisa and my Mom spent the rest of the drive trying not to crack up while Dwane drove the car ever faster with each noise from TJ (who was sitting right behind the driver's seat I might add). Mom, Lisa, Keri and I had a good laugh about this after we all got home (and cleaned the car out). Actually we were doubled over laughing until tears rolled down our cheeks. I love my family!

SGU Day 1

2010-07-06T17:02:00.000-04:00

Mom and Dwane's house is a real home. The moment you walk in the door your are enveloped in a sense of warmth and well being. They are both such loving people that the house radiates that feeling as well. The only thing that improves on the feeling in their home is when all of us are there visiting

When we woke up Sunday morning (7:00 as usual despite the time change (James has an impeccable internal clock.)) we were welcomed with hugs and kisses and finally had the opportunity to introduce Matthew to all of my siblings and to his cousins. After a yummy pancake breakfast (John cooked) Mom laid out the plan for the day. She had, as is usual for when we are all in town, arranged for us to sing in sacrament meeting. This time she had also arranged for our kids to sing in primary. Lisa and Keri (my two incredible sisters) wrote a Primary song this year and Mom wanted them to teach it to her primary kids. Then she had volunteered Lisa and Keri and I to sing in Relief Society as well. Mom can go a little overboard sometimes. =) Sunday evening was reserved for family pictures.

Going to church in my parents' ward is a little strange. I know maybe a handful of people. Mom and Dwane were married two days after Mike (my step bro who is my age (actually, technically he is 6 months older since I got to retain my status as the baby of the family)) and I graduated from high school. This was never my home ward since I went to the college ward that summer and then moved to Philadelphia. However, we are welcomed with open arms whenever we are home for a visit and Mom and Dwane are loved and looked after by everyone, so as far as wards go this one is pretty great.

Anyway, all of the singing went well and watching my boys fearlessly sing a solo (Sam) and a duet (James) in front of a large group of their peers made my heart burst. Church down, family pictures to go...

The plan: All of us as well as all of Dwane's kids and grandkids would meet in the park at 6:00pm to get a new family photo of the WHOLE family as well as individual family photos. The last time we had done this was in 2002 when I was barely pregnant with Samuel and my brother, Jared, wasn't even married yet. I have been after John to get some real family pictures done for a while so I was looking forward to this. I think that the pictures turned out well. Sascha (my step brother Casey's wife) picked the color combinations for the family- a task almost more difficult than arranging the whole group for a shot.

What we didn't take into account: the 117 degree heat and the poor saps (us and Ty and Becca and Theo) who were still on east coast time. Two photographers and two hours (and several melt downs by kids and adults) later, we were more than ready to go splash around in a nearby fountain built specifically for that purpose. The small amount of cold water bottles and half melted popcicles we had brought barely helped to combat the heat but the water fountain reduced Samuel to blue-lipped shivering. I had him lay down on the pavement to warm up since no one had thought to bring towels.

One of the fun or bizarre things about my family: Since we are so rarely all in the same place (the last time was in Philadelphia in 2006) my Dad and his wife Anne are included in most if not all of the family activities. Family pictures were no exception. They showed up at the end after Dwane's kids left and we got our pictures taken with them, too. Don't even ask how the bill is being split on that one!

Home

2010-07-05T14:46:00.001-04:00

Last week we went out to Utah to spend a week with my family. As we made the evening drive from Las Vegas to St. George all I could do was stare out the windows at the mountains and try to keep from drowning in memories and waves of homesickness as they crashed over me. Don't get me wrong, I like Philadelphia, I love our home and our friends and I have no intention of EVER returning to live in St. George, but there is something about the towering mountains and the glowing sunrises and sunsets and the orange dirt that never washes out of your socks that just fills my soul.
The drive from Vegas to my childhood home is a familiar one. The airport in St. George is on top of a small mesa so you have to spend a small fortune to fly there directly. Las Vegas is the closest major airport. Also, it is where my Dad moved when my parents split so we spent a lot of time as kids making the trek there and back.
During the first part of our drive the moon rose and sat perched on the mountain to our right, larger than normal and slightly orange in color, welcoming me back. Then the millions of stars came out one by one reminding me just how many are hidden by the smog and the trees back east.
A small portion of the drive between the two cities is through the Virgin River Gorge. It is a four lane highway (two lanes for each direction) that runs parallel to the twisting path of the Virgin River between towering canyon walls. With "watch for falling rocks" signs and frequent big horn sheep sightings the path can be trecherous to say the least. The speed limit through the gorge is 55 mph. My Mom, who used to make the commute to Vegas for graduate school 2-3 times a week, takes it at 90. As I drove through On Saturday night a week ago with my four sleeping boys, I was driving a conservative 65. There are so many twists and turns that driving on a dark night is more than a little terrifying. The curves are hard to see and the road is alternately bordered by steep drop offs or solid rock walls. Driving the gorge in daylight is less frightening and more intoxicatingly beautiful- which poses the danger of distraction.
St. George is a small basin surrounded on all sides by red sandstone cliffs or black lava rock hills with the rocky mountains in the distance. From the surrounding hillsides you can see for miles in any direction- with very few trees to block your view. The wide open space gives you a feeling of insignificance but also one of gratitude for the overwhelming, breathtaking beauty of it. Never has the odd color combination of green (grass), orange (sandstone) and blue (sky) been considered gorgeous until you have seen it here.
It was good to be home. And HOT. We took family pictures outside on Sunday and the thermometer read 117 degrees. Most days it hovered around 108. Mom and Dwane's pool felt like a bathtub. It was still refreshing though and we took the kids swimming twice almost every day. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and John and I had fun hanging out with my brothers and sisters and their spouses. It was insane and hilarious chaotic and entertaining and stressful and silly and I did not want to come home yesterday.

I left my computer at home due to airline limitations on bags and needing every extra bit of room for baby stuff and I was kicking myself from the moment we landed for not bringing it. The next week or so will be blogs about our trip that I composed in my head. Stay tuned...

Famous Quotes from Myrtle Beach

2010-06-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

James: (10 minutes into our 10 hour drive to MB) "Mom, are we in Myrtle Beach now?"

Matthew: "Mamamama"

Samuel: (about his new 20 questions digital game) "This thing is awesome! It knows everything!"

James: (We went to dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise) "Mom, what is paradise?"
Mom: "Picture the happiest place you can imagine where you can be with all the people you love: your friends-"
James: "Oh, so like school!"

Samuel: (when saying goodbye to his friend Haley) "You made the best Princess Leia ever!"

Matthew: "Dadadada!"

James: (10 minutes into our 10 hour drive home) "Are we in Philadelphia now?"

Myrtle Beach

2010-06-24T10:16:00.000-04:00

We are getting ready to head out to the family vacation in Utah so I am trying to catch up on all my posts.

Last week was our fourth annual Myrtle Beach vacation. It is the perfect place to go with young kids- especially my boys who LOVE the water! We had a great time with John's family (minus Dave who was too cool for us this year. =)) We also got to meet up with Aunt B, Laura and Haley again and they brought newbies Dallin and Chase to join the party.

Here are a few photos of the fun!

Needless to say, we had a great time! Want to come next year?

ten months plus some

2010-06-24T09:23:00.000-04:00

The day before Sam's birthday was Matthew's 10 month mark. I swear he gets cuter by the day! He also gets more mobile! Matthew at 10 months had figured out how to climb the four steps from our family room to our kitchen. He also got two more teeth so he now has eight. Now all he has to do is figure out what to do with them. He still chokes on anything that isn't puree so we are hoping over the next few weeks while we are on vacation to get him used to chewing.

Look at this boy, I know I am not biased when I saw he is adorable! =)

Lucky Seven

2010-06-08T13:14:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Sam. Seven already!!!

In the hospital

One Year Old

Adorable twos

Three and driving already!

Four

Five- with possible future wife. =)

Six years old!

Last week

Sam's favorite things at age 7: School, reading, playing soccer, playing with Daddy and James and Matthew, his friend Rachel, Star Wars (especially Obi-Wan Kenobi), his webkinz, Star Wars Legos and playing with his friends. Sam is a smart little guy (he does addition in his head better than I do!) and loves taking charge. It is so fun watching him grow!

battle of the sexes

2010-05-28T00:13:00.000-04:00

John and I don't always see eye to eye about finances. So let me pose a question to you and please, send me some feedback. I am wondering if this is a "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" kind of question or if this is just a me and John thing.

Would you rather:

A) Scrimp and save on your daily expenses and home improvement fund in order to purchase a vacation home at the beach (where you will only spend a week or two a year and then use it as a rental property the rest of the year)

or

B) Allow yourself a little more money for the day to day and household expenses (alleviating much stress and giving the opportunity to go out to dinner and movies and enjoy here and now) and continue to vacation in hotels in different locations.

Seriously, would love feedback on this one!

Fabulous Five!

2010-05-25T22:46:00.000-04:00

My Mr. James turned five today! It has definitely not been his best birthday ever (he is recovering from hand-foot-and-mouth and has sores all over inside his mouth and cannot eat anything other than popcicles and yogurt) but he did get to lick the frosting off of a cupcake so it couldn't have been all that bad. More than anything he wanted a black dragon webkinz for his birthday so we made sure he opened that gift before breakfast. It was the first time we have seen him smile since he got sick last week!

As per tradition, here is my sweet boy over the last five years. Oh my how he has grown!

the day he was born

1 year old!

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

FIVE!

James' favorite things at age five: all things Star Wars, playing with his big and little brothers, playing with Daddy, preschool, his friend Gracie, playing soccer, playing wii, eating water ice, and watching Dinosaur Train.

Mr. Lister's Opus

2010-05-23T16:33:00.000-04:00

My high school choir director is retiring this year. This is one of those retirements that affects the entire communtiy- not to mention the 8000+ previous choir students who feel like the world has turned upside now that Norm Lister will no longer be a fixture at PVHS. The local paper even wrote an article about his retirement. (Although you can tell that the author was obviously not a former student. He must have gone to Dixie.) =) In fact, Mr. Lister is so beloved that a couple of years ago he was persuaded to start a community choir so that alumni and their parents could have the opportunity to sing under his guidance outside of high school. If ever there was a reason for me to want to live in St. George, THIS IS IT! (Yeah, I know, not going to happen- but I can still dream.)
Anyway, Mr Lister really taught me how to sing- along with the rest of my siblings. Not only did he run the choir department, but he was in charge of the music for the school musicals. Since musical theater and choir were the two things that I loved in high school, he was not only a teacher but a mentor and a substitute father. And I was not the only student who felt that way. Mr Lister put his whole heart and soul into everything he did and it really showed.
Now that I am conducting the choir at church and trying to organize music in the stake, I am even more appreciative of everything Mr. Lister taught me. I can picture him in my head when I am working on a piece of music and it helps me to get it where I want it to be.
Anyway, Wednesday was the final choir concert for the year and Mr. Lister's daughter arranged via Facebook for interested alumni to learn a choral arrangement of his and to join the current choir on stage to sing a tribute. She called it Mr. Lister's Opus. Oh, how I wish I could have been there! My Mom said that it was amazing and so sweet.
At the end of the concert, the parents' group which fundraises for the choir presented Mr Lister with some presents. 1) A filing cabinet for his home signed by everyone who could get there and 2) a cruise to Alaska for him and his wife. When I talked to Mom about the concert she told me the back story on the gifts:
Mrs. Kinzy, the head of the parents' organization called Sue Lister to ask for ideas for an appropriate gift for Mr Lister. Sue suggested the filing cabinet as Mr Lister would be bringing home some of his own music that he had been using at school. When told to think bigger Sue said, "Well, we always wanted to go on a church history tour or on a cruise." Mrs Kinzy had laughed, "Maybe not that big." As she purchased the filing cabinet, not only did Staples give them a school discount but when they learned it was for Mr. Lister, they gave an even bigger discount. Then as Mrs. Kinzy was at the travel agent arranging for the cruise she received another discount and upon learning it was for Mr Lister the travel agent used her commission to upgrade his room on the boat. Then they called the cruise line and were comped another upgrade for Mr Lister so that he had one of the best rooms available- ocean side, top level with a balcony. For plane tickets to Seattle to get to the cruise, Mrs. Kinzy contacted the only airline that flies into and out of St. George. (The airport is on top of a mesa so only little puddle jumper airlplanes can fly there. (It is quite a trip, by the way. I am never quite sure the plane is going to make it- landing on such a small platform. Definitely not for the faint of heart!)) Anyway, I digress, the airline told Mrs Kinzy that they do not fly to Seattle but when they heard who the tickets were for, they sent money to her to pay for the tickets on another airline. As my mom relayed this story I was practically in tears. Mr. Lister has touched so many lives directly and indirectly but I doubt even he knew the impact he made was so widespread.
I only hope that when my kids are old enough to sing that they find someone even half as good as Mr Lister who can help instill the love of music and attention to detail that he instilled in me. Enjoy retirement Mr. Lister! If you get bored, I am sure there is a school out here in PA that would take you in a heartbeat! =)

9 months old and lost teeth

2010-05-11T13:08:00.000-04:00

Holy cow! Where does the time go? Matthew hit the nine month mark on Friday and at his dr.'s appt this morning measured in at a whopping 19lbs 10oz (I think) and 29 inches long. He actually has lost weight from a sick visit a few weeks ago when he was 12lbs 7oz, probably because he is so active now crawling all over the place. Yep, that's right, we have a crawling baby! Nothing is safe these days because Matthew has figured out how to get into everything! His brothers are not so sure they like this new phase. So here are some recent pics of my boy who will not be a baby for much longer!!

Last week I took James to the dentist because his teeth were hurting. The dentist, after a long explination about how he probably won't start to lose teeth until he is seven, took a look at James and said, "Well, here is the problem, his two bottom front teeth are really loose. They probably won't come out for a while though."

James lost his first tooth yesterday at school. It was really loose before he left and I tried to pull it out for him but was a little too squeemish to pull hard. So while James was at school he pulled it out himself and held it in his hand until I came to get him.

Then today James was having his mid morning snack and his other very loose bottom front tooth started bleeding all over the place so I pulled it out for him. Yuck. I must really love this kid.

Happy Mother's Day!!

2010-05-08T22:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful friends and family and especially to my amazing mom and sisters who rock my world! I love you! And to celebrate, here is a montage of old photos...

Victor Cafe

2010-05-06T22:36:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago John and I went out to dinner... with friends... in the city. Yeah, I about died from shock, too!
Amy, my roommate from college, was in town for a weekend with her hubby and wanted to meet us somewhere for dinner. I asked John for a restaurant suggestion and he mentioned The VictorCafe. His Aunt Shirley has raved about the place for years but we have never had the opportunity to go-- until now.

The VictorCafe is in South Philadelphia just off Broad Street on 13th or 14th and Dickensen. It is a tiny hole-in-the-wall Mom and Pop kind of place that you find all over in South Philly. But what makes this restaurant so special is that every 15 minutes or so a member or two of the wait staff burst into song. These aren't your run of the mill, generic, happy-birthday-singing waiters (although they do sing that particular song very well and in four part harmony); these are actual trained musicians. They are musicians who are posing as waiters not the other way around. The musical selections ranged through opera, Broadway and art songs. Amy and I, who both love to sing, were totally in our element. And the food was awesome, too! Amy's husband, Aaron, who had been remarkably patient through the entire evening, was more interested in following the football draft on his phone. Toward the end of the evening (we were there for over two and a half hours) the bell rang indicating another performance and Aaron sighed loudly, "Again?!" People at the nearby tables were cracking up.

It was so great to see Amy and to catch up. It was also so great to find a new favorite restaurant! I plan on going back there soon. John strutted around the house for a week because he was so proud of his suggestion. I encouraged it, only because he totally deserved it. My husband rocks!

So if you are looking for a good place to go in the city, I highly recommend The VictorCafe. Entrees range from $18-$38ish. Desserts are about $7. Trust me, you want to plan on having your own dessert!

a few good books

2010-04-19T14:52:00.000-04:00

I am working my way through some good books and I wanted to share.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin (YA) is a story inspired by the song "Are you Going to Scarborough Fair." It is written in our time but with a touch of magic and folklore. I really enjoyed the story and the characters -- a great beach read. (Warning, this has a disturbing scene, you might want to read it before you pass it off to your daughters.)

Heist Society by Ally Carter (YA) is an absolute kick! This is not a continuation of her previous series (Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover (Gallagher Girls)) but is equally enjoyable. Think of it as "Ocean's Eleven" for teenage girls.

Right now on the recommendation of a friend I am reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel (adult historical fiction). This is not a book for the faint of heart or the easily disgusted. It contains a detailed description of foot binding-- I almost had to put it down myself. However, the story is fascinating and I find myself sickly fascinated to see how it is going to end.

Let me know what you think and feel free to pass on any good reads you have found. I am always looking for a good book!

brotherly love

2010-04-13T23:03:00.002-04:00

One of our biggest anxieties when we had Matthew was how James was going to take it. James has been Mommy's Boy from day one. Especially since our move to our new house in 2008 he has been unwilling to be away from me for very long and severely shy of strangers and friends alike. If he wanted to play with the neighbors (or any other friend) I had to be within a 10 foot radius of where he was playing.
Not once did John and I even think that Samuel would be upset by the new addition to the family. Samuel is our independant, social go getter. He loves new expereinces and new people and sharing his ideas with the world.
Imagine our surprise when James became instantly enamoured with his new baby brother and Samuel didn't want to have anything to do with him. I chocked it up to James spending more time with Matthew, since he is only in school three mornings a week, and Sam just being that slightly older age when babies are annoying, not cute. Samuel also began to revert a little, wanting to be fed and wanting help getting dressed in the morning- both things he can do on his own with no difficulty whatsoever. We missed all sorts of signs because we weren't worried about our resiliant Sam.

We didn't really get that there was an issue until Samuel sat down with John one night and asked him flat out, "Dad, do you and Mom love Matthew more than you love me?"
John was flabbergasted! "No, Samuel. Of course not!"
"Then how come you do stuff for him, like feed him and dress him, that you won't do for me anymore?"
John explained to Sam that babies can't do those things for themselves and since Samuel is a big boy and can do those things we help him with other things instead, like homework and reading. To help him feel better, John asked Samuel if there was something he would like to do special with Daddy. A giant Star Wars battle ensued. (We are talking 6 days and 50+ action figures taking over the middle level of our house!) You would have thought Samuel just saw the sun for the first time, he was so relieved and happy to understand that our love for him had not lessened with the new baby.

My older boys are getting so good at expressing themselves and their needs that sometimes I forget how little they still are and how much they still need us to hold their hands. Of course, I still need my mom, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised at all. Do we ever grow out of needing our parents?

I am happy to report that after that conversation, Samuel has warmed considerably to Matthew. A few weekends ago he held Matthew for me so I could help John with a project. And yesterday while James and John were at soccer practice, Samuel spent 45 minutes trying to make Matthew laugh! It is nice to see the brotherly love developing.

explosion

2010-04-08T18:05:00.001-04:00

*Warning* The following is not for the faint of heart or the easily disgusted.

So as I was helping Samuel with his homework and cleaning the kitchen this afternoon, Matthew began to fuss while in his exersaucer. "Hang in there, Matthew, we are almost done," I assured him as I continued to wipe the counters. Matthew was persistant so I turned to look at him. "Hey buddy, what is wrong?" I looked down at the bottom of the exersaucer and saw this orangish brown goop all over, then the smell hit me.

You know, at times like these, parents go through a series of steps:

Step 1 discovery
"What is that? Is that...? Oh. My. Goodness."

Step 2 comprehension
"Is that poop?! Is that poop all over your clothes and the exersaucer and are you JUMPING IN IT???!!"

Step 3 game plan
"OK, it's ok. Let's ummm..."
At first glance the situation seems impossible. One may even be tempted to put the desecrated item (baby and all) out on the curb for trash pick up. Generally, not a good idea, but certainly easier than the realistic choice, the inevitable choice... I think I am going to be sick!

Step 4 clean up (several steps in one)

This is where it gets really tricky.
First, save the baby. Once his clothes have been scraped down so that I can get them off, with a minimal amount of spreading the mess, it is up to the bathtub. I don't even worry about telling my older boys to stay away from ground zero, the smell does that on its own.
Next, with bathtime complete my much cleaner and happier baby is back in clean clothes and placed on the floor of the family room while I confront the disaster area. "Maybe we don't need a kitchen anymore." I think to myself, "Couldn't we just seal it off?"

Third, it takes an hour, unknown numbers of baby wipes, half a roll of hot, soapy paper towels, and several lysol wipes before I am satisfied with the cleanliness of the exersaucer and floor.

Now I turn to the clothes. Briefly I consider tossing them, as I have with previous recipients of such abuse, but I love the outfit he is wearing today and it is worth the effort... I think. Scrape, rinse in scalding hot water, wipe with paper towel under said hot water, then place to soak in washing machine with laundry detergent and oxy clean. Hopefully that is good enough because I am not touching those things more than that!

Fifth, sterilize all affected areas and areas guilty by association.

Last, wash hands. Ten times. With hot, soapy water and brillo pad.

Step 5 reflection
Having suffered from constipation for at least half his life, part of me is proud of Matthew for finally getting over that. A very, very small part. The rest of me is ready for a vacation- without kids!

And what did my little charmer do while I was cleaning up? Why, make another mess, of course! At least this one is only paper. He found my pile of mail.

8 months

2010-04-06T14:32:00.000-04:00

Matthew is 8 months old tomorrow. Time is flying by so quickly I can barely keep up. In the last two months Matthew has ceased to be a little lump on the log baby and is now a rolling, scooting, sitting, chattering, smiling, teething big boy. At a dr.'s appointment a week and a half ago he weighed in at 18 pounds and 11 ounces! He has almost outgrown his infant car seat. I find myself hoping that he is an early walker- just because he is getting too heavy to carry everywhere!
I can not wait to take him out to Utah to see my family this summer. He is going to charm their socks off! Want proof? They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

Grammy

2010-03-17T23:27:00.000-04:00

Saint Patrick's Day is always a bittersweet day for me. It is my Grammy's birthday. She passed away seven years ago in February and her absence is still a gaping hole in my heart and in my life. Grammy was a mover and a shaker. Although a self-described "funny old lady" she had more brains, courage and energy than any ten people. I am who I am because of her.

I miss you, Grammy

grateful

2010-02-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

Today was our fourth major snow storm of the season (although this one was pretty wimpy -only 4ish inches of snow (thank goodness)). This most recent storm brought our season total up to 78.4 inches of snow. Crazy!
The one thing that kept going through my mind as I looked out my window this morning at the blowing snow was how grateful I was that we got out heater fixed yesterday.

You know what else I am grateful for?

endorphins

2010-02-20T10:37:00.000-05:00

I hate exercise. Ok, correction, I hate working out for the sake of working out. I would rather clean my house (bathrooms included). I danced from the age of three straight through college and spent a lot of time hiking and biking so it was never really an issue before. However, right now I am on a mission. I am desperately trying to lose the baby weight from Matthew plus an extra 10 pounds. I put on a good 50 lbs with each of my pregnancies and although I loose it eventually this being my last one I am determined to get rid of it sooner rather than later.
Enter my stroller class at the Healthplex. If you have a baby in a Crozer hospital you can get a one year membership to the Springfield Healthplex for their Mom's in Motion program. They do charge a $25 sign up fee but that is it! Free! They offer pregnancy classes- including an awesome water aerobics class- and post pregnancy classes. The stroller class is perfect for me because it is in the morning when my older boys are at school and I can take Matthew with me so I don't have to worry about finding a sitter for him. I have been going three mornings a week (except for holidays, sick days and snow days) since Matthew was 6 weeks old and have only 5 lbs left of the pregnancy weight to go!
You would think that pushing a stroller around could not possibly be much of a workout. You obviously haven't met Beth! Beth is our awesome, die hard instructor. She has us outside the Healthplex when the weather is good walking/running up and down hills (I mostly walk with a little bit of jogging in between), doing lunges and plies and using exercise bands to work upper body muscles. We also stop to do crunches, push ups and dips. When the weather is bad we are inside on the track doing laps, as well as all of the extra usual exercises and Beth brings out the weights or exercise balls. I like the track workouts the best because I can keep track of how many laps. Yesterday I got in 2 1/4 miles with a stop after each lap to do some sort of strenthening exercise. It felt great!
Fridays are the kicker! We set up in the gym. We walk/jog around the double basketball court for a while and then Beth sets up different stations for us to use. There are 12ish stations: jump roping, 3 different abs, weights for tricepts and bicepts, rowing, squats, push ups, planks, etc. We do one station for a minute followed by either two minutes of laps or a mad dash across the court and back then we come back and do the next station.
So the best thing about the class, beside the weight loss and the company of other moms, is that I feel better physically and emotionally than I have in a LONG time. All of those happy exercise endorphins are really doing a job on me, so much so that I am thinking that maybe exercise for the sake of exercise is really not such a bad thing. Plus I get to eat what I want and that is always a good thing!

catch up

2010-02-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

I have been blogging in my mind lately but have but have not had time to actually post anything. So here are a few entries that have been bouncing around in my head.

Nathan's Baptism

Today my nephew Nathan was baptised. For my non LDS readers, in our church we wait until kids are eight years old (the age of accountability) so that they can make their own decision on whether they want to be baptised. Anyway, John and I and the boys joined my parents and Tyler and Becca and Theo and our cousin Amber at Lisa and Tracy's home in Virginia for the weekend. Despite the massive amounts of snow in the past week we were all able to make it here with no problems and we have been having a great time!

The baptism itself was amazing. The spirit was so strong throughout that half of us were in tears. Nathan is a very special boy. He has the kindest heart and you could tell by everyone's comments that he is so loved and appreciated. Lisa and Mom gave the talks. Tyler did the baptism. Keri, who was unable to make the flight from Utah wrote an arrangement of the primary song "When I Am Baptised" which Lisa, Amber, Mom, Tyler and I sang. Tracy also bore his testimony- something I have never heard him do before. It was incredibly touching and so meaningful to his kids and Lisa. For the closing song Lisa sang a song from "Women at the Well." There was not a dry eye in the house.

I am so proud of Nathan for making this decision. I am also extraordinarily grateful to him. My boys idolize Nathan. He is always so sweet to them and takes the time to play with all three of them. I greatly appreciate the example he is setting for them. His baptism made an impact on them today.

It's Snow Fun

Last week we had more snow dumped on the Philadelphia area (and the east coast in general) in a single season than ever before. The storm on Saturday dumped around 28-29 inches in our neck of the woods. We had a second storm hit on Wednesday. This blizzard dumped about 24 more inches. It was all fun and games until a giant tree branch crashed onto some nearby power lines and we lost power for six hours. The house was getting pretty cold by the time power was finally restored. We bundled up the boys and tucked them into our bed to watch a movie on my laptop which was luckily fully charged. Matthew was not a big fan of being tucked in!

So my conclusion from this week: being snowed in can be lots of fun- especially if John gets to take some time off of work and we get time to play in the snow with the boys, however, it is NOT fun if the power goes out for any amount of time and shoveling an estimated 4 feet of snow is exhausting! Maybe we should move to Texas- oh, wait, dallas got snow this week too. Ugh!

6 Months Old!

Matthew hit six months old last Sunday. He weighed in at a whopping 18 lbs 6 oz and 26 3/4 in long. How can he only be in the 66th percentile for weight?!

Matthew is now rolling from his back to his tummy, saying "DADADADA" and other fun babbling sounds and he has started to notice who is holding him. He is not so sure that he wants to be passed around so much anymore. However, he loves to smile and laugh and play with anyone who will give him attention. He is also trying to sit up on his own. It may take a while, that is a lot of bulk to move!

We are still working on the whole sleep thing...

don't let the door hit you on the way out

2010-02-09T00:15:00.000-05:00

I just finished watching the new PBS version of Emma. I have to say that although it is by far my favorite adaptation of the book (Clueless doesn't count, right?), I was a little disappointed in the ending. It was not the ending of the story itself that irked, I am a die hard Austen fan after all, but the way it was portrayed in the mini series. PBS put together a beautiful four hour mini series which took the time to explore the characters and major plot of the book but also included lesser known snippets that added a charm to the production. However, of that four hours less than ten minutes was dedicated to resolution and the inevitable Austenian conclusion-almost as if the producers were apologetic for exposing us to something as trite as a happy ending. The last ten minutes, instead of maintaining the cohesive flow of the story like the rest of the script, were a series of snapshots of the resolution. It felt more like a photography session at Sears than the end of a movie.
I enjoyed the mini series, I just wish that after having invested the time and interest in the characters and concern for their well-being, that the PBS crew had allowed us time to enjoy the resolution instead of hastily pushing us out the door. If you are looking for a good adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, by all means watch this. But if you want a real ending, read the book.

excuse me

2010-02-04T21:22:00.000-05:00

I have been working with the boys on manners. When I was a kid my mom used to read us "Miss Manners" by Judith Martin. Any and every small rule of behavior was covered in her books. We grew up constantly hearing "Miss Manner says..."
Anyway, at dinner the other day I was trying to get the boys to chew with their mouths closed and to stop talking with their mouths full. However, I made the mistake of telling them that if they absolutely HAD to talk that they could cover their mouths so no one could see their partially chewed food. So now throughout dinner the boys will cover their mouths, mumbling through a mouthful of food, "Mom, look at me!" Then they will exaggeratedly demonstrate how nicely they chew with their mouths closed. Not quite what I was going for, but at least they are trying.

Also, James has discovered burping. He does it quite frequently- not usually on purpose but certainly more than necessary. Today as he was talking to me he let out a nice big one.

Me: (trying to remind James of his manners) Excuse me.
James: No. Excuse ME!

My kids make me laugh every day!

Oh and Matthew is rolling over and saying "Dadadadadadadada". Why is it they always say dada first?!

the REAL houswives of Delaware Co.

2010-02-02T15:16:00.000-05:00

You gotta love reality tv- mostly because reality has nothing to do with it. I saw a commercial for "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" or something and all I could do was laugh and shake my head. Seriously, name five stay at home moms YOU know who actually spend their day at the spa and go out clubbing at night! It just make me wonder, is that what single people really think we do? Or are these just the abstract stereotypes from those execs in NYC and LA?
On Regis and Kelly the other day (yes, I admit I was actually watching that show- I turn on the tv for background noise when I clean) they were reading a list out of a magazine on the top fads women hope will go away in the next decade. Now, I can't remember them all, but here are the few that I do remember:

1) fake tans
Kelly's reaction: What?! Absolutely not!
My reaction: Whatever, maybe there will be less skin cancer if people stop wasting their money fake baking.

2) dark nail polish
Kelly's reaction: No! I love my dark nail polish!
My reaction: I am lucky if I get my toenails painted when I wear sandals in the summer. Forget about fingernail polish, no matter what color!

3) fishnet stockings
Kelly's reaction: Well, maybe, but they are still nice to wear for certain occasions.
(Jeff Probst who was co-hosting that day: "No way! Those are sexy!")
My reaction: That's a current trend? I haven't worn fishnets since my dance recital when I was 9.

4) skinny jeans
Kelly's reaction: I don't know. They look nice but sometimes it is hard to get them over my heels.
My reaction: I have had three kids. There is nothing skinny about my jeans!

5) ultra low rise jeans
Kelly's reaction: No! I love those. If jeans sit at the waist then you have to pop open the button at dinner. (Jeff Probst: They are sexy!)
My reaction: Not practical for crawling on the floor with the kids plus not very compatible with g's.

6) big SUVs
Kelly's reaction: No! I love my SUV. How else would I get my kids and their stuff where they need to be? Of course my next one will be a hybrid.
My reaction: I have to agree with Kelly on this one. Seriously, how do you expect to go anywhere with a husband and three kids and all of the stuff that accompanies them in a little four door sedan?!
(I actually had a friend once tell me that there was no excuse in the world to need a minivan or suv when you could just drive a subaru or four door sedan. I wanted to introduce her to my neighbor with nine kids or let her see my back of my minivan which was full of a stroller and other necessary baby gear that would not fit in a smaller vehicle. Of course, that was her point of view before she had kids. I wonder how she feels now that she has one?)

So my point- (I do have one, honest) is that whoever is producing these shows and magazine articles are so far off base with what average, run-of-the-mill stay-at-home moms think and feel and do. Or I am a lot more boring than I thought? Are my other "Mommy Friends" actually spending their days at the spa and clubbing at night in fishnets and skinny jeans?

beyond exhausted (warning, serious gripeing ahead)

2010-01-27T16:45:00.000-05:00

Is there a term for beyond exhausted? Catatonic? Comatose, maybe? Well, that is where I am these days.

My dear, sweet baby boy is getting too big and too strong to sleep in his bouncy seat. He has slept in his bouncy seat pretty much every night since he was born... until Monday, that is. At approximately 2:30 am (so I guess technically it was Tuesday morning) I heard him wake up and fuss a little. As I was making the zombie stumble to the attic (the warmest room in our house hence Matthews temporary bedroom), I heard him let out a wail that was clearly about more than being hungry. When I opened the attic door he was still strapped in his bouncy seat, but it was now on top of him and he was laying on his head! No worries, it was the side of his head so he wasn't suffocating, but he was clearly not happy about the situation.
After I calmed him and fed him I tried to fight through my mind-numbing exhaustion to decide where to have him sleep the rest of the night, as the bouncy seat was clearly not an option anymore. I ended up proping him on a pillow so his head was raised (his chronically stuffy nose was the whole reason he was sleeping in the bouncy in the first place) and the suggled up next to him to finish out the night. Matthew woke up about every half hour to fuss for a minute and then went back to sleep. He followed that pattern until about 7:15am when I left him sleeping soundly to go and get Samuel ready for school.
Last night I slept him in his crib for the first time. He had a hard time going to sleep and eventually crashed around 9pm. An hour and a half later than usual. He then proceeded to wake up at 11:00pm (after which point I went to bed), 3:30am and then was up for the day at 5:30am. Since John's pager went off around 2:00am and James came in our room for some reason around 5:00am, it was a ROUGH night. John had relocated to the attic at some point since he had a hard time getting back to sleep after his page so I brought the very awake, very loud Matthew into our room with me. I tried to get him to lay down with me but he started screaming. My final soultion: I hung his jumper in the doorway of our bathroom and put him in it. He was still loud off and on, but at least I got a few cat naps in. I woke up to silence at 6:45 and realized that he had fallen asleep in his jumper! I pulled him out, put him in bed with me and went back to sleep only to be woken up by James at 7:15 and then Samuel at 8:00 when I finally dragged myself out of bed for the day. I am so tired today that I don't even have a word to describe it.
Nights like these are one of the things about having a newborn that I must have blocked out! Anyone want to pull the night shift tonight?

wii

2010-01-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

My inlaws gave the boys a wii for Christmas. I wasn't too excited until one day John brought home wii Mario Carts. Now, I am sorry to say, I play the wii at least as much as the kids do. The game itself is fun enough, but part of my fondness for it was established about 10 years ago...

Just after John and I were married we were asked to babysit a family of five kids for a week while their mom went out to Utah. The kids' dad had passed away a few months before and you could see them struggling to make sense of life without him. But really, tragedy or no, these kids were amazing! They were all so smart and sweet and they won me over instantaneously. The oldest of the kids was in high school and the youngest, James, was about four years old. So what does this have to do with playing the wii? Well, James' favorite thing was to play nintendo Mario Carts. He would wrangle John and I into playing with him at least once a day. I never really played video games as a kid so I was terrible at it. James, on the other hand, was actually pretty good! When we would finally agree to play James would jump up and run downstairs to the basement yelling, "I'm gonna beat you! I'm gonna beat you!" and all I could do was laughingly agree with him.

After our week of babysitting was over, John and I agreed on two things:
1) We were not ready for kids just yet no matter how sweet and well behaved and
2) One of our children would be named James

Every day as my own four year old James finagles me into playing wii Mario Cart with him, I feel a little twinge of deja vu and almost hear another James cheering "I'm gonna beat you! I'm gonna beat you!"

So to James I. wherever you are out there, I call for a rematch!