Happy Birthday, Dear Sadie! (Updated for Carolyn!)

 Today my baby turned 2.  She smiled and sang along when I sang "Happy Birthday to you!" to her this morning.  What a beautiful, amazing girl I have!  I have had so much fun watching her grow, and I feel very lucky to be able to spend time just with her in the mornings while both of her older sisters are at school.  We are celebrating her birthday on Saturday, so today was pretty low-key.  I'm excited to see her open her presents, eat her cake, and enjoy her day.  I'll post lots of pictures!

UPDATE: Here are the pictures!

Sadie's Party Invitation

 

I went for a "Farm" theme this year.  Because her birthday is 9 days before Christmas, I feel like she deserves a party that doesn't involve winter, snowmen, penguins, Christmas trees, Santa, etc.

 Sadie got some CUTE gifts!  She received 2 pairs of overalls with pink shirts to go with, a cowgirl hat, and a new Sunday dress that has horses and horseshoes on it.  (No pictures of these, but are you diggin' the "Farm" theme?)  Here are some pictures of a bit of her loot:

  

And the cakes...I was going to try to make my own barn cake with cupcake animals, but really, who was I kidding?  A week or so before Christmas?  Ha ha, good one. 

 

  

 

 

Happy Day! 

Christmas Letter

I am not a sender of Christmas cards.  I simply don't have the time.  This year, thanks to my aunt, all of my family and friends will be receiving beautiful electronic Christmas cards from Jacquie Lawson.  It's the first time I've ever sent a card during the holidays.

Anyway, even though I don't send Christmas cards, I do love to read the Christmas letters that other people send.  It's interesting to see what they've been up to during the year.  I don't really have the time to put one together (let alone the time to send it), but I thought this would be a good place to write a few lines about 2010.I heard Garrison Keillor's Christmas Letter (see link below) read at a concert I attended a couple of weeks ago, and found it amusing.  I came home and looked it up so I could read it again.  Although his liberal political leanings are quite obvious in a couple of places (they left these parts out when it was read at the concert), I still found many parts of it humorous and poignant.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Dec/13/op/FP612130348.html

So here is my little Christmas letter:

Dear Family and Friends,

This year has gone by faster than we wanted it to.  There never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything, but we do the best we can. 

David finished his schooling at the end of July and has been actively seeking employment in his field.  No big break yet, though we are optimistic for 2011.  I have enjoyed having him home during the day.  He helps me get the girls ready for school and takes on some of the housework.  And after 18 months of rarely seeing each other, we enjoy spending time together catching up on some of our favorite TV shows or seeing movies. 

Lucy continues to do well in school and is learning the social ins and outs of 1st grade friendships.  She has begun learning to play the piano, and although I know I'm not raising the next Mozart or Chopin, she learns quickly and is able to retain it.  Lucy will celebrate her 7th birthday in a couple of months, but she is an "old soul" and thinks about things that are well beyond her years.  She has high expectations of herself and is acutely aware of when her performance is below perfect.  We encourage her often to just be a kid, and enjoy all the benefits of being young. 

Amy is an excellent student and a good helper in her preschool class.  She recognizes 17 out of 26 letters, can print her name (AMY E), and has an incredible memory.  She also sings quite well.  Amy has started fixing her own hair, and has her own sense of style when it comes to choosing clothing.  She has fully taken on the role of being 4 years old, and plays her part well.  She has a flair for the dramatic, and we find ourselves experiencing a wide range of emotions as we guide her toward positive choices.

Sadie has grown a lot this year.  She is very passionate about The Berenstain Bears, her blanket, Grandpa P, and milk.  (Not necessarily in that order.)  She counts herself as one of the "big girls"--she says what they say, does what they do, and plays what they play.  She even wears their clothing on occasion.  If there is something she doesn't know how to do, she quietly waits and watches for someone else to do it, and then successfully attempts the task herself.  She has acquired many new skills as a result of her careful observation.  Her agility and coordination are frighteningly impressive.

As for me, I find contentment in the routines of daily life.  Housework and child-raising responsibilities are interspersed with volunteer hours at the girls' school, church responsibilities, and 2 hobbies: singing and photography.  Most of the time, working down in the trenches suits me just fine.  I am currently in the middle of a bad hair season, but I am hopeful that will change for the better in 2011, along with additional weight loss and a more abundant vegetable garden and harvest.

We are grateful for good health, constant safety, and continued happiness, and of course for the love and support of our family and friends.  Merry Christmas. 

Thankful.

I'm sure I'm going to be insanely busy from about 10 AM Wednesday morning until Sunday afternoon, but it's worth it.  I love the food.  I love changing the decorations.  I love that I will have all of my Christmas shopping finished by November 30th and I can enjoy the entire month of December doing fun things with my kids.

I have so many things for which to be thankful. As I have been thinking about and planning for the Thanksgiving holiday, I always have a thought or two about how much the Lord has blessed me. Here is a list of just a few of my blessings.

1. We always have enough to eat, clean clothing to wear, and a warm, safe place to sleep at night.
2. My girls are able to attend school when many girls around the world don't have that same opportunity. The education they receive is excellent, and equal for all students. My daughters are smart, funny, and beautiful and don't have to hide it.
3. We enjoy very good health and access to excellent medical care.
4. I live in an area that is lush, green, and changes with the seasons. I can go outside safely anytime I want.
5. We have a large, loving extended family on both sides.
6. David has a job. Many people in our nation don't have the privilege of working right now, and we are grateful for it.
7. Our car works well. It's reliable, and takes us where we need to go whenever we want.
8. We live in the greatest nation on the earth. It's one that my ancestors worked hard to get to, and regardless of the current circumstances Americans find themselves in, this is still a great country and I believe it will be even better in the future.
9. I have wonderful friends. They are kind, generous, and good examples of love, charity, and faith.
10. All of us are children of God, and are loved by Him. I am grateful for that knowledge, and for the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is the ultimate gift of unconditional love. I am thankful for prayer, and the comfort and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

I have so many more that I could spend the rest of my life counting them, and still never finish.  But service and action are also a part of gratitude, and I would not be truly thankful without the desire to "git 'er done"! 

School has been cancelled the last couple of days due to snow and ice and bitterly cold weather.  (This is another blessing, because I love having my older girls home!)  I snapped a few pictures of the girls enjoying our winter weather.

It will all be melted and rained away on Thanksgiving (which secretly makes me happy), but it has been fun, magical, and a glimpse of the weather Santa has at the North Pole!

Happy Thanksgiving.  May it be filled with love, gratitude, good food, and the company of loved ones.

Lucy's piano lessons take place in the music building of a university near where we live.  While I was waiting for her yesterday, I was reading some of the stuff tacked up on various professors' office doors.  I came across the "10 Rules for Teachers and Students" by John Cage.

Before I share the rules, I should explain who John Cage was. 

John Cage (1912-1992) was a composer, print maker, performance artist, writer, philosopher, editor, teacher, mushroom expert, collaborator and poet. Fact is, John Cage had a lot of fun in his factory. Considered one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century, he produced works with one note, no notes, notes by chance, and a noted organ composition that takes 639 years to play.  (http://clicks.robertgenn.com/john-cage.php)

Now, I am not a huge fan of John Cage's music in general.  In high school, I attended a concert at Ham Hall on the UNLV campus and heard some of Cage's music.  I appreciate the "experimental" aspect and the creativity of his compositions, but honestly, the interesting part of most contemporary/modern music is in the study and performance of the work--not in the listening.

Okay, back to yesterday during Lucy's lesson and John Cage's 10 rules for teachers and students.  I read through the list, and I really liked them!  I came home and looked them up, and it seems that a lot of people like them as well.  I think there are some good ideas for life in his list, especially #5, #7, and #9.  Here they are:

1. Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.
2. General duties of a student--pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.
3. General duties of a teacher--pull everything out of your students.
4. Consider everything an experiment.
5. Be self-disciplined--this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.
6. Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.
7. The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
8. Don't try to create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes.
9. Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.
10. Break rules. Even your own rules. Leave plenty of room for X quantities.

HINTS:
Always be around.
Come or go to everything.
Always go to classes.
Read anything you can get your hands on.
Look at movies carefully, often.
Save everything - it might come in handy later.

John Cage's favorite saying was, "Every day is a good day."  I think life would be much easier if I woke up with that attitude every single day.  I don't know if this comes from being a philosopher or a mushroom expert, but either way, I guess I was a little inspired by reading those rules.  Good for me.



P.S.  Some have argued that these rules were not written by John Cage, but rather by a teacher named Corita Kent.  Well, whatever.  I liked it, and I don't care who wrote it.

Halloween and Other Stuff

Halloween was fun this year.  Lucy and I decorated the front of the house and made this "Ghosts in the Graveyard" cake:

 

Here are the girls in their Halloween costumes.  Lately, when I've tried to take pictures of all 3 girls, Lucy is the only one who is looking at the camera.  The other two are doing their own thing.  Grampa P was taking pictures too and that's who Lucy is looking at.

 

 

This is a good example of what I was talking about before:

See how Lucy is the only one looking?

Okay.  Now on to the "Other Stuff".  I always start with Lucy, so today I'll start with Sadie.

SADIE has been very whiny lately.  This is hard for me because I detest whining.  I wish all whining could be abolished forever.  Okay, enough about that!  Sadie has also been talking up a storm.  This is not new, but I love to listen to her little jabbering and make out what she's saying.  A new phrase she has picked up is "Not fair!"  For now, it's cute. 

Her current favorite person to hang out with is Lexie's boyfriend, Brandon.  She asks, "Where's Brandon?" several times a day.  We went out to eat with Lexie, Brandon, and Yaya the other night, and Sadie sat right next to him, and even tried his shrimp!  She spit it out, but at least she tried it. 

Sadie loves to go places.  She is very sad when someone walks out the door and doesn't take her along.  She cries like they hurt her personal feelings (which they probably did...what else does a 22-month-old POSSIBLY have to be upset about?).

She also loves her milk.  Boy, she drinks a lot of it.  I'm trying to reduce the amount she drinks, but she still gets about 16 ounces a day.  If she had it her way, she'd drink milk ALL. THE. TIME.  And she'd most likely skip eating.

She's cute, we love her, and she's growing into quite the toddler!

AMY is doing very well in school.  She loves to go every day.  She is a good friend to all of the other kids in her class.  Her teachers love her.  She is writing her name!  She usually gets the A and M written and runs out of room, so she puts the Y at the beginning. (She ends up spelling her name "YAM".)  She'll get it though!

Something new and exciting for us is how well she is doing regarding her clothing preferences.  Those who know Amy well know that she was VERY particular about her clothing.  And that's putting it mildly.  In mid-September, I was able to get Amy in to see an occupational therapist for an evaluation.  I explained about her clothing issues, and her unwillingness to wear her seat belt properly in the car.  I guess it's not an unwillingness...it's more of an inability.  When the seatbelt is properly on her, she screams that it is "too tight" and "it's burning me!" and she pulls it off or climbs out of it.  Often, she would take off her clothing in the car if she was upset about the seatbelt.  She spent most of her time at home wearing very little or no clothing.  After the OT completed the evaluation, she diagnosed Amy with a sensory disorder. 

We've been seeing the OT once a week, and also doing the Wilbarger brushing/joint compression therapy at home twice a day.  David and I have seen INCREDIBLE changes with Amy.  She has been wearing pants, long sleeves, a coat when necessary, socks, and shoes without complaint!  She even loves tights with her dresses!  She wears her clothing for longer and longer periods of time, and only rarely does she pull it off in the car or at home.  To us, it's a miracle that she has been able to adjust to wearing different types of clothing.  We don't have to worry about her not wearing proper clothing and a coat this winter!  The OT told me that we would have to continue the brushing and joint compressions for at least another year.

We are still working on getting her to wear the seat belt appropriately.  I purchased this seat belt adjuster for her to use in the car, and the she has been willing to wear the shoulder belt.  She still wants to put something between her and the lap belt.  Her stomach is very sensitive.  We have been trying some massage on her abdomen, but she only barely tolerates it for a few seconds.  And she wants her hand over mine for those few seconds.  But today at her OT appointment, she laid on her stomach on a platform swing for several minutes while playing a game with the therapist.  She would not let her stomach touch the bag of sensory balls the therapist wanted her to roll over, however.  I am also learning to tell when she has received too much sensory input, and needs some proprioceptive activities to get herself calm and centered again.

LUCY is, as always, doing incredible things.  Her piano lessons are going well.  She is the only kid I've ever seen who can sit down and sight read a piece of music perfectly the first time.

She's also an amazing reader!  She has been going into the Kindergarten classes once or twice a week in the afternoons to read to them!  They adore her.  She has started the Accelerated Reader program, and has already earned 5 points.  Her goal is to earn 10 points by Christmas Break.  She'll do it!  And probably surpass her goal.

More soon.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

We headed down to our usual pumpkin patch yesterday.  It was pouring down rain the entire drive, but when we pulled into the farm, the weather was dry, cool, and beautiful.  Lexie, Yaya, and Brandon came along (or rather, we went along with them--either way, we were together)  It was a perfect pumpkin picking day.  I'll just let a few of the pictures show you what a marvelous time we had.

I saw these cute little candy kebobs, and rather than pay $3.50 for one, I just snapped a picture, and I'm planning to swipe their idea.  Aren't they just the most darling Halloweeny treat?



More harvest fun coming soon!

S-T-P Conferences

This past week we had conferences with both Lucy and Amy's teachers.  It makes me happy to go to conferences, because then I get confirmation of what I already know--my kids are really smart and pretty wonderful and I'm not the only one who thinks so.  And now, you can think so too!  So here's the low-down:

AMY

Amy makes her teachers smile every single day.  She's funny and easygoing, and she is a good friend to all of the other kids in the class.  She has a lot of love and compassion for others, and an incredible memory.

Academic Goal: Improve her pincer grip. (No, I did not mispell "pincer".)  We will try to do more writing and coloring at home, and when we see her using a fist-grip, we will reposition the crayon or pencil with the prompt "Pinch-pinch under!" just like they do at school.

LUCY

Lucy's teacher described her as a wonderful, talented, intelligent student who expresses herself very well and is mature for her age.  She also told us that Lucy had perfect attendance for the month of September--no absences or tardies.  Way to go, Us!  She showed us Lucy's latest Math test (100%) and her DIBELS reading scores (all above the benchmark for 1st grade).  The most amazing thing she showed us, though, was a list of 300 sight words.  By January 2011, all 1st graders should be able to read 100 sight words.  By May, they've got to read 200 to meet the benchmark.  On September 15, Lucy read 283 out of 300 words.  Her teacher is excited to see how Lucy will do on the DIBELS test in December.  There is a part of the test that the student is given a passage to read that is at the 3rd or 4th grade level, and they've got to try to read it at 40 WPM.  We all think Lucy will do amazingly well.

Academic Goal: Start Lucy on the Accelerated Reader program, and earn 10 points by December.

I am very, very happy with how well my kids are doing in school.  The school they attend is awesome, and the teachers and administration show an interest in making sure the children are successful.  Many people I know were surprised that I chose to send Lucy to a public school with a negative reputation, and had not made adequate yearly progress in several years.  The negative reputation was completely false, and last year, for the first time in a long time, the school DID make AYP.  I could not ask for a better, more nurturing environment for Lucy and Amy while they are away from home.

Time Flies!

We've had a busy month-and-a-half!  I thought I would have had more time to keep track of all of the exciting stuff going on, but alas!  Settling into school has been more time-consuming that I expected.

But here are some of the exciting and wonderful things we've done and are doing:

1.  Lucy started piano lessons!  The university near our house offers lessons with the piano major students for free, so I called the professor and was able to secure Lucy a spot.  I think it's only for one semester, but it's a good start!  We'll see where things go from there.  But Lucy is really enjoying it, and she is a fast learner.  Her teacher is a bubbly, young college student who is a talented pianist, and Lucy loves her!  Learning to read nusic has been simple for her because she is already an excellent reader.  I appreciate my mom's recommendation that kids not start any music lessons UNTIL they are solid readers.  Learning to read music and learning to read words--the concept is the same.  It's just the language that is different.

2.  Amy started preschool!  We thought she would start in October, but it turns out that her first day was September 15th.  Amy LOVES school!  It makes her feel like such a big girl to be dropped off at school with her big sister, and she doesn't even say goodbye when she gets out of the car.  She just jumps out, and she's gone!  On the first day, I said, "Bye, Amy!" several times as she ran to meet her teachers and classmates, and she didn't even turn around.  Some moms might have been sad about that, but I thought it was WONDERFUL!  She's glad to see me when school is over, and that's good enough for me!  Her teachers are amazing women, and Amy's compassionate, loving spirit really shines at school.  She is very helpful and generous and treats her friends kindly.  It's exactly the right place for Amy.

3.  Sadie LOVES Nursery!  Hooray!  For several weeks, she would cry and try to get out the door when David dropped her off for the last 2 hours of church.  A couple of weeks ago, she ran in with a smile on her face, and had a great day, and last week, she was running so fast to get there, she ran right past the door and turned around with a confused look on her face that said, "I know it's here somewhere!"  When I opened the door for her, she came running back and said, "Bye!" on her way in.  It helps to have wonderful teachers in there who are patient and loving and able to weather the storm of a crying child week after week after week until that child figures out what the rest of us already know--Nursery is the best place in the whole church!

4.  I've been volunteering at Lucy and Amy's school every week, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE going in.  A week ago Friday, Amy's teachers asked if I would come in and help since two of the four of them were going to a day-long training, and they couldn't get any substitute paraeducators.  Of course, I said yes!  Anyway, it was such an enjoyable day for me, and after talking with Amy's teachers at her conference on Wednesday, I've decided to apply with the school district to be a substitute paraeducator.  I only plan to work 2 days a week for right now, and I am really excited!  Working just a couple of days a week gives me the chance to still be home with Sadie the majority of the time, and also volunteer in Lucy's classroom.  And because I have such a loving, supportive husband who lets me do whatever makes me happy, I get to have the best of everything!

5.  David is still on the job hunt, but has several leads.  He will have an interview with the IBEW in January, but something else may come up in the meantime.  I am really impressed at his dedication and motivation.  He still enjoys working at Regal, and has many friends among his co-workers there.  Being finished with school has been good too, because he has more time with us, as well as being able to do more as part of the Elders Quorom Presidency with our church.  I know he is happier when he is able to meet all of his obligations and help as much as he can in all aspects of his life.

6.  A couple of weeks ago, David and I were invited to attend an auction and benefit dinner for The TEARS Foundation.  I've included the link so that you can read about what they do...it's an amazing organization that helps families through the very tender and difficult ordeal of losing a baby.  It started here in Tacoma, and is now going national.  We feel very honored to have been included in the evening, especially since we have family and close friends who have lost babies.  And although it is a very sad and serious subject, it was a really fun party!  The food was delicious, the decorations were amazing (and flown in from New Orleans), and there were some really awesome items that were up for auction.  There was a photograph taken and donated by Mike that sold before anything else for $300!  David (unbeknownst to me) bid on 2 tickets to "The Nutcracker Ballet" in December, and won them!  So I'm pretty thrilled to be going!  And by pretty thrilled, I mean completely ecstatic!

I will get some new pictures posted soon.  It's not that I haven't taken any, it's just that I haven't uploaded them onto the computer.  For now, I'm off to the Scandinavian Heritage Festival, and then I'll post all about Lucy and Amy's parent-teacher conferences.

Back-to-School Countdown

We have about 43 hours left until the first day of school!  This year is pretty exciting for me because I have Lucy in 1st grade, my niece, Aiyanna, in Kindergarten, and Amy will start preschool in October--all at the same elementary school which is about 3 blocks from the house.  LOVE IT!

I also love this time of year...the weather starting to cool down, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the perfectly shaped tips of new crayons, the hustle and bustle of the mornings--I could go on and on!

My list of things that have to get done before September 2nd is dwindling as well:

Purchase supplies.  Check.  (A big THANK YOU to Aunt Dee Dee.)
New school uniforms.  Check.
Fill out necessary forms.  Check.
Back-to-School BBQ.  Tomorrow!

Lucy and Aiyanna will get to meet their teachers, see their classrooms, and drop off their school supplies.

I think we're just about ready!

On a related note:

Sunday afternoon, Grandpa P and I took Lucy and Aiyanna out to take some pictures.  I don't purchase the school picture packages (partly because they are so darn expensive, and partly because I'm not a big fan of the mass-produced portrait look), so I take portraits of my girls myself.  Take a look at a few of Lucy and Aiyanna:

eat pray love

I know there are probably hundreds (if not more) of sites a person can visit to read reviews of any movie.  I really don't care to begin to review movies on my own blog, but I saw "eat pray love" last night, and I haven't had such mixed emotions over a movie in a very long time.  And since it's been a while since I posted something, I guess you're stuck reading my review of this movie.

I told a friend of mine that I was going to see "eat pray love", and she asked, "Have you read the book?" (No.) She then said, "It's wonderful.  I loved it.  I really admire the author." (Or something to that effect.)  Because I like my friend a lot and I trust her judgment, I went into the theater with a small preconceived notion of absolutely loving every moment of the film.

Let me just say now that I still like my friend a lot, and I still trust her judgment.  But...

I didn't love the movie.

I loved all of the people Liz Gilbert (the main character and author of the book) came in contact with.  Each one was likeable, friendly, and genuine.  Although I didn't necessarily see myself being friends with the people she met along the way, I can certainly see why others would be drawn to them.

I felt a lot of compassion for her ex-husband, even though I'm sure he could have done more (as she could have) to make their marriage work.

But try as I might, I could not find a way to really like Liz.  At no point during the movie could I identify with whatever inner personal struggle she was going through.  I understand not knowing who you are.  I've been there.  I understand feeling that lack of feeling and emotion.  I've been there too.  But I couldn't quite grab hold and enjoy the ride she was on for a couple of reasons:

1.  She left her husband to "find herself".  She didn't air her issues with him until they were sitting across from each other in a conference room (presumably at her attorney's office).  Couldn't she have brought those things up when they actually began bothering her?  No, she saved them up and used them as emotional ammunition to try to push her husband away from her and ease her path toward her own "self-actualization".  I could never do this.  I am so conscious about how my choices affect others that I couldn't knowingly cause anyone else a moment of pain or sadness because of something I wanted for myself.  But back to Liz...

2.  It became obvious pretty quickly that she has commitment issues, and I came out of the movie feeling like they weren't really resolved.  She was so afraid of losing herself in whatever relationship she was in that she couldn't fully give her heart to the person she wasn't sure if she loved or not.  I know that's confusing to anyone who understands that you don't have to lose your identity when you love someone else, but I guess if you don't know who you are to begin with, then losing what small piece of yourself you actually recognize would be a pretty big fear.

Here's what I did like about her journey:

1.  The entire year was devoted to finding her word.  This is better explained in the movie, but basically, every person, place, and thing has one word to describe it perfectly.  Liz Gilbert went in search of finding the one word that fits who she is and who she wants to become.  I like that idea.  That being said, I have no clue what my word is, and I don't feel like I need to leave my family for a year to find out.  If I never figure it out, that's okay too.  But I get where she was going with it, and I think it's kinda cool.

2.  I liked the various messages and bits of sage wisdom she collected along the way--smile with your liver...eat what you love...forgive yourself and then let it go...  All very cliche, but good things to be reminded of every now and then.

See it if you want.  Or don't.  It isn't life-changing.  And unless you can totally identify with the main character, Liz Gilbert, you won't really get much out of it.  I am curious though, if she actually got it all figured out in real life.  The movie sure doesn't leave me with the impression that she did.  I guess I'll have to read the book and find out.

I Love These Ladies!

They are each so different from the others, which makes for some interesting and exciting times!  But at the end of the day (when they are all fast asleep), I think about how much I love them, and how our family wouldn't be the same without one of them.  Sometimes I wish they could stay little forever.

It's Genetic!

Anyone who knows my mom well knows that she loves to color.  In fact, when my mom had surgery a few years ago, she didn't take magazines or novels to the hospital to pass the time in recovery, she took a brand new coloring book and a brand new box of 64 Crayola crayons.

I can remember being very young and my mom and I would color together.  I still love to color.  My mom colors with Lucy when David and I go to movies.  Lucy and I color at church.  (Don't tell.)  Coloring is definitely in our genes!

Sadie already loves to color!  She will actually sit for several minutes (and anyone who has had an 18-month old will tell you that they don't sit still for more than 30 seconds at a time!) and color or draw with a pencil and paper.

What a big girl!

P.S.  Like any genetic tendency, it can skip over certain people.  Amy doesn't really like to color.  But she likes to do other things, like get into stuff, make messes, and be loud.  But she also is very loving, compassionate, and funny.  All of my girls are pretty awesome in their own ways!

I Wonder As I Wander

I love to wander around on the internet.  I end up visiting some pretty interesting sites.  Some are interesting in that "I don't remember how I got here, but I won't be visiting again" kind of way.  Sort of like a strip club.

But I digress.

I stumbled onto a cool site called Tiny House Blog.  I love small space living.  There's something so liberating about having just enough room for the essentials of living, and no more.  Having a smaller home means less for me to clean and maintain.  It also means warmth and coziness in the fall and winter, and being drawn to the outdoors in the spring and summer.  I especially like how many people with smaller spaces don't compromise on comfort and style--they just do it on a smaller scale.

I haven't quite figured out how to exist comfortably in a small space when there are children involved, however.  It will take some time to work that out, I think.  Also, for me, I wouldn't want our family of 5 living in 800 square feet unless we had a huge parcel of land that was ours too.  (I'm talking like 5 acres here.)

But I would want room for a huge garden, maybe a few chickens, a horse or two, and plenty of space for the kids to run and be free.  In my mind, it's much easier to eat, sleep, and live in a small space if there's a lot of room to spread out outdoors.

For now, I'll just be content with dreaming about my little house.  Maybe someday I'll decide to build it.

Lucy's Got Talent

Lucy: Mom, can you buy me a surfboard?  Because I think that might be my talent.

Nevermind that we live over 2 hours from the ocean, and that the last time we were there, she wouldn't get more than her ankles wet.

And where would I store a surfboard?

Hopefully we can find her another talent today.

Summertime...and the Living is Easy

I haven't posted anything in about two weeks.  It's not that we haven't had anything noteworthy happen, it's just that I haven't written about it.  (And I'm not going to right now either...sorry!)  But I wanted to share a few things that I love, love, love about summer vacation.

1. Riding bikes with the kids.
2. Hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.
3. McDonald's 50-cent ice cream cones.
4. Early morning and late night light.
5. Naps on the porch.
6. Being surrounded by color outdoors. (Our front yard=BEAUTIFUL!)
7. Lots of trips to the library, and reading to my girls.
8. Watermelon, cherries, strawberries, and peaches.
9. Yard work.  (Yes, I really do love it!)
10. Taking time to relax.

I am really enjoying this summer.  The weather hasn't been the most summery we've ever had, but I'm not going to complain about not having the heat.  I just hope we get a few tomatoes from our plants this year.  That's all I ask!

New post coming soon.

My New Toy

The other day, I was driving past my neighbor's house, and on their front lawn were some items for sale.  I was very interested in one thing in particular, and when I inquired about the price, I couldn't pass it up.  Here's what I bought for $30:

Isn't it AWESOME?  I just get the shivers thinking about all of the molding, baseboards, and other wood I can cut!  Yay me!

He also had a table saw for sale...

Cat Napping in the Car

On Monday, we went to visit Granmom and Grandpa E.  Sadie fell asleep in the car on the way.  This is how she puts herself to sleep every naptime and bedtime, but usually the blanket falls out of her mouth by the time we check on her.  What a silly girl!

Gratitude

You know those kids in Primary that we all consider "difficult"?  They're the ones who can't sit in their chair for more than 3 seconds at a time.  When they're not in their seats, they can be found bothering the piano player, climbing over the top of the mini-podium, trying to distract whoever is in front of the room, or lying in the middle of the aisle with their shoes off and underpants showing.  They repeatedly find some way to escape unnoticed from the Primary room and run down the hall as fast as they can before someone catches them.  Their teachers call them "special spirits", others find their antics "endearing", and the rest of us are grateful we don't have to take them home with us after church is over.

Unless you're the parent of one.  Which I am.  Hello, my name is Gina, and I am Amy's mother. 

Every week in Primary is an exhausting struggle for me.  Amy is darling, sweet girl, but she's also a handful.  It is especially stressful  because I am in the Primary Presidency, and if I am not teaching Sharing Time or filling in for the music leader, I'm busy supervising bathroom trips, finding substitutes on the fly, and making sure every teacher has chalk and an eraser (or whatever).

I am also one of those people who feels that her children are her responsibility, and I don't want anyone else to have to keep track of my kids because I can't do it myself.  But between the responsibilities of my calling, the constant escape attempts, the inability to stay in her seat, and the loud wailing that occurs when Amy isn't allowed to do whatever she wants, I have reached a point where I don't know if I should quit Primary, or Amy should.

Well, today, we had a person substituting for another class who knows all about Amy because of a previous incident (not involving her) that occurred during Sacrament Meeting--which is totally not worth going into here because it happened several weeks ago, and I really should have gotten over it by now, but I haven't--and she pulled me aside today and said, "Would it help you at all if I came to Primary every week for the first hour and just sat with Amy?"  It's like the answer to a prayer I haven't even said yet.  I couldn't say yes fast enough.

It would have been so easy for this sister to just come in, do exactly what she was asked to do and go on her merry way, but she didn't.  She could have thought, "It's not my problem." or "I've already got my own kids to deal with.", but she didn't.  She could have considered all the other responsibilities she has as a member of the Relief Society Presidency, but she didn't.  She saw a need, and wanted to fill it.  What a great example of Christ-like service.  She offered to help, and as hard as it is for me to accept any kind of assistance, I know I need it.  And Amy needs it so that she can be still enough to feel God's love for her and hear what is being taught.  Someday, I hope to do the same for a young mother who has a wonderfully difficult child that needs some extra love and support.  I will put my arm around her and say, "I know you're having a hard time.  I've been there myself.  Let me help you."

I am filled with gratitude for this amazing, righteous, and selfless woman and for my Father in Heaven who put her in the right place at the right time today.

Ditto...What She Said

Last Thursday night, I went to the Relief Society (Women's Group) activity.  I usually don't attend these activities for a few very valid reasons, but this one was a "Chocolate Appreciation Night".  How could I resist?  I even invited my mom.

When my mom and I got there, they had tables set up in a long line, with all different kinds of chocolate running down the middle of the tables.  There were questions on strips of paper there, too.  The idea was to get to know eachother better by asking questions, and then switching conversation partners after 2 minutes.  Basically like speed dating, but for friendship instead of romance.  Sounds like fun, right?

Well, actually, it was!  But I have to share what happened on one of my "speed dates" with a new friend.  She asked me, "What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for?"  And after thinking for a few seconds I said, "Probably my cooking.  After I die, I want people to think of me and say, 'Remember Gina?  Yes...what a cook!  She always made GREAT food.'."  Then I said to her, "What about you?"  And without skipping a beat she said, "In a talk I heard once, the speaker talked about that scripture in Proverbs about being a virtuous woman.  I want to be remembered for being a virtuous woman."

Oh man, REALLY?  I say I want people to remember my awesome food, and she whips out "virtuous woman"?  How can I compete with that?  Her answer reminded me of the last time I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.  It was my first time on a build here in Tacoma, so I was introduced to the volunteer coordinator who broke the ice by asking, "What is your biggest fear?"  To which I replied, "Drowning.  What's yours?"  And he said, "My biggest fear would be a wasted life."  Well, CRAP, people!

I must be incredibly shallow.

Either that or I really don't have to worry about whether or not I will be remembered as a virtuous woman who didn't waste her life.

I'll take Door #2.

A Week of Mini-Milestones

We are celebrating a few exciting things this week!

Miss Lucy

Today is Lucy's last day of Kindergarten!  I took a picture of her on the first day of school, and also this morning.  Look at how much she has grown!

September 2, 2009

June 15, 2010

She has had an amazing year, and I am really grateful to her teacher and all of the supporting staff than made her first year of school a nurturing, positive, and memorable experience.  For a girl who was so unsure and nervous about going to school in the first place, Lucy has learned a lot, and become much more comfortable being a student.

She is, of course, at the top of her class.  She reads extremely well, and all of her schoolwork is done very neatly and accurately.  She has also developed socially, and has many friends within and outside of her class.

I love who she is becoming and what she has accomplished this year.  She amazes me every day and I simply adore her.  Way to go, Lucy!

Amy Jo

Amy doesn't really have a milestone this week, but I just can't leave her out!  I took this picture of her at the park last Saturday evening.  Isn't it beautiful?  Currently, she is my favorite photography subject.

I love this girl.  She lives in the moment, and doesn't let anything get in her way.  (This can sometimes be a difficult thing!)  Everything about her fits who she is--from her name to her curly hair to her preference for bare feet everywhere she goes.  She's wild (in the best sense of the word), carefree, passionate, and free spirited.  It isn't hard to smile when Amy is around.

Sadie P. 

A while ago, I saw a T-shirt that said, "I'm kind of a big deal."  This is totally Sadie.  As the 3rd daughter in a sea of girls, she has no problem making sure she is never forgotten.  If one girl is doing something, she is sure to get in on the action and not be outdone.  In fact, she doesn't allow anyone to ignore her.  For example, In the morning when she wakes up, she likes to have some milk.  She has been saying, "I want milk." for awhile now, but lately, when she gets downstairs in the morning, she says, "Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom..." until I answer, "Yes?" and then it switches to, "I want milk, I want milk, I want milk, I want milk, I want milk..." until I say, "Okay."

Sadie's big deal this week is that tomorrow she will be 18 MONTHS OLD.  I can't believe how much time has gone by!  Sadie is just growing by leaps and bounds, and although some people love having a baby around, I definitely love this age.  It's full of fun and frustration, but it's cute to watch them grow and learn.

This is not the best picture of Sadie...we were at the park, her nose was running, and her hair is a mess, but I think it shows how big she is, and that she doesn't have that "baby face" so much anymore!

     

Well, that's all for now.  It's time for me to pick Lucy up from school.  Let summer vacation officially begin!