Church News

Yesterday we went to church. Normal, like always. But this week it had been highly anticipated. Nathan started asking, probably on Monday, "Church?"

No, no church today. Sorry. What a righteous kid.

We had stake conference last week, so he's really not so righteous as it sounds.

He also started asking for toys the second we sat down in sacrament meeting. And not the toys we had in the diaper bag. So when he was asking for church, he was really saying, "I haven't been to that fun place with the toys, that happens to be inside the church, for a long time. And I want to go to there."

Kids and toys. That is Nathan's blissful church-topia.

We also ruled out another family that we cannot sit by in sacrament. We had two 18-month twin boys crawling under the pews to play with Nathan, which he was actually happy to share. He loves kids. And kids love him. And he usually incites them to some extremely non-reverent behavior, like popping up and down playing peekaboo behind the bench and crawling under the bench, provoking more and more raucous laughter. And then the parents get mad, and I feel bad my kid got the other kids in trouble. And so I keep a mental list of families to not sit by in church.

We also took Clara to church for the first time yesterday. I think she liked it.

Training Day

We've been talking about it for weeks. Maybe for Nathan's birthday. Maybe on dad's day off. And it never ever happened. So on Saturday, about lunchtime, we took off. Who needs naps, anyway?

Nathan rode the train in Australia when he was a baby. And loved it. So we figured, now that he's older and has developed a great love for trains, he would love it even more. And we were right.

We rode Frontrunner from Roy to Ogden. It was a short ride, but when you're two, that doesn't matter.

Once in Ogden, we walked the short distance to Union Station. I have lived in the area nearly my entire life, and I don't remember ever going to Union Station. So this was a first for the whole family.

We didn't pay to go into the museum, but they had plenty of trains outside for climbing and exploring.

 I've never been a big fan of trains, but let me tell you, I'm now hooked. I can't even comprehend the energy and engineering it takes to haul millions of pounds of cargo across mountains and deserts. I'm especially intrigued by the steam engines. Can you even imagine how brutal it would be to drive a steam engine during a hot dusty summer? The steam engine tamed and transformed the West. The size and power of these big machines are very cool.

And very exhausting. Nathan didn't even act like he was missing his nap.  He could have stayed all day, but we had to get back home for stake conference meetings. But he fell asleep on the five minute drive home from the train station.

Spring is a good time to grow

Today the nurse from the health department came to check on Clara. It's been nice to have her come and make sure she's growing and developing like she should. And, the best news is, she doesn't think she needs to come back! She says Clara's nearly caught up developmentally, and is doing just what she ought.

And she's been growing. In the last month she has grown three inches, gained an inch and a quarter in head size, and gained nearly two pounds. She's now nine pounds, ten ounces. Goodbye, newborn clothes!

Easter and Birthday...

Or, as I like to call it, Happy-Easter-Birthday-Vanilla-Pistachio-Snake-Cake Extravaganza.

As you can tell, I'm pretty proud of the snake cake.

All the cool moms are decorating cakes, so I hear. So I decided to try. And this may be my masterwork. Sorry, future children, but I may not ever be able to top this, my first attempt. I think it turned out pretty good. And delicious. Vanilla cake with pistachio pudding sounded weird, but it was, if I do say so myself, divine.

We also had a couple of Easter egg hunts. And we got to hold baby ducks. And, for Nathan's birthday dinner, play at the play place in Chick Fil A. Oh yes, my friends, it's been a good week. We're also considering riding the train this weekend to lengthen out the celebration. We'll let you know how it was.

Clara's also started smiling and cooing, but I've not gotten any pictures yet. But we had a good conversation today.

Dear Nathan,

Today is your second birthday. I hope it's a happy one; while you're too young to make long-term memories, I hope your birthday remains for at least a couple weeks as a memory of something good. So, in short, I hope you wake up happier from your nap than you did this morning. And, for the record, I'm sorry your Easter chocolate is all gone. I shared, but I'm regretting it now that you've whined for treats all morning.

It's wonderful and heartbreaking to see you grow up and take on the world. Wonderful, to see you learn new things, develop a sense of humor, and trust that the world and everyone in it will always be good to you. Heartbreaking, because I already know you will grow up and away so fast, and because I know that trust will not always hold, that people will sometimes break your heart.

I love to watch how you can make friends so easily, at the fast-food play place, the doctor's office, the grocery store. I'm a little sad you no longer say "doo" (as in cocka doodle doo) every time you see a bird. It makes me laugh that when you really want something, you say both "please" and "amen" as you fold your arms. I'm glad you love to give your little sister hugs. I want to remember how you say "chink" (chicken, or any kind of meat) and "prag" (crab), because you'll soon learn the proper words. And, judging from your enthusiasm, you'll soon learn how to leave the ground when you jump. But I hope you'll never stop running around the house yelling "happy!" when you're feeling jubilant. Well, maybe you can stop that one. That would be annoying when you're twenty.

Two years have gone incredibly fast since you came into the world and made two young people into something else. You made us parents. You made us a family. We love you.