Here's what's up. June is being awesome. And busy. I've been working some more on my birthday month of fun:
June 7: attended Whitney's wedding reception, where I got to see Shelly and Kristen. Four of the six from Morgan Hall apt. 203.
June 8: Finally finished linseed oil on the house (woot!), and free swimming at the complex.
June 9: dinner at my parents' house with all my siblings and their children, as well as Linda and my grandparents.
10: play group at the park, then getting my house clean before tball. Getting my house cleaned up, while not exactly fun, was deeply deeply satisfying.
11: Hosted cousins in the morning, and friends in the afternoon. During a busy day of kids playing, I managed to sneak in about ten minutes of uninterrupted reading time, sitting in the shade in the backyard. Wonderful.
12: Play date with my good friend Aubrey and her kids, watched Mulan with the kids in the afternoon, t-ball pictures, picnic at the park, and then more t-ball.
13: cousin day at Beus Park, princess party at the community center, and, the highlight of every month....Book Club. It deserves to be capitalized.
And, I better write this down before I forget it:
Nathan, after we drove past the house in Roy I lived in until I was seven: "Mom, thanks for showing me about the good old days. When you were little, did you have cars?"
He then told me that if I didn't have cars, we could have just ridden around in carriages pulled by horses.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Golden Birthday Month
In my bloggy reading, I came across this poster. Which, really, can you argue with that? And so I've taken it for my mantra. Doing things fills up that anxious time between waiting for things to happen and fixing things that aren't going right. It's a poster that I would like to own, but then again, I'd have to pay money to get it. Which really isn't part of my strategic plan.
This month is my golden birthday. I've looked forward to my golden birthday, since it's supposed to be some magical golden shimmering thing of wonder. And, really, you need something to dress up 29. Such a blase number. So, my strategic plan for my birthday month is to do 29 fun things, one for each day.
Here's what I've done so far.
1. helped at a yard sale benefit for my cousin (sometimes, work can be a fun thing). Got a bike trailer/jogging stroller for only 35 dollars
2. taught a Relief Society lesson (it went well--I made people cry--and so that was a sort of fun thing. Can you tell I have to look for fun where I can find it?) Levi dutch ovened steak, potatoes, and a pineapple/mango cobbler--delicious
3. finding myself alone in the middle of the afternoon, I took myself out to lunch at Cafe Zuppa's. That night we used our gift certificate to Farr's and went out for ice cream.
4. visited an elderly couple in our ward, who insisted on making cotton candy and sno cones for my kids
5. attended Nathan's first t-ball game. It was an excercise in hilarity.
6. worked on making a mix of funny love songs as part of a wedding present. As part of this I reconnected with an old college friend whom I haven't talked to in too long.
So, there's six days so far. Nothing too ambitious, but I think I can fit fun things in every day, or at least recognize that I'm already doing fun things. Any ideas for what else I can do in my birthday month?
Monday, June 3, 2013
Memorial Day weekend = zoo trip!
First, just let me start by saying, I love the Charlie and Lola cartoons. We get them from the library. Maybe I love them so because of the charming artwork, or their British accents, but I think it's because Lola says things like "Snow is my favorite and is my best." For whatever reason, it's lovely.
But enough about television. The Zoo is why we are all here today, reading this blog. Right?
I brilliantly thought the zoo would be less crowded on the Friday before Memorial Day. And it possibly was, but it still felt pretty crowded. The parking lot was full. We ended up parking up the street near a little monument about Emigration Canyon, which was well worth the read. Very interesting. So we had a fairly good walk before we even got to the zoo.
For the first few minutes Nathan would look at an animal for about ten seconds before he was ready to move on. At that rate, we would have covered the entire zoo in about thirty-seven minutes. Luckily he slowed down when we got to the seals.
Having a snack at the elephant pavilion. Arriving at the zoo around lunchtime, armed with only paltry snacks, was not my best moment as a mother. We snacked on peanuts, carrots, banana chips, and pretzel balls for a couple of hours before I broke down and bought the popcorn Nathan had been requesting since we arrived. All the treats available, and he wanted popcorn? But the bag fed all of us, and paired with a tiger's blood snow cone, it felt pretty good.
Unbidden, he decided to see if his head would fit in an elephant's mouth. It would. Good to know?
The seals were really cool. We stopped here for a long time, had more snacks, then watched a short presentation about animal habitats, when the kids got to touch a snake and a rabbit.
Part of the zoo is closed, but I'm glad they moved the lion drinking fountain so we could get a drink. We had to wait in a pretty long line. According to the kids, totally worth it.
After hearing these kids fight so often, it does my heart good to see Nathan help Clara with things. He's turning out to be a good big brother. Here he's pushing the button because her hands weren't strong enough.
Alice got a short nap. Lucky. Later Clara was tired so we took (now-awak) Alice out so Clara could ride. She got pretty mad. That was her stroller.
Lego monkeys!
In the reptile house. We had to take two trips inside to see the alligators. Or are they crocodiles?
Nathan put his hat on the tiger but wouldn't stay for the picture.
Hm. Blogger has decided to stretch horizontal pictures weirdly. Sorry.
Alice loved this elephant. Also, she prefers not to hold your hand while walking. She knows that's just a ploy to get her to go where she doesn't want to. She's a smart cookie.
The kids slept all the way to Burger Bar, where we picked up dinner before we got home. Burgers and a peach shake. Hello, summer. Nice to meet you.
But enough about television. The Zoo is why we are all here today, reading this blog. Right?
I brilliantly thought the zoo would be less crowded on the Friday before Memorial Day. And it possibly was, but it still felt pretty crowded. The parking lot was full. We ended up parking up the street near a little monument about Emigration Canyon, which was well worth the read. Very interesting. So we had a fairly good walk before we even got to the zoo.
For the first few minutes Nathan would look at an animal for about ten seconds before he was ready to move on. At that rate, we would have covered the entire zoo in about thirty-seven minutes. Luckily he slowed down when we got to the seals.
The kids slept all the way to Burger Bar, where we picked up dinner before we got home. Burgers and a peach shake. Hello, summer. Nice to meet you.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Happy birthday
Hey, pictures! From nearly a month ago...
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
a tired blogging catch-up
Well, here it is the middle of May. So tonight I sit down to write a little. Ain't no pictures gonna happen. We'll take what we can get. I don't know how life can be so busy without seeming to get anything done. It's ridiculous. Sheesh. Clara had a scary dream so she's out of bed, watching me type. She's been getting up in the night a lot lately. Levi told me the other night she was just sitting on the end of our bed, occasionally whimpering. Oh, the wonder of earplugs, that I missed that particular adventure. She'll go to bed again just fine, luckily, but all this nighttime wakefulness is making for a grumpy girl. That, and she's just being three. When she gets mad, she'll twist that sweet face as grumpy as she can get it, and yell, "I'm so sad! Waaa!" or "I don't like this day! This is not a day! This is night!" Also, I always figured the expression "dancing with rage" was hyperbole until I saw this girl caterwauling. She really dances around in circles sometimes when she's mad. It would be more funny if it weren't my job to calm her down. It's still funny.
Nathan's all up into sporting right now. He told me that he wanted to do three sports, so I have to sign him up for soccer. Next month he's going to play t-ball. And this month he's doing swimming lessons. That kid is a maniac in the water. He's so excited to be learning how to swim. Where most of the other kids (there's only five) are standing nervously at the edge of the pool not wanting to jump in, he's leaping in, always wanting to be first to try new things, a little too unafraid of putting his face in the water and frequently getting a little too far out of his depth. Before every lesson we remind him to listen to his teachers, but it's so hard to remember when he's faced with all this water to cavort in. But he can float on his own for a couple of seconds and has a lot of fun doing his superman float and windmill arms. We've been going as a family and swimming on Monday evenings after his lessons. I signed Clara up for a parent/child class in July and she's so excited. Nathan's also finishing up preschool in a couple weeks and he's super excited about preschool. He knows his letters and numbers. When he's in the mood I can get him to sound out some simple words. He especially likes to do that with books he knows really well, so he can just look at the pictures and guess. He's also been really social lately. Almost every day he's begging to go to someone's house, "Or else I will be so bored!"
And that Alice. She's talking more and more, but it all sounds the same: "Mom mom MOM!" It's a pretty good all-purpose word. She uses it for both Levi and me, when she wants food, attention, anything...and yes, it has to be right this second. But she is learning to make good use of her pointer finger, and she nods. It's pretty much adorable up to the moon and back. She shakes her head no as she's throwing food off her tray, and the other day she nodded her head yes when I asked her if she wanted to read a book. Sometimes if we ask the kids if they want something ("Who wants a drink?") she'll raise her hand. Today my mother-in-law was tending the kids and gave her some goldfish in a cup. She ate a couple, then shook her head no. She pointed to the teddy grahams, and then pointed to her cup. That's some effective communication going on there. She knows she's just as big as those two other kids, and don't you try to leave her out of anything, be it carrot sticks for a snack or getting candy from the bishop after church. So she's a grimy mess most of the time, but what a sweet grimy mess.
Levi realized today it's been seven years since he started his job. Where has the time gone? Seven years ago we were still pretty much newlyweds, fresh out of school (well, one of us), all but broke. Seven years: four passports, three trips out of the country, three babies, an assortment of callings, a mortgage, a graduation. We're still young enough that seven years makes a big difference.
Nathan's all up into sporting right now. He told me that he wanted to do three sports, so I have to sign him up for soccer. Next month he's going to play t-ball. And this month he's doing swimming lessons. That kid is a maniac in the water. He's so excited to be learning how to swim. Where most of the other kids (there's only five) are standing nervously at the edge of the pool not wanting to jump in, he's leaping in, always wanting to be first to try new things, a little too unafraid of putting his face in the water and frequently getting a little too far out of his depth. Before every lesson we remind him to listen to his teachers, but it's so hard to remember when he's faced with all this water to cavort in. But he can float on his own for a couple of seconds and has a lot of fun doing his superman float and windmill arms. We've been going as a family and swimming on Monday evenings after his lessons. I signed Clara up for a parent/child class in July and she's so excited. Nathan's also finishing up preschool in a couple weeks and he's super excited about preschool. He knows his letters and numbers. When he's in the mood I can get him to sound out some simple words. He especially likes to do that with books he knows really well, so he can just look at the pictures and guess. He's also been really social lately. Almost every day he's begging to go to someone's house, "Or else I will be so bored!"
And that Alice. She's talking more and more, but it all sounds the same: "Mom mom MOM!" It's a pretty good all-purpose word. She uses it for both Levi and me, when she wants food, attention, anything...and yes, it has to be right this second. But she is learning to make good use of her pointer finger, and she nods. It's pretty much adorable up to the moon and back. She shakes her head no as she's throwing food off her tray, and the other day she nodded her head yes when I asked her if she wanted to read a book. Sometimes if we ask the kids if they want something ("Who wants a drink?") she'll raise her hand. Today my mother-in-law was tending the kids and gave her some goldfish in a cup. She ate a couple, then shook her head no. She pointed to the teddy grahams, and then pointed to her cup. That's some effective communication going on there. She knows she's just as big as those two other kids, and don't you try to leave her out of anything, be it carrot sticks for a snack or getting candy from the bishop after church. So she's a grimy mess most of the time, but what a sweet grimy mess.
Levi realized today it's been seven years since he started his job. Where has the time gone? Seven years ago we were still pretty much newlyweds, fresh out of school (well, one of us), all but broke. Seven years: four passports, three trips out of the country, three babies, an assortment of callings, a mortgage, a graduation. We're still young enough that seven years makes a big difference.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
May Day!
Happy May 1st. We made it to May! I celebrated by eating a ridiculous number of cheese balls. Why oh why did I let Nathan pick those out at the store last week?
Alice is walking. The week she turned one she decided it should be all walking, all the time. Sometimes she gets going a little too fast so keels over. Hold on, baby kid. There's plenty of time for running once you learn balance. She also has developed the charming habit of throwing food off her tray. One night she decided she would eat only carrots. Barbecue pork, potatoes, even a bit of salad, on the floor. Sippy cup, on the floor. Only (cooked) carrots would she deign to put in her mouth. Then she'd screech when she was ready for a drink, which was--wait for it--on the floor. I'm also letting her learn to use a spoon with her yogurt for breakfast, which is a fantastic gooey mess. A great way to start the day off right. And I'm calling her first words as Mom and Hi. Pretty good words. Sometimes she'll throw in a Da but she's pretty stingy with words in general. Grunting is so much more effective.
Clara, despite of a bout of sickness in the last week, is swimming along quite well. She oscillates from uber polite: "May I go inside? Oh, thank you, Mother." to fiendish: "I hate you! I hate this day! This is not a day! This is night!" Being three is so hard.
Nathan, finishing up his last few weeks of preschool, is so excited for kindergarten, and swimming lessons, and t-ball. We started swimming lessons on Monday and he was in heaven. So much heaven was he in, that he had a hard time listening to the instructor. Hopefully he'll follow directions better today. T-ball starts in June and he's so excited. Yesterday at the park he watched some big kids playing baseball and told me, "Maybe baseball will be like t-ball!" Yep, something like that.
I've been working up some house projects lately. Spring cleaning and such, and also making my house less ugly. I've been swinging between being unable to keep up with my regular housework because it's too hard/boring and working frenetically because I have a few thousand things to get done Right This Second.
We're getting excited for summer. Hikes, swimming in the Great Salt Lake, and maybe... Disneyland? I'm trying to gear up my motivation for that one. It would be terrific.
Alice is walking. The week she turned one she decided it should be all walking, all the time. Sometimes she gets going a little too fast so keels over. Hold on, baby kid. There's plenty of time for running once you learn balance. She also has developed the charming habit of throwing food off her tray. One night she decided she would eat only carrots. Barbecue pork, potatoes, even a bit of salad, on the floor. Sippy cup, on the floor. Only (cooked) carrots would she deign to put in her mouth. Then she'd screech when she was ready for a drink, which was--wait for it--on the floor. I'm also letting her learn to use a spoon with her yogurt for breakfast, which is a fantastic gooey mess. A great way to start the day off right. And I'm calling her first words as Mom and Hi. Pretty good words. Sometimes she'll throw in a Da but she's pretty stingy with words in general. Grunting is so much more effective.
Clara, despite of a bout of sickness in the last week, is swimming along quite well. She oscillates from uber polite: "May I go inside? Oh, thank you, Mother." to fiendish: "I hate you! I hate this day! This is not a day! This is night!" Being three is so hard.
Nathan, finishing up his last few weeks of preschool, is so excited for kindergarten, and swimming lessons, and t-ball. We started swimming lessons on Monday and he was in heaven. So much heaven was he in, that he had a hard time listening to the instructor. Hopefully he'll follow directions better today. T-ball starts in June and he's so excited. Yesterday at the park he watched some big kids playing baseball and told me, "Maybe baseball will be like t-ball!" Yep, something like that.
I've been working up some house projects lately. Spring cleaning and such, and also making my house less ugly. I've been swinging between being unable to keep up with my regular housework because it's too hard/boring and working frenetically because I have a few thousand things to get done Right This Second.
We're getting excited for summer. Hikes, swimming in the Great Salt Lake, and maybe... Disneyland? I'm trying to gear up my motivation for that one. It would be terrific.
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