When I was growing up in St. Louis I was blessed to live near so much of my family. My married sisters and all of their children were big parts of my life. I remember laughing at my nephews Andrew and Matt dancing to BTO's "Taking Care of Business" at more than one family gathering. They must have been 3 and 4 years old.
This reminded me of them, for anyone who might remember. This time it's to REO Speedwagon.
And then there's Anna's dancing. So different. So fun I put on two samples.
I'm also taking suggestions for window treatments in the family room. I'm thinking red stripped ticking but I can't find any ready-made that are long enough and I don't want to make them myself.
I'm trying to get into a routine for taking care of the business around here with the new addition of school. I like getting up at the same time every day and having a routine, but everyday after lunch I am wiped out, because I'm an old pregnant lady, so I have to squeeze everything into the morning while the boys are at school.
They are enjoying it. Michael though there would be a lot of formal instruction, probably since that's how I've always taught him here, and is disappointed he hasn't "learned anything yet." The teacher told me they're still learning routines and rules so it should pick up in a few weeks. I am going to get fingerprinted next week so I can volunteer in their classroom.
Everything is so exciting for them. There was a fire drill yesterday and there is the oldest boy in the class who "has everyone under his command" according to Michael. That doesn't sit well with Michael because he likes to be the one in command around here! Sam told his teacher how easy it is to become a member of our church, you just have to get baptized, and we've already lost one school library book. Some one has a harder time staying organized than his brother. No names to protect the innocent.
I have some adjustments to make too. Somehow the boys' alarm was reset for midnight Monday and poor Michael kept pressing snooze every 9 minutes from midnight until 7AM. That explained the wrestling on the floor of the grocery store after lunch. Note to self: make any sacrifice necessary, such as showering, to complete errands before school gets out. There are a few bugs to work out but we're getting into a kind of a schedule. That's about all I can handle. I rebel and strict schedules and tell myself I don't care what the schedule is, I don't want to dust today, I want to make raspberry jam. And there you have it. My house is dirty but we have good food. It's all about priorities.
It is utter chaos right when the boys get home. They both want to talk at the same time and end up fighting until they've eaten lunch and I leave them alone to relax while I put Anna down for a nap and a little rest time for myself. Then it's homework time, then dinner time, then bedtime, clean up the kitchen, go to bed myself. Busy but fun.
It was perfect timing that my morning sickness went away right when school started. I don't think I could have done this so sick and tired. Having a baby in the middle of the school year should be interesting, but we'll have a routing down by then and there's always hoping for another easy baby like Anna.
We'll find out what we're having in another month. It's going so fast. I say that now, but I know the end will drag on with discomfort and suspense.
So today I made a double batch of raspberry freezer jam and posted on my blog. Did you know that's six cups of raspberries, ten and a half cups of sugar? I knew there was a reason I liked it so much! The boys have another party to go to Friday afternoon so Josh and get to take Anna out on a date for a couple of hours. She talks my ear off while they're at school and complains about the noise when they're home. Ah, kindred spirit.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, January 10, 2011
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Los Angeles
Late on the night of Wednesday, July 2 Josh and I decided to take the boys on a trip to see his sister Mary and her husband Eddie in LA for the holiday weekend. I packed while Josh was at work the next day and we left after dinner that night. We drove about two hours and stopped to spend the night in a Best W*estern. We brought the Pack n' Plays and prayed the boys would stay in them long enough to fall asleep. We turned out the lights and Michael and Sam started talking. (Brookie Cookie is Brooke, Uncle Shawn's daughter, who they met and loved at our recent family reunion).
Michael: Where'd Mommy go?
Sam: Macow, it's night. Go to sleep.
Michael: Hey! Where'd Mommy go?
Sam: We're, we're, we're, we're sleeping in a hotel. (He tends to stutter when he's tired).
Michael: Um, Uncle Shawn? Shawn?
Sam: Oh, Brookie Cookie?
Michael: Oh yes! Brookie Cookie!
Sam: Macow, go to sleep.
Michael: Ok. I go sleep now.
I was dying laughing and tried so hard to keep quiet. Josh had already fallen asleep and missed the whole thing. It's making me think they would like to sleep in the same room at home. We're looking into bunk beds and will experiment with putting them in the same room once they stop napping.
The drive was fun and LA was different. It was fun to be somewhere new. It was all blue skies and palm trees and cement. We stopped at Mary's to let the boys take a nap, then drove in to Hollywood. It took us forever to find a parking spot and we had a good chance to drive around and see the strange people wandering the tourist spots. This is some outdoor mall.
We saw the Chinese Theater and the hand prints in the sidewalk. The newest one is Hugh Jackman, put in this last April. It was fun to see Betty Graebel's leg imprint, Gary Cooper and John Waynes hand prints, but I never did find Cary Grant's. Bummer. We saw the Walk of Fame with all of the stars in the sidewalk and a huge gathering of people were around Michael Jackson's star. There were so many names I've never heard of! I think fame is fleeting, even with your name on a famous sidewalk.
There were street performers and people in costumes who would take a picture with you for a tip. We saw Darth Vadar. He came up to the stroller and gave Michael a high-five. Then he tried giving one to Sam, but he SCREAMED no and started crying. I had to take him out of the stroller and hold him the rest of the time. He was absolutely SHAKING with fear. It was awful. We saw Elmo on the way back to the car who took this picture with us for free to help Sam be happy. Poor Sammy. He's been having nightmares about Darth Vadar ever since. I guess he doesn't believe us now that Darth Vadar isn't real! He keeps telling the story: "I saw Darth Vadar in Hollywood and I said, "No five!" and I was crying."
That night we went to dinner with Mary and Eddie at an Italian place near their apartment in Burbank. It was tricky to eat with the overtired boys, but the food was awesome. Can't beat those family owned places. It reminded me of The Hill in St. Louis. We put the boys down and stayed up watching 2 episodes of LOST with Mary and Eddie. We've passed on our obsession to them and they have been catching up on seasons 1-5. We drove by the Disney studios where Eddie is working right now. It is very cool. We really hope they keep him on when his internship is over in September.
The next day, on July 4th, we went to Santa Monica Beach. I had forgotten that my dad lived very near there for a while when he was little. It was the best beach I've ever been to. The water was warm, the beach was deep, the sand soft, there were restrooms and play ground equipment, a bike path, and tons of families. Maybe it was special because it was a holiday, but we had so much fun. 
Sam wouldn't go into the water and spent the entire time playing out his Darth Vadar fears with that green bucket on his head and making a deep breathing sound. Michael buried our feet in the sand over and over again and fed me fresh strawberries. 
This was so much more fun than our attempt at the beach last summer. We actually got to sit down and enjoy ourselves while the boys played instead of keeping them from running into the ocean the entire time!
Parting shot of the beach out the van window.
We drove all the way back up to Sacramento - 5 hours - that night and made it to see fireworks. When the first one went off, both boys started crying so we watched the show from the car as we drove the tired little guys home. It was a great weekend and we hope to be able to see Mary and Eddie again soon!
And to finish off, here's one for the grandma's. Michael being his adorable self. Don't worry, we'll kiss him for you!
Michael: Where'd Mommy go?
Sam: Macow, it's night. Go to sleep.
Michael: Hey! Where'd Mommy go?
Sam: We're, we're, we're, we're sleeping in a hotel. (He tends to stutter when he's tired).
Michael: Um, Uncle Shawn? Shawn?
Sam: Oh, Brookie Cookie?
Michael: Oh yes! Brookie Cookie!
Sam: Macow, go to sleep.
Michael: Ok. I go sleep now.
I was dying laughing and tried so hard to keep quiet. Josh had already fallen asleep and missed the whole thing. It's making me think they would like to sleep in the same room at home. We're looking into bunk beds and will experiment with putting them in the same room once they stop napping.
The drive was fun and LA was different. It was fun to be somewhere new. It was all blue skies and palm trees and cement. We stopped at Mary's to let the boys take a nap, then drove in to Hollywood. It took us forever to find a parking spot and we had a good chance to drive around and see the strange people wandering the tourist spots. This is some outdoor mall.
We saw the Chinese Theater and the hand prints in the sidewalk. The newest one is Hugh Jackman, put in this last April. It was fun to see Betty Graebel's leg imprint, Gary Cooper and John Waynes hand prints, but I never did find Cary Grant's. Bummer. We saw the Walk of Fame with all of the stars in the sidewalk and a huge gathering of people were around Michael Jackson's star. There were so many names I've never heard of! I think fame is fleeting, even with your name on a famous sidewalk.
There were street performers and people in costumes who would take a picture with you for a tip. We saw Darth Vadar. He came up to the stroller and gave Michael a high-five. Then he tried giving one to Sam, but he SCREAMED no and started crying. I had to take him out of the stroller and hold him the rest of the time. He was absolutely SHAKING with fear. It was awful. We saw Elmo on the way back to the car who took this picture with us for free to help Sam be happy. Poor Sammy. He's been having nightmares about Darth Vadar ever since. I guess he doesn't believe us now that Darth Vadar isn't real! He keeps telling the story: "I saw Darth Vadar in Hollywood and I said, "No five!" and I was crying."
That night we went to dinner with Mary and Eddie at an Italian place near their apartment in Burbank. It was tricky to eat with the overtired boys, but the food was awesome. Can't beat those family owned places. It reminded me of The Hill in St. Louis. We put the boys down and stayed up watching 2 episodes of LOST with Mary and Eddie. We've passed on our obsession to them and they have been catching up on seasons 1-5. We drove by the Disney studios where Eddie is working right now. It is very cool. We really hope they keep him on when his internship is over in September.
The next day, on July 4th, we went to Santa Monica Beach. I had forgotten that my dad lived very near there for a while when he was little. It was the best beach I've ever been to. The water was warm, the beach was deep, the sand soft, there were restrooms and play ground equipment, a bike path, and tons of families. Maybe it was special because it was a holiday, but we had so much fun. 
Sam wouldn't go into the water and spent the entire time playing out his Darth Vadar fears with that green bucket on his head and making a deep breathing sound. Michael buried our feet in the sand over and over again and fed me fresh strawberries. 
This was so much more fun than our attempt at the beach last summer. We actually got to sit down and enjoy ourselves while the boys played instead of keeping them from running into the ocean the entire time!
Parting shot of the beach out the van window.
We drove all the way back up to Sacramento - 5 hours - that night and made it to see fireworks. When the first one went off, both boys started crying so we watched the show from the car as we drove the tired little guys home. It was a great weekend and we hope to be able to see Mary and Eddie again soon!
And to finish off, here's one for the grandma's. Michael being his adorable self. Don't worry, we'll kiss him for you!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Today this is what I heard at lunch. In reference to the beautiful toddler-friendly lunch below complete with homemade mac and cheese, I heard Michael say, "I don't want to eat that scary lunch. I want to eat yogurt." Then I heard him say, "You're Cinderella, I'm the Prince." So I promptly forgave the offense of refusing the meal. What's so scary about this food, I'll never know. I guess it just looks different but I thought it was so funny he would call it scary. Do you hear reasoning like that from your kids?
Last week I heard Michael in his crib calling out, "Belle! Belle! Belle, where are you?" He was up from his nap and wanted me, Belle, to come get the Beast/ Handsome Prince out of his crib. He said "I'm a beast. I need to get out!" Sometimes he puts on Josh's church shoes and makes me put on my high heels and dance with him while I sing, "So This is Love" from Cinderella. Then he says "Bong! Bong! Now you run away! It's midnight!" Sam has joined in and asks me to do it too. This is what happens when you have your first boys. I only have princess movies on hand and have make an investment and get some that are more masculine. They do also play Star Wars and wave around anything that can be used as a light saber, so I guess they're well-balanced.
In other news, we have our first hole in the drywall. It was only a matter of time with two boys and their toys, but it was actually me who made this whole in the wall. I had the stomach flu and fainted while, uh, sitting on the, uh, structure on the right. I fell and I'm guessing I made that hole with my shoulder. I have whiplash and hurt my jaw and cheekbone. Now the pain is gone and I'm just a little stiff. It was a little scary waking up on the bathroom floor and not knowing where I was for a little while. I did get a nice little break from housework for a couple of days though!
***Clarifications***
Ok. So I will add some more info about passing out. Josh was home reading books to Michael in the other room and Sam was asleep. I felt it coming on and dried to dive for the floor but I passed out before I got to the floor and hit my head. I don't know how long I was out but when I woke up I couldn't open my eyes for a while and had no idea where I was or what had happened. I soon remembered and opened my eyes and was able to get right up. I don't know if I was just dehydrated or if it was from the pain. I have endometriosis and have had similar feelings of lightheadedness in the past, but have never actually blacked out until the other day. I spent the rest of the day in bed and a sweet neighbor brought us some soup and rolls so my family and I could eat dinner. It was hard to sleep because my neck and shoulders and face hurt so much, but ibuprofen helped with that and I'm only left with a little tightness in my back now. I called the after hours nurses line and they asked me to go into the emergency room, but I prefered getting a good night's sleep so I didn't go and I'm doing fine now. It was scarry and I was surprised when I saw that hole in the wall, but I'm ok and have a cool story to share about my most embarrassing moment now! When I called the nurses' line and told them what happened the nurse started laughing at me. I laughed too because it just sounds so funny, in a I'm really glad I didn't hurt myself worse kind of way!
Last week I heard Michael in his crib calling out, "Belle! Belle! Belle, where are you?" He was up from his nap and wanted me, Belle, to come get the Beast/ Handsome Prince out of his crib. He said "I'm a beast. I need to get out!" Sometimes he puts on Josh's church shoes and makes me put on my high heels and dance with him while I sing, "So This is Love" from Cinderella. Then he says "Bong! Bong! Now you run away! It's midnight!" Sam has joined in and asks me to do it too. This is what happens when you have your first boys. I only have princess movies on hand and have make an investment and get some that are more masculine. They do also play Star Wars and wave around anything that can be used as a light saber, so I guess they're well-balanced.
In other news, we have our first hole in the drywall. It was only a matter of time with two boys and their toys, but it was actually me who made this whole in the wall. I had the stomach flu and fainted while, uh, sitting on the, uh, structure on the right. I fell and I'm guessing I made that hole with my shoulder. I have whiplash and hurt my jaw and cheekbone. Now the pain is gone and I'm just a little stiff. It was a little scary waking up on the bathroom floor and not knowing where I was for a little while. I did get a nice little break from housework for a couple of days though!***Clarifications***
Ok. So I will add some more info about passing out. Josh was home reading books to Michael in the other room and Sam was asleep. I felt it coming on and dried to dive for the floor but I passed out before I got to the floor and hit my head. I don't know how long I was out but when I woke up I couldn't open my eyes for a while and had no idea where I was or what had happened. I soon remembered and opened my eyes and was able to get right up. I don't know if I was just dehydrated or if it was from the pain. I have endometriosis and have had similar feelings of lightheadedness in the past, but have never actually blacked out until the other day. I spent the rest of the day in bed and a sweet neighbor brought us some soup and rolls so my family and I could eat dinner. It was hard to sleep because my neck and shoulders and face hurt so much, but ibuprofen helped with that and I'm only left with a little tightness in my back now. I called the after hours nurses line and they asked me to go into the emergency room, but I prefered getting a good night's sleep so I didn't go and I'm doing fine now. It was scarry and I was surprised when I saw that hole in the wall, but I'm ok and have a cool story to share about my most embarrassing moment now! When I called the nurses' line and told them what happened the nurse started laughing at me. I laughed too because it just sounds so funny, in a I'm really glad I didn't hurt myself worse kind of way!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Getting Fruity
I think I am in danger of becoming a northern California granola-girl. Don't get me wrong, I still lather and shave daily - or whenever I get to take a shower- but there's something so nice about not putting on makeup or doing my hair and just getting out the door into the sun. How did I come to this realization? I took the boys fruit picking on Friday.I actually showered, but let my hair go curly (read frizzy) and the only thing I put on my face was sun block. We packed some peanut butter sandwiches and lots of bottled water (it is already in the 90's here) and drove 30 minutes out to a fruit farm.
I knew it was going to be great when we passed a rooster on our way in. We said hello to the girl at the cash register (her name was Gloria. Michael said, "A song!" meaning "Angels We Have Heard on High." This kid is a serious music nut.) and went off to pick some cherries. The boys were in heaven because they could reach them and they quickly filled their 1 pint baskets with the brightest red, unripe, tart cherries. They were all at eye level and they got a kick out of being able to do it themselves. They've been telling everyone about it all weekend. "I pick cherries on the farm!" Michael even got Josh to eat some - they're not his favorite - by saying, "I pick cherries on the farm, Daddy. It's yummy! You eat it!"
Last time we went fruit picking was in August, I think. We picked raspberries and I spent the whole time chasing them. This time they stayed with me and I had to coax them from place to place. Michael didn't want to leave the cherry trees. When I wanted to change to strawberries, he did run off . . . back the the cherry trees! I had him taste a juicy strawberry, and then he understood why I was picking those too and stood near me eating them out of my box as I picked them. Sam, ever social, walked over to the other moms and kids and struck up a conversation. "That's my mom over there and that's Mach-ow (Michael)."
The owner of this small pick-your-own farm waved to the boys as he rode by on his tractor. Sam couldn't get over it. "Mommy! The farmer waved to Sammy!" He later said, "I want to stay this forever." So we're going back for peaches next week!
(Don't eat the pit!)At home, I put the boys down for naps and watched the movie "Emma" on the laptop while I made freezer jam and a strawberry pie. I decided to brush the crust with melted Her*shey Kisses before filling it. It was awesome!
We've been pigging out on cherries, watermelon, and strawberries. As I picked the fruit in the bright sun with the boys running around having the time of their lives, I thought how happy I was. If I am too lazy to plant a garden, at least I can have the experience of picking the fruit and preparing it at home.
When I was childless and miserable at my job in Virginia I day dreamed about living on an acre or two in a white frame farm house with red gingham curtains and french doors opening to a huge backyard with a huge garden and kids running all over the yard and practicing the piano - inside. I would be gardening, cooking, and sewing, all uninterrupted while the kids played for hours on end, of course! So while I'm not ready for Birken*stocks, and I don't know if I could really give up mascara for good, I have to admit that days like this are so fulfilling.I guess we all have a desire to till the earth, or at least to eat its delicious, sun-ripened fruit!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
My Mothers
I had such a happy Mother's Day today. I think every Mother's Day will be incredibly special for me (see below on becoming a mother). We had the standard singing by the Primary kids today, we had a special breakfast before church, and I got to to to Relief Society where we had ice cream sundaes!
But once I was home from church and making dinner, my thoughts turned to my mothers. My own mother is incredibly smart, beautiful, talented, and funny. My mother in law raised the best husband in the world and loves her in-laws like her own.
But, perhaps inspired by our discussion of the pioneers in Relief Society today, my thoughts turned to my great and great-great grandmothers Lydia Knight and Johanna Oscarson. I was making some banana bread with our brown bananas when the thought occurred to me that these women went through times when there was no extra food to be used up in some creative and indulgent way. Do we really NEED banana bread? It's just a way to justify buying 10 bananas at once at Costco. I thought about how they took care of their families without husbands around - without electricity and mixers and ovens and church DVD's to keep their kids busy while they made Sunday dinner. I thought about what they would have eaten for Sunday dinner during those hard times.
As I dumped butter into the mixing bowl, I thought about Lydia Knight's story of the tithing and the butter. She had just arrived in the Salt Lake valley and had only one cow with one little patch of grass for it to eat. They churned butter and decided to give it all to their bishop as tithing with the faith that their little cow would produce more milk and give them more butter to last through the winter.
I am grateful for the women in my family who I don't know but who I cannot wait to meet and thank one day. Their sacrifices have blessed me with the light of the Spirit, the peace of the gospel, and the faith to face the unknown.
So, happy Mother's Day to all of you who are in the trenches with me right now, and to those of you who have paved the way to give me all of the blessings I enjoy. I hope I can continue in your tradition of sacrifice and bring honor to you and blessings to my posterity.
But once I was home from church and making dinner, my thoughts turned to my mothers. My own mother is incredibly smart, beautiful, talented, and funny. My mother in law raised the best husband in the world and loves her in-laws like her own.
But, perhaps inspired by our discussion of the pioneers in Relief Society today, my thoughts turned to my great and great-great grandmothers Lydia Knight and Johanna Oscarson. I was making some banana bread with our brown bananas when the thought occurred to me that these women went through times when there was no extra food to be used up in some creative and indulgent way. Do we really NEED banana bread? It's just a way to justify buying 10 bananas at once at Costco. I thought about how they took care of their families without husbands around - without electricity and mixers and ovens and church DVD's to keep their kids busy while they made Sunday dinner. I thought about what they would have eaten for Sunday dinner during those hard times.
As I dumped butter into the mixing bowl, I thought about Lydia Knight's story of the tithing and the butter. She had just arrived in the Salt Lake valley and had only one cow with one little patch of grass for it to eat. They churned butter and decided to give it all to their bishop as tithing with the faith that their little cow would produce more milk and give them more butter to last through the winter.
I am grateful for the women in my family who I don't know but who I cannot wait to meet and thank one day. Their sacrifices have blessed me with the light of the Spirit, the peace of the gospel, and the faith to face the unknown.
So, happy Mother's Day to all of you who are in the trenches with me right now, and to those of you who have paved the way to give me all of the blessings I enjoy. I hope I can continue in your tradition of sacrifice and bring honor to you and blessings to my posterity.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Bugs
I just weeded the backyard and found the ant nest! I put 2 ant "traps" out there and hope they all die a quick death and leave my house alone.
Michael just smushed a ladybug across the patio and then said, "Oh, the ladybug is sad." Sam added, "cause you crushed it."
Michael just smushed a ladybug across the patio and then said, "Oh, the ladybug is sad." Sam added, "cause you crushed it."
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