A Sentence

Lindy surprised us this morning by making the following declaration using the magnet alphabet letters:

(Translation: "Lindy is 5 years old")

Additional proof that she's smarter than we sometimes give her credit for. Notice the use of the "v" and the line to compensate for the lack of another "y". I don't think I would have been able to come up with that. I think we're in trouble.

Parade!

One of our favorite community events is the parade held each year. For a "small" town we sure do have a lot of parade! Two and a half hours in the hot sun...whew! Thank heavens for shade umbrellas!

As our girls get older their excitement increases. This year was no exception. Lindy's favorite part was little Sadie. A total stranger lent Lindy her puppy for several minutes. Lindy was in HEAVEN! Now, if we can only bide our time by "borrowing" dogs now and then we might have all the benefits of having a dog with none of the drawbacks! (Sweet plan!)

Ellie's favorite part was the floats. She was literally yelling at me to "hurry up and take a picture" of each and every float that passed us by. Her favorite was Hansel and Gretel's gingerbread house. My favorite? The CV2nd Ward float, of course! 

Here's Ian teaching the girls to clap along to the hot and sweaty marching bands. 

Jody and I tried to keep little Curtis in the shade as much as possible. He did great. He was kept from taking a decent nap by all the clapping and cheering (mostly by his mom) but was still a relatively happy baby. So, all things considered, he had a great first parade day.

Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?

You are Elizabeth Bennet. Clever, headstrong, and just a little proud, Elizabeth doesn't put up with posturing or prejudice. When she makes up her mind to care for someone, she is unwavering. However, it can be hard for her to see people's true worth sometimes.

For the record...I took a different quiz and was told I was Elinor Dashwood. I just don't know if I agree with either option. Perhaps it depends entirely on situations. Maybe I'm a different character for the different aspects of my life.

You are Elinor Dashwood. Wise beyond your years, you are all too aware of the folly of those around you. You are "sense" personified, and without you, things would certainly fall apart."

Which Disney Princess Are You?

You are Pocahontas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

If only I could pull off that little deerskin number...

"Reminiscing" Tag

20 Years Ago

I was a four-eyed 15 year-old just out of braces with a haircut I never should have had. Or was it a perm? (In my anxiousness to block that period of my life out I forget.) In June of 1988 I was graduating from "grade nine" (to use Canadian vernacular) and wore a pink puffy-sleeved nightmarish creation to "the dance" at which I spent most of the time standing on the sidelines desperately wishing I was cute enough to be noticed by the boys, but knowing I wasn't.

10 Years Ago

I was a single 25-year old working girl. I had a candy bar and a Diet Coke for breakfast practically every morning. I believe that was the year of my WORST BLIND DATE EVER. Ian and I went on our first date and I decided he wasn't my type (famous last words).  

5 Years Ago

I was a new mom to baby Lindy. I didn't get any sleep that year. I found out that breast-feeding makes me crave chocolate like an addiction. And, for the first couple months of that year, I fought the postpartum demon. I lost the battle until discovering a little pill I like to call "contentment". (Thank you modern medicine!) Eventually I started figuring the whole motherhood thing out. Somewhat. Ian, Lindy, and I went to Florida that fall with Jody and Mike. What a GREAT trip!

3 Years Ago

I was seriously pregnant with our second, Ellie. I was cursing the weather and bearing my testimony of the beauty of air conditioning. I was busy with my calling in Relief Society and trying to keep my head above water. We finally were able to afford sod and began the still on-going process of finishing our backyard.

1 Year Ago

I honestly don't remember. At some point last year I know I read the three Twilight series books and ignored my kids and my household duties while doing so. I got pregnant and puked my guts out for at least 5 months of the year. We risked life and limb to cut down our own Christmas tree. Other than that my memory fails me.

So Far This Year

I went to Disney Princesses on Ice with Lindy. I made it through my third pregnancy and gave birth to our cutest baby boy, Curtis. (Which means I'm not getting any sleep and I'm still struggling with that chocolate addiction mentioned earlier.) I planted a garden. I've tried to remember to water aforementioned garden. I read some fabulous books. Lindy graduated from preschool. All of my siblings plus my mom and dad have been to visit (some more than once). We've been to the dinosaur museum, Cabella's with grandpa, and the zoo. Wahoo!

Yesterday

I actually got a shower. What a fabulous start to my day. I went grocery shopping and to Costco without the kids. I finally took the dry-cleaning in. I went to Lindy's ballet performance and clapped. Then we all went out to dinner with Mike and Jody afterward.

Today

I walked to church and taught my primary lesson on faith. I felt increased gratitude for the wonderful people who accept callings in Nursery. I got out of saying the closing prayer in R.S. because I had 2 children having breakdowns at the same time. We ate dessert with the Browns and had a wonderful evening (thanks for the brownies, Jon).

Tomorrow

I will still be tired and would still crawl through a torturously hot desert and choose chocolate over water. I will try to finish my project for our Enrichment Service Auction on Tuesday. I will once again say goodbye to my husband as he leaves for another trip. Hopefully I can finish the laundry and the vacuuming. I will look for "The Importance of Being Ernest" on DVD or VHS to watch while Ian's out of town.

In the Next Year

I will send my oldest off to kindergarten. I will wish that I could go with Ian to the U.K. I will probably still be tired. I will be anxiously planning our family trip to Disneyland. I will still be several pounds away from my desired weight and wonder why I can't get motivated to work-out. I will also be a mother of three beautiful children. I will be a wife to a wonderful husband. I will be a neighbor to some amazing people. I will try to be the type of friend that I would like others to be for me. I will try to pray more, read scriptures more, and learn more about my Savior. I will try to be happy.

I'm tagging Heather B., Marci B., and Jen Pro.

Dancing Queen

Lindy has reached the end of her first year of ballet lessons. It was a great experience for her (and for her mom). Today she had her final performance with the entire company. They did "Sleeping Beauty".

Here's a little video clip of her part of the program. They got a little lost on that huge stage, but other than that did very well.

We bought a rose to give to her at the end of the performance. Her whole face lit up! She felt like such a real ballerina. We are SO proud of you, Lindy!

Fly From H*E*Double Hockey Sticks

Tonight our home was visited by a crazed, grudge-bearing, super-mutant fly. That's right, folks. Apparently a vat of growth hormone was left unattended somewhere and a fly fell in. He buzzed right over to my house and decided to chill out on my kitchen table. (Ewwww, gross!) At first I tried a humane approach. I gently tried to shoo him out the open window. That just seemed to make him mad because he then spent the next several minutes DIVE BOMBING my head! (I am not making this up.) 

Next, I grabbed the fly-swatter and tried to let my insect-hunting skills dominate the battle. I managed to hit him a couple times but he KEPT ON BUZZING. I could almost hear his little evil fly-chuckle taunting me with each swing. I almost lost hope, but with one final desperate flick I was able to stun him. As he reeled with confusion I glimpsed the perfect opportunity to end it once and for all. I picked up the dish he'd landed on and dumped him down the garbage disposal. "Die, you stupid fly, DIE!" As I triumphantly listened to the gurgling hum of the disposal at work I turned around to see my husband wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. 

Chivalry is dead. It's a good thing that I'm handy with a garbage disposal.

Happiness

Some of you will be shocked to find out how easily I can attain a sense of peace and contentment. You would never have guessed from my oh so slender girlish figure that I enjoy food. (I'm throwing on some heavy sarcasm here.) That's right. Food + Amy = Happiness.

So imagine my delight at noticing that not one but TWO of my favorite places to eat are currently under construction a mere 5-ish minutes away from my home! Oh JOY! I'll be checking often on the progress and keep you updated. Once Olive Garden is completed I will be claiming an official "Girls Lunch" day. You're all invited. The more the merrier. By the way, Nat...the drink you recommended (Strawberry Siciliano, or something like that) is TO DIE FOR even if it costs an arm and a leg.

Side note: Food + Amy does NOT = my 25-year old body. Dang.

My Brother

I admit it. I have a cool older brother. I'm shocked to concede to such a fact...and also somewhat shocked that it's actually true. We didn't used to get along super well, but the last few years have supplied us with many opportunities to reconnect and establish a better relationship.

While he was visiting last week he was gracious enough to share his amazing photographic talents with us and do some portraits of my kids. (Isn't my little baby ADORABLE?)

He is really is good at what he does and he spent so much time doing something nice for his little sis. So thanks, Wade. If I was a poet I'd write "An Ode To Wade". But I'm not. So get over it. 

By the way, Wade, mom and dad back up your story on the eyebrow shaving. What's up with that?

As Seen on TV

Lindy has a newfound television passion. Infomercials. That's right. You put that girl in front of an informercial and she'll be telling you the benefits of whatever they're selling for the next few days. Maybe weeks. She's serious about this new hobby. Take yesterday, for example:

Lindy: Hey Mom, do you know what would help around the house and really control the clutter?

Mom: What? (Slightly surprised at the use of "clutter")

Lindy: Space Bags. They come in all sizes for a great price but you can't get this offer in stores.

Mom: What?

Lindy: Yeah. I wrote down the number for you.

And she did.

The Zoo!

My brother, Wade, was visiting this last week from Washington. We had a lot of fun the entire week, but one of the highlights was our trip to Hogle Zoo on Thursday. Aunt Jody took the day off work (Thanks Jod!) and my brother's in-laws took some time off from the Family History Center to join us. We had such a great afternoon. My kids LOVE the zoo. In fact, Lindy tells us constantly that when she grows up she wants to work at the zoo and take care of the animals. 

Waiting for the elephant show!

Me and my two girls...and a giraffe.

The girls and their cousin, Steen.

Lindy and Steen: Navigators Extraordinaire 

I'm glad that we were able to spend some time at the zoo this spring. It was especially nice to be able to enjoy it with family. Thanks, Wade and Steen, for being here. Come back any time!

Father's Day? Since When?

Sometimes I just don't have my life together. Saturday night, as I was trying to catch up on blog-reading, I came across Natelli's post about Father's Day. I looked on the wall at the handy-dandy calendar and noticed that June 15th (the next morning) was, in fact, Father's Day. Ah, crap! 

I asked Ian, "Did you know that tomorrow was Father's Day?" He did. Of course. So I am a complete loser. What possible recourse do I have at 11:30pm the night before? None. He gallantly said, "I was hoping that you didn't do anything for me...I don't need anything." Thanks for the effort, honey, but now I feel worse!

I've dropped the proverbial ball with a very loud thud. I don't think I used to drop balls. In fact if I remember correctly (fat chance, right?) I used to be able to juggle many balls at once. It seems those days are over. So here's a plea sent out into blog-land. Please feel free to remind me of any and all holidays or special occasions you feel I should be made aware of because odds are I'm clueless. Please help!

Icky Micky

This is what happens when two little girls escape to the back yard right after you've watered the garden. 

Looks like fun, doesn't it? It's moments like this that help me realize that blogging is good for my family. Instead of freaking out about the mess I grab a camera instead. My OCD is being tamed by the world wide web. Who knew?

On The Committee

This year Ian and I got "called" to help on the float committee. At first I wasn't sure I wanted to be involved. I knew that it was going to be a LOT of work and I wasn't sure how we'd be able to juggle three kids (newborn included) and our schedules to be able to help out. I was also nervous about having to create something that everyone in town would be looking at. Scary!

I am pleased to report, however, that we have finished our Chappel Valley 2nd Ward float...with 2 weeks to spare! The committee had some amazing ideas and their creativity was inspiring! It was so exciting to watch it evolve into a beautiful piece of art! With a lot of hard work we were able to create a great entry for the parade.

Huge thanks to Lea Mitchell, Emilee Harshberger, Anna & Kaitlyn Standage, and Chris & Katie Kelley. You folks were a pleasure to work with and made a huge task so much fun to be a part of. 

Then The Kids Woke Up

And suddenly I'm no longer bored...but wish that I was.

Why is it that we can have oodles of "projects" and "to-do lists" that need our attention, but when we have a few spare moments we'd rather veg out than spend our precious energy accomplishing something of value? I'm beginning to feel that I have become a little too familiar with the weekly television schedule than I probably should. And it's possible that I'm spending far too much time doing exactly this...venting via the internet. So my house, my kids, and my to-do lists suffer because when I have any ounce of free time I'd rather proclaim to the world, "Entertain me!" than actually do something productive.

I'm Bored

Just thought you should know.

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words

The same thing happens every day. There will be a moment when I notice that the girls are actually getting along. They are laughing. They are even sharing toys! The joy is always short-lived, however, because I know, as does every mother on the planet, that the time of cooperation will end with a wail and a scream from one (or both) children. This morning I was not in a mood to deal with it, so the second (and I mean second) the crying started I jumped in like a referee on steroids and hauled the two girls apart. I yelled (and yes...I yell) at them to "leave each other alone and don't talk to each other until I say so!"

Lindy had already been reprimanded for pestering her sleeping baby brother just moments earlier, so apparently this new "punishment" was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. She quickly grabbed her crayons and paper and went to work. With a scowl she stomped up the stairs handed the picture to me with a sigh and a flourish and stomped back downstairs. Let me explain what you are seeing:

Clockwise from top left we have Lindy (sad), Me (happy), Ellie (sad), and Ian (happy). This is supposed to represent the current emotional status of each member of the family. (Oh brother.) Then next to Lindy and Ellie we have the "broken hearts". When I asked Lindy if I broke her heart, she informed me, "That's not what that means...it means that you don't love me anymore." At this she proceeded to cry quietly and desperately in order to emphasize her devastation.

Seriously...I actually had no idea that her melodrama could ever inspire artistic creation. Apparently it can. And does. 

Unexpected Gratitude

Today was Curtis' 2-month check up. He's a healthy little boy. It was a slightly emotional day for me. I finally feel that the remnants of worry have finally been lifted from my shoulders. There are not a lot of people who know why I worried about this little boy...it was a personal struggle for a long time.

Following the routine 20-week ultrasound we were told that there was a chance that our baby would be born with a "chromosomal abnormality". I found out that this was a fancy way of telling us that our little boy may have Downs Syndrome as well as other medical concerns. We were referred to a perinatologist and a genetic counselor. They were able to tell us that physically there was nothing wrong with his heart or other organs, but were both unable to give us any definitive answers regarding his mental condition. The only way to know for sure, other than having a test done which would risk the life of the baby, was to wait the remaining 4-5 months until he was born. 

The rest of the pregnancy wasn't easy. There were times that I would pray for a mentally healthy baby, but then feel guilty that I wasn't unconditionally willing to open my heart to any child. On top of that, there were other complications that made the pregnancy even more difficult to handle and harder to be happy about. I just wanted all the fretting, sickness, and discomfort to be over with!

Then Curtis was born. And he was perfect. My relief seemed to seep through my skin! I felt grateful at that moment for the gift of a healthy child and the end of a difficult pregnancy. My gratitude for those blessings, however, soon took a backseat to a couple of other things I've found reason to be thankful for. 

When my 81-year old grandma learned that Curtis had been born without any apparent complications she tearfully shared that she had spent several months of prayer and fasting on our behalf. I knew that my grandmother loved me but I think that I wasn't truly aware of how much. It is such a blessing to me to know that my sweet grandma Radford sacrificed so much out of love and concern for me. I don't know that I would trade that knowledge for any ounce of peace of mind I could have been granted during those few months.

A dear friend of mine also helped me to recognize another blessing. It's a silly thing really, but at first I was scared to death of having a boy. I actually teared up at the ultrasound because I just really wanted a girl. I don't understand boys! But months of worry have a tendency to carve out a very special place in your heart. I love my boy so much more than I could have ever imagined. I feel so much gratitude to my Heavenly Father that he would send this little man to my home. 

So I've learned a couple of things. First, that my family loves me and they are willing to go through a lot to support me, my husband, and our children. Second, Heavenly Father maybe knew that I needed a little extra push to allow a little boy to make my world seem bigger and brighter than I ever knew it could be.

My cup runneth over!

Next Time Just Think About It

I have a rhetorical-ish question: When you are at the grocery store and you finish your shopping what do you do with the cart? Do you return it responsibly to the cart return OR (gasp) do you leave it in the middle of the parking lot? Now, I understand the temptation to just leave it...you're busy, the kids are screaming, your Ben and Jerry's is melting, AND you are reassured by the knowledge that each store usually employs some gangly teen whose sole responsibility is to periodically peruse the parking and herd the strays back into the store. It's a compelling argument in favor of what I like to call "cart abandonment". 

However, this is the request I'd like to send out into the blog-world...the next time you are faced with the option of return or abandonment I'd like you to imagine the following:

A cart sits alone and expectant in the sea of asphalt. It was a calm day to begin with but suddenly a breeze picks up. The wind gathers speed. Without warning the lonely shopping cart careens wildly across the lot. It has determined it's course and heads directly for the passenger-side door of a blue/gray Sienna. Alas, there is no pre-pubescent lad running to catch the rogue cart. There is only an over-tired mother with a car seat in one hand and two toddlers attached to the other scurrying frantically through the parking lot in an attempt to save her beloved mini-van door from a potentially fatal blow. Does she make it? We all hope she does. If she manages to dive in front of the oncoming cart we would all feel a twinge of triumph...because we've all been there, right?

So I'll repeat my question. What do you do with the cart? Think about it.

Our Free Day!

After the craziness of this last weekend I figured my kids needed a little bit of a break. I decided we'd have what I call a "free day"...a day where we don't have any schedules to keep, etc. (My girls don't get a lot of those. We always seem to be going somewhere or doing something.) 

At one point Lindy, Ellie, and their friend Amy Jo ran in the house yelling, "We can hear the ice cream truck. Can we have ice cream, mom? Please, please, please, please?" My normal response is, "Not today" but, in keeping with the theme of the day, I took all three girls by the hand and chased that ice cream truck down and  purchased some frozen fun! Oh joy!

One piece of advice from this mom, however: avoid the blue ghost-looking one with the gumball eyes. Messy, messy, messy!

Later on we decided to go on a little bike ride as a family. We strapped Curtis into the bike trailer for his very first bike ride. I think he was pretty excited...there's anticipation written all over that adorable little face! Ian's bike-riding buddy is on his way! Ellie sat next to her little brother and we crossed our fingers hoping she wouldn't pester him too much.

By the end of the ride they were just plain tuckered out. You gotta love it! What a GREAT day!

Little Man

Sunday was a special day for our family. We blessed Curtis in Church. Our families turned out in force to support us...it was amazing! The entire day went really well. I actually spent a lot of time praying that Curtis wouldn't have one of his colicky, fussy fits at the exact moment he was placed near a microphone. It worked! He did so well, I almost couldn't believe it. He looked like such a little man with his white shirt and tie. We are so grateful to have him as part of our family. He's the perfect addition. 

Thank you to all of our friends and family who came to spend the day with us. It was a wonderful day!