The Graduate

My baby brother graduated from college today. Now he's off to new adventures: law school and fatherhood. Congratulations, David!!

It's a...

100%

absolutely certain

no question whatsoever (so they tell me)


...BOY!!!

Speaking of Motherhood

We are expecting a baby in September! We find out tomorrow if it's a boy or girl. Any guesses??

Mom, Thank You For...

...teaching me to read when I was 2.

...making me yogurt-Cheerio-raisin parfaits for breakfast when I was little.

...taking us kids on road trips to California and Utah.

...letting us feed the ducks at the park for family home evening.

...homeschooling me for two and a half years.

...taking us to church every Sunday by yourself.

...letting me help you with family history.

...taking me to the library every single week (or more.)

...buying a piano and paying for ten years of lessons. (And listening to me practice.)

...going on mother-daughter dates - to your office, TCBY, or the Philharmonic.

...teaching me how to cross-stitch.

...not yelling at me for my continually messy room.

...letting me drive your car when I got my license.

...not being mad at me when that car got totalled.

...teaching me to cook spaghetti, chili, cornbread, and chocolate chip cookies.

...driving me (and all my stuff) down to BYU and moving me into my first apartment.

...sending me money when I needed it.

...giving Marty and me half your furniture, your TV, your microwave, and your vacuum cleaner when we got married.

...buying me my first sewing machine when I graduated from college.

...coming to help when each of our children were born.



...letting us live with you for ten months while we completed an internship and looked for a house.

...babysitting so Marty and I can go out - for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day lunches, Stake Conference meetings, or just because.

...coming to church with us many, many weeks to take care of Grace while Marty and I taught classes.

...taking Jacob on special dates.

...trick-or-treating with us on Halloween, because we no longer have enough hands to go around.



...lending me stamp sets and scrapbooking supplies for months on end.

...going clothes shopping with me so I can share your Kohl's coupon.

...holding the baby so I can eat a meal.

...reading dozens of books to the boys every time you come over.

...buying lots of cute baby clothes for Grace.

...sharing your Chapstick and lotion with the children.

...staying with our children for several days so we could trek at Martin's Cove.

...joining us (and bringing food!) for every birthday in the family.

...lending me books to read and movies to watch.

...scrubbing my kitchen sink whenever you come over to babysit.

...and a thousand other things.

Happy Mother's Day!

Camera Happy

Mom, please stop taking my picture.

Backtracking: Easter

Due to the afore-mentioned modem incident, I didn't get to post about the wonderful Easter we enjoyed. So for posterity's sake, here you go.



The Friday before Easter, we were invited to the Rogers family annual Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt. Wow, do they know how to throw a party! There were glowsticks, all manner of refreshments, bottomless hot cocoa, a bonfire (complete with campfire songs,) and the main event: a scramble for some 1500 candy-filled eggs scattered/hidden across five properties on the block. And because for kids everything is more fun in the dark, they waited until well after sunset to let the children loose with flashlights. I accompanied Grace, who had no trouble whatsoever catching on to the idea. Eggs contain candy. Must get lots of eggs.

"I see egg! I see egg!" she cried again and again, scooping them up while I "helped" by spotlighting the next egg in our path with my flashlight. Each time she picked one up, she shook it to make sure there was something inside. Occasionally, she found one that didn't make a sound because the candy was packed too tightly. Then she would put it back and say "It doesn't work." Not one to waste time on mute eggs, that girl.



On Saturday, we hid Easter baskets sent by Grandpa and GranMary around the house for the children to find. It took Jacob quite a while to find his in our laundry hamper. Marty and I were glad to see the hunt last longer than 2 minutes.



Sunday morning, the children discovered that the Easter bunny (disguised as our fantastic neighbor Thelma) had visited our front porch and left gifts. Candy, dyed eggs, cookies, and even little toys. Grace was especially taken with the tiny orange chick. We have the best neighbors!



On Sunday evening, I served our traditional Easter dinner. We ate our simple meal of lamb, homemade matzah, haroset, roasted eggs, bitter herbs, karpas, and harosset on the floor with no utensils. Each item served has symbolic meaning (some dating back thousands of years to the first Passover meal,) and as we ate each food, we talked about what it represents. Then we watched a video about the Savior's crucifixion and resurrection. The children asked many insightful questions and I think they felt the peaceful, joyous spirit of this special day.

Cumin Toast

Another surprise breakfast made by the boys! Everything looked delicious. The only problem is that to a first grade reader, "cumin" looks an awful lot like "cinnamon." Lesson learned.

Filling the Void

Last Sunday I was released from my calling in the Primary presidency.* I have been serving in the Primary, in one capacity or another, for almost four years now. And I've enjoyed (nearly) every minute of it. So this change night require a bit of adjustment.

Suddenly I find myself with no sharing time presentations to prepare. No Cub Scout calls to make. No pack meetings to attend. No last-minute substitutes to find at 7:30 on Sunday morning. No 3-year-olds to quickly usher to the restroom. No trying to come up with original ideas for birthday / Christmas / Mother's Day / Father's Day gifts. No more worrying over a hundred little details every Sunday. No amusing comments from the little ones during Church lessons. No observation of joy and wonder in the childrens' eyes as they listen to stories of Jesus and talk of how He loves them so much. No singing verses of "I am a Child of God" with 60 beautiful little voices. My Tuesday afternoons are now oddly vacant. (Anyone want to come over for cookies and milk?) I will dearly miss working with the amazing women I've gotten to know closely over the last two years. Nothing can bond women together like a calling in Primary.

While I will miss it, change is good. I'm quite happy to let someone else fill this position now and grow and learn as I have. Heavenly Father's timing is always correct. And it is time.

So last Sunday I came home from church at noon with a completely blank afternoon staring at me. What to do? So many options! So much energy, freed from assignments and worry! It was blissful. I baked brownies for a sister I visit-teach. I read Friend magazine stories to my children. I did some Family Search indexing online. I sat in the sunlight pouring in our living room windows and watched my daughter play on the couch cushions. And took photos, of course.

All week long, I discovered pockets of newly available time. I worked in our garden, organized our family photos, gave my dad a ride home from the hospital, took on a new piano student, reorganized our bathroom and a closet, attended a class on cooking with powdered milk, scrapbooked, read Harry Potter to the boys, wrote thank-you notes, chatted with my neighbor in the driveway, watched my children ride their bikes, and even went clothes shopping - by myself. I can hardly wait to see what this week brings! (That Tuesday cookie offer is still open....)

I am determined to put this "extra" time to worthwhile use - take long walks, read to the children more, volunteer for assignments at church and Jacob's school, do more family history work, take up drawing again, organize the pantry, practice the piano a little more, take a road trip to Utah.... The possibilities are endless.

P.S. Today I received a new calling. I am now officially the ward choir accompanist, which I have been unofficially for about two years now. :) And now I'll have the time to practice!

*In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a. the Mormon Church,) the members are given "callings" - unpaid positions or assignments - to serve in their congregations. (We have no paid clergy.) We neither seek for certain positions nor refuse the callings that are extended to us. Callings are given by inspiration; we consider them to be from the Lord Himself. We believe that fulfilling our callings is one way we actively serve the Lord and build His kingdom. Our calling is a "stewardship" for which we are accountable to God. One might be called to be the bishop of a ward, teach a Sunday School class, help people with family history work, direct service projects, lead music, etc. Callings change from time to time. This gives every member the opportunity to serve in many different capacities, with different groups of people, and to develop many different talents and abilities. It is a wonderful thing to be part of the work and organization of the Church, not just passive observers. As we do our best, the Lord magnifies our efforts and makes great things come out of the humble service of ordinary people.

Mom, Am I Five Now?

...asked Isaac yesterday morning, almost in a whisper. "Yes, you are," I answered. "Okay," he grinned.

We celebrated with Grandma, Uncle Danny and Uncle David a day early, as everyone's schedules allowed. Uncle Danny brought his puppy Abby, which provided all the entertainment one could want. We ate homemade burgers, potato salad, watermelon, strawberry Jell-o... and a fire engine cake to top it all off.



The cake really ought be a post in itself. Isaac helped me decorate it. Delightful child - he barely cared that the frosting turned out pink (did you know that you can add an infinite amount of red food coloring to frosting, and it will never turn red??) Or that the cab kept sliding off the front of the cake and eventually had to be held on by a paper plate. Or that one whole side of the cake imploded and consequently the fire truck looked like it had been totaled in a wreck.

He was just happy that he got to help. He made the ladder on top all by himself.

I found out later why the decorating process was so laborious and time-consuming. It turns out I was making one of those reversible cakes. My brother pointed out that the reverse side of the fire engine bore a remarkable resemblance to a hippopotamous.



Yesterday (his actual birthday,) Isaac waited impatiently for Daddy to get home from work so he could open his presents. We played several games of Uno and watched a movie to pass the time. He was literally counting down the minutes toward the end. "How many minutes now, Mom? ...how many now?!"



After dinner of Isaac's choice - ravioli and French bread - we took all the children on a surprise outing to the local Rec Center for rock climbing and swimming. All had a marvelous time, and I think Isaac felt pretty special being the center of attention for a change.


Happy birthday, Boo!!

A Little Light Reading

As you may remember, Isaac recently taught himself how to read. And now he will not stop. He reads every street sign we pass in the car. He reads nutrition labels on cereal boxes and yogurt containers. He reads the fine print at the bottom of TV commercials. Today he read me the instructions on a cake mix box as I made his birthday cake. Often it is difficult to get him to put a book down and come to dinner. Frankly, his skill level is starting to amaze us. He reads everything from Dr. Seuss to Arnold Lobel to the New Testament. He even reads my friends' blogs over my shoulder. The other day, I caught him curled up on the family room couch, engrossed in this:



The chapter he was reading details "How to Grill a Whole Lamb." And he was truly fascinated.

I think we're going to have to make more frequent trips to the library.

P.S. Yesterday I registered Isaac for kindergarten. One of the teachers took him aside to test him on a few basics, to make sure he is "qualified" for kindergarten. (I don't remember taking an entrance exam when I was 4. College prep starts so early these days.) I overheard the teacher ask him if he could name any of the letters of the alphabet that were written on a paper in front of him. He he. Yes, he could. And would she by chance like to know how to grill a whole lamb?

We Lost Some Battles, But We Won the War

It all started about three months ago, when our Internet began taking occasional sick days and refused to come in to work. At first, these episodes were easily remedied by following standard computer fix-it protocol. Unplug it. Plug it back in. Problem solved.

I think the modem picked up on our strategy, because it retaliated by playing dead several times a day. So I called the helpful 24/7 Qwest customer service line. A computer answers. (That should have been a preliminary warning sign. Computer trouble? Call a computer. Does that sound suspicious to you?) "Hello! I see you're calling from (insert phone number, area code first). Is this the number you're calling about?" There was no prompt to press 1 or 2, so I hesitantly said "yes," feeling foolish for talking to a machine albeit a very polite one. "Okay, I see you have a couple of services on your account. Please state which one you're calling about: Telephone service... Internet service..." Internet service. (Still feeling foolish.)

Now the real problems begin. Have you ever tried to call one of these new-age help lines with young children in the room? These children assume I'm talking to a person, and therefore raise their noise level significantly out of habit. Not only can I no longer hear the computer/person ask me questions, it/he can't distinguish my responses from the children's. So when I say "internet service" and the children simultaneously say "he took my ball!!!" in a louder voice than mine, guess which one the computer picks up? That's right. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that," comes the computer's monotone response. Repeat 9 times with various children's sentences like Mom, I'm hungry! He made me spill my popsicle! and Mom, can I play with Evan? "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."

Finally, I banish the children from the house and make it to the next step: "Okay, I just need to check one more thing on your account...." At length I am connected to a live human being. After several troubleshooting steps, including "unplug it, plug it back again" (feeling intelligent, I tell him I already tried this one,) the human informs me that I need to reconfigure the modem. He walks me through the steps to accomplish this task, and tells me to call back in 3-5 days if the problem isn't solved.

Three to five days later, I am back on the phone. Having learned from the last experience, I lock the children in the backyard with popsicles before dialing. I make it through the screening process, and am awarded another live person. She reads through the notes from my last phone call (thank goodness they take notes!) and says, "Okay, it looks like we need to update the firmware." I'm familiar with hardware and software, but I've never heard of firmware. I'm told to type a series of numbers into the Internet Explorer address bar (good thing the modem has chosen this hour to work,) click this, type in that, click here and here, and restart the computer. Oh, and unplug it, plug it back in. {Smirk, roll eyes.}

The modem appears to have been cured! For an entire week, it is on time and reliable. Then the symptoms begin again, and within days it is all over. Completely and interminably. Yet another call to Qwest. I've memorized their prompts by now, so I give the answers before the computer asks the questions. Make it to a live person in record time. He tells me to connect to the Internet and type the now-familiar series of numbers in the address bar. The Internet doesn't work, I remind him. That's why I'm calling.

"It doesn't? Oh...." Silence while he tries to figure out what to do next.

After 15 minutes of diagnostic tests (check for blinking green lights, unplug, replug, rewire entire computer, check green lights again) during which the children are running circles around my chair and chanting in a foreign language, and this poor man is repeating every request twice because I can't understand his thick accent amid the background noise, he tells me the sure-fire solution to my modem problem. "I think your modem is broken. You will need to order a new one. I'll put you through to our business office. That will be 59.99 plus shipping. Thank you for calling Qwest and have a nice day."

The business office promises my new modem will arrive by 5:00 pm Friday via UPS. Four whole days without Internet access. One would think this would be a minor inconvience. After all, I made it through 18 years without Internet access. I remember the days of checking my email once every other week. But times have changed. Suddenly, I have to remember how to do all of the things I used to do without the Internet. Check my bank account, pay bills, plan preschool activities, renew library books, email Mom about Sunday dinner, check the TV guide to see if Numbers is a repeat.... I actually didn't make dinner one night because the recipe I wanted was online!

The modem arrived Friday afternoon at 3:50. It looks like something from Star Trek. Forty minutes of "easy setup" later, I was able to check my email. 38 new messages. Life as I know it is back.

Happily, I picked up the phone to arrange a sitter for Saturday night. There was no dial tone. So I called Qwest....

So This is Where Our Grocery Budget Goes

A certain 4-year-old (name starts with "I" and ends with "saac") got a hold of my grocery list and made a slight alteration.

The Birthday Girl

Okay, it's about time I posted pictures from Grace's birthday, since she turned 2 a month ago! We had the family over for dinner and cake, and watched our big girl open her presents. Hard to believe she has gone from baby to little person in just the last year.



For the first time, Grace was able (and interested enough) to open her presents herself.



Grace's favorite part of the day, the cake. Complete with colorful sprinkles and two candles.







She learned this one from her brothers.



The gift she's always wanted: a Chapstick of her own. She somehow made this one last almost two weeks. She carried it everywhere she went and smelled constantly like grape.



Everybody needs Chapstick now.



Happy birthday, precious girl!

The Little Mermaid

Grace has a love-hate relationship with the bathtub. Some months she loves it, and some months she's terrified of it. So far, this is a good month.

She yells bath, bath! and runs for the stairs if someone turns on a faucet anywhere in the house. Her favorite words include fish and shower. And recently I caught her chanting to herself in the tub, "Bath, I like you bath." The trick now is getting her to come out. Nothing sparks a temper tantrum like taking her out of the tub.

Typical

I know I've been slacking here lately. (Perhaps selectively simplifying would be a better term.) Marty was out of town all last week, so we went into bare survival mode: no blogging, no excessive cleaning, little cooking.... I found that the children developed some useful skills in the process:

Isaac's proficiency at Uno has skyrocketed since we played about eight games a day.

His reading gets better every day - he took Daddy's place reading books to Grace all week.

Grace learned how to talk on the phone! Up until now, she just sat there looking confused and trying to push the buttons. But when Daddy would call, she would get on the phone and say, "Dada! Song? Song?" And he would sing to her. Very endearing.

By some miracle, we made it all the way through Sacrament meeting on Sunday without having to leave the chapel once!

And the boys managed to endure choir practice with only minimal fights over crayons and requests for more fruit snacks.

Most impressively, Grace learned how to order off the drive-thru menu. No joke. We pulled into the Wendy's parking lot and I asked the collective back seat, "What do you guys want for dinner?" The first response came from Grace: "A fries... a chicken... a fries."

Now that Daddy is home (hallelujah!) things are pretty much back to normal. For example, tonight was a typical evening: Hang out in the family room after Jacob gets home from school. Try to finish a video from the library that is due today. Hear suspicious screaming coming from upstairs. (I say suspicious because screaming in and of itself is quite common around here and usually benign.) Correct Jacob sternly for smearing toothpaste purposely in Isaac's eye. Instruct him to clean it up, then go outside and do some yard work. Lovingly redirect Jacob when he comes in six times because it's snowing. Try to wash some dishes and uncover the kitchen counter. Stop to pry a hairbrush out of Grace's long hair. This took several minutes. Go back to the dishes. Grace is chewing on a can of beans she got from the pantry. The boys are assigned to separate rooms to clean up. 6:00 - Daddy's home! Try to have an adult conversation for a few minutes while the boys finish their jobs. More suspicious screaming, this time from downstairs. Marty heads down to check it out and receives the following explanation: "I didn't mean to bite him! My mouth was open and I was trying to close it but his bottom got in the way!" Oh boy. Ten points if you can guess which child that was.

Like I said, everything's back to normal.