Happy Halloween!

Beautiful Day

Joel's brother got married yesterday to the sweetest girl! It was a beautiful day all the way around. Here is the happy couple after they were just married:

And here are some shots from later that evening at the reception...

The flower girls and the bride:

My attempt at a Christmas card shot. Maybe...

The flower girls and Aunt J dancing:

My two beauties:
Savannah and Daddio, dancing the night away:

Pausing

I stumbled across this journal of a beautiful seven year old girl struggling with a brain tumor the other day as I was searching the internet for a game for Savannah to play. I found myself reading every single entry, crying my eyes out. The tumor is inoperable and she is a terminal patient, but she has such a fighting spirit and continues to amaze doctors. It reminds me so much of little Clara--defying the doctors' prognosis several times and living her little life with such courage.

Whenever I come across stories like this, it always makes me pause. It brings everything into a new light and I find myself evaluating my own parenting skills. Am I loving my precious babies enough? Am I too caught up in the mundane, the little things that don't matter when the day is done? Am I helping to make their lives the best they can be while I have the opportunity to do so? Am I thanking my Heavenly Father for such wonderful blessings?

While it's so heartbreaking to hear of such devastating stories, it is also a chance for me to get back on track and to treasure each day I have been blessed with, to treasure those around me. To let the little things go and enjoy today.

Birthday Ramblings

It's my birthday. I'm 28. Again. ;) I had a great day today, despite the fact that poor little James is sick and it's under 50 degrees outside (BURR!) Joel got me the cutest little pink iPod nano and a super cool knife. We ordered chinese food for dinner, so I didn't have to cook--and then he did dishes, and--*gasp*--washed pans.

Allyson made me darling little paper with "Happy Birthday Mom. You are beautful. This is a book morck." (Best book mark ever!)

And Savannah drew me a picture, giving me a makeover:


I couldn't have asked for a better day! I'm so blessed to have such a great family.

Savannah's Smile

Since I've been spending so much time talking about my cutie Savannah, I figured I may as well post some recent pictures of her, too. Here are some pictures taken just this afternoon, right before she headed off to kindergarten.

Ring Around the Rosies with James. (Notice James "tail"? It's one of Ally's belts. He saw her pretending to be a cat, so he loves to do it now, too):
Giving some love to Mr. McDrool:


That's my girl. Sweet Savannah.

Friendship

There is nothing like having good girlfriends in this world.

(Circa 1993--Heather and Rona are missing from the above picture)

I went to dinner last night with a few friends for my birthday. These girls have been my closest friends for over 15 years. We have so many memories, have been through so many good times, and a handful of hard times, too. We have all grown up and had families, we all live in different cities, we don't get together as often as we should. But what never fails is that no matter how much time goes by between visits, when we do get together again, we are able to pick up right where we left off. I love that. I love that we have a deep well of experiences and memories that will forever string our hearts together.

A Friend is a Treasure

A friend is someone we turn to,

when our spirits need a lift.

A friend is someone we treasure,

for our friendship is a gift.

A friend is someone who fills our lives,

with beauty, joy and grace.

And make the world we live in,

a better and happier place.

Two Little Lines

Lots of big changes on the way...

My friends, it seems my question of whether or not I was going to have any more babies has been answered. The answer is yes. Somewhere around May 17, 2007, we will be welcoming a new little one into our family.

I hope I can figure out how to change the name of this blog. :)

18 Months Old

My big boy, James, you're 18 months old! I can hardly believe it. Over the past few months you have evolved into the most delightful, animated little person on the face of the planet.

Some fun things you've started doing:

Praying. You'll fold your little fingers and lean over your high chair tray and jibber jabber a little prayer. It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

Kicking a ball. Following suit in this soccer playing family, I suppose. You've also begun holding your little plastic golf club, trying to golf, just like Dad (you can imagine how happy that makes him!)

Speaking of Dad, you are possibly the biggest daddy's boy in the world. He's you're hero. The minute he walks in the door, you're there to greet him with an enthusiastic "DADDY!" He returns the greeting with, "Santiago!" I think that's probably your favorite time of day, and even though I am a little envious, I also think it's wonderful that you adore each other so much.

You can now drink from a cup without a lid. In fact, you insist on it. Not the cleanest adventure ever, but you're getting quite good at it.

You've also started giving kisses. This is my favorite thing. Nothing beats a slobbery wet kiss from you--complete with a "Mmmmwhaaa" sound. That makes everything better!

Your vocabulary has also continued to grow by leaps and bounds. You've begun speaking a few little phrases, too. "Ready to go" and "Open it" are probably the most used ones. For some reason, you've replaced your "B" sounds with "G" sounds, so things like "bye-bye" are now "guy-guy" and "bubbles" are "goggles". I think one of the cutest things to listen to, though, is when you say "car" in your low little monotone voice, just slightly rolling the r at the end. So cute!

You also love to dance! Turn on some music and you begin rocking out.

James, you are a little sparkle of sunshine and I enjoy your budding personality more and more each day. You are so much fun to have around and I hope you can feel how much our entire family adores you. You're such a precious gift and I am so thankful for you.

I love you, my little (BIG) 18 month old son.

Another Cute Savannah Moment

I've officially decided that
a) five years old is one of *the* best ages ever and
b) that Savannah is possibly the cutest five year old that exsists (I know I'm a bit biased, but still...)

I have this silver decorative bowl on a table in our living room, and in this bowl there are three decorative balls--one is mossy and two are made of twigs or something. Anyway, James enjoys emptying the balls and does it often. As I was taking a basket full of laundry up the stairs this afternoon, I noticed that James had removed the balls from the bowl and placed them all on the coffee table. Since my hands were full I asked Savannah, who was right behind me, if she would please put the balls back into the bowl.

"Sure, Mom. James did it. I saw him with my own three eyes."

Singing Savannah

Savannah loves to sing--she always has. She'll sing songs about what she's doing--just make them up on the fly. She also is really into singing nursery rhymes lately. But there is one she just can't get right--Jack and Jill. Here are her two last rendetions of the rhyme:

"Jack and...

pause...

Gloria went up the hill..."

Then last night it was "Jack and Julie went up the hill...."

LOL! It's so cute, I just don't have it in me to correct her.

First Day of School

The most dreaded day of the year (for me) has arrived. Today was the first day of school. Josh headed off to fifth (FIFTH!) grade and Ally started second. Here they are this morning, ready to go:


And they're off:

But the biggest news of the day was that my sweet little Savannah started kindergarten. I was able to stay with her today, but tomorrow I have to send her off into the care of another person. And I have to do that nearly every day for the next 9 months. I don't know if my heart can take it!

Here is the big girl this afternoon:


Walking to school, with a backpack bigger than she is:


Alright, pass the tissues please! *Sniff, sniff*

Am I in the Twilight Zone?

What in the world is going on in my home? First off, I found a meal all the kids actually liked, which is no small feat by itself. Then today they played together all day long with no fighting at all. Did you get that? Not one argument.

Who stole my children and replaced them with these aliens?

I had to document this strange phenomenon. ;) Here's a picture of them playing together tonight--this is after a full day of swimming and getting along--normally they'd be cranky and on each other's cases:


And here is Sweet Baby James--I just had to throw this picture in. He is such a ham and loves nothing more than for someone to take his picture.
"Cheeeeeese!"

Fall T.V.

I love the fall--it's by far my favorite season. Besides the crisp air, Halloween, cooler weather, leaves, and warm food, I love the season premieres on t.v. Here's what I'm looking forward to watching this season:

*Desperate Housewives, of course
*Grey's Anatomy, of course
*Six Degrees (new show after Grey's, although it's not getting much hype)
*Lost, of course
*What About Brian (so excited to see this returning.)
*The Nine (lots of buzz about this one--there is also a lot of buzz about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
*The Class (could be a dud--hoping it's not another Joey)
*House (LOVE him!)
*Veronica Mars (seriously, if you have not checked this show out yet, it's SO worth it. It's on WB. Veronica is possibly the coolest chick ever and I want to be just like her when I grow up.)
*Jericho
*Family Guy (you could never get enough of Stewie! Or Peter. Or Lois. Or Meg. Or Chris. Or Quagmeyer. Or...)
*And then a little later in the season: Sopranos and Big Love (the ONLY reason we subscribe to HBO.)

And now I've gotta say...

Thank goodness for Tivo!

What are you watching this fall? Am I forgetting anything?

Quest for the Ultimate Dinner

I have been on a long, gruelling journey over the past several years, trying to discover some food, any food, nutritious or not, that four children will actually all eat and like. Even simple things that you'd think would go over well with pretty much any child don't go over with my crew. Usually two or three of them will like it while the remaining one turns his/her nose up at the food or begins gagging at the mere sight of it.

Take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for example. All kids are supposed to like those, right?

Wrong. Here's how PB&J goes down for lunch in our home:
Josh: Peanut butter and honey on white bread. (Gagging ensues with jelly).
Ally: Peanut butter, honey, and strawberry jelly on "brown bread" (multi-grain).
Savannah: Bread. No peanut butter. No jelly. No honey. Just white bread.
James: Peanut butter, sans honey or jelly, on multi-grain bread, cut into quarters and dipped in applesauce. Yeah.

And that's just PB&J, people. Imagine other, more complex recipes. I really could never, ever come up with something they all ate well. I was a frustrated woman of sorts.

That is until last night.

I stumbled upon what might be the most glorious food of all time. A food all four of my children and my picky husband not only ate, but actually LIKED!

Drumroll, please...

Swedish meatballs over egg noodles.

It was probably a one time thing as I'm sure when I make it again only two of them will decide they like it enough to eat it. But that one time was good enough for me. I feel I have conquered a seemingly impossible quest, one that may never be able to be duplicated again.

Um?

I'm not quite sure what to even say about this other than thank you, Grandma, for the make-up kits. You can see that the girls certainly are not letting them go to waste.

Who needs Van Gogh...

...when you can have masterpieces like this hanging all over your walls? ;)

Just Call Me Abby-Normal

School starts in two weeks and everyone around me, especially those with older kids, are excitedly counting down the days. They can't wait for school to start, the sole reason being that they get their kids out of their hair for six hours. One neighbor even commented to me last week on how summer always is a hard time for their family relationships and she is looking forward to being able to strengthen their family again once school is back in session.

Am I missing something here?

I think I must be the abnormal mother who actually gets sad as summer comes to a close. I don't like sending my kids away for the day. I truly enjoy them being home. I enjoy their company, even on the bad days. And this year I have to send another little one out into the world as she starts kindergarten (you know, that harsh world of ABC's and recess). I'm so not excited about it. Yes, I'm thrilled she'll be learning and thriving, making new friends, but she's my BABY! It's a huge milestone and I'd much prefer to keep her tucked under my wing. *I'm* not ready for kindergarten to start!

Summer always goes by too quickly. And once fall begins, and as the children head off to school, it's perhaps the sharpest reminder that yet another year has come and gone and my kids are one step closer to growing up.

Can't I just freeze time?

Attitude Switch

So, um, can anybody please show me the attitude switch that somehow got flipped down to BAD when my son turned ten years old? I'd like to turn it back up to GOOD again.

Thank you.

Missing Clara

Today marks the one year anniversary of little Clara losing her battle with cancer. She fought so bravely and was such a strong little girl. Heaven is lucky to have such an angel.

God bless you, sweet Clara. May your little wings take you to magical places.

This picture was taken on August 4, 2004 in front of the Atlanta LDS Temple. It was the day Clara and her parents were sealed together as an eternal family. Exactly one year later, to the day, is when she found her angel wings.

Ahoy!

Brothers

James explaining to Josh exactly how his toy works:


And then he busted me taking pictures and struck a pose:

Savannah's Skills

This past year, Savannah's preschool teacher would have the children work on certain skills--counting skills, cutting (with scissors) skills, etc.--and would refer to them such. "Okay, boys and girls, we're going to work on your cutting skills today."

Well, Savannah has begun practicing all sorts of things, as five year olds do. While she's doing it, she will announce very matter-of-factly which "skill" she's working on. Examples from the past week:

while cutting some food with her fork: "I'm working on my cutting skills."
while attempting to open a biscuit: "I'm working on my opening-a-biscuit skills."
while tossing pine cones into the street: "I'm working on my throwing pine cones skills."
while running down the sidewalk: "I'm working on my running fast for soccer skills."

And so on...

Couldn't you just eat her up? She's so dang cute--with all of these great skills to boot!

Waivering

So here I am again, waivering about whether or not I'd like to add to our family at some point. For a good while there (pretty much thanks to James and his demanding first year), I was *positive* I was done having any more children. D.O.N.E. No doubts.

And then he turned one. And things became so much easier. And now there are doubts. I'm starting to feel little tugs at my heartstrings for another little girl. I've kind of felt like there was another little girl for us for a long time. I dismissed that feeling after James was born, but now it's creeping back.

Guess we'll see what God has to say. All I can do is leave it in His hands.

(Oh, and maybe I should talk to Joel, too.)

City Parade

This morning we attended our city's annual City Days Parade. We live in a fairly small town, so there are no glamorous floats or anything spectacular at the parade to see--it's mostly local businesses, schools, fire department, the Mayor, horses--things like that. But it's still fun! Here are some photos from this morning:

James chilling in the wagon, watching the parade:

The candy gatherers (we come home with an obscene amount of candy every year--even more than obtained on Halloween):

Allyson waving to Farmer Joe:

And now to the good stuff--we couldn't resist taking pictures of some of the parade participants...

Dancing Sombrero Man:
Nothing like driving a tractor in heels!
The ladies who absolutely stole the show had to be these two. Do they ROCK or what? You go, girls!

Beats the heck out of Macy's, doesn't it? :)

Songs With Soul

Do you have songs that speak to your soul? Songs that move you?

These are some of the songs that reach my innermost feelings. (Songs that, if I'm alone (which is RARE), I will turn up and sing at the top of my lungs to):

Drops of Jupiter by Train
Drift Away by Uncle Kracker
Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
The Reason by Hoobastank (I rarely listen to it because I almost always find myself crying, either in prayer or swearing enough to make a sailor blush, during this song. It has deep meaning to me, but in a not-so-good way.)
Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
I Know That My Redeemer Lives (hymn)

I'm doing a bit of soul-searching lately--can you tell? ;)

What songs stir your soul the most?

Aha! Moment

This past Thursday I spent three hours ruffling through pictures and reading through old journals of mine from high school that have been boxed up for close to ten years. I had descended to the basement with intentions of beginning to organize the chaos and got sidetracked when I came across that box containing so many of my memories.

When I started high school, I was a bit of a free spirit. I loved life, I viewed it as an adventure, and I was out to explore it in any way I feasibly could. I had lots of friends and I was very outgoing. I remember my sophmore year as one of the highlights of my life--it was so much fun. My junior year was fun as well. My friends and I could all finally drive and we took full advantage of that! Toward the end of my junior year, I met Joel, which was also a wonderful event in my life (obviously).

I recorded many of my little "adventures" in my journals, never holding anything back when I wrote. I wrote of all the fun and discovery, and sometimes disappointment, that accompanied these adventures. But in addition to writing about my outtings, I wrote about every heartache or every anger-provoking incident as well. As I was reminiscing, I was also laughing at how dramatic teenagers are--how every fight with a girlfriend was the end of the world as I knew it, or how meeting a cute boy was *the* greatest day of my life, again.

As I read through the shennanigans that defined my senior year of high school, I fell upon what I can now pinpoint as probably the biggest life-altering event in my past. I had an "Aha!" moment, as Oprah would say. My dad had an affair and he left us around Christmas time that year. I say "us" because he didn't just leave his marriage, he abandoned his family. A divorce followed soon after. My mom and I were left to pick up the pieces, while my dad jetted off to Europe with his new girlfriend.

So, I'm reading through my thoughts that I wrote during the time, and I can now recognize them as full-out grief. I went from shock, to anger, to sorrow over the course of a month or two. My life completely changed at that very moment. When I had once been so carefree, I now withdrew and became extremely reserved. I wanted to hide out in my room, only seeing Joel. I no longer went out with my friends, I didn't want to talk to anyone on the phone. So went the rest of my senior year--no more basketball games, no more assemblies, no more girls nights out--just right to school then straight home to "hide". This also was when I started using food to comfort myself (which is still something I struggle with to this day)--and I packed on nearly 40 pounds on my 125 lb. body by graduation.

In the past year or so I had really begun wondering when I changed into the reserved person I am now--knowing that growing up, I was anything but reserved. I now know the exact moment that happened. Not the best Aha! moment to have, but it's a start.

I admittedly still struggle with my feelings toward my dad and I do wish he was still alive so we could at least have the option of bandaging our wounds. But he isn't, and so I'll continue navigating this as best as I can.

A Whole New World

I have been spending some time following links from one blog to another lately, and I've stumbled across a few that have left me heartbroken. I've been offered a glimpse into a world, and while I knew it exsisted and was hard, I've never understood just how overwhelmingly emotional it was. The world I'm talking about is a world of women who are unable to conceive, but who want a child more than anything in this world. What a harsh battle infertility is. As I read through the thoughts they're so willing to share (anywhere from anger, sadness, grief, hope, and acceptance--and all things inbetween), my heart aches for them.

A lot of people, and admittedly myself before I came across these online journals, don't think much about it because it doesn't affect them. Many are quick to say, "just adopt!" But as a mother myself I can understand their desire to give birth to a child of their own. My heart truly goes out to them and all they endure on their journeys. I pray that they will find solace in the outcome, whatever it may be.

Celebrate Independence

Cooling Off

Beware: Rant

I know this post will be met with much criticism, but I'm feeling some strong emotions today (perhaps as tomorrow is Independence Day) and I'm going to just spill them out here.

I cannot stand the terms “African American" or "Asian American”

Can.Not.Stand.Them.

Why? Because anyone who is blessed to live in this great country, regardless of ethnicity or skin color is purely and simply AMERICAN. No need for us to attach some other defining term. Why do we do that? Why is somebody with dark skin an African American, yet someone with light skin isn’t coined European American? The only term I do not have trouble with is Native American. And that is because THEY are the only ones who can truly stake claim to this land. They are the only ones who have ancestoral heritage that begins here. We Europeans came in and so lovingly stole their land from under them and forced them to live on reservations. (We should be proud).

And while I’m at it—open the borders. Let them in. Welcome them. What ever happened to America being the “melting pot”? Who are we to decide to change that now? What would have happened if those Native Americans had decided to close the borders and not allow any of OUR ancestors in? What makes US think that we’re above welcoming more people here? Who are we to turn others away, others seeking the freedoms and liberties we are so blessed to enjoy? Who are we to deny them that?

I often do worry about the ego of America. We think we rule the world. We are not saviors. Christ is the Savior. While we certainly DO help many countries for their betterment, we cannot play God.

Happy Day

These are the small things making me feel good today (in no particular order)

*lounging in pajamas until noon
*my mom visiting
*the girls playing nicely together
*James' smile and jibber jabber
*the pride all of us, especially Joshua, are still feeling after Josh's team's win last night
*the smell of fresh laundry
*cinnamon raisin bagels with honey nut cream cheese
*finally having ordered Kelly Clarkson's CD after wanting it since it's release. I also ordered two new books by writers from India (my preference in reading material).
*watching James put his all into every emotion he feels--dancing and laughing when happy, flailing and thrashing when angry
*the rare occurrence of all the beds being made
*having no pans piled up in the sink
*other than James' mild cold, the kids are all healthy (knock on wood)
*Joel and I seem to be on the same page with most everything right now, which always feels good
*the fact that most of my problems, really aren't problems. I'm very blessed with love, family, and health

Go, Demons!!

Sad Realization

My mom has been out here visiting us (she's from North Carolina) for the past week and a half, and we've had a nice time. Each time she comes out, though, the realization that she is getting older hits me harder and harder.

Today we went to the mall to stop by a candy shop she wanted to go to. After that we got the kids some big pretzels and sat at a table in the food court while they munched on those. All in all, we were there maybe 20 minutes--not long. Afterward the kids and I wanted to go do a little clothes browsing (seriously--if my kids are willing to go clothes shopping and behave, I'm all over that like a fly on poop), so we went into Mervyn's. We were in there about 10 minutes and I looked over at my mom, who looked like she was having a hard time. I asked if she was okay and she said she was, but she just needed to sit down.

After just ten minutes of browsing clothing?
After we had already been sitting for 15 minutes eating pretzels?

Mind you, she probably doesn't get a kick out of shopping for kids clothes like I do, but I couldn't believe she was so tired out from such a brief outting. She is usually the one who is able to go and go--she's always been a very active person. It's what I'm used to seeing--she lives alone on a huge piece of land, and takes care of everything herself--she mows her own lawn, hauls her own groceries, weeds her garden (which is large), etc. I'm so used to her running around, it's disheartening to see her slowing down. She's 72, so I guess it's time for the aging process to start working on her. But I don't think I'm ready for it, or for downhill slope that inevitably will come. Ugh.

Word Watch

James' new additions to his vocabulary:

apple juice "apa ju"
bottle "da doo" (I'm a little sad about this one, bottle used to be "na na")
roll it "row ih" (ala pat-a-cake, said as he's trying to "roll" his arms)
thank you "dank you"
ball "gall"
1-2-3 "wuh, two, dee"
Josh "Jah"
stroller
doggie

and his favorite toddler jibberish phrases right now are: "Duhgaduh" and "Idoooah" (Interpretations, anyone?)

*I figured out what "Idoooah" means tonight! He's trying to sing "Happy Birthday to you". How cute is that?

Baby, Take A Bow

We survived two full days of dancing and tumbling--phew! The girls had their recitals Tuesday and Wednesday (Ally danced both nights, Savannah danced the first night, tumbled the second). It's always so much fun seeing them in their big *moment*. Savannah is hilarious--she absolutely loves the attention. She commented today about how she wishes she could be the only one on the big stage so everyone could clap for her by herself. (Which really isn't all that surprising--when she was three years old, she used to assemble everyone into the living room to watch her dance on Joel's parents' coffee table--and when she was finished she'd say, "okay, you can clap now." :) )

The girls on night one:


A rare photo op with all three grandmas (my biological dad's wife on the left, my mom center, and Joel's mom right):


The girls, night two:

Can Someone Please Explain...

Why it is that any parent would make a conscious decision to take their child to the grocery store at 11 pm? Every single time I make a late night grocery run (last night was to purchase white hair elastics for Savannah's recital hairdo), there is, without fail, at least one poor small (under age 8) child being toted through the store with his or her parent(s). And they are never happy. Hmmmm, wonder why? Because it's, oh, about THREE HOURS past their bedtime.

Me, trying to be the non-judgemental person I think I am, the only three logical reasons I could come up with for this nonsense is:
1) The child is sick and single mom just realized she is out of Tylenol.
2) The child just napped from 6-9, and is wide awake.
3) Mom is pregnant and must, simply MUST, get those oreos before she dies.

Sadly, I don't think any of the above apply to any of the families I've recently seen out shopping so late. Come on, people.

The Hitman, Signing Off

Ryan Richard Bennett

Ryan Richard Bennett, 35, died Wednesday, May 31, 2006, of injuries sustained from an auto accident near Fillmore, Utah. A memorial service will be held at the LDS church, June 10, 2006, at 2600 Ramona Road, Atascadero. Funeral arrangements in Utah are pending his wife Tonya's release from the hospital, as she was also injured in the accident. He will be interred at Ben Lomond Cemetery in North Ogden, Utah. He was born Aug. 20, 1970, in Ogden, Utah, the son of Richard and Donna Bennett. He married Tonya Jenkins March 27, 1998, in the Bountiful LDS Temple. Ryan split time on both coasts, growing up in Utah and New Hampshire. He attended Bonneville High School (1988) and went on to graduate from Weber State University with a bachelor of arts in communications, (1997). Ryan was a popular FM disc jockey in the early 1990s in Northern Utah. Known as "The Hitman", Ryan entertained listeners throughout the Wasatch front, and later in Central California. Ryan eventually made the jump to television, where he was a beloved sportscaster in the Central Coast of California on KSBY. He also had a passion for mixed martial arts. With his website MMAweekly.com, Ryan started a live internet radio show that gained quite a following. At his death, he was working for The Fight Network, a Canadian-based cable channel, with aspirations of launching in the United States as news director and lead anchor. He is survived by his wife Tonya; children, Ashley, Allison, Jada and Braden; parents, Richard and Donna Bennett, St. George, Utah; siblings, Shauna (Dave) Beckett, Denver, Colo., Rick (Wendy) Bennett, Lehi, Utah, SueAnn, Salt Lake City, Utah, Randall, New York City. He was preceded in death by his sister Sherilynn.

"Next Tuesday"

This is what I say to myself when I'm feeling overwhelmed--more specifically when the dishes are piling up, the floor needs to be vacuumed, laundry is overflowing, the phone is ringing off the hook, and just when I feel like I can't take anymore, along comes a little five year old begging me to play Candyland with her.

My knee-jerk reaction is to say, "I'm sorry, honey, I've got to finish these dishes first" or "Maybe later, I've got too much to do right now."

But I really try to stop myself from saying, or even feeling that way. This is where my "next Tuesday" motto comes in.

Next Tuesday it is not going to matter that the dishes didn't get washed immediately today. Next Tuesday it isn't going to matter if I got an impressive five loads of laundry washed and folded. Next Tuesday it isn't going to mean a thing if I mopped the floor right this minute. Next Tuesday it isn't going to matter if the spilled cheerios remained scattered about for an extra fifteen minutes.

What IS going to matter next Tuesday is that I sat down with my precious child, played with her, bonded with her today. That I seized the opportunity to take her by the hand and devote my time to her. Those fifteen minutes will have an eternal impact and blessing--far more than anything I could gain by spending that fifteen minutes with my broom and dust pan.

Come next Tuesday, there will be more dishes piled up, more laundry to fold, but the opportunity to spend that moment with my child will have come and gone. I'm not going to let that pass me by if I can help it.

Fifteen Months

James had his fifteen month old well-check today, and I'm happy to report all systems are go! He is weighing in at 23.5 pounds and is measuring 33 inches. Still long and lean. The doctor was impressed with his word list (which has now grown to 40 words!)--he almost didn't believe me when I said he can speak that many words. He was also surprised to learn that James can climb up and down the entire staircase by himself, as well as play on the playground--including climbing up and going down the slide alone. What can I say--he's amazing! ;)

He also received two shots, and was not so thrilled about those, but it wasn't anything that a lollipop couldn't fix. :)

Here is the latest picture of my little man--taken yesterday:


Some of the new words he's using are:
cool "kew"
sky
car "ca"
Ally is now "Ally" instead of "Ahhhshe"
Zoey (cat)
cheese
all gone "ah gah"

Can you tell I'm fascinated with his speech? He amazes me more every single day. I love this boy! :)

Three Products That Rock My World

Coming in at number three, we have Yogurt Burst Cheerios. Love them. Love the sweetness, without the sugar overload. I've nearly omitted buying sugary cereal now. The strawberry one is preferred here in our home, but they're both good. But if you've gotta try just one--go for the strawberry.
Sidenote: the cereals with the "real" fruit pieces in them now are pretty good, too. James jams (say that five times fast) on the Honey Bunches of Oats with strawberries.



Near and dear to my heart now are the new Reynold's Slow Cooker Liners. No more crockpot scrubbing. Just place bag in crock, cook meal, let bag cool, and throw away. Have I already mentioned no more scrubbing?! Could it get any better than that? I think not. (Okay, well it probably could--let's say if Joel were to send me upstairs to soak in a nice bubble bath while he scooped out the liner and threw it away. But I digress...)


And the number one product my heart belongs to is Coppertone Kids Continuous Spray. I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, E.V.E.R. buy regular lotion-type sunblock again. Long gone are my days of trying to slather on gloppy sunblock on squirmy kids, getting me, them, and anything in a 4 foot radius messy. I am forever a changed woman.