Funny Kid

I have 7 million things to do to get ready to leave tommorow, so what do I do? Post! This was too funny, though, and I'll forget if I don't write it down. Last night at dinner, I was eating a baked potato, and all of a sudden Grace says "Don't cut into Baby Jesus!"
me: "What? Does this potato look like Baby Jesus?" I guess it kind of did look like a manger with a baby....
Grace: "We don't cut into babies."

Right on, Grace :)

Word to the Wise

We just got our new computer today, since the old one not only has a full hard-drive, but 4 days ago, completely stopped working. (sarcastic yay) Uncharacteristically, when I was ordering, I bypassed the FREE keyboard, thinking to myself "The new one will be exactly the same, and I'll feel guilty throwing out the old one, so it will just be annoying clutter." Seemed like the cleanly thing to do at the time. As it turns out, keyboards are connected by USB these days, and the computer doesn't even have a plug thingy (like my technical jargon here?) for the old round kind of doodad. Rarrrrr. So now I have to fork out $15 and wait a few more days for the new keyboard to come before I can use the beautiful, shiny new computer sitting in the office. I know, it's not the end of the world. Thank heavens we have a laptop to use meanwhile. But I hate it when I do something that turns out to be just annoyingly dumb. Now you know.

Good company

I tend to be a hermit. I guess it's genetic. But I am starting to feel like spending time with friends is my lifeline. Tonight, for example, was bookclub. I hadn't read the book, and we were just finishing dinner 20 mins. before it was scheduled to start. Viv was crying, Grace was cranky and I needed to get her in PJs, the house was a disaster (well, that is pretty much always true), Grace's sheets were all still in the laundry, I had wanted to mail Christmas cards today, I hadn't even put on makeup yet, and Rob was on call. BUT I decided to go anyway. And I am so glad I did. It was wonderful to chat with other women, and they were all very kind and helpful when Grace wouldn't go to bed, and Viv was crying. I'm sure they were all looking forward to a nice evening away from kids, and here they were helping me with mine. People carried Grace to and from the car for me, since she was in footie pajamas and it was raining. I got to eat the delicious snacks in peace while a friend rocked Vivian. Grace never did go to sleep, so she ended up staying up until 11:00. It was a little crazy. But it was SO nice to chat, to get some sympathy (I may have whined a little), and enjoy the company of good friends. I am going to try to be more social.

A person!

I'm still here! I'm trying to spend less time on the computer, which is a whole 'nother post. But if you've been checking our Flickr page, you pretty much know what we've been up to! As a bonus for blog-readers, here is some of Grace's recent artwork. She's been getting pretty good lately, if I do say so myself.

If you've ever seen the "Happy Monster Band" you'll see that she's done a pretty good job of imitating them, although I'm not sure that's what she was shooting for...

I try not to brag too much about Grace, but I honestly think she is just the most fantastic person ever, and I am constantly amazed by the things she does (okay, yesterday I didn't feel that way.... but that's also another post). And I hope that all parents feel that way about their children, so I will forgive you for bragging about your kids if you'll forgive me for bragging about mine :) Maybe it's because she's the lucky first child, and all of this learning and growing is new to me.

Not to slight Miss Viv, who has become delightfully interactive this week and I'm sure will amaze me just as much as Grace as she gets older. I like 3 months, it's a good age.

And here are my 2 amazing girls together. I'm sure that someday Viv will appreciate all the love that is sent her way. Ha!

Hot tip: Buy stock in Clorox

Well, the time has finally come. I've been planning on it since the beginning of the summer, but there have been lots of reasons not to. Vacations, a new baby, a broken toilet seat. (PS, you CAN still find toilet seats to match retro avocado green toilets!) We're going to try potty training. So far, we're going about it all backwards. Grace pooped on the toilet yesterday, on her second time sitting on the loo. Good for her! I always heard that was the hard part. Now I just need to figure out how to get her to pee! I've tried running the water while she sits there. Dipped her hands in warm and cold water (isn't that an old camp prank?). Evoked images of waterfalls. No luck. But then again, this is only day 2. I hope that soon I will be posting a picture of Dora panties! Wish us luck :)

Congratulations Universe

One of my favorite moments from The Office is when, after dealing with Andy for a while after Dwight is forced to leave, Jim says "I miss Dwight. Congratulations, Universe. You win."

I've felt that way a few times. Like, after being in a ward where I complained a lot about the Relief Society teachers (this was way back in college, when I lived at the Colony!) in the next 4 wards I was in, guess what my calling was. Yup, RS teacher. Lesson learned :) Universe, you win.



So, if you knew me way back when, you probably know that cheerleaders were not my favorite people. Let me be clear: I now have friends and family who were cheerleaders, and they are very nice people, I have nothing against them! But you have to understand, in high school, I was a nerd. Painfully shy, painfully uncute, and painfully never noticed by guys. So not liking the cheerleaders was just a matter of self-defense. I probably said at some point "I would like, totally DIE if my daughter wanted to be a cheerleader." (And cheerleaders were probably saying "I would, like, totally DIE if my daughter were a nerd." )

Fast forward 15 years, and Grace is born. I wasn't there when she made her entrance to the world, but I'm pretty sure she came out of the womb with pom-poms in her hands. Here is some evidence:

Grace at 10 months, watching some boys play football in the street.

Grace at 2 yrs. just entertaining herself. Warning, you might get exhausted just watching.

Congratulations Universe, you win!

Tagged

I have been tagged by Taryn! I am supposed to come up with 7 random things about myself. Pretty much everything about me is random :) But here we go....

1. I am so excited that my best friend from high school, Marie, who I have been terrible at keeping in touch with for the last 12 years or so (how long have you been married Marie?) has started to blog! Lately I've been wishing for more of her influence, to remind me of the idealistic and creative person I once was. And so far, her blog has not disappointed!

2. I am allergic to raw vegetables, and some raw fruit. Okay, so I've neve been officially diagnosed, but when I eat them, my gums swell up and my whole mouth starts itching like crazy. Especially in the back of my throat, where I can't reach. Probably not life-threatening, but annoying enough that I have a very hard time motivating myself to eat my 5 a day.

3. I don't like Halloween. I think I'll do a whole post on this soon. Party-pooper, I know.

4. I am TERRIBLE at thinking on my feet. The worst example I can think of was when someone asked me how much Grace cost (yes, you read that right--like I went to Walmart and picked her off the shelf). I stared at them blankly for about an eternity before uttering this snappy response, "That's kind of personal." Go, Julie!

5. I have just discovered Charlie and Lola, and I love them! I can have the theme song stuck in my head all day and not mind a bit. I love the style of the animation, love their accents, love their brother/sister interactions, love the imagination. An imaginary friend named Soren Laurensen? How lovely!

6. This week I completely filled the hard drive on my computer. I was in the middle of downloading pictures, and I got this message about the destination drive being full. That is 70 gigs of stuff. Rob claims it's all my stuff. Ummm, maybe. So I guess I know what we're getting for Christmas. In my own defense, it has taken 4 whole years to accomplish this, and our computer is out of date anyway!

7. I am terrible with numbers. It's like I'm dyslexic with them. Especially 4s and 7s. Just today, I saw a 47 and said seventy-four. I can't add anything with 7s or 8s in my head. Have to use my fingers. I can't remember dates, phone numbers, or addresses. They fall right out of my brain. Times are also a problem. However, I had a miraculous high school calculus teacher who managed to help me pass the AP calculus test, which was one of my proudest moments :)

So now I'm supposed to tage 7 other people. I think that is about how many people read my blog, so if you're reading this, you're tagged. Ha!

2 Going on 12

The other day I was doing a goofy dance in the kitchen while I got lunch ready--a kicky, hoppy, jitterbuggy, jivy kind of thing (at least in my mind). Grace started yelling "Stop! Stop!" like someone was giving her an Indian rug burn.
I said "Stop what?"
"Dancing"
"Why? I'm having fun!"
"Because it's weird!"

Man, I thought I had at least a few more years before she started finding her mother embarrassing. But, she was probably right.

Mantras

Rob's grandpa had all these sayings he used to tell his kids, which I think is kind of cool. It seems like that would help you focus on the things that are most important to your family. Some of his were:

• Cast the beam (as in, from your own eye)
• A soft answer turneth away wrath
• No excuses, just performance
• Nothing tastes as good as thin feels
• Keep your pecker in your pants (they had 6 boys!)

I'm thinking I should get a mantra or two. So far I like "I can do hard things." That's from Sister Tanner of the YW. Also, "If you have a nice thought, do it." That's from another talk by someone... don't remember who! I really need to work on that one.

Did your parents have wise sayings? Do you? I'd love to hear them!

Annie's list

Annie sneakily tagged anyone who reads her blog to answer these questions of her choosing. Here you go Annie!

1. Three biggest fears? (besides anything bad happening to a family member/child)
-calling people on the phone
-driving across bridges
-throwing up
2. When was the last time you danced?
Does doing the ballerina walk down the hall to get Grace into her bedroom count? Before that, last night me and Grace danced to Jack Johnson while she got ready for bed.
3. Do you creep on stranger's blogs?
Every once in a while.
4. If you could go back to be any age for a day, what age would you be and why?
20. Three months in London, baby.
5. Are you a good liar?
Terrible! Though I do catch myself being a little hyperbolic :)
6. Do you judge someone when you can tell they've had elective cosmetic surgery?
I can never tell.
7. If you have children, what's one thing that you always told yourself you'd never do when you had kids? If you don't have children, what's one thing you tell yourself you'll never do. (Psst! You. Yah, you. The one without kids. Guess what? You'll probably do it.)
Get mad at them for trivial things. Yes, I do it.
8. What's something that totally grosses you out?
earwigs. also Grace smashing bugs with her bare fingers
9. Do you ever delete forwards without reading them?
frequently
10. Do you ever lie to get out of obligations?
Just when sales people call.
11. Consider your body weight and your yearly income at their present states. Would you rather be 200 pounds heavier and $200,000 richer or stay at your present states?
Annie, you have a twisted mind. I guess I'd stay as I am. Now, for a million? I'd take the weight and hire a trainer and a chef :)
12. When was the last time you bought a pair of shoes and what were they?
I bought some cheapo $5 Target flip-flops in Utah over the summer because the ones I wore on the plane broke. I liked the old ones better :(
13. The Olympics. Take them or leave them?
Just the ice skating. And those tear-jerker moments.
14. What's your favorite accent?
Scottish
15. What's your favorite scent?
baking brownies
16. Gum or breath mints?
Gum
17. If you could look like any celebrity, who would it be?
Catherine Zeta-Jones
18. If you had the chance of looking like said celebrity in exchange for your thumbs would you do it?
Not a chance--I just watched Breach. Creepy!
19. Do you religiously wear sun screen?
not as well as I should.
20. Do you generally trust people/their motives or doubt people/their motives?
I'm a cynic.
21. Would you describe yourself as a complicated person or is what you see what you get?
What you see is what you get.
22. Do you watch what you eat?
I watch it go right in my mouth.
23. Do you watch what other people eat?
No. Okay, sometimes.
24. Do you judge how other people raise their kids?
Yes.
25. Do you judge people who dress poorly?
Well, now I know Annie is juding me ;)
26. Do you judge people who are homely?
No.
28. Your interest in politics: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Obsolete?
Medium Low
29. Favorite song of all time?
Midnight Train to Georgia by the Indigo Girls
30. Acoustic or electric?
Acoustic.
31. If you were a hermit, would you shave?
No. I barely do anyway. Never sit too close to me when I'm wearing a skirt!
32. If you could shave your head without your significant other throwing a complete hissy, would you?
Yes. I came very close to doing it in college.
33. What was your least favorite age?
All of junior high. Plus 6th grade.
34. How many times a day do you check your email?
At least 3, often more.
35. Are you in a tiff with anyone right now?
No.

A child's eyes

Today Grace was looking out the front window and she started saying "there are flowers! Look at the flowers!" I couldn't figure out what she was talking about, but then realized she was pointing at the maple tree across the street that is starting to turn yellow and orange. I love the image! I was going to take a picture of the tree, but the camera was out of batteries. So here is a picture of the eyes of my clever girl.

And while we're on the subject of Grace, let me tell you how the words "nap time" bring out her creativity and charm. Also, her ability to totally read me. Today she talked me into 5 more minutes outside, then laid out her blanket on the grass and said she wanted to lay down and look at the sky. But she wanted a blanket to cover her. And a pillow. Right HERE (pointing). How could I say no to looking at the sky? Plus it was perfect picture weather. So here is Grace in her makeshift bed on the lawn, and we got to look at the sky together.

And play with leaves... Boy do I love my girl!

Chase Fall forever

Fall has always been my favorite season. In high school I decided that someday I was going to spend life chasing Fall around the globe and still every Fall I think, "Yeah, I really should do that someday." Growing up, Fall meant picking pumpkins, grapes, peaches, apples, etc. on my grandparents' farm with all the cousins. Those are some of my favorite memories. I'm afaid the closest I can come to reproducing that for our kids is taking them to local u-pick farms. It's not quite the same, but I love it too.

Today the weather was perfect! Grace had a ball. It's hard to tell, because she just dislikes the camera.

Sorry this picture is sideways. I can't seem to rotate it in blogger, and Viv finally fell asleep, so I'm going to bed too. For now, turn your head please :)


There are also animals to look at. They call it a petting zoo, but there are signs all around saying not to put you hands through the fence or they might get nipped. So, really it's just animals in cages. But the kids still love it.

We're back!

Hurray! We are finally home! We got here late last night (Friday). I am still recovering from the looooong drive home. A trip that should have taken 4 hours took us 7, and Viv was crying most of the way. Apparently she isn't a car-tripper. We hit rush hour in Cininnati and Dayton, stopped at the world's slowest Wendy's, and pulled over a couple of times to see if I could figure out how to get Viv to sleep. But we made it safely and we're all back together as a family. I should probably go unload the suitcases now :)

Guess that's how the future's done

The source for the title of my blog is a song by Feist, my (and Grace's!) new favorite musician. I hope that isn't plagarism or copyright infringement :o I think of it more as allusion. The song is Mushaboom:



I just love the song, and right now I'm especially relating to the line about "second floor living without a yard." We are actually living in a pretty nice apartment here in KY, which we found through a corporate housing company. It's 2-bed, 2 bath, has a garage, full kitchen, washer/dryer. We spent our first few days in a hotel room, and I do not know how I would have survived a whole month there. So I am very grateful to be here. But it has made me appreciate my 1-floor house with a nice (if overgrown) backyard. I'm glad we decided to buy a house rather than a condo, even though the yardwork is kind of a lot to deal with. For the last 3 weeks, we have been picnicking on the little balcony here, and Grace spends as much time as she can out there when we're home. It's just not the same as picnicking under our big maple tree and playing in the sandbox.

The latest news is that we are waiting on the whim of a judge, who will decide whenever he feels like it to pick up our file and deem it legal for us to return to Michigan. Today the social worker told me to plan on another week. I started crying. It was pathetic :) If they hadn't told me a week ago that I was going home a week ago, I would be fine with this. We are really doing fine, finding lots to do, and our spirits have been high. But being told every day that it will be "tomorrow" and then "Monday for sure". Well, maybe I imagined the "for sure". It is frustrating. Today I was mopy. But tonight I bought myself some chamomile tea, dark chocolate, and a box of haircolor (don't worry, Rob, it's not permanent). I'm having my own private spa of sorts! And tomorrow we will go have fun and not sit around staring at the phone for one second! Well, maybe just one.

Kentucky twins

Last week my car went on the fritz, and seeing as I don't know anyone for 2 states around to come pick me up if it died completely, I took it to the shop immediately. The guys at this place were very helpful, and one of them ended up bringing me and the girls home when it turned out they needed to keep the car overnight (of course).

This is how he started out the small talk in the car: "Yeah, I have kids. Two 14 year old boys who aren't related to each other except through me."
Me: "Not related?"
Him: "Yeah, they have 2 different moms, but it happened the same night. I was the bouncer in a bar, their moms are best friends. When the first one told me, I was okay with it, but then when the other one came to me, I was like, you gotta be kidding me. Is that even possible? But there you go. My boys, they're like twins except they don't look like each other. Now they're in Texas with their moms, but my wife's okay with it."

Wow.

Invitation only

Well, if you've made it here, thanks :) I decided to make my blog invite only for now, sorry if that is a hassle. Also, it didn't let me personalize the invitation so I don't even know what the email said! I hope my blog won't bore you to tears! In case you hadn't noticed I am feeling weird about this whole thing still. Thanks for checking in!

Stuck in Kentucky

I am starting to think that we will never ever leave this place. It already feels like we've been here forever. Like our real house and real life is a distant dream. It's not bad here, I don't mind it. Just isolated. Me and the girls, 24 hours a day. I think that is what has finally pushed me over the edge to do this blog. The isolation. Glad they have internet here in the twilight zone.

Caving to pressure

So Rob has trying to get me to do this for a long time now. Why did I finally give in? Mostly because there are a lot of people whose blogs I enjoy reading, it's always fun to keep up on what's going on in their lives, but it's not actually "keeping in touch" if it only goes one way. I was hoping my flickr page would fill this need, but it doesn't seem to be very comment friendly.

Also, it feels like a chance to grow. In high school and college, I wrote all the time and it helped me find who I was. But life marches on and I haven't written for ages. Suddenly I find myself in my 30s and a mother of two! Who am I now and what do I have to say? Part of what has held me back from doing this for so long is that I have felt I have nothing to say--an introvert by nature, not a witty bone in my body, and not one for getting on a soapbox. But I've decided I need to focus more on my life, live with purpose. Things get so busy that I don't stop to reflect. I had someone wish me once, "Hope you stay busy!" as we parted. Ummm. No doubt about it, busy-ness has its therapeutic value, and sometimes it is just unavoidable. But is it an end in itself? I hope not! So, I hope that sitting down and writing will help me focus on living life and not just watching it roll by as I stay busy.

I do not promise anything entertaining, educational or even coherent. Just me rambling. I'll see how it goes, and maybe I'll quit in a week or two. This is a trial run and nothing more! I'm loving photography right now, but maybe a blog will rekindle my old love of writing. Here goes nothing!