Road Trip

The Silly Witch blessed sweet baby Noel this weekend, which gave us a wonderful excuse to head down to Houston. Three of our friends from law school live down there, in the very same ward, which makes visiting quite convenient. It was a super quick trip, but it was wonderful to see old friends.

Damon and Emma rockin' out at the park.

Have you ever tried to get three toddlers to look in the same direction and smile all at once?

The number of children from our four families has multiplied exponentially since we graduated four years ago! And this isn't even all of them...

Sam Houston. Ironically, this is just off the highway about an hour NORTH of Houston...

The Blustery Day

It was so windy yesterday that my chaise lounge chair (made of teak wood, and weighing at least 25-30 lbs), blew off of its perch on the patio and about 10 feet into the yard. Blow ye winds westerly, blow!

Eviction Notice

Dear Unborn,

You have resided with me for 8+ months now. Although you are an invited guest, I feel you have taken advantage of my hospitality. You play tetherball with my bladder and other vital organs. You have most of the day to move around, but you are most active when I am trying to get some sleep. But worst of all are your random acts of digestive violence. One expects these things in the first trimester, but it is week 36. Really, I shouldn't have to pull over at a gas station to puke during my 10-minute drive home from the grocery store. This arrangement isn't working for me anymore.

Consider this a warning. You have 30 days to vacate the premises. If you do not choose to leave voluntarily, I am sending my doctor in, armed with pitocin.

With love,
Your Mother

PS. I look forward to a more amicable living situation when you are residing in a crib.

A Tale of Four Shadows

Shadow is my parents' dog. She is a black poodle.

Back in February 2008, Emma and I were visiting my parents in Michigan. While there, my grandparents sent Emma a stuffed polar bear for Valentine's Day.

Perhaps because we were visiting my parents and Shadow at the time, Emma soon began calling the polar bear "Shadow." She loved it and carried it everywhere, and for the first time she had a "lovey" to comfort her. I of course told this story to my grandmother, expressing our appreciation and love for polar-bear-Shadow. My grandmother, however, didn't think that polar-bear-Shadow was good enough. She soon sent a stuffed black poodle.

Emma was over the moon. She loved her new Shadow and slept with it every night. She even treats Shadow like her child, acting out the things we do with her on Shadow. She'll tickle him, tuck him into bed, feed him fruit snacks. Shadow can even do the gymnastics moves that Emma can do. While the new Shadow was clearly the favorite, she did not forget polar-bear-shadow. The polar bear was christened "white Shadow," while the new Shadow became "black Shadow." (The actual Shadow is known as "real Shadow.") Life was good and we loved having our two Shadows at home. Then this past Christmas, Emma opened a gift from Mumma (my grandma), and received these:

Those are beanie baby versions of white Shadow and black Shadow. Or, as they are known at our house, baby white Shadow and baby black Shadow.

We're so lucky to have a Mumma who provides us with all of our Shadow needs--a Mumma who truly cares about the passions of a two-year-old.

Who needs sleep?

I am at that point of pregnancy where sleep has become elusive--I'm just too big to get comfortable, I need to use the bathroom frequently, or I'm just too dang hot. I've long thought that this was the worst aspect of pregnancy, especially since once the baby comes sleep doesn't happen very often either. I've never had a prenatal massage, but I hear that they have special tables with a hole cut out for your tummy. Lately I've been fantasizing about getting one. I'm tired.

The other day, after we had eaten and showered and were dressed, but before we needed to be anywhere, I was especially tired and lay reading on the couch. It was early--maybe 9 am? Emma came up to me and wanted something, and I just replied, "Mommy's tired." She disappeared upstairs, and I figured she went up to the playroom. But she came back a few minutes later, announcing, "Here's stars blankie." She proceeded to lay said blankie on top of me. Then she got Shadow, her stuffed dog, and lay him next to me, like we do to her when we put her to bed. At this point my book was still open, so she felt the need to do more than hint: "Close eyes, Mommy. Shhhh." Who am I to argue with that? I didn't actually sleep, but I got a nice little rest before we headed out for the day.

Who needs sleep? I do. But I'll settle for a sweet little girl instead.

Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman

My dear friend Emily--mom of 2 and my favorite of the Bossy sisters, mostly because she's the only one I know--recommended this book as the perfect read when you're expecting your second. And I loved it! The subtitle is "a year of frantic tedium, neurotic angst, and the wild magic of a growing family," which suits it perfectly. It'll make you laugh, cry, and sigh in relief because Newman knows exactly how you're feeling. She chronicles her adventures raising a toddler and expecting her second, and all of the crazy things that happen in between. I admit I've been a bit nonchalant during this pregnancy--I've been through it all before, haven't I?--but now that it's coming down to the wire I'm feeling a bit frantic. Six weeks and there's so much to do! This book is a good way to curl up, relax, and enjoy the journey. I highly recommend it for those of you who are expecting your second soon. And for those of you who've already popped, it's also about the early days of a newborn and toddler--if you have time to read, that is. :)

After a long and stressful month...

It's time to relax. Anyone up for a game of Star Wars on the Wii?