quote of the day

"daddy, can we get a goose? We will get the goose and eat the goose and chomp the goose. But I can't kill it so daddy you can kill it and I will chomp it. Ok? You shoot the goose daddy and we chomp the goose and it will be good."

babyproof

is kind of an oxymoron. Because while the intentions are good, it rarely works.

For example, we were worried about the girls pulling on the heavy bookcases so we mounted them to the wall. Now they are secure and steady enough for scaling all the way to the top.

At our old house, we bought a kid gate. It was an attractive permanent gate that swung open when passage was needed. Butterfly used to stand up on it and throw her weight back and forth to rattle it as hard as she could. And then she quickly learned to pull herself up enough to fall over the top and land on her head.

We tried foam pieces that are meant to cushion sharp corners of furniture. Ladybug pulls them off and teethes on them.

We put babyproofing locks on the cabinets we didn't want the girls to be able to open. We have several different kind depending on the type of cabinet. One looks like a tall "u" with a cross bar. This is the worst one as Ladybug can just whip it off the knobs. Another kind has two loops that thread through the cabinet handles and then through a locking mechanism. The girls can't get anything out of the cabinet but they can pull it open enough to stick their tiny fingers in to be painfully pinched. And lastly, we have the under-the-kitchen-sink kind of cabinet lock that requires you to pull it open an inch and push down on a lever to release the lock. Unfortunately, my girls know how to open it.

We briefly put outlet covers on the electrical outlets only to find out that it made them even more tempting to play with since now they want to see if they can pull off the covers. We gave up on that idea quickly and decided they would just have to be taught. And if not, well, now you know why my daughter's hair is so curly. (...ps, I'm kidding)

Our house is absolutely beautiful but every door has a lever style knob, instead of a round door knob. Bad idea. So all exterior doors remain deadbolted to keep the children in.

The wonderful gas range stove that I love so much was designed with the knobs on the front of the stove. So if you ever come to my house and wonder why all the knobs are missing, they're in the overhead cupboard to the right, until Ladybug learns to leave them alone.

And as a sidenote, why do people give suckers to a toddler? I don't want her running around with a stick in her mouth. While I appreciate the thought, suckers and gum (both frequently given as they can be bought in bulk) are not good treats for children under four. Supervised and sitting at a table, my girls will love it. Running with suckers makes me nervous. Plus the drool factor.

And then there are all the gimmicky babyproof locks like toilet seat locks or door knob covers. We didn't even try those because I watched my brother install them and her daughter mastered them in less than a week.

My conclusion? The world is not childproof. The best you can do is teach them and pray. (...and I'm actually only half kidding on that one.)

kiss better

Butterfly was sitting on the floor lamenting an "owie" on the outside of her ankle. She twisted and leaned and turned but to no avail, she couldn't find a way to connect her lips to her ankle for that much-needed kiss. She sadly declined my offer to help and then pressed a kiss to two fingers and then pressed those fingers to the owie. Little sister then pattered over, assessed the situation and promptly face planted herself onto the injured ankle with a noisy kiss. Still squatting, she then patted the owie and said "love you!".

The magic of a kiss can make most injuries feel better when you're a toddler. And I happily comply when Ladybug holds out her hand "owie finger, owie. kiss finger. kiss better." Sometimes when in the car, she will even settle for a blown kiss.

This morning, Butterfly and I were sitting on the couch playing with my phone while Ladybug ran around collecting and distributing toys and blankets. She stopped suddenly to kiss a bruise on her foot and then ran to me, inspecting my arm (I think) for owies. Finding none, she decided to kiss me anyway and proceeded to sprinkle gentle, delicate kisses up and down my arm, occasionally punctuated with a sweet and sincere "love you". Then she gave me a hug and scampered off to the toys again.

soda pop

We have a very good friend who moonlights as a clown named Soda Pop. When Butterfly met her for the first time, she clung to daddy and stared at the bright crazy clothes, the big golden wig and the silly painted face. But slowly, her curiosity won her over and she crept closer. She was almost a year and a half old at the time and too shy (or leery) to let Soda Pop paint her face. But at Soda Pop's suggestion, she held out her hand and her new friend painted a pretty flower on the back of it and she loved it.

By her third visit to Soda Pop (who was a regular visitor to one of our favorite restaurants and many fun events around town), she was brave enough to let Soda Pop paint her face. She was thrilled and immediately hooked, begging for not only her face but her hands to be painted too. By the time her second birthday rolled around, she adored Soda Pop and was always first in line for face painting and balloon animals. She loved her so much that we invited Soda Pop as the entertainment for Butterfly's birthday party. The best part was after getting her face painted, she carried around the little hand mirror Soda Pop had given her, admiring herself and then turning the mirror to others to "show" them how pretty she was (thinking that it always showed her face and not quite understanding how a mirror works).

And so it continued, seeing Soda Pop occasionally around town and eagerly getting her face (and hands) painted. A few days ago we visited Soda Pop at the ice cream shop. Butterfly was thrilled because we hadn't seen her in months. Butterfly squealed and ran to her, jumping up in the chair as soon as it was her turn and grinning happily. And for Ladybug, this was really her first visit to see Soda Pop. She's seen her before and watched Butterfly get her face painted but never dared get very close to this strange looking person (she did like receiving a little balloon animal though--her favorite is a little dog). So on this visit, she stared and clung to daddy. But then sitting on daddy's lap and with daddy's encouragement, she held out one hand to receive a painted flower. Her face lit up at the finished product and immediately, she thrust out her other hand and received a ladybug and then a rainbow. She apparently decided Soda Pop was a friend afterall and happily played while Soda Pop entertained and made them balloon hats.

Yesterday we took a long drive and Butterfly found an old (broken) cell phone that I'd given them to play with. She declared she needed to call Soda Pop and preceded to do just that. They apparently exchanged greetings and then she assured Soda Pop that she's been a good girl and told her the things she and her sister had been doing. She rambled for a long time and eventually distracted herself with another toy.

Today, she was wearing her balloon hat from our ice cream parlor visit and it popped. Butterfly began to cry and then consoled herself saying Soda Pop will fix it. She turned to me and said "Soda Pop can fix it. And then we get ice cream with gummy bears and cookie animals and sprinkles and you can get ice cream too mommy and see Soda Pop." I agreed and then she continued "Soda Pop is my friend" (and reaching out to rub my belly) "and Soda Pop loves the baby too."



and I bet you thought I would be writing about a beverage.

no pants baby

Ladybug has a strange obsession with pulling her pants halfway down. She doesn't take them off. Rather, she usually leaves them hovering at her knees or bunched at her ankles while she continues to run around, play, dance or watch a movie.

I suspect it stems from daddy's strange sock habits. During the evenings when daddy gets to relax with us at home, we typicallly hang out downstairs to play with toys, play the Wii or watch a movie. Daddy has to get comfortable of course so he pulls his socks halfway off. This way, his ankle is naked, the tight ankle part of the sock is around is his arch and the arch and the toe of the sock hangs loosely. Yes, it looks strange. But he claims its more comfortable at the end of the day. Apparently Ladybug agrees because not only does she do it herself in imitation but she will help him adjust his socks accordingly as well.

So picture my little toddler. Her wispy, soft hair tucked into perky little pigtails, her beautiful face adorned with an impish grin, her round little bum covered by a snug onesie while her pants sit several inches lower, exposing a short span of her tan legs and at the bottom of it all, two tiny feet with floppy socks.

She makes me melt.

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mornings

My children are morning people. I am not.

Sometime between the hours of 1 and 5 am, Ladybug magically appears in in our bed, happily cuddled between daddy and me. I have no idea how it happens. And about half the time, Butterfly makes an appearance too. The cuddling can be wonderful. I love snuggling my tiny girls, listening to their gentle breathing and feeling their silky soft skin.

The bad part comes when they decide to be awake. Butterfly wakes up a little more like I do, wanting to stretch and roll over and snuggle and stretch again before forcing myself into coherency. But Ladybug pops up, instantly awake, perky and cheerful and ready for breakfast. With her encouragement, Butterfly also perks up and chimes in, "bekfest?" Meanwhile I'm still trying to decide which way is up before I risk a sitting position.

So the girls run to the kitchen while I stumble along. They climb onto the counter to pick their cereal (I only cook a hot breakfast on the weekend when daddy can enjoy it too) while I gather other stuff. The best mornings are when daddy can eat with us before work but knowing it will double his "get ready for work" time, he usually slips out before. If he's gone before they wake, the girls are upset and have to check the whole house before believing he really is gone. I've even caught them sneaking out to the garage trying to follow him. But most mornings, we are awake before he leaves and we get to say "bye dad, love you! Work hard, bring bacon!" I started it as a joke but now the girls say it on their own. Even lil Ladybug chimes in "Bing bake!"

And that really is the best part of my morning. She's so dang cute. We eat, we play and it will be a good day.

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imagination

3 years old is the magic age of imagination. It suddenly kicks into overdrive and it has been wonderful to watch. Many of Butterfly's imagination games are imitating me. Most often she pretends to take care of her baby or cook dinner (sometimes with or without props). Other favorites is when she goes on a safari to Africa to see the animals or goes to Disneyland with Mickey. Today she declared we have a new pet. Apparently it's a penguin that wears a green necklace. Usually she involves Ladybug in her play, telling her what to do and Ladybug happily complies. I don't think she understands but seems eager to be involved.

They are playing together more and more and I'm thrilled. We still struggle during playdates. If Butterfly has a playmate that is her own age, she (and often prompted by the playmate) doesn't want "the baby" to play with them). Fortunately that's get better too as I insist that Ladybug is one of the big girls too and help find a way to incorporate her into the games. But lately, the girls do play together and it's wonderful. They play a LOT of "ring-a-rosies" and spend a lot of time just chasing each other, growling like tigers in a hide and seek/chasing game. Another frequent favorite is playing of the indoor playset grandma gave us. It's meant to be an outside toy but it's never made it that far. It has a small slide and attached swing. The swing is usually used for stacking books on. The girls will remove all of the novels from the nearby book shelf and stack them on and around this playset (building a castle). Or the other favorite is to simply chase each other down the slide, up the back and down the slide again. Despite the small size of the playset, this never gets old.

Butterfly also spends a lot of time reading stories to me and Ladybug. They always start "once upon a time there was a young prince" and then the story varies according to the pictures in the book. We especially spend a lot of time reading books when sitting in the car. I keep a stack next to their seats and they will be content to look at those for our frequent long drives. Ladybug's favorite is the Nemo book. Butterfly's favorite is usually the Precious Moments book about angels.

Singing is one of the best part's of Butterfly increasingly overactive imagination. Tonight, when driving in the car, she sang me a song about going back to Spain. I have no idea what inspired this song but it was beautiful and fun. ("I will go back to Spain, Spain is so beautiful and I love Spain and someday I will go back to Spain and take you to Spain") But usually her songs involve something about her dreams or her heart (a sign that maybe we watch too much Disney). She also is more frequently singing songs that we've learned in our music class and I love that she initiates it on her own. For example, we were eating pizza and she suddenly began doing the hand motions and blowing a staccato "ha, ha, ha" on her hands. I didn't get it at first but then she began singing "pizza pie hot, pizza pie cold, pizza pie in the box nine days old". Two other frequent favorites lately is "five little mice came out to play" and a song about a puppy dog tied up to a tree (she especially likes to do the howling). She loves to sing the alphabet song lately but at the end verse, she frequently crosses over into "twinkle twinkle little star". But my melt-my-heart favorite is "I am a Child of God". Ladybug is starting to sing out loud, usually timid but will sing along to "I am a Child of God" and "popcorn" and "twinkle twinkle". However, lately she will sometimes get bored in the car and start singing her own songs, without words but with loud and adorable vocalizations.

yellow

Ladybug has many blankets. Many, MANY blankets and insists on sleeping with a pile of them. However, she does have a favorite after all. One side is yellow, with fairies and flowers, and the other side is a white background with brightly colored poka dots to match. But it's the edge that has made this particular blanket her favorite. All of Ladybug's blankets have the crocheted trim (otherwise she's not interested) but this yellow blanket was made with a soft yarn, rather than the usual crochet thread. She still loves her many other blankets and continually carries them around or holds them to her face, (she also tends to favor the pink with pandas) but yellow is her favorite.

May I submit evidence #1:

today I put the girls down for naps. I was tired and frustrated, they were cranky and whiny. So I plopped them in their beds and said good night. Ladybug laid down for two minutes, I imagine she felt around for her favorite and realizing it was missing, began to cry. I heard her as she opened her bedroom door, then ran back to her bed (having been told to stay there) and continued to wail for blanket. I found it, brought it to her and she prompted snuggled down with the edge pressed to her face and closed her eyes.

Evidence #2:

Daddy put her to bed tonight. She was pretty wound up still so I expected some resistance but tonight was exceptional. Since she wouldn't settle down or stay in her bed, daddy had tied her door shut (as we occasionally do as a training technique to get her to go to bed). Usually she cries for less than five minutes and will go to sleep. But tonight she continued to cry for at least fifteen. So I finally went in to see if I could get her to settle down. As soon as she saw me she begged for blanket. Despite the pile of blankets on her bed (at least seven), she was asking for yellow. So I went in search of it, found it and tucked her in again, this time clutching her beloved yellow. She cried a bit longer (now just too upset to settle down) and now has finally crashed. No doubt she's cuddled into a little ball, her knees tucked up under her, the mound of blankets snuggled around her and yellow, held tightly in her determined little fists and pressing the corner to her face.

(5/14/11) this week I...

watched a lot of "Mess-a-me Street" (sesame street). It's Butterfly's new favorite and she will pick it over anything else. The best episode experience so far is the one where we have to audition to be the new "big bad wolf". We have to act like granny, blow the house down and (Butterfly's favorite) catch the piggies. It mostly involved running around the playroom with outstretched arms and giggling.

discovered water aerobics is a lot harder/more tiring than it looks.

enjoyed having Ladybug sleep in her own bed for the whole night! (for the first time since graduating to a toddler bed). Unfortunately it only lasted one night.

took the girls bowling. Butterfly tripled my score by the fourth frame. Even Ladybug beat me.

discovered my girls are incredibly lucky when it comes to useless arcade games. Go to Fat Cats and try the frogger game. Butterfly scored 65 tickets her first try. And both girls laughed like crazy at the turn-the-wheel-to-make-the-bear-catch-the-falling-apple game. No idea why.

had an awesome bbq for hubband's birthday. We invited some friends over and had a great time. Lots of little kids so the girls were in heaven.

spent a lot of time looking at pictures on my computer. Specifically jan-july of 2010. Did I mention my girls are incredibly cute?! Butterfly loves to look at pictures with me. Ladybug likes to sit on my lap and let me use half the screen for viewing pictures and have her use half the screen for watching baby einstein videos on youtube.

had a really scary moment when a heavy ceramic pot got tipped over and smashed the tops of Ladybug's feet. Originally I was pretty sure they were broken. Luckily just bruised and sore.

spent a lot of time reading books with the girls. And having them read to me. Butterfly likes to sit and turn the pages and describe the pictures. Ladybug is starting to "read" to me as well. She sits, turns the pages and jabbers animatedly in a language only she understands.

loved listening to Ladybug sing. She appears to be totally tone deaf for the time being but so adorable as she mimics songs she knows or makes up her own music.

debated cleaning the house. changed my mind.

got to have Butterfly feel the baby kick for the first time. She giggled and was excited. Ladybug has still shown no acknowledgment of the new baby.

thoroughly enjoyed the new warm weather. The girls are ecstatic to be outside. We spent one afternoon outside, blowing bubbles and squealing as we chased them and popped them. We also have really enjoyed playing ball (our own combination of dodgeball, volleyball and soccer with a small beachball). Ladybug also likes to shuffle through our meager flower gardens and poke the tulips.


all in all, it was a good week. :)

Happy Birthday Hubband!

today is my smoking hot husband's birthday. He got home late from a business trip and crawled into bed long after I had fallen asleep. But soon a scared little girl came upstairs to see me, discovered him and instantly attached herself to him. Then another little girl woke up shortly after that, pattered into our room and also insisted on cuddling him. So I slept rather well actually. But I'm afraid daddy could hardly move since he was pinned on each side by a cuddly little girl.

The girls woke up around their usual time and immediately pounced on him with birthday hugs and kisses which continued throughout a pancake breakfast. (someday my girls will be shocked to learn that most people actually don't put chocolate chips in their pancakes. sad but true.) Eventually daddy had to go to work. Despite this Butterfly insisted on having a birthday tea party this morning and kept asking for me to go get daddy for the party. I tried to tell her he was working and she was pretty upset, arguing sadly "but it's his birthday!"

So to celebrate, we helped take lunch to his office and celebrate with his friends there with sandwiches and root beer floats. Unfortunately he has scout meetings tonight so the rest of our celebrating will have to wait for another day.

One of my favorites of his birthdays was his 25th. I planned a surprise party with many family and friends in attendance and was thrilled that we actually pulled it off. He pulled into our driveway and was genuinely surprised to see the backyard full of people. For his cake, I had made a gray, round cake and decorated it like a quarter (for his quarter century birthday). For a gift, I picked out a dual weave climbing rope (when I had gone to the store, the salesperson looked skeptically at the high heels and skirt I had worn to work and suggested I didn't know what I was talking about. I suggested he shouldn't stereotype.) I was thrilled that we were able to pull the party off as a surprise and got to have so many family and friends with us.

Another most memorable of his birthdays was his 26th. His birthday fell on Mother's Day and also happened to be the day we were able to bless our first daughter. It was a wonderful and memorable experience for us all as he was able to officially give her a name and a blessing, which is a sacred ordinance in our church. After church we enjoyed another backyard bbq celebrating baby's blessing, Mother's Day and his birthday.

So today is his birthday and off to a good start, but presents and cake may have to wait until the weekend. I teased him I'd have to go to Costco to start buying candles in bulk. And for presents, I apologized once that I always give him sports stuff or tools. He laughed and said that's because I'm awesome. Sometimes it's just a hard guess of what he would actually want. But being as wonderful and gracious as he is, he's pretty easy to please.

mother's day 2011

this was a great weekend. On Friday, we got to have our ultrasound and find out that baby3 is babyGIRL3 and then daddy and I went on a date while grandma and grandpa played with the girls. On Saturday, we had a much-needed family day. We spent the morning cuddling, playing and watching Glee via Netflicks (we ran out of episodes from our previously addicted to tv show which was Lie to Me--try it, you'll love it). Eventually we (mostly daddy) decided to be productive and went to work reorganizing the garage. After naptime, the girls helped daddy wash and wax my car while I supervised. And then we got to spend the evening with some friends we hadn't seen in months. What a great day.

On Sunday morning, I lounged in bed while daddy and the girls prepared a fantastic breakfast and then we finished gifts for the grandmas. We dipped the girls' hands in white paint and pressed their handprints onto pink ceramic pots holding beautiful orchids. The girls loved it. Then daddy got the girls ready for church while I finished getting my lesson ready and got myself dressed. (did I mention that he is amazing? he's so good to me.) The usual chaos of church (ironic to say that but then again, I have two small children--church is hardly reverent on our bench) was broken up by the Primary kids singing a musical number, Butterfly trying to flirt with the boy two rows ahead of us and Ladybug deciding to sit with a neighboring family instead (they might have had better snacks than I did). After church the girls and I took naps while daddy attended his meetings and then we all went to grandma's house. Butterfly proudly presented the vase and orchids and then both girls ran around like crazy people until dinner. Grandpa had planned a wonderful meal so daddy pitched in to help fry the calamari and then we feasted. After dinner we lounged and played some more until it was finally time to take some tired girls home and to bed.

Yesterday (monday night) we celebrated again as my parents came over to play. We went to dinner, ran some errands and picked up some dessert. There's a fantastic burger joint in town that has the best shakes I've ever had. We ordered two of my favorites--chocolate dipped strawberry and oreo mint and took them home to share before bedtime. Then I got to cuddle a tired little Ladybug while Butterfly thoroughly enjoyed her one-on-one time with her Papa (they dumped all the coins out of her minnie mouse piggy bank and papa taught her to identify the different coins). Daddy was on a quick business trip so he missed out of the fun but I really enjoyed staying up to talk with my parents and being with them.

Mother's Day has always struck me as a funny holiday because I hope that we can appreciate our mothers with the love and respect that they deserve all year long. But since the drudgery of the daily routine quickly makes us take for granted the great things in our life, its nice to have a special day to remind us to honor them. For me, I have been truly blessed with an amazing mother who has long since been one of my best friends as well as a wonderful and talented mother in law. And now being a mother myself, I become even more grateful and in awe of the Creator's greater design and the love that I feel for my beautiful family.

Recently, we spoke in church and our topic included motherhood. Two thoughts that stood out to me was the idea that motherhood is not the numbering of our children, but rather a description of our inherit ability and desire to nurture (Sister Julie Beck) and the idea that motherhood is one of the greatest and most ennobling purposes that we could have, bringing us closer to our divine potential than anything else (President Hinkley).

I need to remember these things on those hard days when the girls are driving me crazy. As I've said before, motherhood is one of the greatest gifts but hardest challenges that this life has to offer. I'm eternally grateful for especially my mom and mother in law, but also the grandmothers, aunts and friends who have helped guide and nurture me. I'm also so very grateful for the beautiful little girls that I have been blessed with and love them more than they will ever know.

and then there were three...

We had our 20 week check up and ultrasound yesterday. Indeed, good things come in threes because we are having our third little GIRL!

We invited the grandmas to join us for the ultrasound (we did during Ladybug's ultrasound too) and we decided to take Butterfly in with us as well. Grandpa took Ladybug for a walk during the ultrasound. We didn't think she would sit still and allow us the concentration we wanted for baby 3. Instead, I think she would try to push every button in the room. So while she walked with Grandpa, me, Butterfly, Daddy and the grandmas took a peek at our stubborn little baby. The baby was not positioned well for an ultrasound, sitting very low and facing away from us, refusing to turn over. So getting a clear picture of baby's face was especially difficult. As soon as the exam began, the technician asked Butterfly if the baby was a boy or girl and she declared girl. Turns out she was right.

Daddy had guessed from the beginning that Butterfly was a girl and while not quite as confident, guessed Ladybug was a girl too. The evening Ladybug was born, we cuddled her in our hospital room and he said to me that he suspected baby 3 would be a girl as well. I thought he was just teasing but turns out he was right again! So when we first realized we were expecting baby 3, he guessed girl but as we progressed, he wavered and said perhaps boy. I wavered as well, never really committing to a guess but probably leaned towards boy more often than girl.

So the technician began the exam, taking the necessary measurements as she went, pointing out the baby's features and explaining the blurry blob images to us. I love the technology that allows us to see the baby and watch her movements. The image is often confusing, looking like shapeless inkblots but then will suddenly focus with brilliant clarity and we can see details as tiny as the individual vertebrae of her spine or the separate chambers of her heart. So the technician continued and then suddenly said, "she was right. this baby is a girl" and showed the incriminating evidence that baby had been trying to hide.

Baby also stubbornly refused to show us her face. The technician even had me get up and walk around to see if the baby would change positions and we could get a more clear view. And while she did not change positions, we were able to get a brief glimpse of her little face and could see her eyes, nose and mouth. Her mouth was slightly open and we could see her tongue moving a bit.

I think Butterfly really enjoyed being a part of it and was really well behaved. Sometimes we distracted her with a game on daddy's phone but she definitely watched and understood that the images were pictures of the baby. I especially liked when she giggling declared the "baby was wiggling, silly baby".

So we spent the rest of the evening reveling in the discovery of our third little girl and teasing ourselves about it. We are surprised, excited, grateful, nervous and all of those other wonderful things that come with the windstorm of emotion at the prospect of being a parent again. Here's to another beautiful baby girl!

sweet tooth babies

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I have a serious sweet tooth problem. Hubband, not so much. He's rather have popcorn that pretty much any other treat I could tempt with him. I knew Butterfly inherited my sweet tooth but I hoped Ladybug was more like her daddy. She often picked fruit for a snack or prefers crackers to chips. But since Easter, it's fair to say that the sweet tooth runs rampant.

The girls ended up with quite the haul of Easter candy. The day after Easter, I dumped it all into one large mixing bowl (and it barely fit) and since then, we have been snacking on it. It's generally the first request in the morning and then frequently throughout the day, their hopeful faces and sweet voices asking "Candy? Candy pease?" I put them off until after meals or naptime but its been a fun treat and tasty snack so why not? I get the bowl off the counter and hold it where they can see. Tiny hands paw through the brightly colored wrappers as the girls hem and haw and deliberate. Lately I have to begin a countdown and then slowly start pulling the bowl away to speed up their decision making. Butterfly's favorites is usually the tootsie rolls, Ladybug usually picks a foil wrapped chocolate egg. Once the candy has been devoured, they chirp "tank you!" and run off, back to their dollies, games and other mess making mischief.

oh by the way, remember the famous m&m slogan? "melts in your mouth, not in your hand". not true. at least not for Ladybug and a handful of mini m&ms. Withing minutes, the color from the candy shells transfers from the candy to her hand, staining it in muted patches of color. And while a baby wipe cannot remove the stain, it transfers easily to white door frames and my white bedspread. she thinks her hands are hilarious when colored this way and hides them in her pockets if I try to wash them. of course, she shoves her hands so far into her pockets that it begins to push her pants down, hindering her ability to run away from me. I catch her, tickle her (to get her hands out of her pockets) and win the hand washing battle after all.

bless the boys

Hubband was asked to serve as a leader in the Young Men's organization shortly after we moved here. He worked with the 14-15 years olds and occasionally had them over to our house for activities or planning meetings. Butterfly used to follow them around, insisting on being part of the group. Most of them have little sisters or simply didn't mind apparently because they were good about it. Sometimes they would wrestle and she would stand on the sidelines, sometimes cheering and sometimes rebuking and yelling at them. She even had a few favorites among the group, she would sit on their laps and chatter to them as if they had come just to see her. She called them "her boyfriends". Even Ladybug would join in and beg "cuddle" until she got to sit with them.

This evening, we had the 12-13 year old young men over to our house. Recently, a ward auction was held to help raise money for youth conference this year and we purchased several hours of yard work. So the boys showed up and went to work. The girls insisted I open all the blinds that overlooked the yard and they stood, glued to the windows gawking shamelessly. I know (hope) that it was curiosity of course, rather than the interest I'm sure the future years will bring but it was pretty funny. When the boys were done working, we invited them in for dessert and again, Butterfly insisted on sitting with "her boyfriends".

So tonight, when we knelt to say bedtime prayers, Butterfly included "...please bless us sleep well...please bless the boys...bless the boys again..."

apparently they made an impression on her.

to grandmother's house we go

last weekend, hubband and I dropped the girls off with my parents (knowing we would have a much easier drive and more productive weekend without their help) and headed south to visit my grandma. We arrived late in the evening so after some welcome hugs we crashed for the night. Saturday was a busy day. Hubband went to work in the yard while I helped grandma lay out and piece together two quilts she has been working on. She cut squares while I knelt on the floor and arranged, re-arranged and arranged some more. As we worked, we talked. I had warned her that I wanted to ask her for stories about her childhood and about her life with grandpa. Once upon a time, I asked grandpa if I could interview him formally (it was while my students were also conducting oral history interviews and it inspired me to do the same). He agreed but then I never got around to it and he passed away before I could. So I had asked my grandma if I could talk to her, and listen to her stories. I knew she was reluctant so I tried not to push. But once we started working, it became easier to talk casually as we went.

She told the story of a good looking, obnoxious young man who was tall and handsome but such a tease. They grew up together, attending the same school where he used to pick on her constantly. She described the way he would stand in the middle of the hallway, his arms spanning the narrow hall and refusing to let her pass until she was late for class. As the ticket taker for lunch, he didn't let her in until all the tickets had been collected. She was always the last person allowed in and by then, the only person left that she could eat with was him. At first she claimed that he picked on everyone but admits that in retrospect, he did seem to favor her with his teasing and banter. She told me about their first date and briefly talked about him serving during the Korean War and the relationship that developed through their letter writing. My grandpa was a very attractive young man and my grandma was a beautiful, classy looking young lady. They were a good looking couple and with her stories, I saw this beautiful picture of two young people who were very much in love.

We spent the morning working and talking. During the afternoon, we went on an atv ride, a favorite pastime for her and my grandpa. She took us up to "tv tower" where we could overlook the whole town and pointed out landmarks and described how the town has changed. We drove around town, ran errands and ate a lot of great food. Helping around the house, we occasionally found items that also prompted more stories and hidden talents that I didn't know about. The weekend was short, as hubband had to get home for work and we were eager to see our little girls again but it was a wonderful weekend.