chapter 1, when we met

Today is our six year anniversary. How did we meet? I'm glad you asked...

Once upon a time I was working for the University Housing program. It was to be my third year working there and I was taking over a program within Housing that was really struggling. I came up with a plan to completely rebuild the program and was asked to present the plan to the entire housing staff (100+ employees plus supervisors), including all of the first year staff members at the staff training during the first week of August. Unfortunately, the presentation I gave was not as clear as it should of been, especially to new staff who were unfamiliar with the program's history. So one of the new staff members began asking questions and ending up grilling me, pointing out things I hadn't thought of or poking holes in my master plan. Between the grilling and his incredibly good looks, I didn't do so well. Finally a supervisor stepped in, giving me a chance to go home and figure out more details.

In his defense, he meant no insult. He is brilliant and his mind makes observations and connections and can think things through far before others have even realized the problem.

So the story continues.

The next day, I was helping to host an activity and realized at the last minute that the sound equipment we had rented wasn't working. So we scrambled to collect stereos from staff members that we could use instead. We ended up borrowing equipment from the same employee that had grilled me the day before. My co-worker and best friend (who happened to have a huge crush on him) insisted that we take him out for ice cream as a thank you. (side story, when we went to pick him up, he caught him going from the shower to his room in only a towel. as much as we whipped around and tried not to drool, did I mention he is really good looking?)

So we went out for ice cream and during the conversation, we started to talk about rock climbing. Realizing it was an interest we shared, he invited me to go. Despite the grilling he had given me, the fact that my best friend liked him (she quickly realized he was interested in me and encouraged him) and that I was semi-involved with someone else (he was serving a mission for the LDS church at the time), I decided to go.

We met up with two of his friends to go rock climbing and had a blast. It was casual and fun, he was patient and a good coach. So we had a great time but then had to hurry home so he wouldn't be late for a date with another girl that night. (I know!)

Once school started, I was seeing him almost everyday for work or to just hang out and soon we went on an official date. We went to Cafe Sabor for tasty mexican food and watched a movie (holding hands for the first time!) He didn't kiss me for nearly three months, always being a perfect gentleman and quickly becoming one of my best friends. (our first kiss was during a long walk around campus, holding hands and talking and finally stopping to stand on the University's "A" monument--a significant tradition for students and alumni). Soon I wrote my missionary and told him I was dating someone else.

He invited me home for Thanksgiving, at first because I wasn't going to be able to go home but then because we wanted to be together. (That was the weekend we knew we were dating exclusively.) And then he met my family over Christmas. We continued dating and spent a lot of time rock climbing or snowboarding, watching movies, going for long walks or studying together. (he studied a lot more than I did).

By the end of April, we were officially engaged. We had an 8 week engagement of whirlwind wedding plans and then a blissful wedding day and are now living happily ever after. (more or less) :)

things that make me smile

the way my little girls sat at the piano last night, each opening their storybooks and setting them on the stand. Then they used one hand to conduct the music while the other hands played on the keys and they each sang their own songs.

when sitting in a quiet moment at a funeral while the speaker shared a tender story, Ladybug heard the rustling of the bag of M&Ms and shrieked (at full volume), "CANDY!"

the way my little girls spent the better part of an hour circling up a ramp, and over to the two steps from which they would sing "jump a candlesticks!" and jump down before racing off to go up the ramp again.

shopping with my girls. Ladybug likes to pick up things off of the racks and move them to a different rack, one by one. Butterfly likes to pick out clothes for the new baby.

the way Butterfly becomes instant best friends with any other kid at the park. and how she discovered rolling down the hill.

that the best way to buy ten minutes of peace and quiet is to let the girls use my phone to watch home movies of themselves.

watching Butterfly "chomp" on ribs, smear bbq sauce from ear to ear and proclaim it "tasty good!"

the way Butterfly tucks herself into my bed for a nap. with the white comforter pulled up over her shoulder and her beautiful curls spilling across a white pillow, she looks like an angel.

that Butterfly came upstairs in the morning and was genuinely upset that she missed the bus to take her to school. (she has never attended school, nor rode a bus)

that Ladybug has been refusing to wear pants for almost a month now. no matter how cute or even if I let her pick them out, she will take the pants/shorts/skirt off and hide it so she can run around with bare legs for the rest of the day.

Ladybug threw a tantrum and while laying on her belly, managed to start sliding herself backwards across the hardwood floor. this made her giggle and turn into an awkward walrus as she flopped and slid on the floor.

the way the girls took turns blowing bubbles on each other's bellies last night and laughing hysterically at the noise it made.

Ladybug's ever increasing vocabulary including phrases of unknown origin, "hey, check it out!", "hey what's up?" or chastising her big sister for jumping on the bed.

racing to get daddy kisses when he comes home from work.

quote of the day

"Mommy, can we go for a drive? The car needs exercises." -butterfly

"Hey, what's up?" -ladybug (not that its especially clever or funny, its just her new favorite phrase...which she says over and over and over... Another new favorite, "hey check it out!" No idea where she picked up either phrase but its especially cute coming from someone so tiny)

naked pizza

Sunday afternoons are wonderful at our house. Church tends to be chaotic, noisy and exhausting (after all, we have children). So after church we dash home, stuff some lunch in the kiddos and take long, relaxing naps.

But the post church routine was especially ...entertaining... today. We got home from church and stripped the girls out of their beautiful Sunday dresses as I reheated leftover pizza. I told the girls that if they ate their pizza they could have a special treat--chocolate cupcakes. Realizing what a mess this would be, I announced we would be having naked pizza for lunch. Squealing with excitement, they sat down (wearing only panties or a diaper) and began to eat their pizza. Daddy soon joined (fully clothed) and provided the cheetos. (we did add orange juice if that helps to redeem the nutrition value a little bit) Soon, Ladybug was finished and received her "cuppy-cake". With a huge smile, she poked at it, tasted it, licked it and finally I pushed it onto her face just enough that she would take a bite. With renewed appreciation, she devoured it (without using her hands). Butterfly joined her in the cupcake eating chaos, stuffing their mouths, feeding bites to daddy, sharing frosting "nose kisses", licking crumbs off the table and generally making a much bigger mess than I ever thought necessary or even possible.

After our lunch of pizza, cheetos and cupcakes ("mom of the year", right here!), we decided to clean them up the same way most parents logically would: I told them to go get in the pool. The small wading pool was still set up and filled from yesterday so the girls ran outside, stripped off their panties and diaper and jumped into the pool. They splashed and squealed and climbed in and out but generally managed to clean off most of the frosting and cupcake mess. But then our "naked pizza" turned "naked cupcakes" turned "naked pool party" turned into more naked activities as Ladybug insisted on driving her push car, watering the flowers, swinging in her swing and petting the kitty, all completely naked. Meanwhile Butterfly retrieved her ball and took it back to the pool to play. And then eventually the kid sized picnic table managed to appear in the pool as well (daddy may have helped) and the girls used it for naked jungle gym.

Eventually they were clean so we herded them out of the water and now they are napping peacefully. (and fully clothed).

Happiness is a Choice

We had our Relief Society Summer Salad Social this month. For some reason unknown to me, I was asked to be the speaker. I'm certainly not an expert on the topic and regularly make fun of how I struggle with "the 5 o'clock blues". So I did some reading and some thinking and these are the thoughts I put together...

Happiness is a Choice!

1. Let it be an attitude and not governed by our emotions
--a. “shake off the mad”
-----i. While babysitting my 5 year old niece, I put her on timeout for a tantrum. I told her she would have to just shake off these mad feelings before she could play. A few minutes later, I saw her thrashing her arms and legs. I asked what she was doing and she replied “I have to shake off the mad”.
--b. Choose your thoughts
--c. Let go of judgments, it only fills you with bitterness
--d. Live in the present, let go of the past
--e. The power of compliments!
-----i. Accept graciously
-----ii. Give often, but give sincerely

2. What are your expectations?
--a. Being happy isn’t constant euphoria but accepting ups and downs. We know we are to be tested in this life. Enjoy the ride.
-----i. President Gordon B. Hinckley has written: “I am an optimist! … My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life, we ‘accentuate the positive’” (Standing for Something [2000], 101).
--b. Be satisfied, find beauty in the things around you
--c. What is most important to you? Big things and little. Acknowledge and appreciate.
-----i. Close your eyes and think about the things most important to you. Commonly family, career, etc. Think about the small things too. Calling mom for advice, having husband change the oil in my car, kids eating dinner without a fight. If these were gone, how much we would miss them. Acknowledge and appreciate.

3. Live the gospel
--a. Alma 41:10 that “wickedness never was happiness.” And “those who keep commandments unto end shall dwell with God in state of never-ending happiness”, Mosiah 2:41
--b. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 255–56).
-----i. Happiness isn’t just something God gave us to make life more bearable at times. It’s the purpose and what life should be!
--c. “We can feel happiness every day in our lives through little things we do, and we are fully happy as we keep the commandments of a loving God.” –Elder Claudio Costa
--d. Elder Richard G. Scott said: “Your joy in life depends upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His holy Son, your conviction that their plan of happiness truly can bring you joy” (“Finding Joy in Life,” Ensign, May 1996, 24).

farewell my friend

Once upon a time, I was wandering through REI picking out things we needed for our upcoming adventure. We would be travelling through Europe for six weeks with a backpack and train pass. It was an amazing adventure.

As we shopped, I passed a rack of sandals on clearance for ten dollars. They looked comfy, were a reputable brand and were cute. Needing no further convincing, I bought them. And then I wore them all over Europe, through musems and historical sites and battle fields. The supportive tennis shoes I brought were forgotten and left in the backpack. These sandals and I were a perfect pair. I worn them for hours on end and on all kinds of terrain. My end-of-summer tanlines were so dark they could be seen until spring. Since then, they have been my favorite shoes and despite my large collection, these are the ones I wear everywhere. Stylish enough to wear with slacks, comfy enough to wear to the pool, I love them.

I bought them four and a half years ago and now, I admit with a great sense of loss, that they are wearing out. The soles have no grip left and are so worn through that I can see the straps from the bottom. So farewell my dear friends, I think its time for you to be retired.




Don't worry, I've ordered a new pair to arrive on Friday.

10 years since high school

I graduated from high school exactly ten years today. I remember the date because 1, I felt on top of the world and 2, my brother called from my future university to tell me it was snowing. Ten years doesn't seem very long ago and yet I feel like graduation was several lifetimes ago. So in tribute, since then I:

Earned a bachelors degree in history and theatre education

Met and married my amazing husband

Held several jobs to put myself through school, most commonly waiting tables and working for the university's housing program

Enjoyed a brief (3 year) career of teaching high school at one of the best schools in the country

Have had 2.7 beautiful, brilliant, sweet and talented daughters

Owned two homes, eleven cars and four cats

Traded living in a bustling city by the beach for a quiet town in the mountains. Traded surfing for snowboarding and became more domesticated than I expected. I love cooking, scrapbooking and sewing. And when not pregnant, rock climbing.

Visited thirteen countries and much of the US

Spent a lot of time doing theatre (acting, choreographing, teching and attending)

Spend a lot of time with family (both mine and my husband's, most of whom live within two hours of us)

Now I spend most days in a home more beautiful than I ever expected, playing with two little girls more amazing than I ever imagined and with a husband more exceptional than I can describe. I am very blessed.

Yellowstone Highlights

We had an awesome weekend camping with the family in Yellowstone. We stayed at the KOA in West Yellowstone, which despite being very soggy (our site was under water until three days prior) was a great place for us to stay. The girls loved the playground and it was only a few miles to the park entrance. We borrowed a trailer from my husband's parents and the girls were thrilled, they thought it was such an adventure to stay in the trailer. The trailer folded out to be pretty spacious inside and kept us plenty warm and comfortable. The girls slept great through the trip and we cooked up some pretty awesome meals. And by "we", I mean my husband who is the ultimate grill master. I think his finest moment was grilling kabobs to perfection while standing in the rain and holding Ladybug in one arm. He's magic.

The drive itself was long but the girls did great. We kept stocked with snacks, books and movies. Ladybug was best pacified by daddy as she frequently begged "daddy, cuddle! Hold my leg!" So as he drove, he reached one arm back to hold her little leg and making her happy and content once more. My favorite was when they fell asleep mid-action, like when Ladybug fell asleep reading her book and it lay open and covering half of her precious face. Or when Butterfly was drawing on the activity sheets given to her by a park ranger and fell asleep with pencil still in hand. There's a slight possibility that I took as many pictures of them in the car as anything else.

We saw a ton of buffalo! Butterfly would get excited and point them out. Ladybug would moo at them. The best was when several decided to wander across the road and hold up traffic for awhile. A massive buffalo passed in front of a prius and I'm pretty sure the buffalo was so big he could have just stepped over the car. We also saw elk (females only) as well as deer, geese, swans and chipmunks. No moose or bears. :( They were probably hiding from all the tourists.

On the first day, we drove the lower loop. We visited Old Faithful since it's such an icon of the park. I just barely missed one eruption as I waited for Ladybug to finish her nap in the car but we caught up with the family and waited for the next one which was scheduled at 1:31. At 1:44, the geyser began to steam. At 1:48, it finally began to spit some water. At finally at 1:55, the big eruption came and lasted almost ten minutes. Impressive, but not what I'd call faithful. :)

We also stopped at the very smelly mud volcano (bubbly mud, bring your cameras for sure) and the much prettier Beryl Springs. But my favorite for the day was visiting the Lower Falls. We ended up parking in a bad spot and ignorantly chose to hike down to the viewpoint (not recommended, especially if pregnant and with a stroller) but the walk was totally worth it as the falls are magnificent.

On the second day we drove to Mammoth to see the terraces there. I was disappointed that it wasn't as impressive as the iconic pictures I had seen but it was still pretty and fun to find the formations and water pools. Daddy took the girls on a short hike while I lounged for a bit. When we had waited for Old Faithful, Papa joked about throwing clams in to steam and trying to catch them when it erupted. The kids were confused so he explained that the geyser was so hot that it could cook hotdogs. So when daddy took the girls on a walk through the Mammoth Terraces, Butterfly pointed out the steaming pots, asking for hot dogs and chicken nuggets. He told me about it later, confused at what she meant but I think she's pretty genius to remember and put it together.

We also saw the Golden Gate Bridge (and its beautiful waterfall) and stopped at the Norris Basin. We only wandered briefly at Norris since it was getting cold and late in the day but we saw the Emerald Pool and the Steamboat Geyser. While we walked, crows attacked our cooler which was sitting in the back of the truck and actually pecked through the plastic cup holders to get at the remains of our lunch. I showed the cooler to Butterfly and told her what happened and now she tells all birds that they're naughty. :) I wish we could have stayed another day to wander the Lower Basin and see the geysers there and visit places like the Paintpots and Fairy Falls.

Driving around the park is beautiful. I loved seeing the trees and spotting the animals. We noticed repeatedly that the bark was missing on the lower portion of the lodgepole pines and had to do a little sleuthing (mostly for our own entertainment) to find out what was eating it. But evidently the buffalo rub against the bark to help shed their winter coat and that causes the unsightly bare patches on the poor trees.

The weather was not great. The first day was gray and soggy and colder than expected (but then again, I'm pretty sure Yellowstone only has nice weather for about three weeks of the year). The second day started wonderfully with blue skies and sunshine but it got chased off by a storm that lasted through the evening and all night. When we woke up on our last morning, the sun was shining again but it wasn't enough to dry out the four inch deep puddles all over our campsite.

Truly, one of the best parts of the whole trip was just hanging out with cousins through. My girls followed their cousins around the whole time. They especially loved playing in the park and on the swings together. Then on the last morning we were there, Grammy rented a six-passenger bike and everyone took turns going for a ride. My two little girls sat up in front (where there were no pedals for their too-short legs) and squealed and smiled as they rode around the camp.

quote of the day

Me: "I think you're being a little snot."
Her: "I'm a princess."
Me: "you're being a snot today."
Her: "PRINCESS snot."

100 days to go

says my little baby countdown clock. but that's a countdown to my actual due date and I suspect we won't make it quite that far. so really, we have slightly less than 100 days to go. part of me is celebrating. part of me is panicking. and part of me is confused, how did it go so fast? this little one will make her arrival in three months and I feel very unprepared. things to do:

prepare baby stuff--sorting and washing baby clothes, replacing things that are worn out, reassembling/cleaning the bassinet and car seat, stocking up on baby essentials

prepare for baby's birth (we took classes when anticipating our first which was a great experience but something we don't really feel is necessary to do again. but still, I feel like I need to spend some time relaxing and practicing the techniques we used and will use again for labor, especially since I choose not to have an epidural I feel like I need to prepare myself)

family vacations and a "babymoon"--spend extra time with the girls and family and have a get away for just me and daddy before baby comes

construction and cleaning--the basement is still torn up from the water damage. construction should begin soon and we will hopefully be able to finish a few other little projects at the same time. and then the house needs a good deep cleaning before we bring a new baby home. but since I'm rather large and useless these days, I'm not much of a help for anything.

potty train Ladybug--hopefully but maybe not. Especially since she is now scheduled for surgery, that doesn't leave much time to potty train and have adequate time to reinforce it. I worry that if she isn't doing really well with it by the time the baby comes that she will regress (either to compete with baby for attention or simply because I'm not helping her as much as I should) and then it will take longer and be more frustrating than if we had just waited longer.

pick a name for baby3! we're working on it and have talked about several that we both like but don't feel strongly about it yet. I did promise the grandmas that she will have a name before we leave the hospital. (Daddy suggested we use the white board in our hospital room to take suggestions and then just throw a dart before we leave.)

stay off bed rest as long as possible. I'm already trying to be more careful and spend more time sitting or laying down throughout the day. It makes me feel incredibly lazy but its better than early contractions.

little miss mimic

It's another nickname for our Ladybug as she loves to play shadow to her big sister. It rained lightly this evening and after it stopped, we were outside admiring the rainbow. Then the two of them took off running down the street (with daddy walking close behind), leaving adorable little footprints as they went. At our next door neighbor's house they spent nearly twenty minutes giggling like crazy as they ran up the steps, across the porch, down the driveway, across the sidewalk and up the steps again. Lap after lap, they ran and giggled with Butterfly in the lead and Ladybug close behind. Everytime Butterfly stopped to touch a flower, Ladybug followed. Whenever Butterfly threw herself at daddy's legs for a quick hug, Ladybug followed. It was wonderfully cute.

Our "little miss mimic" moments happen a lot and are especially cute when Ladybug is obviously just following big sister with no understanding of the action itself. She mimics reading books, dancing, singing, climbing things she shouldn't, being sassy, putting on dress ups, etc.

But ironically, the big thing that happened today is kind of a mimic as well. Or at least was something Butterfly had to go through and today we realized Ladybug will too. We met with an ENT today at the recommendation of our pediatrician who is concerned about how often Ladybug has been sick lately. Since September, she has constantly been congested with some kind of ear infection, eye infection, sinus infection or cold to go with it. She also snores regularly and often has breathing patterns that suggest sleep apnea. The ENT we saw is wonderful. He's not a pediatric ENT but well known for working with kids so we were grateful to be able to see him again. He's actually the same doctor that we saw with Butterfly for tubes and an adenoidectomy, which is exactly what he's recommended for Ladybug as well.

So here's your medical lesson for the day. Adenoids are behind your sinuses and similarly to tonsils, are important for filtering germs and bacteria, particularly in babies and children, until their immune system strengthens. As the immune system takes over, adenoids really have no purpose, typically shrinking and disappearing by teenage years. Sometimes adenoids can become enlarged, blocking the nasal passages (which explains the snoring) or can become colonized with bacteria (which explains being sick so often). As for eustactian tubes, its a small tube (picture a grain of rice but hollow and with the ends cut off) that is placed in the ear drum to create an opening from which fluid can drain. The fluid is caused by congestion (among other things) and can become infected causing pain and if left untreated, hearing problems. Ladybug has had a couple ear infections recently but usually mild. But the doc is concerned that the fluid (which shouldn't be there anyway) behind her ear drums is especially thick and won't be able to drain on its own. He also said her tonsils don't look too great either but she's too young to treat those so we'll just watch them for now. The tubes and adenoidectomy are done at the same time under general anesthesia. It's an outpatient procedure with minimal risk and a very short recovery.

Since Butterfly had this same procedure, I feel like I know what to expect and am less apprehensive. (Butterfly was actually hilarious after taking the oral sedative, super loopey and giggly until they took her in for the surgery and knocked her out with anesthesia. The bad part was when she first woke up, upset and obviously uncomfortable. Fortunately that wore off fast and she was full of energy again by that same evening.) The surgery will probably be in about a month and we're hoping to have the same kind of no complications/quick recovery with Ladybug too.

munga munga

We went to DisneyWorld recently and one of the most important items we took with us was our kid leash. yep, that's right, we use a leash on our children. Don't judge. Too much can happen but the biggest likelihood was one of them simply wandering off as they followed something of interest or ducking away through the crowd faster than we could follow when something caught their attention. So we kept one little girl in the stroller and one little girl on a leash. Some people glanced at us with disdain (these are the people who have never have children) and some people laugh and ask us where we bought it.

The leash we have is really cute. It's worn like a backpack with a chest harness and looks like a monkey with a long tail. He's soft and cuddly and the girls would actually fight over getting to to wear it. In the hotel, they carry it around and cuddle it like a baby doll.

During the trip, Ladybug started saying "munga munga!", which she said with great excitement and usually bouncing up and down. It took us awhile to figure out what it meant so we started calling her "munga". She thought this was a great nickname and would giggle every time. Eventually we figured out that "munga" means monkey and more specifically, is a reference to the monkey backpack/leash.

But since then, our obsession with monkeys has grown. Recently I asked Ladybug what we should name the baby and she told me "munga". This morning I asked Butterfly and she told me "munga" as well. I do not agree that this is a fitting name for a baby girl but if baby's use of my lower ribs is any indication of her personality, nicknaming her after a monkey sounds pretty accurate.

The girls even picked out an outfit for the new baby (completely on their own, I did not encourage them at all). It was only available in a newborn size (which means she will get to wear it once) but it was so adorable and the girls were so excited that I couldn't resist. It's a pink sleeper (with matching hat and bib) decorated with what else? Monkeys.

for sale

this has been a long week without daddy. and with no playroom. and with my ever increasing, pregnancy induced laziness. But we survived. However, I did seriously consider listing my children on ebay. Or perhaps craigslist (to save on shipping). I have since reconsidered and am now working on a timeshare idea. That way I can enjoy them but then rent them out a week at a time. That way I might actually get something done, get a decent night's sleep and even start to miss them occasionally. It's brilliant.

random stories of the week:

the girls were playing in my room while I finished cleaning up the kitchen. Suddenly, Ladybug appears, completely naked--not even a diaper but trailing the ever present blanket. She stopped as soon as I spotted her and lifted up her hands and asked, "what happened?"

the new favorite pretend game of the week is "Primary" (mimicking her church nursery class). Butterfly pretends to set the table with a snack and then her and Ladybug sit to eat. Then Butterfly leads singing time, then says something about Jesus and then pretends to pass our stickers.

Last night, Ladybug climbed into my bed (as usual) sometime between 2 and 5 am. But then Butterfly must have had a nightmare and she came to my bed too, crying and asking to cuddle. But I already had a sleeping Ladybug on my right shoulder. So instead of going around to my other side, Butterfly climbed in and cuddled up against her sister. The best part was that she took Ladybug's arm and held it, cuddling Ladybug's hand against her cheek as she slept.

we cleaned out the closet in the nursery. It's a chore I've been putting off but the chaos is making me crazy. So we sorted and re-organized. Well, mostly I sorted and reorganized while the girls tried to put on every dress they could find. It was a parade of Sunday dresses, starting with the 6 month sizes that they couldn't even get over their heads.

another cute moment was when Butterfly was laying on the floor and Ladybug laid down, using Butterfly's belly as her pillow. Ladybug opened a book and jabbered (I assume reading her a story) and ended each book with "Amen, go sleep!"

the girls discovered my bathtub. obviously they knew it was there but for some reason it has suddenly become a favorite place to play. It's a large and deep jacuzzi tub. So they pretend bathe (fully dressed) and play with their dolls and have tea parties and cook, etc, all in the bathtub.

We had some of the scouts at our house one evening this week and I made dessert for them (make waffles using chocolate cake batter and then build ice cream sundaes on top). There were two extra waffle cakes left sitting on the table when I walked the boys to the door to send them home. When I returned to the kitchen, Ladybug was sitting on the table, scarfing down chunks of cake. She saw me and knew she had been busted. She squealed and scampered off the table to hide.

we realized that moving the tv to our bedroom has been very bad for our productivity levels. I don't think we got dressed before 11:00 even once this week. (shh, don't tell daddy.) the girls come to my room in the morning and we cuddle in bed to watch cartoons. It's wonderful. Our favorites are "Mesame" Street, WordWorld and Strawberry Shortcake. (Ladybug says "rawberrycake!")

I changed the background on my phone to a new picture of daddy with his girls. Ladybug knows how to turn my phone on so she steals it away from me, unlock it and squeals "daddy!" And then kisses his picture. Butterfly used to steal pictures of daddy off of my scrapbooking desk and carry them around, hugging them and kissing them and insisting on showing them to everyone saying "my daddy". They'd finally wrinkle and tear and she'd have to steal a new one.

We had a playdate with Grammy and Papa at the park. Ladybug climbed the tall slide and went down, over and over. Butterfly really liked running and jumping on the bridge. But their favorite part was begging Papa to help them across the monkey bars. He held them up and they moved their hands from rung to rung, not actually trying to swing though and just let Papa carry their full weight. Then they dragged Grammy to the top of the tall twisty slide and made caravan trains with her to slide down.

I asked the girls what we should name the baby again. Butterfly told me "baby". Ladybug told me "munga", which is her word for monkey.

...all these stories make them sound really cute and charming, so why my resolve to put them on ebay tonight? Parenting is hard! Especially when daddy isn't home to help relieve me in the evenings. These wonderfully cute, full of energy, mischievous little monsters have been bouncing off the walls lately and I feel especially lazy. When I've accomplished nothing else, I defend myself by saying "hey, I made a kidney today". It's not really fair to blame my lack of productivity on the baby (sorry baby) and hopefully I can will myself to step it up.

baby in my tummy

We are a little bit obsessed with the baby in my tummy. And by "we", I mostly mean Butterfly. She is convinced there is a baby in her tummy too ("it's a little baby") and likes to announce this as often as possible--at church, the park, the store, etc. Fortunately she's 3 and no one takes her seriously. The other fun thing lately is that she feels the need to ask every woman we met if there is a baby in her tummy too. Usually she woman can glance at me and realize that the question is not a suggestion about her weight but is just innocent curiosity. But every once in awhile, I worry that she might have offended someone and am quick to explain our baby obsession. I suppose it's not all that different from when I was five and asked a black lady at the store why she was made of chocolate.

More and more, Ladybug loves the baby too and wants to cuddle the baby (meaning my belly) or kiss the baby. The problem is, she likes to pull my shirt up and out of the way before offering her kisses and that tends to get awkward in public. But I really love the way my girls are getting excited about the baby and press their hands to my belly. Butterfly occasionally asks if she can hold the baby and if the baby is ready to come out yet but accepts the explanation that the baby has to grow bigger first. She did ask once how the baby will get out. Since we are not near ready for THAT conversation, I told her that mommy will go to the hospital and the doctor helps the baby come out. Fortunately, she accepted that.

Baby is doing well. I feel her move more and more and she's starting to push on my ribs (bleh). The doc's office called yesterday with my official test results from last week to confirm that I did pass the glucose screening (yea!) and express concern that despite taking an iron supplement, I'm still testing anemic (boo) so I need to be more careful with my diet. I've been lucky this pregnancy though and have far less food aversions that with the previous two pregnancies. My other great downside that I have to admit is contractions. For some reason, my body insists on having these early contractions that aren't really painful, just uncomfortable. They are no threat to the baby at this point and don't necessarily mean anything, but they're certainly obnoxious. I was surprised they started so early this time and expressed concern to the doc. He gave some advice about monitoring and limiting my activity but assured me it's not too uncommon.

June 6th

June 6th is the anniversary of D-Day, the largest invasion in modern history and a monumental moment in WWII. As a high school US History teacher, I got to give my students a glimpse of this moment. It was one of the few lectures that I actually practiced, wanting to be able to mix the facts, figures and statistics into a very real, honest and powerful presentation. I wanted to be a master storyteller, like my dad. This way, not only will they learn the history but hopefully they can feel just a bit of the emotion.

I imagine most people don't realize what today is, just as I never stop to analyze the stock market or rarely appreciate the detailed engineering of a machine, but the historian in me reflects on this day each year with a great deal of appreciation and emotion. I think about the statistics, the plans, the execution and the aftermath. I think about the little stories that make it more real--about the individual people that were a part of it or the side stories and facts that played significant roles in the Allies' success of that mission. And I also realize and reflect that "D-Day" was a brief moment in a long and costly war that changed the world.

I studied WWII extensively and in teaching, often felt inadequate to convey the power and emotion that I feel we should take from it. Even still, I feel such a connection to it and such an urgency to remember and honor this day and its many heroes. The servicemen and women who represent America and its ideals, whether in past or present are incredible heroes. Since WWII, our wars have become more confusing and our targets or enemies become more vague. Perhaps one of the reasons I enjoy studying historical wars more than current is because I find the ideals easier to understand and the circumstances are more black-and-white. But no matter what, our military and the many family and friends supporting them are heroes that we honor and especially for today, that is something I want to remember.

raining

Yesterday was a beautiful day! It was warm, the sun was shining and the skies were beautiful. We spent most of the day working outside, pulling weeds, building our new grow boxes and planting a vegetable garden. It was a long, sunny, wonderful hardworking kind of day. We used the exterior hose to water the newly planted garden, looking forward to winding down and relaxing for the evening. I stepped back inside the house and hear Butterfly crying and screaming that it was raining and the water is going to get her. Strange, since she was inside the house watching Sesame Street while we were finishing up. I dash downstairs to investigate and discover water pouring from the light fixtures in the ceiling and starting to create other obvious bulges and puddles in the ceiling. I ran back up the stairs calling for daddy, he turns the water off while I comfort two little girls and let daddy deal with the mess.

Our insurance company immediately sent a team to come check it out. This is especially impressive because these two young men drove an hour to our house, arriving at 7:30 on Saturday night and then played disaster crew until midnight. They removed all the furniture (including a water laden sofa) pulled up all the carpet and removed the ceiling (discovering the culprit--a broken pipe). I escaped with the girls to a wonderful outdoor concert with (and featuring) family. After I clarified a water pipe had broke and not my "water" had broken (i am pregnant after all), we settled in for some music, playtime with cousins and some late night dessert while the disaster crew went to work.

We finally went home where Butterfly insisted on seeing "the boys" and telling them hello and thank you. Then we let her sleep on the couch in our bedroom, away from the noisy fans and the mess (still claiming the water was going to get her).

So that was our adventure of the day. The damage to our personal belongings is fortunately minimal (the house being less fortunate) and plumbing and construction is already scheduled. The downstairs will be generally out of commission for awhile so daddy moved the tv and some toys to our bedroom upstairs and the girls think its awesome to watch movies while laying in bed.

Well, "when it rains, it pours!"

'tails

Butterfly was less than six months old when her soft wispy baby hair was long enough to put into two tiny half pigtails on top of her head. She was born with a thick mohawk so that part was always long and full but it took longer to fill in on the sides. Her perky little pigtails were adorable, curling over like miniature palm trees. But her hair grew fast and soon they became tiny ringlets. My favorite was when I would cuddle her for her bedtime bottle. With one hand, she held the bottle tight while the other hand reached up to twirl her own pigtails.

Ladybug's hair was not as long but was thicker and more even filled in at birth. So her wispy strands have grown out more evenly in length. The texture is so completely different. Instead of coarse and curly, hers remains downy soft and straight. By her first birthday, I could fashion two tiny half pigtails atop her head (more like antennas than pigtails but still adorable). And more recently, her hair is long enough for all of it to be tucked into little pigtails. It doesn't form ringlets like her big sister but gathers is a soft curve that curls under at the ends. She loves her hair this way and will even ask me to do her hair in the morning. First I comb and gel Butterfly's curls and then Ladybug steps onto the stool asking "tails?" So it's become a new favorite nickname for her. This morning in music class we sang the hello song and each child gets a turn to say their own name. When it was her turn, she said "tails". I'm not sure if she was calling herself that or wanted us to sing hello to her pigtails.

As a side note, another recent favorite nickname is "shark bait". Finding Nemo has been a favorite movie lately plus she loves her Nemo picture books that we keep in the car. So she asks for Nemo frequently. And now if I call to her "shark bait!", she whips her head around with a giggle and recites "ooh ha ha!"

24 weeks

And in the world of being pregnant, we has our 24 week check up. Baby3 is measuring on schedule (ps, I'm already huge) and her heartrate was in the 140s (perfect for her age). I passed the glucose screening (passed with baby1 but failed with baby2 so I was a little nervous. The stuff you have to drink is vile. Claiming it tastes like a flat soda is like telling a kid their medicine tastes like bubble gum--while the flavor helps, it still tastes like medicine. Now imagine chugging a bottle of it when you're already nauseous. Bleh.)

Baby3 is active and healthy. She particularly favors the evening for her soccer practice. She's big enough now (over a pound according to my book) that I can enjoy feeling her move and play without being too uncomfortable. I feel pretty good most of the time (especially compared to the nasueated, emotional train wreck that I was during first trimester). My biggest complaint is feeling tired but I suspect that's more because of the two kids than the pregnancy. I feel like this pregnancy has gone much faster than before so I feel a little overwhelmed at the thought of her arriving so soon but I'm sure it won't be long before I start getting impatient. No significant food cravings (but I do regularly want salty stuff or cheese).

We don't have a name for her yet (but then again we probably wouldn't announce it anyway. With our first two girls we came up with a "short list" and even had a favorite for a first choice but wanted to wait until baby was born before we made it official. Partly because we don't want to commit yet, partly because we don't want other opinions to influence us but mostly just because we wanted to meet her first). It's fun to talk about but after two girls already, we are having an even harder time deciding on a short list. Sometimes we ask the girls what we should name the baby. Ladybug said "nemo" but I think she just wanted to watch the movie. Butterfly thought about it and said "dixie lizard". She will not be naming the baby.

Butterfly LOVES the baby. She puts her hands on my belly to feel the kicks and especially likes to "cuddle" the baby (we lay spooning on the couch so the baby can kick against her back which makes her absolutely thrilled). She likes to get out her doctor kit and use the stethescope to "listen" to the baby. My particular favorite is when she sings to the baby. The other day, she even began picking out toys for the baby and setting them aside and then getting mad at Ladybug for trying to play with them.

Ladybug watches her big sister do this and finally she too is showing interest in the baby. Her first acknowledgment was only about a week ago when after watching Butterfly feel for and listen to the baby, she pattered over and put both hands on my belly and giggled. I don't think she gets it yet but she will soon.

Butterfly has also told me my belly button is ugly and that someone scribbled on my tummy. Sad but true.

happy graduation to booga

on Tuesday, my brother graduated from another round of training at the police academy. on the way to the ceremony, I was trying to tell the girls where we were going and we sang "happy graduation to you" to practice the word. the best part was that Ladybug would listen quietly and then chime in with a loud "to booga!" at the end of each line.

So we went to graduation, stocked with coloring pages and snacks and all sorts of things to keep them busy. Unfortunately, they didn't fall for it. They were wiggly and loud and full of energy (and we were sitting on the first row) so we spent a good portion of the ceremony playing outside or standing up in the back. but a couple of favorite moments:

when Butterfly took some gummy bears and ran to the front of the room to share them with her "uncl' booga". He sat quiet, dignified and attentive, looking very handsome in his officer's uniform but still, he smiled, gave her a squeeze and ate the gummy bears before she ran back to me.

getting to share a favorite memory of growing up with booga. We used to play our own version of "maguyver". I would set traps all around his room, mostly things that would make noise or block his path. Then, with the lights off, he would have to enter the room and without any lights or without making any noise, dismantle my traps and reach the opposite wall to untie some poor defenseless barbie doll.

Seeing both girls laying on their bellies, chins propped up on their hands and feet crossed in the air behind them as they watched a slideshow video from the training experiences.

getting to play with cousins. They were especially cute with the "baby" who "needs my help". Ladybug likes to take the baby's binky just so she can look at it and then force it back into baby's mouth. Butterfly likes to read her stories and show her the pictures. Both were disappointed when the baby wouldn't help them color pictures.

after the ceremony, we went to lunch with all our family and had some tasty Mexican food (always a sure bet with my kids since it involves two favorite foods--rice and sour cream). Then I piled the girls in the car and began the long drive home, with both girls sound asleep before I even left the parking lot.