Charlotte's Web

Salutations! The first book for my summer story-time with Juliette was a simple choice...Charlotte's Web. It's one of my very favorites. In fact, Ithink it's just about perfect. The perfect story of friendship. The unlikely companionship of Wilbur and Charlotte so beautifully captures the love and loyalty that make extraordinary friendships so special. The beautiful and poetic descriptions of the changing of the seasons quietly hint at the beauty of the cycle of life. Then there is Fern, the curious young girl who begins this story on a mission of justice for a small pig. There is so much to be found in this wonderful little book. I recently read this with Juliette - our first chapter book together. We would take a chapter or two in the afternoon, during Josh's naptime. As we read it together I loved listening to her thoughts about Wilbur, Charlotte, and Templeton the Rat. I am so happy I had the chance to revisit this jewel of a book from my childhood. What a wonderful way to spend a warm summer day together.

Be different...

Be different...act normal.

As I was wasting my time today reading a parenting magazine (that I only subscribe to because it is free and it has good coupons in it occasionally) I came across an article called "Who wants to be normal anyway?" It talked about how today's family isn't about having a normal setup. You might be the single working mother or the same sex family next door. Unfortunately, only 17% of households in 2010 qualified as "traditional" with an employed male husband, female homemaker and children.

I think people write these types of articles to try and make themselves feel better because deep down, they really know what they are missing out on. There is a reason that you have to have both a man and a woman to create a child together. Now if people would only realize that you need a man and a woman to create a great family together too. So I offer up the challenge to be different...act normal. Because, who wants to be normal anyway? I do!

Naptime

My little love bug is napping and I have an hour and a half before I have to pick Juliette up from school. Do I take a quick nap myself? Or do I put Josh in the jogging stroller and go for a run. Maybe I should finally hop in the shower and get dressed for the day? Or do I finish the laundry, or start making dinner?

Such is my daily dilemma.

Breakfast in bed

Juliette woke up today at 8:00 am sharp - as usual. I told her she could go watch some tv while i tried to get a few more minutes of sleep after being up four times during the night. I can never really go back to sleep, but rather lay there half awake listening to what she is doing in the other room. Most of the time I can figure out what she is doing from the little random noises she makes. This morning was no different. I could hear her in the kitchen working on something. I figured she was just getting herself something to eat. A few minutes later I heard her come into my room and put something down and leave. A few minutes later she came back again, standing at the edge of my bed smiling. I rolled over and asked what she was doing. With a proud grin on her face she held up a small blue IKEA bowl holding tuna fish and said, "Mom, I made breakfast for you!" She set it down on my nightstand and ran over and got the bag of tortilla chips she had brought to the room earlier.

I could feel tears in my eyes as I thought about how much thought and effort she put into trying to make me something that she knows I like to eat and that she could figure out how to do all by herself. How did my little Juliette grow up to be such a tenderhearted and independant girl? I hope I will never forget this wonderful moment of having a tuna fish breakfast in bed.

10 months

I haven't been much of a journal keeper lately. But I know that I will want to remember the richness of my life during this wonderful time and it will be fading into the far corners of my mind not too long from now. So here is a synopsis of the little things I am loving right now.

I love that Josh is fully mobile now. He has mastered his crawling (no more belly-flop-sliding crawl) and is off to explore and discover the entire house.

I love that he isn't afraid to be in a room all by himself when I need to leave him for a minute.

I love how he has discovered the toilet paper and will stand there and unroll the entire thing laughing.

I love how he stands up in his crib with a big smile when I come in to get him.

I love how he gets impatient when I don't feed him fast enough. He will smack his hand on the tray of his highchair to let me know he is waiting and that I need to move faster.

I love how he tries to rock back and forth in his highchair when he likes what I am feeding him (until he hits his head and cries.)

I love how Juliette can make him belly laugh while we are riding in the car together and the special bond the two of them have.

I love how he already seems to know how to push Juliette's buttons.

I love that he is happy to have me brush his two little teeth, and always laughs when I do.

I love how he gives me open mouth kisses when he sees somthing that I am eating that he wants.

I love how he likes to sing along with the hymns at church or when I am singing to him before bed.

I love how he tries to help me close the door and turn off the light before he takes a nap.

I love how he grunts and makes little boy noises.

I love how he sucks his lips in and looks like a little old man who forgot to put his dentures in that day.

I love how he kicks his feet in the water to splash when I'm giving him a bath.

I love how he already knows how to smile and ham it up whenever I get the camera out.

I love how he purses his lips together like hw is going to give you a big kiss and then blows and spits.

I love how he is so easy going and will go to anyone and is pretty happy-go-lucky.

Life is good right now. Now if could just get him to sleep through the night again...!

Today

I have never really been a resolutions type of person. But for this new year, I have been feeling like I needed something to keep me grounded as a mother - something to work towards. I guess I can't help it. I think it just comes with this time of year. Everyone seems to be reflecting on their life and chosing things to change or improve.

I love to make lists. I especially love when I can cross things off my list and feel like I have accomplished something. But I don't think that making a long list of things that I need to work on will help me. That type of a list sets a person up for disappointment and would only serve to make me feel guilty all year for the things I didn't do or change.

Lots of women out in the blogging world have the tradition of designating one word to be a sort of motto for the year. This idea has got me motivated for 2011. I have been really thinking about how this could help me, and I really like the idea of chosing one thing that I can appy to all areas of my life.

So, I have decided to pick out my own word. I have been racking my brain about what I wanted my word to be. I wanted it to be a sort of theme for my life and something that I can strive to live for throughout the year. I didn't want to be influenced by what other people have chosen for their word. They were good: simplify, focus, contentment, but they didn't fit into what I wanted or needed.

Then I came across a story about a man who had recently started a diet. He was feeling overwhelmed by the task until he realized that all he had to do was eat right that day. He didn't need to worry about tomorrow or next week. If he had the same determination to eat right today, everyday, then eventually he would meet his goal.

This simple story struck me in a profound way. It all clicked and made perfect sense. I had my word. All I need to do is live the best I can today, and take it one day at a time. Why hadn't I thought of that before? I tend to get overwhelmed so easliy, but if I can just remember this motto of "Today," then I know can make it through anything.

In the words of Bill Keane, "Yesterday's the past and tomorrow's the future. Today is a gift - which is why they call it the present."

Christmas Card Conundrum

Receiving Christmas cards is lots of fun. I especially love the ones that include photos. However, if I am being completely honest, sending cards out is not my favorite thing to do. I enjoy being done with it, but I don’t really enjoy the process of doing it. I get caught up in trying to find that perfect picture to use with the card, and trying to decide what else to include in the cards, how many cards to send, when to send them out, and now, wondering if it is too late to send them out and still get there by Christmas! And not that our friends and family are not worth it, but the cost of the cards and postage quickly add up too. I also wonder how many will be returned with a now outdated address.

This year as I contemplated this Christmas card conundrum, I had an epiphany. Since I always seem to be a day late and a dollar short, I would send out a Christmas card, but it would be one that would work double duty for me. I had already ordered baby announcements for Joshua that never got sent in the busy months following his birth, so why not just use those cards and include an updated family photo for everyone to see how much he has already grown and changed.

I am excited that I will only be sending out one set of cards with this idea and yet will be able to cross two more things off of my ever growing to do list. Merry Chistmas and happy birthday!

Winter Wonderland - Arizona Style

I love being an Arizona native. As I read about horrible weather conditions with blizzards and freezing rain, it makes me even happier that I live where I do and get to enjoy some of the greatest weather in the world.

Palm trees wave, are you listening?
In the pool, water's glistening.
A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight,
Living in a Phoenix Wonderland.

Gone away is the blizzard,
Here to stay is the lizard.
A warm sunny day, we like it that way,
Living in a Phoenix Wonderland.

In the desert we will have a picnic,
Cactus, sand, rattlesnakes and sun.
Christmas dinner is an old tradition,
It's pinto beans and tacos by the ton.

Later on, we'll perspire,
As the temperature rises higher.
A warm sunny day, we like it that way,
Living in a Phoenix Wonderland.

In the desert we don't shovel snow, man.
There's no ice to make us slip and slide.
All the houses here are air conditioned,
So we can all get cold when we're inside.

Later on, if we're wishing,
We can golf or go fishing.
A warm sunny day, we like it that way,
Living in a Phoenix Wonderland.

I'm off to enjoy some sunshine!

Goals for this Christmas

Juliette is finally old enough that she really understands about celebrating holidays and having traditions. Unfortunately, a few days ago when I asked her who we celebrate at Christmas, she replied, "Santa Claus!" I thought long and hard about this and decided that obviously we need to do things a little differently around here.

In spite of what every retailer in America would have you believe, for me, the Christmas season doesn't start until the weekend following Thanksgiving. And this year we are starting the traditon of only four gifts: something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. We still might do a large family shared gift, but that is to be determined.

With that as my goal, the good news is that I am pretty much ready for Christmas. I have realized that if I really want to enjoy the TRUE MEANING of the Christmas season, I must not be standing in line, buying, listing, stressed, annoyed, snappy, away from my family or dragging my family to some crazy busy store, buying, buying, buying! I tried to use the entire year to plan ahead and avoid the crowds, shop in peace and actually find some good deals without having to get up at 3am to go to Walmart. This December will hopefully bring silent nights with peace and joy.

I really would love to have an old fashioned Christmas since I am not in love with the new-fangled kind. I think back to stories my parents told about Christmas when one gift was enough and the focus was more about spending time together as a family, having a holiday meal and enjoying a crackling fire together. It would be nice to have a time filled with sweet moments and anticipation of things to come and less about holiday parties, black Friday sales, loads of meaningless gifts, fancy trees and a million meaningless traditions instead of a few really good ones.

Sometimes I just need a reminder to bring things back to what life is all about. what it SHOULD be about. I have to make little adjustments so that I don't get caught up in all the craziness that I have allowed into my life - distracting and overwhelming me.

I hope this season to stay centered and focused. It is easy to let myself get caught up in the millions of super cute craft ideas, pages of yummy looking recipes, and beautiful decorating ideas that make me want more. There is NO way I can try everything, have my house look like a magazine and stay focused on how I really want my heart to feel this Christmas.

This year I let Juliette help with the decorating. It isn't organized perfectly, but for us it is perfectly beautiful. I know I won't have many years where she will want to help mom do things. The time will come soon enough when I will be wishing I had some little hands to try and hang all the ornaments on one branch of the tree, instead of having the picture perfect Christmas tree.

I love how she set up all our nativity sceans - everyone grouped close together with Mary and Joseph snuggled up next to baby Jesus.

I am excited to create traditions that my children love, like gingerbread house decorating with daddy. But I also need to remember that if we add too many new traditions every year, we will end up with so many they all lose their importance.

Hopefully my efforts will help us concentrate on the real meaning behind this wonderful holiday. With enough little reminders we should be able to have lots of fun and still sweetly celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Insanity

As a stay at home mom, I have recognized lately that a lot of time is devoted to picking up after other people. I think anyone who has children understands this. We all have so much stuff! And if you are not a super organized, OCD person, things don't like to get put away. Every two weeks I start with a fresh slate after the cleaning lady comes, and I have the best intentions of keeping everything clean and organized. But then somehow life gets in the way, toys get scattered and dishes start to pile up. I often wonder how a large kitchen table can become covered in paper and junk in just one afternoon.

So for the past few months I have been reading magazines and blogs about organizing and decluttering your house and life. I always come away filled with a fervor to simplify my surroundings and get rid of half of the stuff in our house.

What I don't understand is my desire to purge the junk in our house and then continue to buy more junk to replace it!

Today I got a catalog in the mail filled with everthing you never knew you couldn't live without. And this month I am afraid to open up these same magazines that I have been reading that tell me how to organize and manage my surroundings, because of their gift guides and lists of things to get for everyone in your life. I always find about 52 new things I want. Of couse I don't NEED any of them, but I feel like I must get a few of them - it is Christmas after all! And at least half of them are for Juliette who doesn't put anything away without my help!

If I could just remember Einstein's definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Oh well, come December 26, I will be complaining about putting stuff away. But as for today, I'm making a great Christmas list!

Catch Up

I'm not talking about the condiment that you put on a hot dog, but rather how I don't know how I am going to catch up on everything that has been going on while I neglected this blog! I know that sometimes it is just better to cut your losses and move on, but there are too many good things that I need to share.

Am I going crazy? I don't know who exactly I need to share them with since nobody but me reads this wonderfully fantastic blog! Maybe that is a good thing, because then people will never realize just how weird I am and just how often I talk to myself.

Anyway, I hope to catch up on all the good stuff by the end of the month. I know I only have two kiddos, but seriously, sometimes I just can't keep up. But it sure is fun trying to.

Primary Program

This is the Sunday that I look forward to all year. Especially this year, since Juliette is now a Sunbeam and was able to participate and have her own part.

As a mother, I have come to realize that there is nothing in this world that is more precious than my children. I feel a great responsibility to love, and teach and guide these special spirits back to our Father in Heaven. And thankfully I have the church and the wonderful members of my ward to help me do this.

Like this lovely woman. This is Juliette and her fantastic sunbeam teacher Sister Portnova. She truly loves these children, so they can't help but love her back.



I am especially thankful for priamry. It is such a special time for kids to learn and grow. It is where they really start to learn about Jesus, but they also begin to learn about other gospel principles and concepts too. They learn about commandments and covenants and what they must do to return to live with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.



This is especially true in the children’s music that they learn and sing. And I didn’t realize this until this year when my daughter became a sunbeam in primary. Not many years ago the primary songs were about manners and being kind and giving. In my Primary days, we sang songs like Give, Said the Little Stream —and it is certainly sweet and motivating but not exactly theologically heavy. But that is not the case anymore. Now children are taught songs that teach gospel principles, songs that remind them of the things they should be dong. Today’s children sing wonderful songs that are more spiritually focused. And what a wonderful thing this is. Because as Pres. J Reuben Clark said, “We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.”

This year as the primary children presented their program I was surprised at the beautiful things they taught us through their music. These children learn a hymn from the hymn book each year, and this year it was “Come Follow Me.” They learn songs about knowing that their Savior loves them, about the Holy Ghost as a comforter, and about the plan of Salvation. Elder Boyd K Packer said, “If we will listen, they are teaching the gospel, for the hymns of the Restoration are in fact a course in doctrine.”

I love that my four year old daughter can understand and know about the entire plan of salvation because she learned a song called He sent His Son. I know that these gospel principles she is learning about will stay with her through her entire life. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” I truly believe this. I think that the things we learn in our childhood stay with us. We may not remember specific lessons we were taught in Primary. But I am sure that all of us can remember countless primary songs and the gospel principles they teach. These messages they teach are remembered for years.

I love that Juliette loves to share and sing what she has learned in primary. One of her favorite cd's to listen to is the primary songs. We sing as we work, and play, and travel together. I know that every time we sing the primary songs together it strengthens her understanding and testimony of the gospel.



This year the primary theme is I know my Savior lives. The children have the opportunity to feel and understand the great love that our Savior, Jesus Christ has for them.

One of my favorite primary songs that the children learned this year is I’m trying to Be like Jesus. I can’t help but stop at the primary room door and listen when I hear them singing this wonderful song.

All of the song they sang this year were wonderful. And as I watched the children performing on Sunday, I was truly amazed. It seemed to me that they were not just singing; they were declaring their determination. Jesus Christ was their example. To be like Him was their fixed goal. And their eager looks and their shining eyes convinced me that they have no doubts. They expect to succeed. And they will.



Juliette was amazing. She knew all the words to every song and sang with joy. She didn't hesitate to get up and say her part. She said, "Moses was called by God to lead the people out of Egypt." She also got to sing the Noah verse of Follow the Prophet as a solo with a few other girls in the ward. I am so proud of her.

I hope that she will always remember the simple yet profound principles she learned as a child in primary. The words and melodies of Primary songs may be simple, but the message and the power of each one are clear.

I'm a mom! Now what?

I reacently had someone ask me the question, What should every first time mom know?

This made me think back to the time I was nearing my due date with Juliette. I had read several books, registered at Babies R Us, had a couple of baby showers and prepared myself in every way that I could think of for the arrival of my sweet baby girl. I awaited the big day with pure anticipation. I could hardly wait to hold my new baby in my arms, and finally be comfortable again. Little did I know how much easier it would be to take care of a baby inside me than outside.

I often wonder if other new moms experiences would be anything like mine. Before the birth of my first baby, I had been alerted by countless people, that I should expect life to never be the same again and that it was going to be really hard, but totally worth it. I felt like saying, Duh! I know! I'm having a baby! But while I received the adivce that things were going to be difficult, I quickly came to realize that they never told me the details of just how hard having a baby would be.

I felt a little betrayed by my mother and sisters. As the youngest child I would have expected a little more forewarning of what to expect. And I'm not even talking about the delivery. At least there were doctors and nurses there to help me and be the expert. I had little to no knowledge about all the little things like engorgement and nursing problems, fatigue and chronic bewilderment, and the total loss of any sense of control I had over my life. I had never before experienced anything like this new life I had signed up for.

A few of the most difficult feelings for me were those of loneliness, a sense that I had to shoulder the burden myself, and utter incompetence. I thought that surely my sisters and mother would laugh at me if they knew what a difficult time I was having. I looked at the women in my family as the pillars of motherhood, and I never saw any of them having the difficulites I was experiencing.

I dreaded every morning when Jeff would leave for work, because then I was forced to be the expert on how to take care of my baby. Some days, the unrelenting dependence of that tiny creature seemed more than I could bear.

Thankfully, I did adjust eventually, and now four years and two children later, I'm happy to report that I no longer find newborn babies to be intimidating. In fact, I think they are wonderful. It is such a sweet time to cherish. (But four year olds...?)

There are so many new, uncomfortable feelings and unique struggles that can come along with a first baby. I don't know if a new mother can ever really know what awaits her. I don't know if there is anything you could say to a new mom to prepare her for both the stress and success that she will feel. It is all part of the motherhood process. It is something you have to experience for yourself. Because there is truly nothing harder or better than being a mother.

I love Vampires

Let me clarify… Stephenie Meyer’s vampires (they are the only ones I know.) They have officially made pasty fashionable. I was completely baffled as a teenager by the fact that many of my friends would turn into bronze goddesses in the sun, and I would end up resembling a tomato. When I did get color it would just be sprinkes of it here and there - those would be my freckles. I have finally come to grips with the fact that my skin doesn’t darken in the sun. In high school I decided to try the so called new and improved self tanners and then quickly decided white was better than Oompa Loompa orange. I will admit that in recent years some of these tan in a bottle have become better - but they only last a day and then rub off on your towel. So I have learned to just own my pastiness and make best friends with SPF. We know that white is delightsome, and now, thanks to sparkly vampires, it’s kinda cool to be pale.

Houseguest

Jeff and I have a thing about having guests stay at our house. Call us unfriendly - but we don't really like people staying with us. So much to my surprise, Sunday morning I woke up to a new houseguest. He has been here for the past four days and I think he is here to stay.

We have been sharing our bedroom with him, which I was worried about. It is a little strange to wake up with someone staring down at you from above, but as long as he doesn't touch me, I think we will get along just fine.

He actually gets along with our family really well. He stays to himself and doesn't make any noise. He also takes care of himself and helps to clean up around the house. So I have decided that he is welcome to stay as long as he wants.

Meet the newest member of our household...

The lost art of canning

It is cool to can. The old-time practice of preserving fresh, homemade food is now a staple for our family.

The thought of canning my own food used to scare scare me half to death. The whole process seemed too daunting, too large. But one day I took the plunge, and I’m so glad that I did. There are so many wonderful recipes to enjoy.

Right now our house is filled with the bounties of the season. Over the past week we have been busy canning. We stocked up on beef, pears, green chilies and mangos. It is wonderful to be able to go to the cupboard and pull out a little bit of summer whenever I feel like it.


I don't think that people realize what they are missing out on. There is nothing better than enjoying the fruits of our homemade labor. And the memories we are making together as a family is just as sweet. Through this process I also feel closer to my ancestors - like I understand some of the efforts they lived and went through. It truly is an art well worth preserving.

Even though Jeff and I have been canning for a few years, it never fails that after we carefully take out the jars, we still anxiously wait for that loud “pop” that lets us know the jars have sealed properly. It is very rewarding activity. And I feel a surge of pride when I look in our pantry and see it well stocked with yummy food and memories.

Go to bed already!

I have discovered something about myself. If I am up working on the computer at night, I have a hard time stopping. I end up being up very late and at the end I find I am not doing anything productive, just killing time doing things like checking random blogs instead of crawling into bed. I don’t understand this. This very minute I am writing a blog post instead of going to bed.

Knowing this about myself, I decided to shift my computer time to earlier in the day so that I don’t get caught online late at night. However, I find that late at night I have the most uninterrupted time. I feel like I actually have Jenny time. So once again I am back in the silly habit of staying up and do nothing once I am done with my day.

You think I would learn from my mistakes. Goodnight!

School Days

Juliette started preschool this week. She is in heaven because she is finally in the four year old class and has the same teachers that Jacob had last year - Mrs. Osborn and Ms. Miller.


I was worried that four days a week might be too much for her. But today she asked me why she couldn't go on Fridays too. I think she enjoys having someone to play with other than mom.

I have been noticing quite a few changes with Juliette lately. She is becoming much more independent and starting to do more things by herself. I can't decide if I like the changes or not. She's growing up and in some ways it's so refreshing to have a child that doesn't require as much assistance. On the other hand, I'm having a hard time giving up some of the control. I'm suddenly seeing flashes of waving good-bye to her from the door while she takes off driving by herself, heading to who knows where with who knows who!


She also has be getting a little too sassy lately. One particularly rough day we called Jeff for a daddy daughter talk. He told her to go to her room and change her pants. Juliette wanted to know why. He then explained that she had her sassy pants on and she needed to change them.

Here is to hoping that school will be the positive influence and change that we need right now.

Summer Hiking

For most of the country, hiking is a great activity to do in the summer. But in Arizona, walking up a mountain in 100+ weather is a little crazy. This summer, we decided to be a lot crazy, and took up hiking as a family activity.





This was our first hike together with Josh. After enduring our first short and sweaty nature walk we got a little smarter and decided to drive up to Pine and hike in the cooler weather. Little did we know that a cold front was moving in that day and the temperature would drop into the fiftys.

Obviously,the weather is never something that stops this family. And luckily the sun eventually came out and it made for a beautiful day.



Juliette found a walking stick to help her keep her balance while crossing the small stream we hiked along.



We even put Juliette to work as our photographer.



We had a great time - especially Juliette. Luckily we remembered to bring a change of clothes for the ride home.



We have enjoyed a few other hikes closer to home since then. And hopefully we can start to get out and enjoy nature a little more without either freezing or getting heat stroke. One of these days we might get it figured out.

Lucky Boys

Juliette: Dad I wish I was a boy so I could pee standing up.

Jeff: Oh really?

Juliette: Yeah, I tried it once and it didn't work too well.

Boys are sure lucky!