Current

It's been a while since I last blogged. Don't worry, it's not because I stopped thinking my amazing thoughts, I have just gotten a little busier.

With Thanksgiving over (too bad, I love pie) and Christmas almost here, I decided it would be a fantastic idea to add something else to my life. I agreed to tend a 2 year-old two and a half days a week. This might make me sound crazy, but I felt like it would be beneficial to Sean and 'learning how to share.' As well as maybe get him to start talking with real words instead of whining. The 2 year-old, we'll call him Trent, speaks very well, reasons too well, and eats like a bird. So hopefully Sean also learns that he doesn't have to eat SO MUCH. It's nice. Trent is mostly very well-behaved and loves to play outside. This gets me out of the house and less annoyed about having to get dressed every day.

So far, Sean has liked having another boy in the house. Especially one who is older and knows how to express himself. He does not like sharing toys, but he's slowly getting used to the idea, so long as Trent doesn't take them from him. I think that they like having a little playmate.

And as long as I get enough sleep, I have enough patience. And that, friends, is a miracle in of itself. But then again, watching Trent is infinitely easier than my nursery class. He actually pretends to listen to me.

I am about 2 presents shy of being done shopping for Christmas. Yay! It's all thanks to Kohl's and finding fantastic deals on Black Friday. Don't worry, I didn't get up until 7:30. And yes, I still got everything I wanted. Including THREE pairs of the most fantastic jeans ever. I'm saving them for a Christmas present for myself, so I hope that I didn't imagine how much I love them and that they are actually as perfect as I remember. I'm really nervous about this. And they aren't from the teenager section, which is a huge step up in my life. I think I feel like a woman now. It isn't likely, but you never know.

on cleaning

Whenever I have somebody coming over to our house, there is typically the cleaning action going on before they arrive. But I've been finding that I don't want my house perfectly clean. I consciously don't clean things. I want my house to look lived in, like we don't just sit on the couch and stare at the wall all day.

When family comes to stay, the house gets a deep clean. Except last time I didn't bother to vacuum the upstairs. When friends come over, there's a surface clean going on. But I will either not dust or not do the dishes or not sweep the floor.

Today's cleanup was inspired by a boy I could potentially tend while his mom works. It's a part-time deal for me. Anyway, I caught myself looking around and thinking "what can I NOT do that will make me look put-together and busy, scheduled but not too scheduled."

I think I'm having a personal rebellion against the need to have everything perfect. And in so doing I am rebelling against the structured life that requires everything to be clean all the time.

Now excuse me while I go vacuum my stairs so I can leave some clutter on them.

Foods.

I am looking for dinner ideas. I feel like part of my brain has died, particularly in the food area and I just need some more variety. In return for yours, I am now sharing mine with you in advance, showing my faith in you.

Stuffed peppers

Penne pasta with mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, chicken, and an italian dressing. Maybe pesto.

Homemade spaghetti

Chicken noodle soup

Baked chicken with mashed potatoes and green beens

Chicken salad

Chicken enchiladas

Alright. That's what I've got. Please share your family's favorites (or, rather, what you've been cooking lately because that's all you feel like making). THANKS!!

mornings bring...

I have discovered that my little boy likes to sleep in the nude.

If ever we put him in bed without pants over his diaper, it is inevitable that we will find him without the diaper when he wakes up. Even when it's those bumGenius diapers that Brian and I struggle getting unvelcro-ed. I'd show pictures, but that's both embarrassing to his teenage self and inappropriate for internets.

And as cute as it is to see his little bum in the morning, this has made for a lot of laundering of sheets.

We are in big trouble when big boy underwear comes later on.

Sean: too big for his britches

So, we've been having some demands made by family for pictures of our darling troublemaker.

Here is what we've been up to:

Sean has been learning the ropes of tennis.
Here, he is watching his dad and Grandpa G play.
I think he's wishing to be big and play with them.

Here's Brian on the left, ready to return a serve.
Sean is realizing that he's at least big enough to hold a tennis ball.

He is definitely big enough to poke the camera lens.
Or try to, anyway.

His favorite position to sleep in.
Classic.

This day he was feeling particularly helpful:

And lest you have been deceived,
this little angel does throw quite the adorable whiney tantrum:

I believe he was wanting a nap. Or the camera.

Learning to feel himself with a spoon:

Success!

He now feeds himself oatmeal and yogurt and anything else he can scoop into a spoon.

Please note my new yellow kitchen walls. Hooray!! Brian repainted them while I took my fateful trip to Arizona that ended in, yes, swine flu. Totally worth it. The trip, not the illness.

Sean's newfound abilities: walking fast, throwing a fit when I won't carry him down the stairs (a little spoiled in that area), throwing rocks, dancing to any song with a fantastic beat, singing to himself in the morning, thinking he knows how to whistle like dad, laughing at nothing, signing: yes, more and please, saying: light, dog, dad, dat (that), why?, what?, where go?, tiddy (kitty), mow (mee-ow), and really whiney sounds, "putting things away," and assembling nesting blocks into the correct box they nest in.

So, in a nutshell, he's smart, talks nonsense, and throws a good fit. But he's also incredibly fun and hilarious, which makes up for the headaches he gives me. It's getting interesting now that he's figuring out the mechanics of things we don't want him getting into. Like the toilet paper roll and the sliding bathroom door. But I just love this kid!

8 Days Ago

Last weekend (first weekend of October) was General Conference. For you folk out there who don't know what that is, well, it's a general conference for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In it, our leaders give talks about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how we can better live it. My favorite ones are found here, here and here.

It was so nice to enjoy church from home, especially while being ravage by whatever flu I had. And I loved being with my husband and child all day long for two days. Mostly. Well, it was until we got tired of being in the house.

Foodwise, General Conference always marks two days of Great Food! I made the most delicious cinnamon rolls I've ever had. I will never ever buy them again. And we brought them over to my in-law's house to enjoy some more after dinner, which I thankfully did not have to make. Thanks Mom G!

And to top it all off, Brian's sister was in town and we got to see her. That always makes a weekend fantastic, but along with everything else I was blissfully happy. It may have been the DayQuil, but the feeling was there.

General Conference weekend is awesome! I'm so glad we get food, family and, best of all, good righteous counsel twice a year. I love learning how to become a better wife, mother, and servant of God. April can't come too soon.

No title

The trip went well. We spent happy days with family and friends mixed with a little shopping, a little eating out, and lots of sleeping. Most nights I actually went to bed at a decent time. It was amazing.

Oh, and I came back with a new pair of shoes. Two new pairs of shoes in a month makes for a fantastic month.

But I also came back very sick. The day before I left I just started not feeling well and it ended up that I came home to spend three days in bed with a fever and cough. Swine flu, anybody? This idea keeps being shot down, but you know - why not swine flu? Seems like everybody's getting it, so why not me. Unfortunately when you claim that it is SF and not a virus, people are always asking if it was tested for it. Whatever people. Like I even need a blood test to know that I have certain illnesses.

Unfortunately, Sean is also ill. Hopefully tomorrow will be his last day of the fever and that he's following my sickness pattern. I wish I hadn't spread it to him, it's so sad in the mornings when his ibuprofen has worn off.

For some reason this illness makes me tired of food and I've had to resort to eating salad for the past few days. It was weird. This is a trippy weird sickness I have.