Mom of the year

Have a fabulous day, Mommy. We love you and miss you lots.

Happy Birthday.

"It's easier to believe ill of someone than good."

I looked at the description of this book, The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner, and thought it sounded pretty good. Then I saw the author and that settled the matter. I really enjoyed Lady in Waiting, so I was excited to try this one.

The story is about a young college student that is trying to make a place for herself outside of the shadow of her family name and fortune. She takes a job transcribing the diary of a girl accused of witchcraft in Salem 1692. As she works on it she begins to see herself and the world differently. The book is really about 3 different women that face life in different ways and choose to love in different ways.

The theme of the book for me was judgement but also preconceived notion and love. There were several good lines in the book, including the one I used for title. At another time the protagonist is feeling bad about seeing people through the eyes of money and not in another way. In response her father says, "but it still makes you their judge." I also really liked this description, "I used to think mercy meant showing kindness to someone who didn't deserve it, as if only the recipient defined the act. The girl in between has learned that mercy is defined by its giver. Our flaws are obvious, yet we are loved and able to love, if we choose, because there is that bit of the divine still smoldering in us." This book is full of beautiful thoughts and situations. I definitely recommend it. Meissner is becoming one of my favorite authors. I love not having to worry about inappropriate content.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Flashback Friday

I have done Memory Monday in the past. However, this was recent, so I am doing a flashback about 6 months. I am not sure if this is the only one, but it does open some doors. Anyway, the second week in October Stacie and Rosy threw me a baby shower. It was amazing. Rosy gave me the photos in January. Here is what I have:

My yummy strawberry cake made by Sandi:

Beautiful decorations made by Stacie, currently on Anneke and Mallory's wall:

Why yes, that is a chocolate fountain:
Along with yummy salads:
Cutting the cake so we could enjoy it:
Anneke helped me open all my presents. This blanket was made by my Aunt Marianne:
More opening presents with Andy's colleague, Kathy:
Stacie, herself:
My beautiful cousins Annie and Julianna with Pam's friend, Julie:
My baby sister Pammy, AKA Aunt Tummy:

(Kathy, Julianna and Pam are all pregnant and due in that order each a week apart.)

Beautiful and fun. Aren't you sad you missed it?

Comparisons

Patterns, statistics and comparisons help me make sense of my world. Honestly, I wonder at times if I am slightly autistic. Lately there has been a comparison running through my head. Andy once said that he couldn't be in the military because they move around too much. My mother grew up with a father in the military. My sister is a military wife.

Mom = from birth to high school graduation

Sister = 9 1/2 years marriage, 2 children

Me = 10 years marriage, 4 children

Here are the comparisons:

Different Places/Towns

Mom - 7 or 8

Sister - 3

Me - 4

Apartments/Houses

Mom - 8 or 9

Sister - 6

Me - 13

Educational Institutions

Mom - 5

Sister - 1 (both children)

Me - 6 (2 children), 4 (spouse), 3 (me)

Jobs

Mom - 1 (parent)

Sister - 1 (self) 1 (spouse)

Me - 6 (self) 12 (spouse)

Extended time away

Mom - 1 year (father)

Sister - 4 TDY (spouse)

Me - 1 month (spouse)

Time without family around

Mom - 6 years

Sister - 4+ years

Me - 2 years

There could be more, but I will stop there. I just thought it was interesting that my sister and I have been married for about the same amount of time and she has moved less than me. As far as other aspects, I know that I am not as strong as my sister. I can't imagine what life would be like in the military. In that regard I am grateful for my current path in life. My sister is amazing and getting ready for her husband to be gone again. I pray for her and miss her.

Anneke's Self Esteem

Remember that Anneke made her own Valentine's? She even made one for herself:

What does that tell you about her self esteem?

Awesome.

In other Anneke news; she has decided she really wants to be in the talent show for the school come May. However, she is too nervous to dance. Her solution, hula-hooping. (I gave her one for Valentine's day.) Marcus is soooo embarrassed or mortified would be more accurate. I helped her find a song. So, for 1 minute and 7 seconds of the Beatles version of Twist and Shout she will be hula-hooping. I was going to come up with other dance moves, possibly some from Ferris Bueller, but she is actually really good at it. I figured no matter how good, though, people would get bored if we did all 2 minutes and 40 seconds worth of song. Try-outs are Thursday. We'll let you know.

So far today...

So far today this is what I have learned. (We got up about 1 1/2 hours ago.)

*Hula-hoops in the head really hurt.

*Peanut Butter-chocolate chip waffles are pretty tasty.

*Anneke was teaching her baby sister that the middle finger is bad.

*Our children are not going to that school next year!!!!

*They actually used the middle finger in Old English times.

*The pinky in Old English times was called the ear picker.

*A 3 year old set of teeth look a lot like tiny fingers in the butter. (Either way I had to toss it.)

*Sunchokes have very interesting flavor.

And the day is still young.

What we found

This may come as a surprise to some people, but being a student for 10+ years of marriage is not lucrative. We had an amazing deal with the place we are living and trying to find anything comparable has been very difficult. We just want something to fit our family until we are done in a little over a year (fingers crossed). I have found out 2 things.

1) To get a place to fit our family that we can afford is not hard.

2) To get a place to fit our family that we can afford that is not in a scary neighborhood is hard.

We saw a 3 bed 2 bath home this week. You can watch the jumpers on the Stratosphere from the front yard. A couple blocks from The Strip? Um, no.

We saw a beautiful 3 bed 2 bath condo with a lot of natural light. (I NEED natural light I have found.) Shout out to my little sister Pam for finding this one. What can I say, she loves me. It had a brand new dishwasher and gas stove with spider burners, my favorite. The guy was LDS and really wanted us to take it. Very bad neighborhood. Plus, no washer and drier in the unit so I would either have to leave my children alone in the condo and risk something happening to them (or me) OR take them with me and make many trips every time I needed to do laundry. Not ideal.

We are moving into a 2 bed 1 1/2 bath town home style condo mid March. It does have a washer and drier and is right next door to the Morris's. We asked our children where they wanted to live and this was their choice. There is no dishwasher, so we are hoping to buy the portable one we used in our last apartment from our current landlords. I keep praying we made the right choice.

Last night after we decided on a place my good friend called and told us about a place that is 4 bed, 2 bath. It is right across from the temple. The rent is a bit more than what we pay now, but doesn't include utilities. Oh, if only we made a bit more. Andy and I have been drooling over it since we first saw it 3 years ago. It is a big stone house and we never thought it would be that inexpensive.

Have I mentioned that I really dislike hunting for a place to live? Have I mentioned that I am sick which makes it a lot worse? I'm not sure if I made the right choice and I keep second guessing myself. We moved quickly because Andy's big tests are April 15th. He has been struggling to prepare because he is worrying about the move. Now, he can calm down. All I need are boxes, which are more scarce than one would think. So, we are changing wards again, but keeping kids in the same school until the end of the school year. I will just drive them every day.

Valentine's Day

Anneke made her own Valentine's this year. (Marcus was not allowed a party.) She would put one word on the hearts kinda like conversation hearts. She put friend on one little girls because the girl said she didn't have friends. She put learned on a little boys because he said he was dumb. She put smart on one because the child thought they were dumb. On and on. It made me teary that I have such a thoughtful girl. That is why she wanted to make her own and insisted on it.

For Valentine's day we found out that we have to be out of our place by May 1st, possibly April 1st. I feel worn out already thinking of moving again. Not to mention that we have to find a place. Andy has his major tests April 15th so I need to do this on my own. It was too good to be true having a spacious house, I guess. Prayers would be nice. Suggestions helpful. I figured that we would stay here until Andy was done. I am not allowed to stay in one place too long. I move more than someone in the military. This will make place number 13 in 10 years of marriage. I guess that's what we get for praying if our children should stay in this school. I am going to go with no.

Stuff

I am loving having a vehicle that fits my whole family. It is something I used to take for granted. Since it is gold my dad said it looked like a golden eagle. Marcus said a golden lion. That led us to our van's name, "Aslan the van".

Luke still doesn't say the s at the beginning of words. When he gets really upset he will call you a "chunky gunky monkey" or a "'tinky nut". I asked him where he learned this and he said "at college".

Anneke was favoring her arm the other day and I asked her what was wrong and she told me that it "felt sour".

I love having a sewing machine and have come up with several projects. But, now I have to find the time with Mallory being a baby and all. I want to make paperback book covers so I can carry them around without munching the covers. I want to make a quiet book. I want to put together the memory quilt that I have been collecting clothes for since I got married. Plus hand sew hooks onto some jammies and put a badge on my Den Leader shirt.

Have you ever reread a book that you LOVED and can't figure out why that second time through?

Happy anniversary Aunt Marianne and Uncle Frank!

Ha Ha

Yesterday one of my friends told me something funny. She said that she used to read my blog but stopped because it made her feel too guilty. I was surprised but she went on to say that I did stuff with my children and I had even had themes, etc. I laughed. It is interesting to see how others view you. You are your own worst critic, I guess. I tried to tell her that it is my degree and such. But, to now avail. So, sorry if I intimidate you. I don't mean it. I am really not super mom despite what some people think. ;) It should also be noted that this particular mom is someone that I admire. She is an amazing mother, creative, beautiful, happy and a great cook.

P.S. This post kinda sounds prideful. I don't mean it that way. Now I am second guessing myself. But, I love all those that read my blog and many that don't and I don't want to scare people away.

Sweet picture book

I chose this book simply because the illustrations looked beautiful and the message looked wholesome. Upon arrival we read it immediately. I read it again with my 3 year old a few times. He really likes the kitten part and the wishing well. Yesterday was a rough day for my 9 year old. I handed him the book and he said, "That made me feel so much better. Thank you." Then he went to do his chores happily. I loved the book. The illustrations ARE fabulous. I loved the hippos puddle hopping. It made me smile and it really was a feel good book. Definitely recommended to anyone, especially those with young children or grandchildren or children they see regularly.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Soooo Tired, I haven't Slept a Wink

Name that tune. (Especially you, Heather). I was going to put a picture of me sleeping in here. However, there are very few pictures of me in the first place and none of me sleeping. That should tell you something.

After getting up every 2 hours last night and staying awake from 12:00am until 2:30am I came to a sad realization. I can count on both hands the amount of times I have slept through the night since I got married 10 years and 25 days ago. That is less than 10 times people! I am pretty sure that is not normal. That is less than one time a year for those of you not willing or able to do the math. None of those times has been in the last 15 months.

I know how much sleep I need and it is less than most people, 6 1/2 hours. However, if at least 4 of it is not consecutive I have a very hard time. Mallory was sleeping 8-10 hours each night before waking. I had her on a kind of schedule. Bed between 7:00pm and 8:30pm first night wake up between 3:00am and 4:30am. A couple of nights ago there was minor emergency and I had to get her out of bed after I put her down for the night. Since then things have not been happy. Plus, if she manages to sleep well I am up with Luke, Anneke and even Marcus sometimes. My husband doesn't seem to notice very often when my children wake up. Plus, he doesn't wake very easily if I try to wake him. I am not sure what the solution is. Any schedule (or other) suggestions? Quite frankly I think I may go crazy if this happens too much more. I know it gets better (It's getting better all the tiiiime. Name that tune, too. See I am getting punchy and quoting random things.) but that light at the end of the tunnel is hard to see through the puffy eyes.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

My little sister did this for her blog. (I thought it was fun, and cute that baby Jack is a rabbit.) Anyway, here are my family's Chinese Zodiac animals:

Andy - sheep/ram

Heidi (Me) - monkey

Marcus - snake

Anneke - monkey

Luke - boar/pig

Mallory - tiger

I wanted a baby in the year of the dragon. Oh, well. Anyone having a baby next year will have a dragon. (Instead I got married in the year of the dragon.)

I know all about the Chinese New Year and stuff because of work and research while in Colorado. It was fun to have the Mandarin families come in and talk about it with us. So, go have an orange and sweep all your dirt outside.

Memory Monday - Baby Clothes

Heidi, Carianne, Heather

Elise and Pamela

When my parents were visiting my mom gave me the idea of giving Anneke baby clothes when Mallory outgrows them. They used our old baby clothes for our homemade Cabbage Patch dolls. (Did you know that?) I tried to find that photo but couldn't. I thought that would be fun. But I found it and added it. Yea!

Well, these still fit Mallory, but I gave them to Anneke anyway. (I will explain later.) Anneke was sick last Monday and quite bored. I gave her a few outfits and she and Luke played the rest of the day.

Anneke coming home from the hospital, July 25, 2004:

Baby Precious: (Seriously annoyed. The photo is correct when I upload it. I am not sure what's wrong.)
Anneke with baby Connor in the stroller January 31, 2011 (Love the hair? Tilt head.):
My favorite outfit for Anneke. (Aunt Heather picked it out for her.) Anneke 1 month old August 2004:
Mallory looks a lot like Anneke did except that Anneke has more olive tone skin and tans easily. Poor Mallory is very fair. This means that these clothes looked great on Anneke and wash Mallory out. Not to mention they are huge on her because she has a smaller frame.

More missed photos

I have nowhere to put these, so I am just giving you a couple of random photos of Mallory Hope.

Isn't she beautiful? She is beginning to look a lot like Anneke did, but smaller and not as chubby.

This crib is the one my grandpa (Popi) made me when I was a little girl. My sister, Cari, and my dad fixed it up, painted it pink (It used to be white) and gave it to Anneke this summer. I was putting clothes away in Anneke's room and thought this was kind of fun. We climbed into those cribs all the time.

Blogging Funk

I haven't felt like blogging much lately. *Sigh* I am in a funk. I am sorry that ya'll are missing out on stuff. I will try and be better. Any requests? ;)

Lately

I haven't posted pictures of my children, especially the baby lately. And, babies grow fast, except it would seem, not Mallory. (I am annoyed that my pictures turned sideways. So, tilt your head. I have reloaded it a few times can't figure out why.)

Luke still loves to hold her. However, she is learning she is not a huge fan. Don't be deceived by the big belly on her, it is the angle.

Look at those cheekies. (Thanks, Jodi, for the cute outfit.)

But, still skinny. She is blowing out of everything lately. I even moved her up a diaper size. We are using a lot of Oxy and stain remover. I am thinking of buying stock in it.
My children have always disliked vacuuming. Luke volunteered to "bacuum" yesterday. It was a momentous occasion, so i snapped a picture. Right after this he became hysterical. It was apparently too loud.
On Monday Mallory will be 3 months old! I can't believe how time has gone. She is barely into her 3-6 month clothes and they are still big on her. She weighed an even 10 pounds at her last appointment and may have gained a pound or two more. It is fun to have a little one. She is still small enough to fit in her Moses basket and hasn't rolled over yet so there she shall stay for a while longer. I am trying ot get her on a schedule, but it is not working. Suggestions?

THE shopping trip

Since I know everyone is waiting with bated breath to hear how my grocery trip went I will enlighten you. First thing, the wind was awful and Mallory was doing that gasping thing while we tried to run into the store from 100 yards away. Once there we could not find a cart with a baby seat. When I finally located one it was impossible to get to, so I wrapped Mallory in her blanket and laid her down in the front part where toddlers usually sit. Yep, I forgot the sling. About 15 minutes into the store visit, baby girl decided she had enough. So, I carried her the rest of the time, switching arms back and forth. Luckily she was awake so it wasn't dead weight. I went on the first day of the month. The busiest day of the month. (Incidentally they told me that the first 10 days of the month are the worst to go grocery shopping.) Mallory was exhausted and passed out as I got into line at the checkout behind 3 other very full carts. I waited 20 minutes in the check out line. Luke got Jelly Bellies for being such a good boy. Now, here is the part that made the trip. A woman and I had pretty much been pacing each other through the store. She got to the check out line when I did. She commented, "You have such good children. He helped you the whole time and I didn't hear a peep from your baby." And, she was right. It made me realize all that I took for granted.