"I LOVE Conference!"

I've always loved General Conference, maybe because I've always loved traditions. I'm glad my parents made it a big deal in our home. We didn't have cable growing up, so we watched all four sessions at the church. On Saturday, we'd bring our buckets of legos and constructs and paper and pencils to the Relief Society room and draw and play while we listened. Then between sessions, we'd always get pizza for lunch. On Sundays, we'd watch it in the dark chapel. I remember trying to position myself under one of the spotlights on the side so I could draw the speakers while I listened. For one of the Sunday sessions, we'd go to my Grandma's chapel, where she always had little bags of treats for us. Later when I was in college, my siblings and I would drive to my Grandma's house, and sometimes spend the weekend up there to watch.Now that we have kids and are on our own, we're trying to figure out what traditions we want our kids to grow up with. I know our kids are still tiny, but it's still something I think about. I found a great idea in last month's Ensign that I used. Benjamin was so excited about the "game," and was saying all morning, "I LOVE Conference!" anxiously waiting for it to start. I just set out a bunch of objects that I knew would be key words and a few bowls of candy. Then Benjamin had to see if he could hear them say any of those words so he could have one. He listened for a little while, but mainly just worked on his puzzles and colored. The fact that he let us listen was enough for me! Peter was content to lay near us and play with toys. We were lucky naptime for both of them fell right during the second session, because I think our "game" had lost its magic by then. I'm interested to hear what others have done and what's worked.

The key words I used were Jesus, key, bread, Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, family, tree, prophet, rock, and temple. Paul and I were good listeners too and got lots of candy. :)

Yum!

Last night I made this broccoli cheddar soup, not expecting anything spectacular, but Paul could not stop raving about it. It really was good! And the bonus? It has a lot more vegetables in it than we normally eat at one meal. It was delicious with biscuits. I use this recipe website all the time. I knew Lara and her family from Virginia, and then her brother married my cousin. Small world, isn't it?

In other news, Peter finally had his 4 month checkup (remember when his two month well checkup was postponed because they found he had RSV? Good times...) and is growing well. We got a whole new arsenal of eczema advice, so we'll see if any of it works better. He is 17 lbs. 7 oz. (65%) and 26 3/4 in. long (78%). He's a champ at eating solids and any other objects that happen to be within reach. Peter is just excited about life!

Easter Miracle

My cousin’s son, who was just two months younger than Peter, just finished his short trip through mortality yesterday. Perhaps it was the fact that these two boys were so close in age, or that she has two other young kids who were excited to bring home a new baby brother, but it’s really hit home for me. While I have been deeply saddened by their loss, I have also been so blessed by her family’s amazing faith and strength. It has really caused me to pause and reflect on my own testimony of the reality of the resurrection, the eternal nature of the family, and miracles.

Recently, I’ve been trying to teach Benjamin about Easter, and what it means to us. It is beautiful how simple the gospel is, that even a two-and-a-half year old can understand. As I told him that baby Dexter had died, he immediately connected it to Jesus and his resurrection. He has prayed for baby Dexter many times over the past few months, but he knew that he was alright, and that he had gone home to Jesus and Heavenly Father. What faith.

I also know that this special spirit has gone back home. I found great comfort in Isaiah as I was reading last night. It says in verse 8 of chapter 25, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.” He knows all of our pains, and how to succor each of us. I really began to comprehend that the great Creator of us all, the only perfect man to ever live on this earth, really did rise again on the third day, breaking the bands of death for all of us. He has made it possible for us to receive Eternal life, and that is the greatest miracle.

A Day at the Park

We woke up to snow yesterday, but last week we had some really nice weather. So we went to the park with some friends. Benjamin and Saida have been buddies ever since we moved here. He even named his blonde "Little People" girl "Saida" and plays with her all the time. She was his first kiss. I can't believe how much they've both changed in a year!

This Week

I don't know why I have an impulsive desire to write when I feel like I have nothing to write about, but perhaps I'll appreciate the glimpse of this past week in future years.

On Thursday, I took Benjamin to get a new shirt for our family picture. His clothes (for the most part) are all hand-me-downs, so I wanted him in something decent. The meltdown began in the dressing room when I asked Benjamin to try a shirt on. Since it wasn't going to happen and he was getting more and more worked up about everything, I decided just to leave. He screamed all the way out of the store, and the whole car ride home, and he stayed in the car for about twenty minutes once we were in the driveway. I guess he was sure that if he held his ground, I would change my mind and take him back to get the "cool shirt." Tough luck, kid. So I began my day feeling like a terrible mom (at least in the public eye) with a spoiled kid. Later that day, I discovered my phone was off even though it had been plugged into the wall for two days. I had several messages, and felt like a terrible friend for not calling anyone back or at least noticing it was off. Then that afternoon as I was playing "grocery store" in the basement with Benjamin, I saw two tiny mice crawl under a door. That pretty much set me over the edge. I felt like I must be a terrible housekeeper too to have mice in our house again. I know I'm my own worst critic, but I really felt like a failure that day. Paul was so nice and understanding and helpful that evening. He even did the dirty work and killed the two mice that we caught on the sticky traps. For future reference, sticky traps are not cool.

Saturday was great. After a few tears and meltdowns (mostly Benjamin's), we made it to our portrait session on time and everyone smiled all the way through it. We got some really great ones of both the boys. We had gotten a family portrait back in January while we were in Utah, but I was not impressed with their underwhelming options and inflated pricing. I found out recently that they're going bankrupt. Honestly, I wasn't too surprised. Then that afternoon, we set to work, totally de-cluttering and gutting the basement of all our junk. We even tackled the creepy, dusty, unfinished laundry room. We did some serious spring cleaning, and we came away with 6 black trash bags and a few big cardboard boxes full of stuff to get rid of. It felt so good! Everything down there is finally organized, shelved, and put in totes instead of cardboard boxes. Paul found the spot where he thinks the mice are coming in, and he'll fix it with foam. Hopefully that will take care of the problem. Because I really hate mice. That night we watched a cute movie called "Miss Potter." It's about Beatrix Potter and her "Peter Rabbit" stories. Her illustrations are amazing and I really want to buy her set of books now. Oh, and I want to go to the Lake District in England. Pure magic.

Exhaustion has its' Advantages

I have pretty weak resolve when it comes to "sleep training" my kids. I really like the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth because it makes a lot of sense to me, and it allows for flexibility. And I completely agree with the title. But, actually making a plan of action has always been hard for me. It was awful letting Benjamin cry for a few nights when he was a baby. I almost caved so many times, but I have never regretted that decision since. He sleeps, and is so much better for it.

Peter was in our bed for the first two months of his life until finally I worked up enough drive to make him sleep in his crib. I now sleep better, he sleeps better, and I still don't know what took me so long. Something about walking on cold wood floors in the middle of the night....

So Peter never slept through the night on his own like some newborns supposedly learn to do. On good nights, he'd wake up at 11 p.m., 3 a.m., and then 6 a.m. Recently I started using some Luvs diapers (they were given to us) and his nights got even worse. He got up probably 5 times a night, and about 3 of those times, he had completely wet through his pajamas and several blankets (the diaper of course was barely wet). I was so mad at those diapers. I am now a very loyal Huggies customer.

As soon as I put him back in the regular diapers, we were back to the normal wake up times, but I was exhausted. So exhausted in fact, that I completely slept through the 11 p.m. wake up time (Paul didn't, which is how I know) and Peter slept until 3 a.m. It happened again last night, and he slept until 4 a.m.! I know, I know, exciting. So he's close to sleeping through the night, and I didn't even have to deal with the emotional turmoil that goes along with it. Hooray for sleep!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

OK, so they don't have a bit 'o Irish in them, but these little Leprechauns want to wish you a happy St. Pattie's day!We always celebrated St. Patrick's Day growing up because my Dad's birthday fell on it. Green pancakes, green bread, you name it. We went all out every year. Here's a picture from 1986 with my Dad and Grandpa. Happy Birthday, Dad!

*3/17/09* Come on, you can't tell me these green crepes don't look appetizing! At least I made the smoothies pink.