William is 2!

I didn't get around to posting yesterday, on his real birthday, but I couldn't forget our little William. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. He always makes us smile, and always keeps me on my feet. Seriously, today I was chasing him through Target while he was pushing a Mega Blocks wagon around. Dylan just watched and laughed. Happy Birthday, my sweet William. Oh, and the new music is one of his favorite songs by the Imagination Movers.

Children's Book Review: Pizza Pat

There are several book clubs for adult books, and websites for adult book reviews, but I read children's books more than adults books. I've found some that have become family favorites, and I've run into a few that I wish I didn't spend my money on. So, I thought every once in awhile I'll review a children's book, and maybe those of you who read my blog can suggest some good ones as well.
Now on to "Pizza Pat", by Rita Golden Gelman. This has been a family favorite since our first son, Dylan, received it in the mail from one of those book of the month clubs. It is so fun for the adult to read out loud, and the children find the words like "gloppy" and "sloppy" fun too. It can get to be a bit of a tongue twister, especially if you are trying to speed up the pace, but that makes it more enjoyable!
Poor Pat, he works so hard on making this pizza, but the mice who steal it are so fat and happy at the end that you don't feel bad for him too long. I would definitely recommend this one for those who enjoy reading out loud to their kids.

Long gone are the days . . .

. . .when my calendar had days on it with no schedules!
. . .when I could spend an hour on the couch with the boys in the morning watching cartoons, cuddled up with them.
. . .when asked what I had planned for the day, I could reply, "nothing."
. . .when I could have a spontaneous outing or fun play activity.
. . .when I could take a long shower in the morning and take my time shaving my legs (now, some mornings, I do the "can it wait until tomorrow" feel along my legs).

Seriously, though, scheduled appointments go against everything I believe! My personality doesn't cope well with a full calendar, and I've tried hard for years to fight it. But with 4 boys, it is inevitable. Today was going to be my one day this week with nothing on my calendar but to pay one bill. Then, I had to schedule an unexpected doctor's visit for one son and as we were on our way out the door my other sons' teacher pulls up in front of the house. I completely forgot my youngest had his CITI kids appointment today! My brain is a "one-activity-a-day" type brain, and if there is too much going on, I just forget things like crazy. And I write things down! I have a calendar that I check every morning, but I still manage to forget things! How do people keep it together with such busy lives? Aren't stay-at-home mom's supposed to have more free time to get everything done?

I'm a basket case

We've had a lot of women in the ward who have either had babies, or are about to have babies, and when you've made a baby flower basket for one, you don't want anyone else to feel left out. So, I've been busy with baskets . . .

This one was a very difficult one. This was for a mom who doesn't know the gender of her baby yet. There's not a lot out there that is neutral.

This one has a very cute toddler dress for the center flower.

This was the first boy basket I've done. I was actually surprised at how it turned out. I loved the blue color of the little baby mittens put together with the mini daffodils.

Happy 4th of July!

I came upon this quote in a magazine that had included patriotic quotations in its' July issue. I just think it is a wonderful sentiment, and really makes me grateful for all who have made our freedoms possible

A craving . . .

Can you crave a smell? Some things that I enjoyed so much when I was little growing up on a hay farm were the smells of it during the summer. At night my dad would turn on the sprinklers in the hayfield next to our house, and the first scent that would hit your senses was of the freshly dampened earth. I've always loved that smell. Especially if it was created by the beginning of a summer thunder storm. Just the first few minutes of the storm is when it smells the best, as the drops of rain kick up the powdery layer of dirt from the ground. I seriously craved this smell whenever I was pregnant.
Back to the hayfield, though. After the damp earth smell, I can recall the sweet smell of alfalfa hay. And the sound of the impact sprinklers would lull me to sleep, as each sprinkler head rotated slowly almost full circle, then sped up as it reversed rotation to return to back to the start. I remember that you could feel the nighttime temperature cool as soon as those sprinklers started up. I guess I miss more than just the smell.

A little getaway

Friday Dylan and I took off for a quick getaway down to Pasadena for our Anniversary. For years I've wanted to see the Gamble House, so we decided why not now? This is a picture of the front of the house, with its beautiful art glass door.
This is the backside of the house, where you see Doc Brown from "Back to the Future" run down to his garage.

A beautiful clinker-brick wall surrounding a pond. Who is that handsome man?


This is one of the many Jacaronda trees that you see this time of year in Southern California. Aren't they beautiful? I wish that we were allowed to take pictures of the inside of the house. The wood work is gorgeous and the details that the architects, Charles and Henry Greene, put into the house is amazing. They not only designed the house, but the furniture, the light fixtures, the landscaping, the rugs, etc. When I worked for a group of architects, I would always hear about Frank Lloyd Wright and how wonderful his work was, but I say he has nothing on Greene and Greene. I know that's architecture blasphemy! It was a very fun getaway.

We've got a Romeo on our hands . . .

Yesterday we were in the Verizon parking lot waiting while Dylan was talking to customer service. While I was out in the car with the boys, a girl walked out of the store. She looked like she was about 12 years old, and Nathan said, "Wow, she's HOT! She's by herself, so, can I walk her home?" I then replied, "She's way older than you!" He said, "No, she's about my age." This made me laugh, but it also surprised me at the same time because Nathan used to be such a quiet and shy boy! I don't know what to do. It made me think of that line that Short Round (is that his name?) said in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - "Maybe he like the older women?"

14 Years!!!

I can't believe that Dylan and I celebrate our 14th anniversary today. Plus, I've know Dylan for over half my life! He is my best friend, and the only one I can be the real "me" with. So much has happened in these last 14 years, and I wouldn't change a thing. I'm also glad that he didn't even get mad at me when I left all 4 windows down in his work car over-night! (What is with my brain!) By the way, that is the Oakland Temple pictured above, where we were sealed.

Dylan is 12!

I can't believe my little Dylan is 12 today! I'm still having problems with my scanner, so no cute baby pictures or pictures of him doing his Batman face, but here's a few pictures of this handsome devil. I very clearly remember the night he was born. In the middle of the night I remember waking up and looking over at the basinett and seeing two huge, dark blue eyes staring out from all of his blankets. That was a sign of what was to come . . . he still hates to sleep. He wasn't ever really fussy, just awake. Awake from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., mind you. As he got older, he developed a great interest in things like vacuums, fans and cars. Every Sunday, when Dylan was 2, we would walk through the parking lot at church and he could name the name of each car just by looking at the symbol. He would love to go to Sears for an outing to look at vacuums, and impressed the salesmen by his knowledge of the name and make of each vacuum. Whenever he'd meet someone new, his first question was, "what kind of vacuum do you have?" And this was all at two years old! Dylan is such a sweet boy, always concerned for others, especially his family. We are very blessed to have him in our family.