Say What?

After a two-year hiatus (during which two new members joined our family, which has much to do with my long absence), I am happy to announce that...I'm back!  :)  This blog is back on my priority list (it has been there in the past, believe it or not), so I will be updating it a lot more often.

I will be posting about some highlights from the past couple of years, but in the meantime I wanted to make note of some recent conversations we've had 'round these parts...


During breakfast one morning recently
Hannah:  Mommy, what do bears eat?

Me:  Hmm, they eat berries, and fish, and--

Adam:  People.


After Hannah's bath one night
Me:  Oh Hannah, you smell so good!

Hannah:  What??  I not food!


After giving me a big hug yesterday
Hannah:  Mommy, you so pretty.

Me:  Oh thank you, Hannah!  That's so sweet to say!

Hannah:  Yes.  And I so pretty, too.


While laughing their heads off about something while in the playroom
Adam  (catching his breath):  What are we laughing about?

Hannah:  I don't know...

Adam and Hannah (throwing back their heads):  Hahahahahahahahahaha!


Coming into my room after having a bad dream
Adam:  I had a really bad dream!

Me:  I'm sorry buddy!  What happened?

Adam:  There was a big M&M, and he was a pirate, and he stepped on me and then stabbed me with his sword, and then he killed me!  And then I killed him and ate a piece of him.

Me  (trying not to laugh):  Oh...

Tommy (without cracking a smile):  So, was he a peanut M&M or a plain one?

Adam:  He was a pretzel one.  I ripped out the pretzel and ate it.


After hearing Hannah quote the bad king from "Night at the Museum 2"
Adam:  Hannah, you shouldn't copy that guy!  He doesn't follow God's commandments!


Here a few of my favorite words/phrases from Hannah's vocabulary:

What you funny to for?  =  What are you laughing about?
Toweyeduh  =  Cinderella or gorilla
I pardemood.  =  I tooted.
glapes  =  grapes
I cake a ___?  =  Can I have a ___?
Yadies and Gemmamin!  =  Ladies and Gentlemen!


These kids definitely keep us laughing...  :)

Rookie of the Year

Well, I did it. My goal was to chronicle Adam's first season of t-ball before his second season started, and here it is! It's a whole month till spring season starts!

Adam had an amazing first season. He improved incredibly just in the couple of months he played. He was the youngest on the team by over a year and was the first 3-year-old his coach ever had. We loved watching him improve and learn new skills--everything from standing in line to fielding grounders to hitting off the coach's pitch. He loved literally every minute of it. This kid was born to play baseball...

He chose #9 for his jersey, with no hesitation. I'm not sure what the significance was, but he really wanted that number.

He has a killer game face. Unfortunately, though...

...there were some really distracting things out in right-field. Like his awesome shadow...

...and people walking by with their dogs...

...and his super-cool new hat. Yes, he spent most of his field time either on his belly with his face on his hands or rolling around in the grass. When someone on the other team made a hit, he would take off and run up and down along the back fence...instead of running to the ball.

But when he was on form, he was downright intimidating.

He wasn't a bit nervous when it was his first time to bat.

Waiting on the bucket.

On deck!

Batter up!

First base

Second base

Third base

He got the game ball after his second game! He made the first hit of his career that game (a double!), and he scored his first run. That ball is one of his most prized possessions :).

So what was Hannah up to while Adam was playing ball?

She definitely stayed busy.

Keeping an eye on things with Daddy...

...eating dirt...

...flirting with the boys...

...and falling in love with Ethan Holcomb.

They had some great times together, sharing snacks; climbing the bleachers; chasing dogs; seeing who could "cheer" the loudest. They were hilarious :).

Adam turned 4 toward the end of the season, so I thought it would be fun to have his party between baseball games the Saturday after his birthday. We had both our families and the whole team join us for cake, so it was a nice big crowd :). We had a blast.

(The little red-head eyeing the cake is Adam's cousin, Carter. I was surprised he was able to wait long enough to sing "Happy Birthday" :)...).

Hannah eating cake with Aunt Melody.

The highlight of every game for Adam (aside from getting snack) was huddling up with his team to put his hand in and yell,

"1, 2, 3, Indians!"

Here is his last at-bat of the season.

It definitely seemed like he was going for a dramatic end to the season--he was waiting until everyone was looking at him before he swung...

...and after all that, he got tagged out at first. Oh, well :).

Here he is getting his first trophy!

The Cleveland Indians

With Coach Mike

All in all, it was a wonderful season. His coach was fantastic, very patient and encouraging, and his teammates were so sweet. He got along with all of them really well. We're excited for another season starting up in March!

Belly Laughs

"We love to laugh [hahahaha],

Loud and long and clear.

We love to laugh [hahahaha],

So everybody can hear.

And the more we laugh [heeheeheehee]

The more we fill with glee

And the more the glee [heeheeheehee],

The more we're a merrier 'we!'"

-Bert and Uncle Albert of Mary Poppins

Man, I love these kids...

Testimony of Motherhood

Warning: This post could be long...

The picture above shows the two people with whom I share pretty much every minute of every day. They've stirred up a wide range of feelings in me over the past three-and-a-half years. They can drive me crazy at times, but they always--always--keep me sane in the end. They are a big part of what makes me absolutely exhausted by 7:00 in the evening, yet they're also the main reason I get up in the morning. No matter how bad or embarrassing a tantrum has been, nothing soothes my frazzled nerves or calms my anger like a pair of little arms wrapped around my neck in a gentle hug. I love these little punks--and I love being loved by them.

The past few months have been extremely challenging for me. I don't know if it was postpartum depression or loneliness from Tommy being gone so much or just a trial by fire, but I've really had a hard time. I've felt very inadequate as a wife and mother, and I got in the destructive habit of comparing myself to other women and moms around me. Why couldn't I figure out how to manage my time as well as others? Why wasn't I a better cook or a better crafter or a better housekeeper? Why couldn't I be as attractive as so-and-so or wear cute outfits that didn't have spit-up stains? Very, very destructive thoughts. I began looking back at my college years, when I'd had so much time to do what I wanted and spend more time on myself. I wondered what happened to that girl who had so many dreams, that girl who Tommy fell in love with. I thought of all the places I'd wanted to visit and the amazing things I wanted to do but never did because I got married and started a family.

Then a few weeks ago I came across an article online that was like a sharp slap in the face--a huge wake-up call. The article was about two women--mothers--who had decided they didn't want to be mothers anymore. One left a 20-year marriage and two children (ages 8 and 5) so that she could move halfway across the world and be a journalist. She had convinced herself that she could be a much better mother if she didn't have to worry about the everyday things that mothers can "lose themselves" in. She would be better able to help her children, celebrate their accomplishments, and offer great advice if she were at a distance, removed from all that "chaos." The other mother left a marriage of over 10 years and three children because she wanted to "make a difference in the world." Both felt that they had become better mothers for having left their children, for putting themselves first and doing what they wanted to do.

I felt an explosion of emotions as I read that article. I was angry that these women didn't think that mothers make a difference, that the work I do 24/7 doesn't account for much. I was disgusted that they had brought children into the world whom they weren't going to care for. I was ashamed that I myself had felt that I'd given up many wonderful opportunities in life when I became a mother. But I also became keenly aware of how very cunning the devil is. He's working hard to destroy families, and he has a sure way of destroying them if he can bring down the mothers. These women appealed to the feelings that I'm sure all mothers feel at some point: we deserve to be able to do what we want and be what we want, and we shouldn't let anyone stop us. It's natural to feel that way, especially after a long, hard, thankless day of taking care of kids who really don't seem to care how much effort you're putting in on their behalf. The natural man is powerful...and destructive. Satan doesn't have much power over us physically since he doesn't have a body, but he has incredible power over our thoughts. That has proven to be my weakest point, and I've struggled with it all my life. I've never been tempted to drink, smoke, do drugs, break the Law of Chastity, etc., but I struggle with destructive thoughts, especially when it comes to how I feel about myself.

I thought about that article for a couple of days, and then I read another article. In last month's Ensign, Sister Beck wrote an article on the doctrine of the family and how important it is for us to teach it to our children. I found so much comfort and peace, and I came to realize that I had indeed accomplished my two main goals in life: marry a worthy priesthood holder in the temple and become a mother in Zion. What better thing could I be doing with my time than raising these precious children and being "an help-meet" to my husband? No one can do that better than I, no matter how unfashionable my clothes are or how few exotic places I've visited. These thoughts carried me through several more days. Then one night I was standing at the kitchen sink, loading the dishwasher, when a scripture popped into my head. Matthew 10:39 suddenly had a whole new meaning to me:

He who seeketh to save his life shall ^blose it: and he that ^closeth his ^dlife for my sake shall find it. (JST)

I realized that that was what I needed to do in order to "find myself", the girl I've always wanted to be. My calling is Mother, it's what the Lord wants me to be. I need to lose myself in motherhood, in rearing and nurturing these children that Heavenly Father has trusted me with. How great the wisdom and the love of our Father in Heaven! He gave us families so that through service, sacrifice, and love we can come to see and love not only others, but also ourselves as He does. I know that there is no higher calling than Motherhood, and I'm so grateful that I've been blessed and trusted with such a sacred and rewarding role.

Small Talk

Before I begin this hilarious story, I need to mention an amusing habit that Adam has developed. He's very much like me and Tommy in that he's not a great conversationalist--he's a bit shy. But he tries. He makes a very valiant effort whenever anyone talks to him, and he clings to an ice-breaking tactic that makes me and Tommy have a hard time keeping straight faces. No matter what a person says to him to get him to talk, Adam always sticks his foot out and says, "See? I have shoes." I guess he figures that's something the two of them have in common, and thus far they're on equal ground. It always brings a smile to the other person's face :).

So this morning, I needed to run a couple of errands. We got a late start since Hannah has been sick and was taking an unusually long nap. We pulled out of the garage to find that it was raining a lot harder than I thought. I decided to just do one errand so I wouldn't have to take the kids in and out of the car too much. By the time we left the store, it was lunch time so I decided to stop by Wendy's on the way home. I don't know their menu very well (we go to Chick-Fil-A when we get fast food), so I tried to pull up to the speaker thing just to the point where I could see the menu but not cross over the buzzer that lets them know someone's there. Well, I pulled a little too far up and got an earful of, "Hi, may I take your order?" I told the guy I needed just a second, but then Adam piped up. "Uh, yeah, uh, hi," Adam started yelling from the back seat. "Uh, I have shoes!" I tried to shush him while I searched everywhere for the kids menu, but he just plowed on. "Uh, I like some apples and fries and juice and--" but I interrupted him to quickly make our order. It was hard to talk over him, concentrate on what I was saying, and keep from laughing all at the same time. I pulled away from the speaker and up to the first window to pay. "That'll be--" the guy started to say, but Adam interjected with, "Hi, Mr. Guy, this is Hannah." We got to the second window, and while they were handing me our food, Adam called out, "Mr. Guy, I have this booger here--" at which point I practically peeled out of the drive-thru lane, barely grabbing his kids' meal and almost exploding with suppressed laughter. I laughed all the way home, so he definitely didn't get a lecture on proper conversation etiquette. Perhaps I'm a bad mother and teacher for that--but at least he keeps things interesting :)...

Hannah's 'Razy Hair

I've never seen a kid with hair like Hannah's. It's very fine, like mine, so it's hard to do things with it; but there's also a lot of it, so I kind of have to do something with it. The difficult thing, though, is that it has a mind of its own. I've tried different styles. It's long enough now to where it can be put into pigtails, but only the hair on top and on the sides can make it--the hair in the back is as short as it was when she was born. Oh, well. She still manages to look cute.

According to Adam

Our computer is fixed! I can't even begin to express my happiness :). So many things have happened around here since...August. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long since my last post.

Adam is three now, and he has developed quite an imagination. He's absolutely hilarious, too. Since he's talking in complete sentences now (and much more clearly), we've been amazed at some of the things that go through his head :). Here are some of his latest ponderings:

On seeing my bare mattress (while the sheets were being washed): "Whoa! Where'd that come from?"

On talking to Tommy on our home phone instead of on my cell phone: "Daddy, what are you doing in there?"

On seeing Hannah start sucking on the side of her bathtub during her bath: "Oh, Hannah! Don't eat your tubby!"

On having the sun shining in his eyes while riding in the car: "No, sun! You go away! You go home teaching!"

On being asked if he was stinky: "Mommy, you go upstairs."

On having one his toys constantly fall off his toy truck: "Woody, you stay! You stay in your seat!"

On recovering the above toy from under my rear end while I was nursing (I didn't realize I was sitting on it): "Oh, Woody! You okay? Did Mommy hurt you?"

On getting tired of hearing me singing "Once Upon a Dream" to Hannah: "Mommy, you stop that. You sing 'Popcorn Popping.'"

On seeing Tommy's brother John (who has a twin named Shawn): "Where's the other Shawn?"

And a recent conversation we had while running errands:

Adam: Mommy, let's go home!

Me: Not quite yet. How about we go to Target, and then the craft store, and then the tool store [Lowe's]? What d'ya say?

Adam: Please.

He's also started saying prayers all by himself. He almost always says he's thankful that he went to sacrament meeting and Grandma's house, whether he went there that day or not. He loves to help out with Hannah, and is really good at wiping her nose (i.e. smearing the snot all over her face). What a kid.

I just love these little punks :)...