See You Soon

Parker has not transformed himself into a fuzzy orangutan. This is Audrey's "class pet" that she got to bring home last weekend. I just love this picture of Audrey and Miles. I wish that WAS Parker in the other spot, then I'd really love this picture. Oh well.
Have a happy long weekend! We're going out to the country, so I'll be back Tuesday-ish.

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

My Linguistic Profile:

55% General American English

20% Yankee

10% Dixie

10% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

boring is good

I'm sorry, this may just turn out to be "borafill", my new favorite word and my new secret fear as a blogger. It is defined here by my friend Audra's husband, Mike. Thanks for the word, Mike. Now on to the borafill . . .

{left} Leslie Fish, 1916

1. Name one thing you like and one thing you dislike about your name.
I love so many things about my name. I love that I was named after a family member. I love that I was named after a man (my great-grandfather). I love that my middle name is his wife's name. I love that my Grandma always called me Leslie Ruth, in honor of her parents. I like that it kind of rhymes with my sister's name, so when you say them together (cuz we were always together), it sounds cute.
When I was little, I didn't like the way my name looked when I wrote it. I don't really like the letter L. I always wanted my name to start with A, because it looked prettier. But that was then. Oh, and I don't like it when people call me Lezzlie. Don't do that, kay?

2. How do you beat the summer heat?
I don't beat it, it beats me mostly. I curse at it, I complain about it, I wake up mad at it, I pray for November to come around. And then we go swimming.

3. What are your favorite five items in your wardrobe?

1. a great linen suit I bought in Arizona.
2. Joe's Jeans, a big splurge with an Anthropologie gift card last year.
3. my dark pink Mia kitten-heeled shoes.
4. my white skirt, which I wear at least twice a week in the summertime.
   
5. my Asscher-cut diamond pendant. That totally counts, since I wear it daily.
   

4. What are you most proud of?
My children. (warning: brag alert) They are turning out to be absolutely wonderful little people who care about others, are helpful and loving, and pretty funny, too. (Insert "most of the time" before each of those phrases.) Lots of times, people tell us we're lucky to have such well-behaved kids, but you know what? We totally take credit for it. It's hard work, kids don't just come here behaving themselves, and I think Neal and I are doing a pretty good job. (virtual back-pat)
I'm also pretty proud of Neal, because he has worked really hard and put up with a lot, what with all the homework and quizzes and other assorted busywork he's dealt with for TWELVE years as a student. One of these days, it's going to pay off. And then he can get a Porsche, and maybe be proud of himself a little bit for once.

5. Name one subject on which you could talk for hours.
My kids (obviously), my opinions on parenting (obviously), and travel.

6. In one word, describe your first kiss.
So-so. Can you say "unreciprocated feelings"?

7. Finish the following sentence: "I can always find an excuse to _________".
go out to eat. Why is that even though I stay at home most of the day every day, it's still such a chore to get dinner on the table? Sigh. (I have made a few yummy things lately, though. See them here.)

8. The big decision I'm currently wrestling with is . . .
I don't want to talk about this one anymore. I'll let you know when it's decided. :)

"Parker is a Dream!"

That's a direct quote from the teacher after Parker's first day back at preschool today. You don't have to tell me! What a great kid. He was actually excited to go to school, which is a nice change from last year, when he used to say, "It's not that fun."

Miles got busy, too. I found him sitting at the coloring table. Except instead of coloring, he likes to suck all the ink out of markers. But that's okay, because he has cute, chubby weggies and a soft neck. We like to eat him.

Patterns Up for Grabs

Hey all. I have been organizing my craft stash of late, preparing very early and very slowly for the fact that we will be selling our house within the next nine months, God willing. I have a bunch of sewing patterns I don't need anymore and thought I'd offer them to my fabulous and crafty readers. Most of them are unused, I've indicated which ones have been cut. But, to my knowledge, although they've been cut, they're all complete. I'm sorry to say that I need to charge you like a buck for shipping, just because I'm not in the position to sport the cash to send these all over the place (this has something to do with the fact that we are students going on 12 years now). So if you want one, email me at the address to your right, and I'll send you my Paypal account info, blah blah, then I'll pop it in the mail to you.

McCall's 3607 (baby romper, pic to the left) to the left to the left, everything you own in a box to the left . . . name the tune and you get free shipping!! (sorry, Ruth already won the game. Go Ruth!)

Simplicity 9801 (clown costume) 2-4, 6-8, 10-12 (like this image, but in kids' sizes) cut

Simplicity 5401 (girls' poodle skirt) 3-4-5-6 (cut at 6)

Burda 9879 (3m-6m-9m-12m-18m)

You know you want one! Please take them! I can't bear to throw them out.

Bday in AZ!

Happy Birthday to my sister, Stephanie, today! She's turning 28, which totally freaked me out because, for a minute, I thought I was 28. Then I remembered that I'm lame-o 29.

Anyway, here's to you, Steph! I almost posted one of those high school swim team pictures we took in the backyard that one time. Then I thought I'd just send them to Mike for Christmas.
He might like those.

Here we are in the Hampton Court Palace gardens, back when we were both obsessed with white t-shirts and messenger bags in 1998. Steph came to England to visit me on study abroad. We had such a fun week, remember, Steph? Getting lost on the way back from taking silly pictures at Blenheim Palace, shopping in Covent Garden, catching trains to Cobham and talking about our cute boyfriends?

Just a small portion of the wonderful memories I have with Stephanie. It's so much fun to have a sister. Look, Steph! I even made you a cute little asterisk bouquet to remind you of that beautiful day in the gardens.

* *
~ ~ * * * ~ ~
* *

H a p p y B i r t h d a y !

Grateful Sunday

Artwork by Audrey. She wants me to say that she's better at drawing animals than people.

This week, I'm grateful for:

• the miracle of Sunday mornings around here. Neal goes to church before us and has for the majority of the years we've been married. Almost every Saturday night, I completely lack the energy or enthusiasm expected of me on Sunday mornings. I always think I won't be able to do it. I have to get all three kids and myself fed, dressed, packed for three hours of quiet time, and in the car by 8:30. (I know, lots of you do this too.) Yet, somehow, each Sunday morning, I am blessed by my clocks slowing down, the kids sort of listening to me, and about 13 green lights. I haven't been late yet. It's a blessing and a miracle, and I'm so grateful for it. Because I really hate to be late.
• Oh, and I have this little line I use to get the kids out of bed. It goes like this. Ahem: "First one to the toilet gets a Rolo with their breakfast!"
  
(Try it.)

• the fact that August is almost over. Because that means that there's only 2-3 months left of our last summer on the Gulf Coast. I'm ready to be done with summers like this.
• good people who do what they're asked to do without making a fuss or expecting a big payoff. You know, like the people at church who always show up, and always perform their callings with grace and dignity, just because they know that people are counting on them and that they'll be blessed for it.
  
• Preschool. It starts this week, and we are all happy. Parker is bored OUT OF HIS MIND without Audrey here. She is the source of imagination at our house.
• Vacation this weekend! WOOHOO!
  

Miles can do tricks.

Got a minute? Check out this video of our little clown, Miles. He's full of silly tricks and always loves to make us laugh. Trick number one in this video involves blowing a little tube out of his mouth and making a funny sound. Trick number two is dancing to Josie's hilarious post the other day. (Yes, Mrs. Dub, I do read Josie's blog. I can appreciate her nekid little redhead.) Miles LOVES to watch her silly video. Sorry about the poor picture quality. He mostly dances at night.

Audrey thinks . . .

. . . that clothes are SO over-rated. So she takes almost ALL of them off the minute she gets home from school. My kids have also started sleeping in only their underwear, forgoing all their adorable pajamas in favor of their skivvies. I mean, sure, it's 79 degrees in our house at night, but still. What is it with kids and nekidness anyway? I know it's not just my kids.
Or is it?

A Great Idea

One of my favorite design blogs is called How About Orange. She always finds the best ideas, projects, and pretty things. Here's my latest favorite website she has shared: Pandora. You may already know about it. I'm slow like that.

Here's what you do:

Go to Pandora.com.
Sign up (free, yay).
Create a new station.
Type in an artist.
Pandora will play songs by that artist and find others you might like who have the same sound.
Then you can listen to your own personalized radio station while you read blogs.

Go try it. It's fun.

Tech-savvy brother Elliott also recommends this site for your listening pleasure.

It's her birthday!

Happy Birthday Mom! Aren't you glad you're not in Texas for your birthday this year? Because I know this picture of you as a four-year-old in Dallas brings back lots of HOT memories.

I love you so much and wish you a happy, relaxing, reflective, peaceful birthday.
Don't pack a thing today. Make Dad do it. :)

What's Wrong with Me?

So remember how I finally bought that Twilight book because every single person I know, through blogs and in real life (I have a real life?) gushes about it? Well, I read it. And no, I didn't read it in one sitting. It took me about four days. So now I'm just kind of confused as to why I didn't really like it that much when every other person loved it so. Are you going to stop reading my blog because I'm not even all that interested in reading the second book? I'm sorry. I tried! I would call it, in fact, I did call it on the phone to Steph, "fun." It was a "fun" read, which, I admit, you need every once in a while. But, enh (picture me tilting my hand back and forth like the so-so hand gesture).
Call me a book snob or whatever, but this book, below, is what I call a good book:
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. It's also a young adult novel. I actually just picked it up at the bookstore the other day when I was in the kids' section. It had two of those shiny silver award medallions on the cover, so I bought it. LOVED it. It's a little LM Montgomery, a little Harper Lee, a few laughs, and a few tears.

I think you might like it, too. In fact, I'm calling it this week's Children's Book of the Week. And I'm saving it for Audrey to read when she's in about fourth grade.

And so it begins . . .

I'm sure you're all familiar with the American Girl collection of dolls (and other things). Most little girls have dreams of owning these dolls. My neighbor, a grown woman who has one little boy, even receives the catalog. Well, when I was a girl, my sister and I had these dolls and we played with them for hours, read all the books, and had good old-fashioned dolly fun with them. The other day, we checked out Meet Felicity from the library. It was so fun to introduce Audrey to this magical, historical world. Old Felicity (passed down from my sister, Julianne) and Kirsten (mine) dolls are waiting in the attic for the day when Audrey is ready for them. Felicity is a redhead who loves horses. Audrey said, while we were reading the first chapter, "Is Felicity kind of like me?"

I wonder how long Audrey will wait before we get them down . . .

Grateful Sunday

You know, this Grateful Sunday thing can be kind of hard sometimes. I mean, obviously, I'm grateful for so many things each week, but they're usually the same old repeats from every other week (and day), and usually, it's mainly my family and our health and comfort (which is boring to blog about over and over) . You all ought to try a grateful list every once in a while, if you don't already. It really does make you stop and think and take account and BE ACTIVELY GRATEFUL for something, even if it's a song you sang at Church, or eating out Saturday night, or holding your husband's hand in the hallway. It makes my Sundays better, at least, and this Sunday, I'm grateful for . . .

. . . the lesson we had in church today, which I actually got to listen and contribute to, for once. My friend, Nicole, did a great job teaching it. It helped me more consciously enjoy the Sabbath day today. Everyone here was very happy, and it was great.

. . . my piano. I very rarely get a chance to play these days. I can't play when Miles is asleep and I can't really play when he's awake, since he REALLY loves to bang on the keys and beg to be sitting on my lap. So I can play when Neal is home, which isn't very much. But today, I played, and it was lovely. (Thanks again, Grammy, for sending the piano.)

. . . Miles, who still smells like warm sugar cookies all the time, even though he's a big one-year-old now. And no, it's not because he had an actual sugar cookie for dessert tonight.

. . . the fact that Audrey is loving school already. She actually looks forward to it. On Friday, when I picked her up, she said, "Today was even funner than yesterday!" It might be the novelty, but I hope that she's really going to love first grade.

Neal called . . .

Neal has said many things to me on the phone over the years while he's been calling from work or school or on the way home. Many of them have totally freaked me out.

On Friday, for example, he called on his way home and said, "I almost cut the top of my finger* off today. It's okay, though, I just super glued it shut," which prompted me to think of the many other things I have heard on the phone around 6 o'clock in the evening. Here is a small sample:

1. My tuition is due tomorrow.
2. My assistant is an idiot.
3. I was at the office for six hours and only did one root canal. (This is not a result of slow dental work [Neal can do a root canal in under an hour], but rather because of A. patients not showing up, B. bad scheduling by the front desk people, or C. the dentist he's working with doesn't have any idea what kind of tooth requires a root canal in the first place. Usually C.)
4. I stuck myself with a needle and my patient works at the county jail.
5. I stuck myself with a needle and my patient has pretty questionable behavior in his past. I'm going to get my blood drawn at the clinic.
6. I did a root canal on an eight-year-old today.
7. I'm just going to stop at the pet store for a minute on my way home.
8. Dr. (insert professor's name here) is so weird.
9. (from the first year of dental school, anatomy lab) Today we cut off our cadaver's head.
10. Did I leave my lunch on the counter?
11. I ran over some nails and got a flat tire this morning.
12. When I came out to my car this afternoon, I had a flat tire. (These happened within 2 weeks of each other. Different tires.)
13. I think my female patient today was really a man.

What has your husband called to tell you?

*Neal's hands are our livelihood and future. If he injures them, he's unable to do dental work, and we're pretty much screwed. Thank goodness for disability insurance. Note to all dental school wives (Mimi, Kristen, Amy Jo): make sure you get good disability insurance upon graduation.

She's gone, but she looked awfully cute.

Audrey started first grade today at her new school. She was beyond thrilled to go this morning. It was so cute. The other night at orientation, she kept telling me that her "tummy felt weird, but it was good because it meant she was excited."

Now, since she's attending a private school, there is a strict uniform policy in place. When I started reading the "rules," I was a bit overwhelmed. I had to make copies of the pages of rules, yes pages, and post them on her closet door. I had to highlight the rules that apply to first grade girls. We don't want her coming home with any "infractions!" Heavens! Whatever would we do if her shirt was untucked? Gasp!

The outfit she wore today is her "formal" outfit and must be worn every Monday (and the first day of school). Fridays are "casual" days. On those days, she must wear her red embroidered polo and khaki shorts. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, she can "choose" from among her other uniform options (white or blue school logo embroidered polo shirt, plaid shorts).

Here are some of the other rules for your reading enjoyment. These rules apply to girls only. There's a whole other set for boys. So, as happy as we are that Audrey will be in a small class with a teacher who seems like she was sent from heaven, the uniform thing might just be a pain in the neck.

Some of THE RULES. Be afraid.

• Monogrammed knit shirts may only be worn with shorts or pants.
• White broadcloth blouse may only be worn with plaid jumper or with plaid skirt & navy vest.
• Children must tuck in their shirts and wear the uniform's navy blue braided belt.
  
• Only girls in third grade may wear either the plain jumper or plaid skirt with navy vest on formal dress days.
• White or navy plain tights (no designs) may only be worn with plaid jumper or skirt.
• Only white plain socks may be worn (no frills, lace or designs).
• Long sleeve shirts may only be worn with long pants.
• Only the monogrammed cardigan sweater can be worn inside the building on "formal" dress days.
• Shoes must be black, brown, white, or navy blue and may not have characters, flashing lights or neon colors. (neon? what is this, 1983?)

We've officially said goodbye to all dark teal and unicorn wear, at least until Saturday.

Linc-bo-binc

I have a veritable smorgasbord of funny pictures I could have posted in honor of my little brother Lincoln's birthday today. Most of them are from when he was about 11 (when I left home), but I refrained, mostly because I don't want to deal with the payback on his blog.

Anyway, today Lincoln is 24. What!? Are you kidding me? I can't believe I just typed that.
24!! Guy.

Lincoln is one of the best people I know. All three of my brothers are great men who respect their families, work hard, have fun and are happy. Lincoln is no exception. He genuinely cares for people, is sensitive and compassionate, and always fun to be around. Always. I don't think Lincoln has a "bad mood." (But that's because he hasn't experienced Dental School yet hehee.) Neal randomly met a pre-dental student from BYU who knew Lincoln as his TA in some science class. He said, "Oh! Lincoln P*! You mean the most laid-back person in the world?!"

Yep, that's him.

Here he is with his wife, Mimi, in Norway. Ya, they got to go to Norway.
I don't want to talk about it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINCOLN!!

I tried to name a baby after you, but my rebel of a Southern husband wouldn't have it. :(

Pretty Song

Just loving this song today. It's nothing new, just a nice Norah Jones ditty, but it's the kind of song I like to listen to when I'm alone in the car, since it never, ever happens.
Either something like this or ABBA. Really loud.
Oh, I forgot absolute and utter silence. Sometimes I listen to that, too.

What do you like to listen to when you're alone in the car?

the blessedness of being little*

It turned out to be a fun birthday indeed for little Miles. He spent the day being loved to pieces as usual. We got him some balloons, one of his favorite things.
(Yes, P* family, he still points at everything.)

His admirers from across the street stopped by, and brought presents!

Tabbouleh for dinner
(I have overcome my fear of bulgur. Yes, I had a "fear" of bulgur. It sounds yucky, but guess what.
It's super yummy. Click above for recipe.)

And cake cake cake!

We finished off the evening with an extended tubby, some good fun up on the top bunk, and some late-night playtime with Daddy.
(He just wouldn't go to sleep! All the excitement, I suppose.)

Oh, and in case you are wondering about Miles' fashion choices for his birthday celebration (men in my house don't normally don muscle shirts), it is perfectly OKAY for a little boy to wear tank tops. Especially when that little boy has absolutely delicious upper arms.

*Title taken from a favorite line in Shakespeare. Although it has nothing to do with actual physical size or youth, I still love applying it to little people like Miles.

A Happy Year

Last August 13th, Neal and Julianne came home from the hospital and posted this so you all could share our happy news about our beautiful baby boy.

Today, we're celebrating our smiley little Miles. He's our happiest baby yet, and the light of our days. We're so lucky to have him and so happy that today is his birthday!

I know this is a ton of pictures, but Audrey and Parker were helping me choose and we just couldn't help ourselves.

We love you little Dude!
I'll post some pictures of his little celebration later tonight after the cake is cleaned up and the birthday boy is sound asleep.

Grateful Sunday

One year ago today, Julianne was helping me count minutes between contractions. I laid in my bed, tried to read a book and wondered if this little guy was going to come out. I hoped the contractions would stop and that he'd wait another week or two to come. But he didn't.

Today, I'm grateful that I'm not doing any of that.

Thirty-Five

Today my parents celebrate 35 years of wedded bliss. They've gone from teenagers in love, to the parents of 6 young children,

to the grandparents of (almost) 13. They've traveled the world together a few times over, and we just never quite know where they'll be from one week to the next. Maybe today they're celebrating in Paris, at the Arctic Circle, or the countryside of England. Or is it the fjords of Norway, the beaches of Wailea, or the mountains of Sundance?

Nope, they're in the romance capitol of the midwest, Ames, Iowa!

Giving their all for you-know-who.

They're still the best example to me of how to be completely devoted to each other, and I love them so much.
Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Happy Friday!

This one's for Stephanie.

From Etsy.

A little taste of my T/TH

I've had a couple of nice, quiet days in a row. Yesterday my neighbor very graciously offered, yes offered, to take my kids to the movies (we have that free movie Wednesday thing at our local AMC theater). Then she took them to lunch and let them play (yes, she's a fabulous neighbor!), so Miles and I had some one-on-one time from 9-1. Thank you Kimberly!!

Today I've sent my kids (not the baby, of course) to a little day camp at the local swim/gymnastics center. They needed to get out of the house, away from Miniclip.com (their favorite game website), and I was completely willing to pay for it. They'll have tons of fun, splash around a bit and come home around 3:30 completely pooped out, I suspect.

So I've been getting a little hint of what our Tuesdays and Thursdays will be like this school year. With only one kid at home those days, I'm planning a few morning naps here and there (for me and the baby), loads of laundry (bleh, can't get a break from that, unfortch), trips to the grocery store with only Miles in the cart, leisurely lunches of turkey sandwiches, mini Dr. Peppers and cold pickles (for me, not him), Miles sitting at my feet under the table while I eat and browse through a magazine, little walks to the park (once he's walking, that is), dance parties (Miles LOVES to dance), and then lots of quiet playtime on the floor.

Should be nice, but it's weird to have only one kid at home with me!

Speaking of weird, my husband is crazy.

Two Things

Old Picture, 'Older' Friends

Today is Rachel's 30th Birthday (she's on the left). Amy (center) celebrated her 30th in March. They're way older than me, obviously. I'm still 29. :) This is us circa Spring 1997, in Provo, Utah, where we all lived together during college.
Happy Birthday Rachel! I'm so sad I missed your big surprise party!

This is a fabulous illustration of the sock size discrepancy I discussed yesterday. These are Hanes boys' socks (so now you know not to buy them).
"Small" on the left, "Medium" on the right. I mean, seriously, any child between the ages of 1 and 6 falls somewhere in between. So annoying. Parker still doesn't have socks that fit, because the smalls I bought yesterday fit the baby and the mediums fit me. I can't believe I'm still dwelling on this. It's been a slow week.

Ok, and there's another really cute picture over here.

Waxing Wordy

Well, I'm glad so many of you visited Neal's blog yesterday. I'm anxiously awaiting his next post, as I'm sure you are, too. He was understandably frustrated at the ratio of hits (197) to comments (17). I said, "welcome to the slightly disappointing world of hit counters." I actually have a really hard time reading someone's blog without leaving a comment every once in a while, but that's just me. I follow the Golden Rule of Blog Commenting (i.e. [and please note the golden text], "Comment on others' blogs just as you would want them to comment on yours," or something like that).

As for me, I have absolutely nothing to post about, unless I decide to very wordily and not very wittily describe the audible cheers and claps from the way back of the car when we pulled into Target at 8:30 this morning to pick up our newly-released copy of this movie. I also picked up this book because I seriously can't click on a blog or talk to a friend without this book eventually coming up in conversation. And, gasp, I haven't even read it yet! (for those of you who have read it and are on book 3, here is a rockin' coupon from BN.)
Or I could get all HTT on you and bring up the fantastically ridiculous idea of "sock sizes" and how one's "sock size" has absolutely nothing to do with one's "shoe size," and how, before we bought our TMNT movie, we had to go to Customer Service and return 3 packages of socks because, for example, although I very carefully obeyed the "size chart" on the back of the Hanes socks package, the socks I bought for my 4-year-old actually fit ME. So lame, but I won't bore you with that (or did I?).
Or, I could challenge you all to a run-on sentence contest because I think I just broke my own record. That sock sentence was 83 words long.

So, I'll get a little more wordy on y'alls and, for lack of better blog material, rely on one of Miss Natalie's monthly series of Real Simple interviews. Are your eyes hurting yet? Oh well, here it goes:

1. What's your best summer memory?
Going on absolutely incredible family vacations. We would take off in June every few years and head to Europe, or Japan, or Australia, or Hawaii, or England, or the East Coast, or one epic RV trip when I was 6. We followed the LDS Church history trail all the way back to Vermont. I also remember going to lots of Angel games, always sitting in aisle 29, spending lots of days in our backyard pool, playing diving board games, drying off in the warm garage or laying on the warm cement, and riding bikes with the neighbor kids. Sometimes we would imagine that strange things were happening on our street and that we had mysteries to solve. Or washed-off rocks to sell. I had a great childhood.

2. Your chosen form of exercise is:
I really prefer not to exercise, even though I always feel better when I do. When I do get the urge and act on it (about once a year), I'll start "speed walking" (on the treadmill in the summer), and I enjoy toning up with free weights. One of these days, I'll try pilates. And one day, when all my kids are in school, I'll hire a personal trainer. So I can look super hot.

3. What was your Mother right about?
Pretty much everything. That seeing the world and the way other people live can change your life, that children are the most precious thing in the world and need to be actively and tenderly loved and cuddled and listened to, that a quiet home is a peace-filled home, that I needed to practice the piano, and that education will make your whole life more fulfilling.

4. If you suddenly came into $1000 in spare cash and had to spend it all on yourself, what would you do with it?
I think I'd use it for airfare to Europe.

5. What's one thing you refuse to eat?
Cauliflower and/or crawfish. As for the crawfish, although I enjoy most Southern and Cajun cuisine (except collard greens, bleh), I just can't bring myself to eat glorified insects. And they're really not all that glorified by the people who love them. People here don't care if they look like bugs, because apparently their brains "taste really good."

6. Describe a party you would throw if the tab were taken care of.
I'd have a big, fun BBQ on a beach house patio, right on the sand, with delicious food catered by Giada DeLaurentiis, fresh lemonade and expensive root beer on tap, a bonfire and s'mores when it got dark, fabulous, funny people to keep the mood light, a good band (maybe Jack Johnson, he's beachy), and all of my family flown in.

7. The big decision I'm currently wrestling with is....
the same one as last month (where to live and work). It's gonna be the biggest one for the next long time.

Tomorrow, I'll just post a picture, promise. :)

Children's Book of the Week: 19

This week's book is another one we love to get from the library. It's all about the joys of reading, and it's called

The Best Place to Read
by Debbie Bertram & Susan Bloom

This book is about a little boy who is trying to find a good spot to read his book. He tries, Goldilocks-style, place after place. His teenage sister's room is too noisy, some chairs are too lumpy or filled with a big doggie, the ceiling fan near his father's chair is spinning too fast & making him cold, the kitchen table is sticky, the sprinklers turn on when he goes on the grass, and finally, in his exasperation, he comes to his mom and says,
"Mommy, oh, Mom!
May I sit on your lap? I love it so much when we share."
The best place to be, just my book, Mom and me--
At last . . . In a comfortable chair."

You can reserve it at your library or pick it up here!

Grateful Sunday

This week, I've had a lot of time to think about and be extremely grateful for the knowledge and beliefs I have about our Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation. Friends of my sister lost their new baby unexpectedly, we remembered Neal's mother on her birthday, and two friends of mine here are suffering with serious illness. It's during times like these that I am grateful that I know that this life is temporary and short in the eternal scheme of things, that I will be with my family after we die, that heaven is organized by families, that our hardships will be removed from us, that our bodies will be perfect, and that our personalities will remain the same. I'm grateful to know that children who die are brought to live with their Father in Heaven, that they are welcomed back into that place by people who love them and are connected to them by eternal bonds.

These are just some of the beautiful beliefs that have been confirmed to me throughout my life, and that have made my week better than it otherwise would have been. I know they're true. I hope these truths have helped ease the burden of those whom we know who are suffering and grieving.

This is one of the quotes that Neal's mom loved. I remember her talking about it when she was sick. I think it gave her hope and brought her spirits up, and it does the same for me:
“This life is a part of eternity. This is one stage of our eternal lives. When we die, we will go on to purposeful, active, challenging living. The life on the other side of the veil will be somewhat like the life here. If we have been clean and decent and good here, we will go on in that same spirit. If we have been rascals, we will go in that same spirit. I believe that. I believe in the eternity of life. It is as much a part of my belief as anything that I know of, that this is not the end, that there will be another life, that we will be accountable to God our Father and to our Lord Jesus Christ, that we will have work to do, and that sometime we will all participate in the resurrection. That is my hope, my faith, my testimony” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, in an interview with Ignacio Carrión, El País newspaper, 7 Nov. 1997).

Have a great week. I have some fun news tomorrow, so be sure to check in.

Happy Birthday!

Charlotte and Audrey, with their fabulous hair, in January 2006

Today is Neal's sister, Charlotte's birthday. Charlotte is such a wonderful person. I'll never forget the first time I met her. It was right after Neal and I started dating. He took me to Salt Lake City for dinner and afterwards, we went to Charlotte's apartment in the Avenues so I could meet her. We completely just dropped in on her, and she was getting little teeny Savannah ready for bed. I remember watching that little red-haired girl running around and Charlotte trying to get her to slow down so she could read her the scriptures. She was so sweet and welcoming, just a little taste of how Neal's entire family was to me when we got married. I immediately felt as though his sisters were my sisters and I still do.

Charlotte blogs here, where she writes lovely posts, like the one yesterday about her Mama, whose birthday she almost shares.

Happy Birthday Charlotte! Thanks for being such a great friend to me and a wonderful sister to Neal. We both love you so much and wish you a happy birthday and a beautiful weekend!

Miles can't speak English

Here are some of Miles' favorite things, in pictorial form, because for some reason, he just didn't feel like talking today:

Favorite time of day:

Favorite place to play:

(Audrey's bed, the top bunk. Don't worry. I'm always up there with him.)

Favorite Book:

Favorite thing to eat:

Favorite person:

Not to brag or anything, but I have singlehandedly sustained his life for almost a year now. No wonder he loves me.

Favorite game to play with daddy: "Don't Roll on Daddy!"

He's such a great kid. :)

and the boy . . .

Parker's Favorite things as of last week. He's four.

color dark blue

food miso soup. Yes, they're actually Japanese children in disguise.

drink orange juice

book TMNT Four's a Crowd

toy swords & shields

person Miles

animal bat

place Ikea (for småland)

game imagining that he is a ninja turtle

thing to do play computer

thing to wear dark blue swim shirt & gray shorts

Audrey's Favorites

color dark teal

food miso soup

drink sprite

book The Enchanted Unicorn

toy my horsies

person moe (that's Miles, fyi)

animal Audrey: You mean an animal that's not a unicorn?
me: Ya.
Audrey: Ummmmm, unicorn.

place Bounce U

game playing pets

thing to do draw and color and swim and jump off the divingboard

thing to wear dark teal skirt

first pic by my sis, Julianne, second one by my bro, Elliott