Being the Oldest

I was talking to my little son today about all the cool things being the oldest means. I know he is only 5 months, but I thought that I should let him know some of the things that are going to be a constant in his life. I am the oldest in my family, so I was able to share first hand the kinds of things he should be aware of.

Scott and I have never been parents before, and although I have a great deal of experience in childcare and am definitely a lot more confident and knowledgeable then many of my friends when they started having children, there is a huge difference between being the Big Sister and being the MOM! So Danny is our experiment. We are learning what to do at different stages of his development. We will try things one way, and then figure out it is better to do them another way. I explain to him that this is how it will always be. Once he passes through a stage, we will know a little better how to handle the next child (although personalities will be different. . .)

And this experimentation never ends. I am still my parents experiment. Only now they have Scott to experiment with as well. It is because we are the Firsts. The First ones to be married, The First ones to have a child, etc. I was thinking about this because we are doing an experiment today. My Mom wanted to have a Family Home Evening as an extended family at least once a month. Today is that day, and she asked Scott and I to plan it.

I loved being the oldest. I couldn't imagine being anything else. The feelings of responsibility for my siblings, the knowledge of the example that I set for them, has been with me my whole life. I care for, worry about, pray for, and love to be around every single one of them. One of the hard things about being the oldest is that you have to learn to allow your brothers and sisters to grow up - independent. I know that parents have to learn this, but so do big brothers and sisters. I have always tried to allow my siblings to grow. I give advice (I am sometimes called the compulsive answerer) but I respect them as they shape themselves, and enjoy seeing them become competent adults who are fun.

My husband, on the other hand, is the youngest in his family. And so I am now also the youngest. One his side, we are the LAST. The Last to be married, the Last to have children, the Last. It makes me realize how good it was of me to step back sometimes from the lives of my brothers and sisters and allow them to grow. I have seen how the youngest tends to be criticized a lot, and viewed as immature simply because their situation in life is different. Sometimes us older ones think we need to "teach" our siblings things when, in reality, they don't need the lesson. We think because we have a little experience that we can walk into our little brother or sister's life and tell them what they need to fix, do, be, and feel. Often this isn't the case. There is a difference between teaching and being overbearing. I see it with my little sisters too. They are growing up, and sometimes the older ones in the family get frustrated that they aren't totally grown yet. They run out of patience and don't allow my eight year old sister to be Eight!

Anyway, enough rambling for one day, I have a Family Home Evening lesson to prepare.

Yams! Yams! Yams! aka Yeast Cleanse Day 4

Did I ever mention that I love yams? Well I do! Sweet Potatoes are a poor and dissapointing substitute for the yam lover. Whenever I hear someone say they don't like yams, I instinctively know they have never had real yams. . .at least not the kind I like to make. Yams are naturally sweet and are delicious with just a bit of butter. My candied yams have been loved by every sweet potato hater out there. Actually, the recipe is my Grandmother's that I learned by watching my cousin, Jenny, make one on a thanksgiving from long ago. Since then I have become the official Candied Yam Maker for thanksgiving, and even my in-laws are asking for it.

Why this yam kick today? It isn't because thanksgiving is around the corner (although I probably would have written this then anyway.) It is because today I was weak and tired, and ready to quit the yeast cleanse. But I made myself some yams (which is allowed) and Voila! Energy and excitement. I can now excersize!

Night Time Relief

So, what do most moms do at night when the husband is at a meeting and the baby is asleep? I have finished cleaning the house, and now I am wandering around on the internet, checking bills and dreaming of a new cell phone. I think perhaps I will play Heroes of Might and Magic, I enjoy doing that, and I haven't had a moment to play for awhile. It is so nice to know that my little angel is happy - and out for the count. I just feel a little lost sometimes when there isn't a little voice wanting my attention.

On a side note: Scott and I started a yeast cleanse yesterday. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, you basically eat only meat, veggies, red potatoes, and yams. Similar to the Atkins diet, the major difference is that you only do this for 10-14 days. It is not to eat this way all of the time (my little soap box) but is excellent for the body if you have an abundance of yeast. So I may keep you all updated on how I am feeling. Yesterday was great, and delicious. I actually took time to make food! I can already tell this is going to be good for me, in more ways than one. Today was also pretty easy, except that I craved sugar from about 3pm on. I seemed to see it everywhere, little bits of candy left over from Halloween. Spooky. I was strong, however, and have not succumbed to my cravings.

Scott and I are exercising now too. We go to the gym almost everyday. I like it a lot. Today I tried the elliptical machine. It basically feels like you are floating, as there is no impact on your knees. I managed to go 2 mile in 20 minutes, which is pretty exciting for me. I knew I needed to get back into exercising when I couldn't get through the whole line dance for the Boot Scooting Boogie at my brother's wedding. What is even more pathetic is that I don't think I made it through the first verse. Ah well, I am improving and really excited for the first time in my life to be working out!

He Got Married!

My brother Benjamin Clyde Logan was married to Randee Allred around 11:20 yesterday morning. We had a week full of festivities and events leading up to this momentous occasion. Today we are recovering: cleaning, relaxing, and saying good bye to all the relatives and friends who came to see the happy couple. Both Scott and my sister's new husband Lem were commenting on how great it was NOT to be the ones getting married this time. Apparently it is really nice to relax with the family and get to know the aunts and uncles and cousins. Which is precisely what we did.

Randee is a bone fide Cowgirl, so we had the church decked out in saddles, horses and country music. I watched my brother, who refused to dance at all in high school, cut the rug with his new bride to all sorts of music. And he looked like he was having a blast. Randee brings out Ben in all sorts of cool ways. Everyone has mentioned that they have never heard him talk so much. Well, 3 out of 9 and counting! So far, the three new additions to the family (not counting my son) get along together pretty well, and as we all adjust to becoming extended family it gets more and more fun.