MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Thanks for reading our blog! We hope you enjoy our Digital Christmas Card.

Here's a sum-up of our year as well.

Pmc turned 23 this year and became a dad shortly thereafter. He has now finished all but his final semester of a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development & Family Studies. He is constantly busy with work, school, applications to Grad school, being a FANTASTIC dad, spoiling his wife, and a few projects here and there.

Atec finished a quarter-century of life VERY shortly after becoming a mother. She has a full violin/viola studio and keeps getting calls for more students! She spends her days "home-making" with joy, cuddling cpc, and finding a few moments here and there for reading, sleeping, and her own projects!

Cpc had three birthdays....birth (Jun. 20 at 8:50am, 8 lbs. 10 oz.), 3 months, and 6 months! He was born breathing, cooing, holding his head up, and screaming like a teradactyl. He can now sit up, stand up w/ support, dance, grab things, shuffle crawl, eat almost anything, and tell stories. He is a sweet, patient little gentleman who looks just like both his parents. He is like his dad in his love of power tools and flirtations with girls, and like his mom in his love of learning and anything edible.

I'm finally there!

Where am I, you may ask?  I am finally in... the Christmas spirit!  I don't exactly know why it took me so long this year, but I just didn't feel Christmassy until late last week.  Atec and I were talking about it today, and we think that maybe I've just been looking to so many other things coming up after Christmas this year that I haven't had time to just think Christmas thoughts.  Plus, we had waited to get a Christmas tree until last Friday so that atec could finish up this semester of violin lessons with enough space to teach.  Our living room is just too small to teach lessons AND have a Christmas tree.  This is another reminder to us to be grateful that the opportunity for a bigger apartment is ours in the coming weeks.  The big move will take place between the 6th and 10th of January... the sooner the better.  That's probably been the biggest distraction we've had which has detracted from Christmas this year.

Pause that thought for just a moment... cpc has decided he wants to blog.  

Here is his attempt:

 IT5GGBN VVVVVVVV

VVVVVD zsvr

(fascinating, isn't it... such insights into six-month-old life!)

OK, so the other things which have kept me from Christmassing on time this year... graduate school applications are due January 1st.  That's occupied a substantial portion of my mind for the last little while, and it continues to keep a fair amount of my attention.  Plus, work has been a little crazy lately with winter-weather deliveries.  I had to go up to Centerville last week during the big afternoon storm.  I wish sometimes that my boss would show some sensibility and cancel a delivery when the weather is awful.  But no, the customer must come first. I don't love some things about my job, but at least I have one and it's about as secure as any hourly-wage-type job can be in these economic times.  By the way, one thing I've decided I really don't like about the information age is its impact on consumer habits... I don't think things are really THAT bad for most people right now.  It's just that these days the stock prices are streaming online and along tickers in the most populous urban areas in the 

city - so people are constantly thinking negatively about it. Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it.  I'll just keep being smart with my money (which isn't much anyway.) 

Tonight cpc had his first experience with opening a present.  We were at the annual Christmas party with the families of my dad's cousins.  At the end of the party Santa always sneaks in and drops off a bag full of presents,  including one for cpc.  

It went as you'd probably predict... not much opening and plenty of eating.  

Cpc and atec have also taken the time to enjoy some chilly walks when the sun is shining.  

The great thing is that cpc is so easy-going that the cold weather doesn't seem to bother him... the only thing that changes on his smiling face is the color of his cheeks!  

Finally, just want to wish everyone who takes the time to read this simple blog a very Merry Christmas.  (Yes, that's right, I said CHRISTMAS, not 'Happy Holidays.'  It is, after all, a celebration of the birth of Christ first and foremost; or at least it's supposed to be...) May God bless every one of us with peace in our hearts during this special time of the year as we reflect upon the Savior of the world and his profoundly important role in our lives.  Remember why it is that Santa Claus brings gifts... because he believes in Jesus' example of giving to all and following the great commandments of loving God and Christ, and loving each other.  

The Reality of Motherhood

Ok. So I'm sure every new mom reaches some sort of breaking point. The one where you reach the end of your rope. I mean the first one. The one where you really think "I cannot do this," where you seriously consider taking your child to the hospital & dropping him off. Ok, maybe not every mom, or maybe not any other mom than me. I'm a bad mom.

Anyway, I honestly thought I would never have this breaking point. I've taken care of so many kids, including plenty of infants. Not only did I like doing it, I loved doing it. I've been excited to have a child of my own since the time I was old enough to carry a doll around. I really thought I would never think "I cannot do this." Well, I did. And now I'm very grateful that I reached that point. It's become my turning point.

It happened this weekend. We were house/teenager-sitting for a family that I've known for years. I babysat the teens when they were toddlers. I love those three kids, they are exceedingly special to me. However, cpc did not handle it well. He was up every 1-2 hours all three nights. I think it was the combination of being in an unfamiliar environment, and having my attention torn from him and our usual routine. I mean, I'm not really a schedule person, but we do have our own basic routine here at home.

Reaching the end of my rope actually came in three segments. The first was the one where I got mad at pmc, handed cpc over to him and called my sister BMEM for advice. The first thing she said to me was "I am glad to see that EVEN YOU reached this point, I never thought you would." Thanks BMEM! She totally calmed me down and helped me to see some things clearly & gave me some good advice. The second segment was at 3 am this morning, when I had been holding cpc for over an hour and he still was squirming and restless.....and he was NOT hungry. The third and final segment was an hour ago. I finally realized that I've been fighting a certain part of motherhood, the part where my life revolves around this little kid. NOT that I didn't know that's what motherhood is, I totally did. But for some reason, I was holding on to this little bit of pride that says "I will not let someone else control my life."

Maybe this came from the craziness that happened in the home I grew up in. There were a lot of "control issues," the biggest one for me being that my life was so out of control with my parent's fighting that I fought for control over every detail of my life that I could.

But I don't have to be in control anymore. Not only that, but just because I'm not in control doesn't mean that someone else is controlling me. Sometimes life is simply chaotic, and that's okay. So the reality of motherhood isn't that I'm a slave to my spouse and children. The reality of motherhood is that the little things that I give up to be there for my child are worth it because of the joys that come from doing so. Same thing for wife-hood & the things I give up to be there for my husband.

Anyway, we had a great week all-in-all. Cpc discovered power tools, and he is JUST like his dad.

Cpc took his first walk (of many to come) in the snow. We went out as soon as it stopped snowing, and he was literally in awe the whole time. I honestly don't know how he kept his eyes open because it was SO BRIGHT.

Cpc recently grew out of the bouncer seat. Not that he's too big for it, but that he sits up and tries to get out of it. He almost knocked it over while he was in it last week. For about a week I was having a hard time getting in a shower because he usually sits in his bouncer while I'm showering. Then I discovered that he totally digs the Johnny-Jump-Up, and can easily sit in it not only while I'm showering, but even while I'm getting dressed & doing my hair (he never lasted that long in the bouncy seat).

Cpc has finally mastered sitting, and is getting some pretty good grabbing skills.

Lmze & Cpc got some playtime this week. Because Lmze is just like her mother, cpc came out with a battle wound (note the mark under his left eye). Cpc forgave & lmze apologized with a hug!

We took a night out to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra at Temple Square Christmas Concert with Brian Stokes Mitchell & Edward Herrmann. I have to say, it was my absolute favorite so far. I highly recommend it, whether you watch it on TV or purchase the cd/dvd next year. Fantastic! It really helped us get into the Christmas spirit. It was nice to have the Naylor's watch cpc for us too!

Then, like I said, we house/teen-sat for the weekend. The family lives pretty close to where my dad & younger siblings live now, so when my little sister ACE called to ask how she should do her hair for the Winter Dance at the high school, I offered my services. I think I did a pretty good job for a rookie! I hope she had fun, haven't heard yet!

Cpc has really helped us get in the Christmas mood. First, he totally loves the advent calendar....don't watch this if you're going to tell us we're bad parents, we already know that.

Second, he has high aspirations, to be Santa Claus when he grows up.......just like his cousin EM (the movie of EM is from last Christmas).

Now, just two more days and I'll be done teaching lessons, and we can put up our Christmas tree and go Christmas shopping!

Livin' It Up

There comes that time when you are nearing the end of something, and the beginning of something else. That time where you are tired of the stage you're in, and ready for the next stage. It happens with all sorts of things. Elementary school is the first one I remember. Then there's Junior High, High School, College. There's living at home, the end of a semester, moving out of an apartment....you know, life's little stages?

Well, we are nearing the end of a few things all at once, and the beginning of new things.

The things that will be ending: Living in our first apartment, living in a 1-bedroom apartment, living in this ward, having a 3-6 month old, a LOOONNNGGG semester, applying to graduate schools, having a mostly immobile child, using borrowed bedroom furniture, keeping our stuff at the in-laws houses, etc.

The things that will begin: Living in our second apartment, living in a 2-bedroom w/ office apartment, living in the ward I grew up in, having a 6-12 month old, another potentially LOOOOONNNGGG semester, deciding on a graduate school, having a very mobile into-things child, purchasing our own bedroom furniture, keeping our stuff organized in a storage room in our apartment, determining how to pay for graduate school, determining how to pay for the cost of moving to graduate school and keeping ourselves there, etc.

There are some of these things I am excited to have over, and some I will be sad are over. There are some things I am looking forward to, and others I'm nervous about. However, I absolutely LOVE change. I used to love change in college, I really did. Then I went on a mission and had WAY TOO MANY companions and areas, and came home hating change. Then, pmc & I got married, and stayed settled in one little apartment for 2 years. We had some big changes in there of course, marriage & having a child being the biggest. But I have to say, all-in-all I'm so ready for these coming changes. I am thrilled that cpc is making so many big accomplishments. I'm excited to find out where pmc will get in, and making the decision of where we'll live for the following 2-3 years. I'm excited to have an apartment where we can keep all of our stuff with us. I'm excited to see what new jobs & challenges it will all bring.

I'm sad however, that because of these changes coming up, I am having a hard time focusing on Christmas. It seems like I stayed focused on the now until Thanksgiving was over. Then, suddenly I'm expecting the year to be over, and to jump into the changes. But if I can just focus on Christmas for 2 1/2 weeks, the changes will be right in front of me and I won't have to play the waiting game right? Oh, I hope so! So, let's live up these 2 1/2 weeks!

As for news this week:

Pmc took the GRE this week and did very well! WAY TO GO! He has decided to apply to Syracuse University, UC Davis, Oregon State University, & Utah State University.

My little sister CSE played a recital this week. My sister CDEE and I both attended the recital with our little ones, and were very amazed at how attentive they were through an entire Quartet (which = 4 movements = about 20 minutes). CSE was thrilled to congratulate both of them afterwards on their musical interest!

We also had our annual "Olympus Married Friends" Christmas White Elephant party. It was quite a party, especially now that we're not the only ones with a baby. We missed the Matheson's, and forgot to take pictures. The best was the re-gifting of a few wedding presents from the Johnson's wedding. We happily did not end up with the porcelain doves, not that they weren't beautiful......just not our style! We took a sweet pirate ship from the DI, and tried really hard to get it back, but to no avail!

Other than that, cpc is totally diggin' food. He will eat absolutely anything I feed him. Unfortunately, that also means that pmc thinks that he can give him absolutely anything....this poor kid is going to be pretty spoiled!

Christmas Time Is Here

I cannot believe it's already Wednesday. We had all weekend to get a post up, and yet we still didn't have time. Then Monday came.....sometimes I can't believe how busy Mondays can be, even as a stay-at-home mom. Then Tuesdays are spent trying to recover from Monday..... getting all the little things done that kind of needed to be done on Monday, but were last on the list and therefore didn't get done. So now it's Wednesday, now I can do the things that are on my to-do list that I actually want to do, like updating the blog.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving week! It actually started off with introducing cpc to "Baby Siging Time." I studied American Sign Language in college, and really want to develop that second language with my kids. I am totally a fan of "Signing Time" for kids too, I've seen it help prevent many a tantrum! I'm a little worried about how interested cpc is in the television though, isn't it adorable how focused he is on the tv?

Then, there was plenty of baking, which both cpc & I enjoyed, and on Thanksgiving day while baking the actual pies, pmc seemed to enjoy the baking as well. On Thanksgiving day pmc played basketball with his brothers and then we watched the Macy's Parade, as it is our tradition. I never watched it growing up, and I have to say, it's rather fun!

We enjoyed dinner at my dad's house that evening, where lmze & cpc both enjoyed their first experience with squash/pumpkin. Both of them LOVED it. Cpc got to be a turkey for thanksgiving, and though we tried, we did not eat that cute little turkey!

The next morning we cruised up to the cabin. Mmm, it's so nice to get away from the bustle of the city, ESPECIALLY on "black friday." I don't think I could ever live in a city like New York City, I need an escape to the mountains less than 10-minutes away!

After a full day at the cabin, we came half-way back down to my cousin's new home in Timberline, for a family dinner with my sweet Grandma. This new place is quite amazing, but one of the coolest things about it is the dinner table:

That is ONE table, seated with 18 people at the time. It could easily fit more too, but they have 18 chairs around it that are just as stately as the table, and comfortable too! They purchased it in Bali.....and had it & all the chairs shipped here. Wow is all I can say. I think it actually has 20 chairs that fit around it, so that they can fit themselves & all 9 of their children with spouses! It's also cool because they are tall people, and it's a tall table. I think it's about 5 inches taller than the average dining table.

The most fantastic thing about that dinner though wasn't the table. It was the fun times with family, especially my Grandma. She is 86 years old, and she's been without her husband since she was 38 years old with 5 little kids. In the few years since I came home from my mission, her memory is declining a lot, and she gets pretty frustrated about it. I lived with her my freshman year of college, and she is just extra special to me. She said some pretty sweet things when we went around the table saying "new" things we're grateful for. I'm grateful for her example in my life! I'm also super grateful for the legacy of my Grandpa that she has always shared with us. And last but not least, I'm grateful that I can TOTALLY tell that I'm her grand-daughter. I LOVE children, and it's pretty hard to find someone who does so more than I do. But my Grandma TOTALLY takes the cake in that area. Everything I ever learned about kids, I learned from her! I am so thankful for her example when it comes to children.

We also have a picture of the dinner at my mom's house:

And a little video of cpc, who has learned to wave. He's also got the "shuffle crawl" down...which means he's already into things....

And a family picture to start off the CHRISTMAS season! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I love Christmas Time too...almost more than Christmas Day.

THANKS

I'm grateful for:

~Thanksgiving....the Holiday. It's my absolute favorite holiday. I love getting together with family. I love that at least for my side of the family, this holiday minimizes our fighting. I hate that people start decorating for Christmas & playing Christmas music & having Christmas sales before Thanksgiving. It's not that I don't like Christmas, I do, I love it. But I feel like Thanksgiving gets passed right by. I think Christmas should be more like Thanksgiving. I love taking the time to talk about the things that make life so wonderful, and reminding ourselves that even though we don't always have everything we want/need, we have a lot. So to the pilgrims & indians, Thanks for Thanskgiving! Mmm, I can hardly wait for my 2nd Thanksgiving dinner!

~A husband who works so hard that he does this during a family party...

~The talent to be able to do this without any guidance from anyone on my first try, and have it taste good...

~A mother who loves to have big get-togethers with lots of good food....except she hasn't emailed us the pictures yet! We had an early Thanksgiving dinner last Sunday because she doesn't have the kids for Thanksgiving this year. So it was a big party with all of the step-family. Pictures coming soon.

~A husband who is passionate. Like super passionate. Like he's been agonizing over "the big game" for weeks. Although it wasn't planned, Cpc & I got to attend the game with him. Boy was I happy that they won, it means Pmc won't be depressed for the next year. Mostly I'm glad that both football and baseball season are now over (exempting the final BCS bowl) and I get my husband back. Anyone ever seen "Damn Yankees" the musical? Anyway, the game was FANTASTIC, and Cpc totally dug the whole shabang.

~A child who proves to me every day his thrill for life.

1-He's been dying to get his mouth around some good solid food for at least 2 months now. We finally started rice & oatmeal cereal the past two weeks. I've cared for many babies, and I've never seen a child TOTALLY get how to eat the very first time. He didn't have a problem with the texture at all. I didn't have to give it to him runny, or mixed with breastmilk or anything. He got the spoon in his mouth, took the food, let the spoon go, swallowed the food.....like he'd been doing it all along. And he LOVED it.

2-He is totally thrilled that he can get himself wherever he wants now. He knows that rolling around gives him access to whatever he wants to get his hands & mouth on. He loves it. However, this also means he doesn't care for sitting. Until three days ago, he wouldn't even try. If you placed him in sitting position, he'd just bend over and get on his tummy so he could roll around. Luckily, he spent a little time with his cousin Lmze this week, and she's so proud of herself for her sitting abilities that I think Cpc got jealous. So he'll sit for a while if he has a cousin sitting in front of him to play with.

3-His favorite toys are the simplest. He loves "baby paper" which is fantastic stuff his Aunt Swc gave him. He also really enjoys his plastic goblet, and the wooden spoon. It's like he wants to know exactly how stuff works at what it's for. So if it's interesting enough for me to use, it's a toy for him. He also loves the phone, especially when I put it on speaker with his daddy talking to him.

Aside from pictures, I have a few other things I want to express my gratitude/love for.

~Pmc! Yes, I absolutely adore my husband, and my love for him has grown exponentially in the past 2 weeks. His greatest joy is to make me happy. I can see it in his eyes every time I look at him. Those GORGEOUS blue eyes melt me. I love the way he still opens the car door for me, always carries Cpc's carseat for me, helps around the house willingly, and supports every wish & dream I have. He makes every day "the best day of my life." The rest is between us! Thanks honey! I love you!

~Cpc! Of course. I've been meaning to share the things I'm loving about him for a while now. He changes so fast it's hard to keep up. So here goes: the way he really understands cuddling now, the way he nestles his face in my neck when he's tired or sad, how he squints his eyes and crinkles his nose when he's laughing (just like me), the way he raises his eyebrows & crinkles his forehead when he's excited (just like me), how he loves loves loves the water (just like Pmc & I), how he looks at me when he's eating or falling asleep and hears a noise to see if everything's okay, how he's already such a flirt especially with girls, how he loves his cousins & talks to them, how he's already polite (see video of Cpc & Lmze) even when he's being attacked, how he holds onto my lip or nose when he's eating or falling asleep, the way he needs a good cuddle & a story and a little rocking to help him get drowsy & then can easily fall asleep on his own in his bed, how he's very patient with me when I get upset that he's not having a good night, how he charms all my violin students & their parents, his cute dimples on his shoulders, how much he's teaching me about love & patience, the way he's totally showing me up in the "passion for life" category, the way he charms his dad into getting anything he wants (like being picked up from his cradle when he's supposed to be sleeping), how he totally has a protest scream (this is not a sad or mad scream, it's a "hello?" pause "hello?" pause  "what about me?" scream), how his eyes get pink and he starts rubbing them when he's tired, how he uses the exact same stretches as me when he's waking up (hands behind the head to arch the back, flex the feet to stretch the legs, etc.), how he can pick Pmc & I out of a crowd for reassurance. Okay, I think that's enough for now.

~One last thing I'm grateful for. I've always thought that the whole aromatherapy thing was a joke. I thought people just chose flavors they liked and made them into something that relaxes them. Then we started using the "clinically proven" nightime Johnson & Johnson baby bath & lotion that someone gave us. I don't have any idea if it's been helping Cpc or not. But when I was using the baby wash that first night, I was totally feeling sedated. So, since it has Lavendar in it, I decided to make an attempt to help my sleep (it's been taking me a LOOOONNNNNGGGG time to fall asleep ever since half-way through my mission). I went and bought some B&BW pillow mist, Lavender & Chamomile. Oh boy does it work. I couldn't believe it at first. It honestly makes my whole body relax the moment I lay my head down, like I'm almost convinced it has drugs in it to sedate me. So I'm grateful for 3 nights of EXCELLENT sleep so far. Now I'm not so annoyed when Cpc wakes up too many times at night, because it's easy to get back to sleep.

I'm sorry for blabbing a lot, I'm going to use the excuse again that this is a journal! Goodnight!

The Greatest Time of the Year!

That's right... this is my favorite part of the year.  I love the months that include Thanksgiving, Christmas, and our Anniversary.  These next 2-3 months are just nice... lots of family time, lots of chances to give hugs and sing songs, and just general opportunities to reflect on how good life really is from certain vantage points.  I also kinda like that college football is winding down ... it distracts me so much, and after a long baseball season in which my Red Sox were rather successful, I'm looking forward to being productive again!  (I'm sure atec appreciates that as well.)

Can I just say, being a Dad is wonderful.  On Friday, one of my best friends became a Dad as well, and seeing him holding his new son brought back such joyful memories of when cpc joined us.  If you've read this very often, you know that cpc has his difficulties like any other kid, and that can be tough.  But it's wonderful too.  I sure love cpc's anxiousness to be smiling.  He and I can each be doing our own thing, and then suddenly look at each other and cpc does his big wide-mouthed grin.  It strikes a chord within me than can't be touched by anyone else, even atec.  There is a part of me that only he gets.  And when I'm having a hard time, I can look at him and be lifted up by his confidence in me and I feel empowered by him cause I can tell already that I'm his hero.  That feels really good.   I know enough from my studies to know that cpc has a very healthy and strong primary attachment to his mom, and that's great.  I'm ok with being secondary because I can still see how he's always looking at me - always ready for the little moments when I return the favor and strike a special chord in his little heart.  Even though it doesn't work out every night, I enjoy going on walks with atec and cpc, and coming home to give him a bath and send him to bed.  And when I get home from work or school, I LOVE the excited smile he gives me as a welcome home present.  He is sweet and beautiful, and together with atec, is the greatest thing I have in this life.  I couldn't imagine being without either of them for eternity. 

Another blessing of being a Dad is gaining a greater appreciation for my own parents.  They are absolutely, completely, and inarguably fantastic. So many times they sacrificed their wants so that we kids coulds have more.  I know more surely now that they would do anything for me because I know what it's like to have a son that you would do anything for. I love them.

As for school and work, I guess they're getting a little bit better only because I'm getting a little bit closer to being done with them.  I'm looking forward to grad school, and feeling better and better about it.  I'm shopping around for one more place to apply besides Utah State, UC Davis, and (shiver shiver) the Y.  (I still can't bring myself to writing out all three letters... I'd be a pilgrim in an unholy land if I went there!)  But such is life.  We go where we're led, and I feel like I should apply there.

I wanted to put Daddy's Homecoming on the music player, but I couldn't find it.  So I've opted for probably my favorite song without words.   It's probably not the first time you've heard it.  But I felt it was a good time because I'm discovering 'All of Me" through fathering and being stretched in my life right now.  It's a good happy song, and I feel good and happy right now.

Halloween & Beyond

Okay....yes we're way behind. I hardly know where to start when so much time has gone by....I've got to keep up with the weekly posts!

So, in the past two weeks, I maxxed out my violin studio. I now have 10 students, with 2 more that my sister CDEE is giving to me in January when she moves. I am honestly barely keeping up with them, but really, I am absolutely loving it. I somehow found the joy in teaching violin, and I am so grateful. I love being able to keep CPC by my side, and still give him the attention he needs. I have the greatest students, as well as the greatest families. See, with teaching the Suzuki Method, family is SUPER involved. I work with the students and their parents. I really got lucky this round.

We enjoyed our annual Halloween get-together with the Naylors. This year the Johnsons joined us, now that JJ found a wife! Sadly, the Severinsens and the Mathesons didn't make it this year. We had bread-bowl-soup and played "Curses," but didn't get to carve pumpkins. We also forgot to take pictures....oops.

For Halloween we took CPC "treating," by treating some family & friends to a viewing of our little Giraffe. He totally LOVED being in that costume....why? Well, everyone was paying attention to him for starters, but he also enjoyed getting to have something to totally surround his face....so he could suck on it! Besides that, he got to stay up and play for an extra hour before taking a nap. This picture from the Mom's Club Halloween Party shows his costume well, but that face......?

We also spent the past couple weeks figuring out CPC's sleeping habits. Yes, he still hates to sleep. He still gives his wide eyes that make him look like he's not tired at all, but he is. He has learned to fall asleep in his own bed again. He sleeps at night, waking only once or twice to eat. He takes a nap every 2 hours whether he looks tired or not. And the best bonus of all this, he rarely gets overtired anymore, which means he can always fall asleep at nap-time and he is always happy when he's awake! PMC and I are feeling so much better. We feel like we have our child back! We can tell that CPC is happy about it too, he seems to feel understood.

On Sunday, we enjoyed getting to attend my little brother, HDHE's ordination as a Teacher. Afterwards we went to my Mom's house for dinner, which we haven't done in ages. We enjoyed playing mind games.....literally. Have you ever heard of the games "Umbrella" or "What I Like"? Again, no pictures there.

We highly recommend going to "Bodyworlds." We went on Friday morning with Aunt HCO and her kids, AO & SO. We learned so much, and it was so worth the money. 

Besides all of this:

We voted. It snowed....this is CPC getting warm after his first walk in the snow, the day after we voted. They gave him his own sticker because it was his "first voting experience."

CPC discovered his reflection in the mirror. He really likes to laugh at himself.

CPC had his first bubble bath, which he LOVED.

PMC attended the "Blackout" game at the U. It looked pretty cool to see a stadium of black.

CPC ended up as a pumpkin for our Halloween picture, because we just couldn't get a really good shot of him in his giraffe.

Oh and CPC can now roll both ways, and get himself up on his knees. Please tell me this kid won't be crawling next week! However, he seems to be camera shy on that one.

Just A Note

I know we're like the last people to post Halloween pictures. Our apologies. We are going to get some better pictures tonight, and I'll get up a post as soon as we can. In the meantime, we added a few pictures to the slideshow.....my sweet friend AP took the first four of cpc. THANKS AP!

Soldiers

I have to state one more thing on politics, that I should have included in my earlier post, but somehow failed to. Again, this is for our journal-writing purposes, so if you have arguments, email us.

I cannot stand the way people say "we're wasting lives" in the war in Iraq. First of all, I don't care if you agree with the war or not, our armed forces are made up of people who CHOOSE to join (you may correct me if I'm wrong). They know what they're getting into. They know they could be called up by our government at any time to serve on the front-lines. They know they are risking their lives. Why do they do this? Because they feel a desire and duty to serve our country and preserve the freedoms we have fought for in the past. So if these people who have chosen this path die in the war, I'm okay with it. I'm not saying I want them to, or that I'm always pleased with the choices our government makes concerning war, but those lives are not wasted because they gave their lives doing something they committed themselves to do. I honestly don't know all the details, but my Grandpa, Uncle and a few of my cousins serve. I would of course be heartbroken if one of them had/does die(d) on the front-lines. But I would also be proud. I've never given that much up, and I respect, honor and revere their willingness. I love the soldiers of our freedoms. So to them, THANK YOU!

Besides that, I don't know much about the actual war in Iraq, but even though it may look like we're trying to force our type of government on other people......I believe the reality is that we're simply trying to protect our own freedoms. There is a book we love and revere in this home: The Book of Mormon. In the Book of Mormon we are given examples of a people who fought for their freedoms. Not only that though, they even pursued the people who ran away when they fought them. They didn't want those people to rally back together and come again to try to destroy their freedoms. I believe that is what God would want us to do, fight for our rights, our homes, our families, our liberties.

Okay, I'm done on politics....thanks for reading!

Politics

Okay, another venture into opinions. We've both been a little nervous to state political opinions on our blog I think. Mostly because this is a journal for us, not a discussion forum, and we don't really want to start arguments or something on here. But because it is our journal, I want to record our views and outlooks on things for future reference and posterity. So, here goes....

We're against Obama. Yup, I said it. It currently doesn't really seem like the popular choice. But that is our view. It's not that we think McCain is the best thing this country has going for it. But we are really doing our homework, and we don't trust Obama, and really don't agree with his policies. I can't speak for pmc, but for me, most of my opinion comes from my gut. When I listen to him or watch him speaking, I get this uncomfortable feeling in my gut. This is the same way I felt listening to Kerry 4 years ago. I just didn't trust what he was saying. So then when I do my research.....I feel like my gut feelings are confirmed. We watched a video a couple nights ago, where it showed clips of him saying one thing, and then the opposite thing a little while later. We even watched some clips where he denied that he had ever said what he said. I don't like the people he's been associated with, even if he says he's not associated any more. He seems to claim them as his mentors and teachers, until it looks bad, and then turns away from them. I just really don't trust the man. So, like I said, I don't think McCain is the best thing we've got, but I at least feel like I can trust the man, respect him, etc. This is the same way I feel about Bush. I can trust him and respect him, but don't love every choice he's made as president. The other thing is, I really feel like Obama is taking us down the road to socialism, and I don't like it at all. I love capitalism and the free market. Yes, it's stinkin' hard work. We stress all the time over how we're going to keep paying for gas, health insurance, retirement etc. But I would rather work my tush off doing that, than have it handed to me. If we're going to help the poor, I would rather make donations than have the help paid for by taxes. If I'm required to turn over my money to the poor, I resent it. If it's my choice, I want to do it, and I feel good when I do it, and it makes me want to do it more! I believe in the saying that "If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." I don't just believe this because I don't want to give away my fish. I believe this because it works for me.....I will feed myself if I can just have the right tools. I also don't think it's our job to take money away from rich people. Way to go rich people, you worked hard and you got the money. I advise you to generously donate to the poor, in smart ways where your money is used effectively. Now that I voted to let you keep your money, when Obama gets elected and raises your taxes, please don't sock it to me and raise your prices on the things I buy from you.

Anyway, I believe in small government, and low taxes. I believe pmc does too. This is our opinion, you can like it or hate it. But at least we have finally written it down. Don't argue with us on the blog, if you really feel strongly against what we have shared, you can email or call us if you feel the need to educate us.

Life As We Know It

To start off, here's a picture for last week, when I 

visited my friend ap.

Next, we have a short list of preferences for baby things, for future reference:

• Diapers: Pampers. Especially the Swaddlers. We like the special "absorb-away" liner!
• Wipes: Huggies. They just do the job extra well, and the containers don't dry out either.
• Socks: Gymboree. Even the boys socks are "wiggle-proof"
• Pajamas: The Children's Place. We like the tight fit and the zipper. Cpc is extra skilled at wiggling his feet out of the Carter's snap pj's.
• Onesies and Everyday Wear: Carter's. The onesies are just right for our skinny kid, instead of the usually "fat" baby onesies we seem to find everywhere else. We like their sizing system, it's easy. We also like how their colors all coordinate really well, you don't have to buy an "outfit" every time.

We're really not the type to feel like we need to get things name-brand. However, with baby things, we've definitely noticed the high-quality of these few things, and have decided they're worth a little extra money. Lucky for us, we've always been able to find decent prices, sales and coupons so far!

Okay, as for the week....we had a grand one! We were both back to work, pmc back to school. So to break things up a bit, we took a little vacation. We had a free night reserved at the Alaskan Inn in Ogden Canyon. Children aren't allowed, so we left cpc with my little sister cse, and took off! We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Outback Steakhouse, and enjoyed our first night with 

no child since cpc was born. I admit I was super nervous about leaving him, but he did just fine. THANKS CSE!!!! We love you! It was just what we both needed to be able to come back refreshed and hard-working. We didn't take the camera, and forgot to snap a shot with cpc's phone, so no pictures.....but it was a nice place to stay.

Cpc and his cousin lmze got a chance to play a bit this week. Cpc is really starting to notice other kids. The two of them just watched each other, totally entranced. Aren't they cute. We hope they'll always be good friends!

We also went to the pool with kcc, swc, and smc for family night. Cpc and smc really loved it, and also seemed to enjoy watching each other. We hope they'll be good friends too. Right now they just seem so far apart in age.....but they'll actually be in the same grade in school. Sc, smc, cpc and I all went up to the Park City Outlets too, and had a blast shopping for cute baby stuff. We got some great deals. We're glad their family lives so close to us, so we can also go on walks together some days. We went on quite a few walks this week since pmc's parents are out of town and we were taking care of Belle, the dog. 

Pmc decided the sink is a good place to put cpc, he fits just perfectly, and actually thought it was pretty funny.

Cpc and I also attended a Mom's Club Halloween Party with jbc and her kids.  Cpc wasn't quite old enough for the activities, but he got his picture taken and I enjoyed getting to have some adult conversation and free food! We'll post the picture later when we receive it! We can hardly wait to show you our cute little Giraffe!

Oh, by the way, CPC STARTED SLEEPING! It's my fault, I take full credit. He just needed to be swaddled again! He grew out of his receiving blankets, and we tried letting him sleep without them, and he was fine for a few nights. But I had thought it was more like a few weeks, so I didn't think to try swaddling him again. Well, he's slept pretty well all week.....and I bought some fabric and made bigger receiving blankets for him. Works like a charm, and this mom is getting her beauty sleep!

Oh, and I just thought it was cool that there's a song about Subaru's. I don't know how I've never heard it before!

Have a Little Patience...

I'm a pretty patient person... well, really patient for a guy. And yet, it's still hard. I never considered that patience is a usable resource. I just thought that you either had it, or you needed to figure out how to get it. In the highs and lows of parenting, I've realized that when the baby is being difficult, that patience level gets drained at a sometimes unfathomable rate. I think atec has realized it to an even greater degree, since she's taken the brunt of cpc's offensive attacks.
The boy still refuses to like sleeping. Every nap and bedtime retirement is a showdown of wills: the outlaw making a scene in the town square which without exception requires the sheriff to reservedly head in and squash the uprising. So far, both the sheriff and her deputy are undefeated, though we've both certainly taken some shots that required some attention. And like the outlaws of the wild west, I don't think cpc would act like this if he only knew that there's an easier way to get what you want. We've come up with several theories of why he's so anti-dozing, but nothing really makes that much sense. And so, we just wait patiently for his spirit and body to get in sync and decide that rest is an opporunity, not a punishment.
I've enjoyed the week off of school... too much. I didn't get nearly the schoolwork done that I needed to because I was trying to work extra hours, and handling a couple of days apart from atec and cpc while she went to Cedar City. It also hasn't helped that my Red Sox played games 4 nights during the last week, and are playing tonight (which is also testing my patience!)
It's hard to manage work, home, and school, all while getting ready to take the GRE and apply for grad programs. Heck, I still haven't applied for graduation. And that has to be done by the end of the month. Being in and out of my parents' house while they're in Hawaii is only adding to this hectic time. I guess that's why we don't have any pictures to add this week... we've just been too busy.

iGoogle

Yes, we discovered iGoogle! I'm not sure it's good for either of us, but it's so nice to have everything pulled up on one page. We've been fans of Gmail and Google Calendar for a little while....but now to have one webpage where we can check our mail, calendar, facebook, the weather, to-do list, sports scores, news, play games, look up new recipes and word definitions, check everyone's blogs all at once, check out new election news, etc. Who wouldn't be a fan? The only problem is the time we've saved by not checking all those different websites is now being spent playing Frogger and Hangman! Oops! But really, it has helped me a lot with getting my studio work done!

So I wanted to take a minute to share about my day job, I mean the other one. We talk all about my day job as a mother, quite often in fact. But I am also teaching violin and viola lessons. For the first time, since I started 6 or so years ago, I am enjoying it. I finally have the time (naptime) to really prepare for the lessons I teach! I love being self-employed and deciding what I will teach my students, and when I will teach, etc. I especially had fun yesterday when I had my first parent meeting. It was fantastic. I got to educate all my parents on the Suzuki method, and give them tools to help their kids learn. I really feel like I'm making a difference! I have 8 students, and I really love every one of them. So, that's my other day job.

As for cpc, he's doing a little better on the sleeping finally. His magic number is 2. We had tried 1.5, 2.5 and 3. Nope, those didn't work. It's 2! If we put him down for a nap when he's been awake for 2 hours, he takes good naps, and he sleeps better at night. He's also happier when he's awake, more willing to let me get chores done with him in the Bjorn, listen when I read books, go on walks, etc. Hallelujah!

This week we attended my Grandparent's 60th anniversary dinner. Way to go Grandma and Grandpa! I wish I had taken a cute picture of them, but I didn't. I wish I could find a cute picture of them somewhere on our computer, but I can't. But you can see this cute picture of them that I posted previously right after cpc was born. Aren't they a cute couple? I am so grateful for my grandparents strong marriage, and for the support they offered me while I was living in Logan (where they live), and the love and support they have offered throughout my parent's divorce.As for pictures, we did get a good shot of cpc at the dinner with his Aunt Aubrey.
He's thoroughly enjoying tummy-time, and I absolutely love the way he holds his sucker in when he's falling asleep.....or not falling asleep. Aren't those pajamas adorable?









One last picture to prove we went to our mission reunion. Thanks Sister Hagerhorst for the photo, I stole it from your blog!

A Trick and a Tragedy

It was a strange week!

I mean, relatively, it was great.We attended the Utah Football game that turned out so well. We went to our Mission Reunion and saw some great friends. We watched General Conference, which was a delight. For those of you who are thinking "we have already seen 3+ pictures of pmc and cpc in Red Sox gear"....this one is different, this one is special.....it was his first "playoff" game.

Cpc is as adorable as ever, even if he doesn't sleep much. We caught him laughing on video, and his "trick." To those of you who think that I'm a bad mom for having my children do this, too bad. I don't want to hear it, I think it's cool, and we're very careful!
The strange part of the week was the phone call I got from my former USU roommate. She called thursday morning to let me know that she had gone into premature labor at 24 weeks (after 4 years of trying to get pregnant) and given birth to a little girl. However, the little girl didn't survive very long. All morning I held cpc, and cried off and on throughout the day. It was quite a shock to my system to know that my dear sweet friend was going through so much pain. It did bring my roommates and I closer together again though. We've been keeping in touch on the phone, all chipping in to support our friend. It's also made us more grateful for the children we have. I'm no longer mad at cpc for not sleeping at night anymore!

I was going to go down for the funeral on Saturday, but after a short night, I didn't want to make a bad day worse by falling asleep at the wheel on my way down to Cedar City. So, I will be privileged to go down there to spend some time with her next week during Fall Break.

By the way, the song is for cpc. We couldn't fail to put it on our "soundtrack for life" when it is the only song that ALWAYS calms him down and helps him sleep. But we won't be listening to it ONCE, because we're so tired of it!

Enjoying the Show!

WOW... I really needed a day like today. I've been going super-speed for like a month straight. Today I finally let go of worrying about school for one day and it's been great. Plus, I took a nap and we spent a couple of hours with my whole family, which we haven't done in awhile. It was my niece's blessing today, so Holly and her family were in from Vernal. It was the first time since T&J had cac that we've had all of my parents' grandchildren together. So we took a few minutes to get some pictures taken. It was fun, but it made us miss Steve too (my brother who's in Uruguay.) We're glad he's where he is, but miss him too. We also got the 4 mothers with their 4 new babies. It's so nice to be able to be with family. As we prepare for my attending graduate school, this is one thing we've (well, not atec as much as me) had a bit of a hard time with. We want to be able to have the experience of living away from home to teach us to really depend on each other, but we don't want to be so far away that we only see family once or twice a year. That's why I think I want to go to Utah State, or maybe UC Davis. I think I'd like to stay in the west at least.
Atec also got to go back to Lagoon yesterday with a couple of her siblings. She said it was lots of fun. She came home in time to watch the General Relief Society Meeting, while I went to the Utah football game. I was able to get quite a bit of organizing and homework done while she was gone all day yesterday. That was just what I needed, cause now I feel very much 'on-top-of-things'.
The latest with cpc is that he's an absolute joy to be with, unless it's time for him to sleep. Of course, out of the blue he slept for 12 hours last night (with a few eating stops, after which he went right back to sleep.) He's a funny boy to figure out, but we have a theory. From the first day he was born, he's always been very alert. He always wants to be looking around and figuring things out. We think that he has trouble falling into a deep sleep because his mind is trying to process all that "stuff" he's trying to cram inside it each day. It's not that tough to get him to fall asleep in our arms when he's tired... it's moving him into his cradle that wakes him up because he just never gets asleep deeply enough.
He does a great job of mimicking sounds, and trying to talk back. atec got a video of that this week:
Other than that, there's not much new to add. Atec has another new violin student, so she now has 5 students - 2 viola and 3 violin. I'm anxious for the baseball playoffs (the Red Sox made it via the wild card), and Utah football is as good as ever. (Keep in mind, I missed the 2004 season when they went undefeated, so this is new to me!) It's hard for me to not get too wrapped up in these things, but at least I'm not a die-hard Jazz fan... only a casual fan, so there is an off-season coming up where sports don't dominate things. I really try hard to keep it all under control, but it's just me. I have a very deep-rooted love of watching baseball and football.
As for this week's song, hopefully we're getting it on here before you hear it a thousand times and hate it. It's a good message... we should be enjoying life. that's what God sent us here for: JOY! And for me, it's when I take a step back, slow down, and breath; that's when I feel the joy of life, and enjoy the show.

Hello Friends

How is it that I had no idea how many people read our blog? Okay, maybe you don't read it, I don't blame you.....but people I didn't even know knew we had a blog have us linked on their blogs! Hello! If you're going to be our friends, you could at least comment and say hello? Like Megan, Jessica, Heather......who else? Hello? If you're going to read our blog, at least give us the common courtesy of letting us know you have a blog. REALLY! PSHAW! Thanks to Piper and Andrea for informing me of the blogs I now know about! That's all.

Pmc just told me that I ought to make sure you know I'm not being totally serious. My tone of voice is a joking tone of voice. I'm not mad at anyone really!

Our Little Cowboy

How did we get a child with such enthusiasm for life? Does it come from my genes....the ones that have this relentless desire to learn new information all the time? Or does it come from pmc's genes.....the ones that love to learn about people and why they do what they do? Maybe the combination?

Seriously, this kid does not stop. He has so much to learn. His eyes are WIDE open if he's awake, and he CANNOT fall asleep unless we cover his eyes. In fact, he's taken a liking to blankets. He can now fall asleep and take long naps if his face is covered with a blanket. At first when I showed this to pmc, he was worried about him smothering himself. However, he never takes naps during the day unless I'm right there with him.

He must have been in a growth spurt this past week. He suddenly wasn't sleeping through the night, and wanted to eat every 2 hours during the day. At night, he just could not go to sleep without nursing. He screamed some of the worst screams we've heard yet, but give him a little bit of mommy and he was out in 1 minute flat! But I think we reached the end of it. Last night, it took him an hour and a half of whimpering in his bed, but he did finally fall asleep. And he slept, only got up once to eat (I was not enjoying three times a night!). Well, he did wake up a couple times whimpering again, but a little rocking put him back to sleep eventually!

Needless to say, pmc and I barely made it through the week....thanks to a late movie at the theater while Grams watched him, and an evening at the temple thanks to Andrea's babysitting skills. But now we're back! I'm not sure whether it was due to the lack of sleep or not, but I especially enjoyed "Get Smart." There were parts where I laughed when nobody else did, and everybody else in the theater laughed at me! My favorite was when a guy commented on how we look to the celebrities in our country as political advisers. I mean, really, it's true.....and it's not like they're the brightest people! I hope I didn't offend anyone.

Not much else happened this week, and cpc is waking up from his nice long nap. So I'm going to enjoy him a little before I teach some group lessons....enjoy his cuteness for the week and we'll get back to you later!

Awkward Stages

So you know how everyone goes through awkward stages? Like in junior high when your legs grow faster than everything else, and your coordination goes, and you break out with pimples. Well, I didn't realize how many awkward stages babies have.

First there was cpc's "serious baby acne" stage. I just felt so bad for him with his face all covered in miniature pimples. He is a cute baby, but they just detracted from his cute face so much!

Next there was the "bald man" stage. He started out with a good head of hair, including my Grandpa Hooper's sideburns (nearly to the bottom of his ears). But when he went through the typical hair loss that babies tend to go through, it all fell out on top first. Seriously, he had a shiny bald head with hair growing on ALL sides! (This was just as the front started to grow back in.)

Well, now he's at a new awkward stage. He is just too big for 0-3 month clothes. Mainly he's too long for them. But he's just not quite big enough to fill up the 3-6 month clothes.
We attended the Utah vs. UNLV football game last week, and his dad decked him out! He enjoyed watching all the people, and then slept through the second half cheers and the fireworks. We also went to Lagoon last week and took cpc on the carousel.

Cpc has also started talking up a storm. It's our favorite thing to just listen to him talk and talk and talk!

Note on the left a slideshow of the pictures my cousin Shawni took for us of pregnancy, and some baby/family pictures. She is a fabulous photographer and she is so sweet to spoil us with some of her works!

Last, I just thought this was entertaining....I love to make bread from scratch. I think that the bread tastes 10,000 times better than store-bought. I also LOVE kneading bread. It totally relaxes me. However, being a mom and making bread can be challenging time-wise. I have definitely had a learning curve with this. Just so you know, when you mix half of the flour in with the yeast mixture and then let it sit for 10-15 minutes.....it's not okay to let it sit 25 minutes so you can finish nursing the baby! I punched the middle of this back down before I thought to take a picture, but it was a big bubble and was leaking down the sides. However, I saved it and the bread turned out just fine!