Category: Old Testament

Funny exchanges, Sharon’s paper, and missing cats.

Today we started off early by heading over to Red Butte Gardens with Rose, Taina and Sev.

IMG_8800 IMG_8815 IMG_8819 IMG_8821 IMG_8823 IMG_8826 IMG_8828 IMG_8808 IMG_8807And then Paige was wonderful and watched the girls until their babysitter came an hour later. Yesterday I forgot to write down something funny Lydia said before Ada came over. Lydia is very conscious about what she wears in public, and she’s refused to appear in public with any pants that have holes in them. (Responding to my exasperation with tears streaming down her face: “But Mommy, what if someone sees the holes in my pants??”) She happened to be wearing a pair of holey pants before Ada came, and she ran into my room right before Ada arrived saying, “Mommy, I need to change my pants so Ada doesn’t think I’m a dorphan (orphan)!”

Anyway, today I drove down to Provo to see my friend, Sharon Harris, speak at the Neal A. Maxwell symposium. She delivered a brilliant paper on singles wards and her solution to current retention problems of older single adults. (Change some infantilizing terms, scale back the transition age to “conventional” wards to 25, etc. Her full paper will be posted online after the symposium concludes.)

july22pic4Then I came home, went shopping with the girls, and came home and cooked dinner.

Lydia in full princess regalia before dinner.
Lydia in full princess regalia before dinner.

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We ate outside. In the summer we sometimes go on Tofurkey dog kicks, and tonight we had Tofurkey dogs. Lydia announced they looked like poop and refused to eat hers. After a while, she closely observed how I ate mine with gusto, and then asked, “Mommy, can I eat some of your poop?” We might have died laughing.

Afterward Abe took them to the park while I ate s’mores and cleaned up.

jul22pic2 jul22pic3 july22 july22pic1A really sad thing happened just now. Lydia told me that she took Puss and Casper (her two cats that she sleeps with and LOVES) outside to play in the sprinklers with Ada. She never brought them back inside, and now we can’t find them. I asked her why she did that after I’d told her not to, and she tearfully replied, “Mommy, I did it because Puss wuvs (loves) to be siwwy (silly) and Casper reawwy wanted to pway (play)!” I felt so sorry for her. We said a prayer that we’d find them, and now I really do hope we find them.

rough start, smooth ending

Today started a bit rocky. I felt a lot of anxiety and panic in the morning about various random things, but I walked the girls to the park and then went to yoga. After yoga, everything was fine.

At the park:

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Paige, Mike, Ada and Liv spent the evening with us. After dinner we had a great FHE about the pioneers, and then we made s’mores and ate them outside.

"Twinners!"
“Twinners!”

IMG_8794I am exhausted, and tomorrow feels like it will be a big day, so, as the pajanamals say, I’m ready for “beddy-bye”!

super short

Mom and Grandma, I’m sorry that this is so short and doesn’t include the pictures we talked about on the phone today. We are babysitting some children who haven’t seen their mom since Wednesday, and it has been a little crazy. The poor little girl basically moaned “I want my mommy” over and over again until she finally fell asleep at midnight. Abe and I tried to comfort her, but to no avail. Lydia is currently awake because they’re all sleeping in the same room. I’m contemplating how I can sneak their window open since the air conditioner scared Harley (the little girl), so I had to turn it off.

Here’s the only picture we took today:

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S’mores

This morning was pretty low-key: cleaning, reading, lounging, playing with kids, feeding kids, etc.

Isabella came over at 2 pm so I could go to yoga. By the time I came home, it was time to make dinner. I tried my new pressure cooker today and it worked! I read the manual yesterday and couldn’t find it today, so I kept hoping I wouldn’t accidentally blow the house up. When I turned the knob to “release pressure,” the sound was so startling that Mary screamed and we all ran out of the kitchen. That might take some getting used to.

Then we met up with our friends, the Skardas, and headed up to a campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon to make s’mores.

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I literally ate so many that I still have a stomachache. Carrie had the great idea of sandwiching the marshmallows between chocolate coated cookies. It was delicious.

Once again, the girls were too tired for a proper bed routine. I will tell Lydia to brush her teeth for five straight minutes tomorrow morning…

July 3

Kate showed up at 8:30 so I could make it to 9 am yoga this morning. I think I might have pushed it too hard in yoga because for the rest of the day I just dragged. For example, at one point I dumped all the laundry on the floor in the girls room with every intention of sorting and folding…and instead, I just sat there playing with and reading to the girls. I finally got around to the laundry at bedtime. Six hours later.

In the interim, Abe came home and we did errands. We had what felt like social hour at the grocery store. We ran into Abe’s old friend, Abe’s first grade teacher, my visiting teacher, and the mother of some of the kids in Primary who gave talks last Sunday.

Blueberries outside of Sprouts.
Blueberries outside of Sprouts.
The girls rode this ancient merry-go-round outside of Rite Aid for a quarter. Might as well have been Disneyland--they loved it.
The girls rode this ancient merry-go-round outside of Rite Aid for a quarter. Might as well have been Disneyland–they loved it.

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Then we came home and had s’mores for dinner, much to Abe’s chagrin. But I pointed out the girls had eaten a ton of raw snap peas before our errands, and they’d had a ton of berries and crackers on our outing. I couldn’t picture them eating much more substantial food, plus I couldn’t wait for s’mores. We were supposed to go camping tonight, and when the reservations didn’t work out, the one thing I was sad about was the prospect of missing out on s’mores. The electric coils on our stove top were a fine–superior, even–substitute.

Lydia was our official s'more smusher. She smushed the graham crackers together after I slid the marshmallows in between.
Lydia was our official s’more smusher. She smushed the graham crackers together after I slid the marshmallows in between.

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Mary wasn't interested in s'mores. She got really excited about her ice water, though.
Mary wasn’t interested in s’mores. She got really excited about her ice water, though.

 

Lydia has had nosebleeds in the middle of the night two nights in a row. Her bed is right over an air conditioning duct, and I wonder if that’s why. At any rate, Abe and I are exhausted and hoping she doesn’t have one tonight. It’s a little hard to drag ourselves out of bed, clean the blood and start a load of laundry at 3 am every night.  I’d love it if we could break the habit tonight.

And a fireworks show just started in the valley. It’s so exciting to be able to watch from my desk–time to wrap this up!

Ode to Isabella

Abe and I have a lot to give thanks for today. He had a fantastic day at work and I had a wonderful day at home. Well, actually, I spent a lot of the time at yoga because Abe’s cousin is now on the babysitting market, and she charges the same rate as my gym childcare. Lydia has begged me to let Isabella babysit her, and even though I was initially hesitant because Isabella is slightly on the young side, I finally relented.

When I got home from yoga, not only was Mary peacefully napping, but Lydia and Isabella were happily chatting away in Lydia’s clean room. That’s right. Isabella and Lydia cleaned while I was at yoga. Isabella found her way to my heart strings today. I should have snapped more photos of Lydia hugging Isabella, which she did spontaneously and with great affection multiple times, but I was just too busy trying to do laundry and deep clean the house. Isabella hung out with us for the rest of the day, and when Mary got up, we all went to the pool for a little bit.

Then we came back home and ate dinner. Abe took the girls to buy a present for Sophia’s birthday party tomorrow, and I stayed home and “cleaned.” (I actually spent most of the time eating banana bread.)

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We held FHE when Abe and the girls returned. I gave a little lesson on the flag and then we drew pictures of the flag on Sophia’s wrapping paper.

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10,000 steps…and more!

Yesterday my Fitbit died in the middle of the day, right before I was about to hit 10,000 steps! I worked so hard at that, and I kept working all day (unaware that my Fitbit had died), so I was very disappointed to learn that none of my effort was recorded.

This morning I decided to try for 10,000 steps again, so I packed the girls in the jogger and walked (with the occasional jog) to Misty’s house. Her house is on the other side of the canyon and at an entirely different elevation, so the walk helped me meet my goal. Hooray!

Before we left, Mary discovered all the flowers Ron and Shirl left in the back. She was delighted.
Before we left, Mary discovered all the flowers Ron and Shirl left in the back. She was delighted.
It was overcast in the canyon.
It was overcast in the canyon.

Once we got to Misty’s house, the girls had a fun play date. I always love visiting with Misty, so everyone leaves happy.

Misty has a trampoline. The girls had so much fun.
Misty has a trampoline. The girls had so much fun.

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Mary and Max, my favorite couple.
Mary and Max, my favorite couple.

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Lydia and Sophia took turns pushing the car, and Mary stayed on permanently as the driver.
Lydia and Sophia took turns pushing the car, and Mary stayed on permanently as the driver.
Mary was sound asleep by the time we got back.
Mary was sound asleep by the time we got back.

After I got home, I put Mary down for a nap and read books with Lydia until Ina came over to babysit the girls. She is our family’s angel; not only does she babysit for free, but she honestly loves our girls to pieces, and we know they’re in great hands. I went to yoga and did grocery shopping, and by the time I got back, it was time to make dinner. Ina took the girls to her house to play with her animals while I cooked, and then she returned right before Abe came home.

Ina gave the girls "capes" and they ran around saying, "supergirl!" the whole time. Well, Mary said, "Super gah!"
Ina gave the girls “capes” and they ran around saying, “supergirl!” the whole time. Well, Mary said, “Super gah!”
Eating dinner.
Eating dinner.

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First day of ballet

I took a million pictures today because it felt like we did a million things. The girls took a bubble bath first thing because I knew Lydia was going to ballet today, and I wanted her hair tight and out of her face. Also, the girls smelled. I didn’t get pictures of the bath because I didn’t want them to drown while I ran for my camera.

Instead, I took pictures of them on our way to the gym:

Before we left the house, we said a prayer and then practiced our prayer poses. The girls have been completely irreverent lately and just run around playing during prayers, so I decided we needed practice. Posing for the camera always incentivizes them.
Before we left the house, we said a prayer and then practiced our prayer poses. The girls have been completely irreverent lately and just run around playing during prayers, so I decided we needed practice. Posing for the camera always incentivizes them.
I spent almost two hours at the gym today, and the girls were great! They made these hats in the child care with Bailey. She's so sweet--she bought them snacks with her own money today. I didn't realize we could bring snacks (what about the other kids??), so I tried to feed them before dropping them off. Unfortunately, my kids eat frequently, so that wasn't enough.
I spent almost two hours at the gym today, and the girls were great! They made these hats in the child care with Bailey. She’s so sweet–she bought them snacks with her own money today. I didn’t realize we could bring snacks (what about the other kids??), so I tried to feed them before dropping them off. Unfortunately, my kids eat frequently, so that wasn’t enough.
Lydia was shy and only wanted to go in if she could hold Ada's hand. She spent most of the class following Ada around. The rest of the time she was sitting on the floor in her own little world while everyone else danced.
Lydia was shy and only wanted to go in if she could hold Ada’s hand. She spent most of the class following Ada around. The rest of the time she was sitting on the floor in her own little world while everyone else danced.
Lydia in ballet
Lydia in ballet with Ada
On our way to the library, the girls found some great seed pods on the ground.
On our way to the library, the girls found some great seed pods on the ground.

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Mary wanted to be part of Abe's puppet show for FHE. We did a lesson on how God's house is a house of order, had a puppet show wherein the puppets learned to clean up, and then we spent the rest of the evening cleaning.
Mary wanted to be part of Abe’s puppet show for FHE. We did a lesson on how God’s house is a house of order, had a puppet show wherein the puppets learned to clean up, and then we spent the rest of the evening cleaning.
She really, really wanted to be in the puppet show.
She really, really wanted to be in the puppet show.
Lydia was content to watch.
Lydia was content to watch.
We took Lydia's hair out of braids, and Abe gave it a little brush through for dramatic effect.
This is a motion shot. I thought Abe had brushed it out when I saw the picture, but he said this happened naturally when she was coming down the stairs.

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But it's dramatic without Abe's help.
But it’s dramatic without Abe’s help.

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This morning I resolved to photograph every activity of the day, but alas, I failed in my resolve. Lydia and I baked banana bread before ballet, and it was so messy there was no way a camera could have gotten safely involved.

Also, Abe is in the shower enthusiastically singing “Accidents happen” from Elmo’s World. Parenting does things to you.

Blah.

I got up at 5:10 so I could pick up the babysitter and get to yoga in time. After that, I got the kids ready and took them to the Aviary to meet up with Jen, El, Spencer, Laddie, and Natalie. The children were so cute and excited to see the birds–and more ducks, of course!

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I came home exhausted and lay in bed for a while surfing the internet. One of the blogs I read annoyed me, and I made a rather nasty comment to the author (who I do not know). After I did that, I felt so terrible, and actually I’ve felt bad all day. I did send the author a heartfelt apology, and she was very nice about it. I felt grateful for human forgiveness today, although I’ve also felt terrible all day long that I did something that hurtful to such a nice person.

On the bright side, Abe and I are in love with our Hyde Park tenants. They are the nicest people, and Abe has been raving all day about his conversation with them. They are an older couple who are living there for the summer to be close to a new grandchild, and they are so sweet. They actually thanked us for the opportunity to fix up our condo. Abe couldn’t believe his ears. In fact, he’s talking about how much he loves them as I type.

After I had somewhat recovered from my bad behavior and its aftermath, I loaded the kids up and headed to Provo. Abe’s work team had a dinner at his boss’s house, and I really enjoyed meeting his coworkers.

I practically fell asleep driving home, and I cancelled the babysitter for tomorrow morning. I think I might sleep in…

Emergency doctor’s visit…and we’re off!

This morning Mary woke up so sleepy that I read to her for an hour while she cuddled in my arms by the open window. It felt so luxurious and magical. The breezes smell so sweet this time of year, but since they are still brisk, I wrapped Mary in a blanket and rocked with her while we read.

We read the books on the floor in front of the chair.

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Then Mary fell asleep in my arms. Normally I transition her to her crib, but I thought, “This feels so beautiful, and what could be more important?” We rocked for an hour while I day dreamed and looked out the window. Heaven (my version).

Mary woke up and I fed the girls breakfast. When I discovered Mary had fallen asleep again on her high chair, I started to get worried. Yesterday Abe played chase with the girls and Mary ran into a door. Her face got a little black and blue, and I started to wonder if she had a concussion.

I transferred her to the crib and she slept for another three hours. When she woke up lethargic and sleepy, I called the doctor. We are leaving for our Springfield trip in forty minutes, and it felt a little crazy to drop it all and run to the doctor–but Mary seemed really sick.

Turns out she had a temperature of 102, her white blood cell count was really low, and her little heart was racing. She has a nasty virus, and she is currently sleeping (again). We are packing lots of Tylanol for the trip and hoping the hours upon hours in the car give her plenty of time to rest.

I have to go finish cleaning before we leave. Here are some more pictures I took this morning:

We weaned her off of her binky over a month ago (except for naps), but with all of the travel, her teething, and now this virus, she's getting a LOT of binky time.
We weaned her off of her binky over a month ago (except for naps), but with all of the travel, her teething, and now this virus, she’s getting a LOT of binky time.
All of Lydia's leggings get holes in the right knee. I don't know why that knee is more prone than the other, but at any rate, these pants are no exception.
Almost all of Lydia’s leggings get holes in the right knee. I don’t know why that knee is more prone than the other, but at any rate, these pants are no exception.