Month: August 2015

This morning was the girls’ first gymnastics class at Little Gym. It is so fun that they get to have class together!
Then Kim delighted me by proposing a lunch date. After I dropped Lydia off at preschool, I came home and had the best visit with Kim. That made my whole day. I kind of felt like God knew I needed to talk to a friend because of everything that is going on, and it was so lovely to talk with Kim.

Then we did errands. Mom, I finally went to the doctor’s office! We have been playing phone tag for two weeks, so I finally just went in person. I am taking the three hour diabetes test tomorrow between 8:55am and 11:55am.

After dinner, Chelsea called and invited us to the Rec Center with her. We countered with an invite to Bridal Veil Falls because I need to walk to get ready for my test. We had so much fun walking with her and her kids to the falls. Chelsea and her kids reminded me of mountain goats. They scrambled halfway up the waterfall!

…And I forgot book club is tomorrow, so this evening while Abe was eating dinner I started our book. I need to make progress now, although I have high hopes that (if the girls are good) I can make great progress tomorrow during my test.

At breakfast this morning Mary announced her head itched. I immediately checked her head. She had lice. Again. For the second time in three years. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I sent Abe a text, and he emailed me a list of eighteen things that have gone horribly wrong in our lives in the past two weeks. Sometimes it feels like our world is actually crumbling around us.

Thankfully, we caught this horribly-wrong saga before it was a full blown infestation like last time. The nits were only on one section of Mary’s head. Lydia, like last time, had none. I took courage and spent the subsequent twelve hours vacuuming, laundering, and treating heads. The girls spent the day outside because I didn’t want them to get re-infested before I cleaned all of the carpets and furniture. I opened the windows and eavesdropped on their conversations. They melted my heart by lying in the grass and daydreaming out loud about being on a rocket ship. Then they came in and retrieved their new books from yesterday and “read” them to each other.

Nothing pulled my heart more than when I blew dry Mary’s hair at the end of the day. I felt soooooo sorry for my little girl! She sobbed and cried, “Ouchy! Fire!” over and over again because the heat from the blow dryer burned her tender scalp. I apologized all over the place…but I kept going because I don’t want those nasty lice to live off my baby any longer.

It made me think of the Book of Mormon story about the people of Ammonihah who burned the righteous women and children alive. Just hearing my baby cry “fire!” was enough to bring tears to my eyes, even though I knew the pain was temporary and for her good. I can’t imagine being Alma or Amulek and watching little toddlers actually die from a malicious fire set by unbelievers. I just can’t fathom that. It is, by far, my least favorite story in the Book of Mormon.

This day was not without its bright side though. Abe actually had a great day at work, and my visiting teacher came over to check my hair for nits in the middle of the day. She has secured my love for the eternities! Also, Chelsea and I went to the parent orientation for the Let’s Play Music! we enrolled our girls in. That was exciting.

Today was Lydia’s first day of preschool! We celebrated after by taking the girls to Barnes & Noble and letting them each pick out a book. I was a little nervous letting them choose their own books because sometimes they pick random books that don’t end up resonating–but this time they each picked out a book that they LOVE! That made me so happy.

We came home and read the books over and over until Chelsea called to invite us over for dinner and a play date. I am so thankful for that friendship! We just love their company and food.

We had a great play date this morning with our friends from Chicago, Betsy and Pippa Croft. The girls disappeared for an hour while Betsy and I chatted away in her beautiful new house. It was a really lovely break from the drama unfolding at home.

The drama involves a friend in need. Abe worked himself into an emotional and mental frenzy over the situation, and I am the heartless one who, as Betsy so aptly put it, sees the situation as an oil-in-the-lamp issue and not a call for good samaritan action. We are still dealing with the problem, but I think things are starting to look hopeful. If we can get to bed before midnight tonight, I think morale will improve around here.

We spent the evening outside eating dinner and chatting on the phone with Mom, Grandma, Clark and Swathi. It was great, but the evening has devolved a little with some stressful side issues Abe and I have going on tonight and tomorrow. I am hoping it all blows over by tomorrow night. Wouldn’t it be nice if problems just disappeared on an appointed time schedule?

Abe and I spent most of the day cleaning and doing errands. In the evening we drove to Salt Lake and met up with the Maudsleys in Liberty Park for a picnic. Afterward the kids played in the splash pad while we chatted.

I love Katie, especially because she is probably the only person on earth who can understand my mouse phobia. She has it to the exact same degree–she even ruined her phone by rubbing alcohol all over it because she thought a mouse had touched it! That is something I would do. No matter how many other things we talk about, we always end up commiserating over our phobia. It is so nice.

Today was the last day of swimming lessons for the girls. Of course I forgot to take a picture. Their fourteen-year old teacher was so cute. She made them little goody bags and wrote all of her students personal notes. I am pretty sure my kids were her only students who didn’t progress at all. In fact, now they both cry at the thought of swimming, but we’ll keep forging ahead…next summer.

Then I took them to the Provo Rec Center while I went swimming, and tonight Abe and I went to the movie Mr. Holmes. It was delightful. Mom and Grandma, I am sure you would love it.

While we were at the movie, Lexi and the girls played hide and seek outside, Simon Says, some hamburger game, colored, and when we came home Lexi was telling the girls stories. Abe peeked in to tell them we were home and Lydia said, “Daddy, go away.” I think they had a good time.

I forgot to take pictures again today, and I don’t have a backlog of trip pictures to save me this time. Oh, well. Today we had a play date with Andrea and her son, James. Andrea is living with her in-laws here in Orem while her husband serves in the army for a year. She is due in September with a second baby boy. Even with all that going on, she doesn’t stop smiling and is so cheerful. I admire her a lot.

Also, her glucose test came back high–just like mine! I have been so upset about my test, but she gave me lots of great advice, and I feel very comforted and reassured that it’s all going to turn out okay.

Today the girls played in the house all day while I did post-trip clean-up. Even though I didn’t take any pictures today, Isabella sent us a lot of the pictures from the trip that she took. Thanks, Isabella! You saved the blog today!! 🙂

My computer is about to die, so the pictures aren’t organized. They capture the hotel, the girls playing before their day trip to the beach, Santa Cruz’s beach, and the Golden Gate bridge.

Yesterday we went to Jere’s ward and heard some amazing Sacrament talks. The third one had a phrase I don’t want to forget. He talked about how the walk of faith is a sharp mountain ridge between two steep cliffs: On the one side we have a 20,000 foot drop off of unbelief, agnosticism, atheism, and even anti-theism, and on the other we have religious superstition, magical thinking, and pharisaical practices. In the middle is the sharp, dynamic, faithful walk of the believer. Abe commented as we left, “The Church is true in Palo Alto!”

Then we went with Abe’s family to lunch. They all just happened to be in town visiting Jere at the same time we came!

Then we went to Muir Woods National Monument. It was incredibly beautiful.