Ahhh, Saturday.

Abe was a gem of a husband and let me lie in bed until 9:30 this morning. I feel: happy! energetic! in love with my husband, my children, and life! What a difference sleep makes!

As a result of my sky-high mood, I dragged my husband and kids all around today. They are all pooped, and I feel like I could yet clean, read a book, bake a plum cake, and, of course, blog. In the interest of my exhausted husband’s bedtime, though, I will probably just blog and clean (the kitchen).

So after I got out of bed, we went for a long walk/run to City Creek Canyon.

Right before we loaded the kids in the jogger. They spent the better part of the day in their jammies.
Right before we loaded the kids in the jogger. They spent the better part of the day in their jammies.
The entrance to the really part of the canyon. Right before this picture, a bunch of joggers/dog owners/bikers swarmed past, and Abe observed that they all smiled at the children and remarked how children generate so many smiles in the world simply by being children. So true.
Right before this picture, a bunch of joggers/dog owners/bikers swarmed past, and Abe observed that they all smiled at the children. He then remarked how children generate so many smiles in the world simply by being children. So true.
I LOVE the sunflowers along the road to the canyon. I took a picture of the flowers with the state capitol in the background. Of course, my limited photography skills and the phone camera do not convey the prettiness of the tangled, leggy flowers, the breeze, the sunshine, and the happy yellow petals.
I LOVE the sunflowers along the road to the canyon. I took a picture of the flowers with the state capitol in the background. Of course, my limited photography skills and the phone camera do not convey the prettiness of the tangled, leggy flower stems, the breeze, the sunshine, and the happy yellow petals.

We then walked to the yard sale of our friends, Joe, Candice and Cole. They are moving to Saint George, and we will miss them so much! On a happy note, though, the weather was PERFECT for a yard sale. Lydia loved seeing Cole, and she even got to use his potty. =)

We then went home and I improvised lunch. Yesterday I just happened to have roasted a spaghetti squash and made pesto with the sincere intent to give it all away, but I never got around to giving anything away. Today we became hungry ones in need of lunch, and so yesterday’s good intentions flew out the window.

Spaghetti squash with pesto I made yesterday (with one hand! Mary, I think I mentioned, is going through a don't-put-me-down stage. I felt very self-satisfied after managing to wrangle the skins off the garlic cloves--single handed, without a knife.)
Spaghetti squash with pesto I made yesterday (with one hand! Mary, I think I mentioned, is going through a don’t-put-me-down stage. I felt very self-satisfied after managing to wrangle the skins off the garlic cloves–single handed, without a knife.)

Then we put down the girls and I took off for my happy place, the farmer’s market. When we first came to Salt Lake, I disliked how big the market here is. Back in Hyde Park, we had a small market and I knew where to go for what. However, I have stopped moping about what I miss and instead have started to embrace what is here. The variety turns out to be quite welcome, and the bounty of September produce makes me happy to be an eater of food.

I bought a ton of exquisite little tomatoes from the market today, only to discover the eggplant chard lasagne I wanted to make called for fresh tomato sauce. It felt wrong, but I cooked them for ten minutes like the recipe said. We'll see if this was the world's worst mistake or not.
I bought a ton of exquisite little tomatoes from the market today, only to discover the eggplant chard lasagne I wanted to make called for fresh tomato sauce. It felt wrong, but I cooked them for ten minutes like the recipe said. We’ll see if this was the world’s worst mistake or not.

And then the pictures stop. After the market, we cleaned the house while the kids napped. I also got a head start cooking a lot of that farmer’s market produce. Then we packed up our children and headed for the pool at a nearby community center. We spent an hour there, and (I kid you not) Abe spent most of that time bribing Lydia to go down the big slide with him. This tentative little soul (she takes after me) wouldn’t budge until finally we announced it was time to go. She had a choice: either slide down the big slide with Abe and earn a trip to Coldstone, or get out of the pool and go shower. Guess what she chose?

We then used a Groupon  to eat dinner at a Sushi restaurant on State Street. Remember how Mary is teething and super duper picky right now? Well, it turns out she loves Japanese food. She could not get enough of everything, and I was so relieved to see her finally eat something. The service was so fast (appreciated when you have hungry children in tow) and the food was delicious. Oh, and Lydia is better at using chopsticks than I am. I don’t know how that happened. She referred to them as “my chop.”

Then it was off to Coldstone. I distinctly recall days in my former life when I felt torn between my love of Coldstone’s birthday cake remix and my desire to reduce caloric intake. On those such days, I would do the following: drive to Coldstone, eat a sizable serving of birthday cake remix, and then eat nothing else until the next day. Such a day was not today.

Then home, and guess what?!! I think I might have time yet to read a chapter in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a book I checked out at the library a couple days ago. If so, I am so excited. I’ve sneaked reading the first chapter, and I am hooked!

This Friday felt like Saturday

Here’s how quiet time goes at our house: I shut Lydia in her room and do not go to her–unless there’s a major problem–until Mary wakes up. Usually, Mary’s nap is one or two hours. During that time, Lydia plays, sings, hoots and hollers (joyfully) and, on very rare occasions, she will call for me to help her with a puzzle. (I never respond. Guilt inevitably abounds.) Sometimes she will also tuck herself neatly in bed and take a nap.

The result is, Lydia can be very independent when she chooses to be. Today, for example, she awoke from her nap with a nosebleed, but since she also needed to pee, she immediately peed in her potty (while bleeding) and then used up all the tissues in her room in an attempt to clean her nose. After she had exhausted the tissue box, she politely knocked on the door and asked for some help. Love/guilt/delight swelled up in my heart when I saw how hard she had worked to take care of her own mess. Sweet, conscienscious thing.

Abe has been out of town and came home early today–at 11am. He was in time to help out with the play date we had this morning, and having him around made the whole day feel like Saturday. To top it off, we ended the day with a walk/jog around the canyon and a temple trip to do initiatories–two activities that we normally do on Saturdays. I feel happy (and thankful to Suzanne, Abe’s stepmom, who made our temple date possible!).

Also, I took at least fifty pictures today. The following may seem like a lot, but consider yourself spared.

I am getting better at these waterfall braids! Couldn't practice without the help of Dora the Explorer...
Couldn’t practice Lydia’s waterfall braids without the help of Dora the Explorer
Espen and Lydia water coloring. Lydia, of course, drank the water color water.
Espen and Lydia water coloring. Lydia, of course, drank the water color water.
Playing cars with Espen and our new friends, the Skardas.
Playing cars with Espen and our new friends, the Skardas.
Lydia and Espen lounging on the lawn together.
Lydia and Espen lounging on the lawn together. Could this be a shot on a college green? I think so.
Mary was sad again today. This is what she did anytime I put her down for longer than...30 seconds?
Mary was sad again today. This is what she did anytime I put her down for longer than…30 seconds? Her cry is so funny. She says “Ay-yi-yi-yi” over and over. That’s the Filipino in her.
Lydia tried on Abe's shoes.
Lydia tried on Abe’s shoes.
We spent a lot of time outside today. This was in the evening while we ate "dinner" (corn, string cheese, and an apple) on the lawn.
We spent a lot of time outside today. This was in the evening while we ate “dinner” (corn, string cheese, a banana and an apple) on the lawn.
Lydia tried to pour water from this watering can on the ground. When I told her there was no water in it, she civilly asked me to please stop talking. And then she proceeded to tell me not to come with her to her chalk (where she tried again to pour water out of the empty watering can).
Lydia tried to pour water from this watering can on the ground. When I told her there was no water in it, she civilly asked me to please stop talking. She then proceeded to tell me not to come with her to her chalk (where she tried again to pour water out of the empty watering can).
She drew the blue smiley face all by herself. Good job, Lydia!
She drew the blue “smiley face” all by herself. Good job, Lydia!
Did you know rose bushes bloom both at the beginning AND at the end of summer? I had no idea. Maybe these bushes are just super special, but they surprise and delight me every day we go outside.
Did you know rose bushes bloom both at the beginning AND at the end of summer? I had no idea. Maybe these bushes are just super special, but they surprise and delight me every day we go outside.
More roses, because I love them (and did not take enough pictures today, obviously).
More roses, because I love them (and did not take enough pictures today, obviously).

Whew!

So Lydia woke up at 5am screaming that she had peed in the bed, but it turned out to be a nightmare. I do not know what we did to instill such a fear of bed wetting in her, but it’s to the point where I feel sorry for the poor little thing. Since Abe is gone and I wanted a cuddle buddy anyway, I took the risk and brought Lydia into bed with me.  She did great! No accidents and lots of cuddles. Fun, fun for everyone (but only sleep for Lydia. Sigh.)

And then our day started. It went as follows:

  • Drive randomly around Salt Lake’s Marmalade district for long time because I could not make up my mind about whether to go to Misty’s house or take the girls shopping. This neighborhood is so pretty, and the roads are steep and twisty.  I got lost, took pictures of cute streets, and decided to head to Misty’s.
  • Awesome play date with Misty, Sophia and Max. We ended on this high point: Misty and I walked in on Sophia and Lydia, who had both shed their undies during a potty marathon and were playing in Sophia’s room stark naked from the waste down. Lydia threw a fit when I forced her to put her undies and skirt back on.
  • Against my better judgment, I took the girls to Old Navy without feeding them lunch first. It was already noon. It went surprisingly well, although if you had asked me in the moment, I would have told you otherwise. (Lydia ran around sporadically pulling things off the shelves and stuffing things into a Halloween bag. After hissing a million empty threats at her, I gave in and let her do whatever she wanted so I could try to concentrate. Yes, I am that mom who can not control her child. Sorry, world.)
  • Lunch and a truncated nap/quiet time. During her quiet time, Lydia climbed on top of a bunch of boxes and fell over. She was, understandably, traumatized. But her trauma woke Mary, and all was lost in the nap department.
  • So I packed the girls up and headed to the library. We checked out DVDs and books for the girls, and even some books for me. Who knows if I’ll get to read them; about six months ago I announced to anyone who cared to listen that I’d given up reading because it felt like an incompatible hobby with motherhood, but I just. can’t. do. that. I need a plane of mental engagement higher than my kitchen floor.
  • We headed over to Temple Square to work in some religious education. The only way I could convince Lydia to leave was to tell her that we needed to rescue our car from the Big, Baaaad, Parking Police. She eventually complied, but not before almost hurling herself into City Creek.
  • Dinner, baths, clean-up, reading, bed. Then the obligatory post-bedtime house clean-up. Now blog time and waste-time-on-internet time (and maybe reading time!!!!). Whenever there’s a day like today wherein the girls skipped naps, I do stupid things like stay up until 1am just because it’s quiet, I kind of love the quiet, and…I can. I hope I make smarter choices tonight.

So for the photos. There were a LOT today!!

Getting lost on Apricot Avenue. The picture does not begin to do the pleasure justice.
Getting lost on Apricot Avenue. The picture does not begin to do the pleasure justice.
I felt teary looking at these two thinking that I remember when they were so little that they had no idea how to even interact. They met when they were teeny, tiny babies...and now look at them!
Um. Cuteness.
Misty and Max. Can you handle the cuteness?
Misty and Max. Can you even handle them?
I, for one, can not. I am kind of in love with Max. Not only is he (see picture!!!!) absolutely adorable, but he is the sweetest thing. I hope Mary marries him someday.
I, for one, can not. I am kind of in love with Max. Not only is he (see picture!!!!) absolutely adorable, but he is the sweetest thing. I hope Mary marries him someday. Also, Misty made that hat.
Misty's inspiring Menu chalkboard. Or in other words, Ode to a Good Mom.
Misty’s inspiring Menu chalkboard. Or in other words, “Ode to a Good Mom.”
At the check-out in Old Navy, I turned around to see Lydia hugging and holding hands with the mannikins.
At the check-out in Old Navy, I turned around to see Lydia hugging and holding hands with the mannikins.
On the way back from the library. I parked far away because 1) it was free and 2) the weather was gorgeous, and I want to make the most of this beautiful blip before winter.
On the way back from the library. I parked far away because 1) it was free and 2) the weather was gorgeous, and I want to make the most of this beautiful blip before winter.
Lydia watching a temple bride. A great teaching moment.
Lydia watching a temple bride. A great teaching moment.
Applesauce break at the temple.
Applesauce break at the temple.
As I turned my back to ask some people to take this photo, Lydia ran for the fountain and almost dove in head first. We look so calm in the picture, though, don't we? HA!
As I turned my back to ask some people to take this photo, Lydia ran for the fountain and almost dove in head first. We look so calm in the picture, though, don’t we? HA!
We always talk about how Jesus loves the little children. I think the girls felt the Spirit here because they were very reverent during the presentation.
I hope the girls had a spiritual experience here.
The last moments of our outing. Aren't you scared Lydia is going to clamber OVER the rock and fall in? I was.
The last moments of our outing. Aren’t you scared Lydia is going to clamber OVER the rock and fall in? I was.

joy school

Today was Lydia’s first day of “joy school,” a preschool co-op with some moms in my ward. Some moms conceived the idea while we were out of town, and the minute I heard about it I begged to join. They graciously let me.

It was a glorious day, and since we were only going a couple blocks, I took the girls in the “buddy bubble” (i.e., the double jogger). A lovely walk, and a great way to start a day–even though I started on approximately five hours of sleep. (Poor Mary is really struggling this week.)

Cute kids eating snacks before the lesson (this week on circles and the letter "C".
Cute kids eating snacks before the lesson (this week on circles and the letter “C”).

Afterwards, we had a lovely walk back and played with chalk a bit before coming inside for lunch. I put the girls down for quiet time and naps as soon as possible and then passed out on the couch until Mary woke up two hours later. After I got Mary, I went into Lydia’s room to find Lydia sitting on her little potty reading books, singing to herself, and peeing. So proud. (We got tired of the false alarms during quiet time and bed time; Lydia just wanted to get out of her room and kept telling us she needed to go potty when she did not need to. We solved the problem by sticking a potty in her bedroom.)

Lydia never got a nap, and so for the next two hours, both girls took turns throwing fits and being weepy.

I got ambitious with Lydia's waterfall braid and did a double waterfall braid today. Clearly, I need a lot more practice.
Here is Lydia crying that she wants Mary’s stickers (picture two below). On another note, I got ambitious with Lydia’s waterfall braid and did a double waterfall braid today. Clearly, I need a lot more practice.
You might wonder why I can so heartlessly photograph my two year old as she tantrums on the floor. Let me tell you, this girl has stamina. About an hour into her fits, I no longer have the capacity to think or feel authentic emotions, so I just take pictures of her instead. Sometimes, the photo taking even distracts her for the tantrum (not this time, though!)
You might wonder why I can so heartlessly photograph my two year old as she tantrums on the floor. Let me tell you, this girl has stamina. About an hour into her fits, I no longer have the capacity to think or feel authentic emotions, so I just take pictures of her instead. Sometimes, the photo taking even distracts her for the tantrum (not this time, though!).
Mary was so sad from her rash and teething situation that up until five minutes before this picture, I could not put her down unless it was in her crib for a nap. (Translation: I had to pee with Mary on my lap multiple times today. I feel slightly ambivalent about that acrobatic achievement.)
Mary was so sad from her rash and teething situation that up until five minutes before this picture, I could not put her down unless it was in her crib for a nap. (Translation: I had to pee with Mary on my lap multiple times today. I feel slightly ambivalent about that acrobatic achievement.) Doesn’t she just melt your heart, though? Here she is absorbed in peeling Lydia’s potty stickers off of the sticker sheet. I had another sheet of stickers, but Lydia went ballistic  when she saw Mary touching her stickers. Since the stickers were the sole reason Mary let me put her down, I made Lydia share.

And three catch-up photos from yesterday and Monday.

Abe took the girls to Cold Stone while I was at yoga yesterday evening. Lydia clearly loved it. (Mary, not pictured, also loved it. She is ice cream's number one fan.)
Abe took the girls to Cold Stone while I was at yoga yesterday evening. Lydia clearly loved it. (Mary, not pictured, also loved it. She is ice cream’s number one fan.)
We have been giving the girls bubble baths at night. Two weeks ago we realized the "shampoo" we had been using for the past couple months was actually bubble bath. Oops!
We have been giving the girls bubble baths at night. Two weeks ago we realized the “shampoo” we had been using for the past couple months was actually…bubble bath. Oops!
I took a picture of Lydia at the doctor's office because she was so incredibly well-behaved on that outing. As in, she sat in this chair quietly and patiently throughout Mary's entire appointment, and she never whined or complained. I don't even recall her squirming. I was so proud.
I took a picture of Lydia at the doctor’s office because she was so incredibly well-behaved on that outing. As in, she sat in this chair quietly and patiently throughout Mary’s entire appointment, and she never whined or complained once. I don’t even recall her squirming. She is becoming such a well-behaved child–in public. =)

Also, this piece of information is of interest to absolutely no one but me (but it interests me SO highly), my house is impeccably clean right now. Well, only the downstairs and basement are completely sanitized and picked up, but you should have seen the messes before the girls went down. I spent an hour in high gear attacking every mess, and right now I feel…kind of like a rock star? That is so sad, I know. People are dying in Syria and I am congratulating myself on my clean house, but sometimes, home hits closest to home, you know?

yoga and a naked, potty-trained toddler

Poor Mary woke up at 5:45am whimpering because she had pooped, and who knows how long she had gone with it in her diaper since she was asleep. Her diaper rash was awful, and I felt so, so sorry for my baby. That said, I would have preferred a later start to my day, and so I improvised a survival solution by doing absolutely nothing all day.

That worked for Mary! She’s teething, doesn’t want to eat, and therefore lethargic, so she just cuddled with me while Lydia played, watched her kid shows, and practiced going to the potty. I did not clean anything or cook anything today. I spent all the free time I had finishing up my book No Easy Day (don’t even ask me why I read it–it was on the “Lucky Day” shelf at the library, so I guess I thought it had to be good if it made it to The Shelf), and shopping on Zulily. Yikes!

I did, however, drop the kids off at Abe’s office at 5:30pm so I could make the 6:15 session of Bikram Yoga. Afterwards, I lay on the six-inch wide bench outside of the room and tried to get the energy to walk to the car. Don’t mind the chubby lady trying to fit on the teeny bench, sweating a pool of smelly puddles onto the floor and tootin’ up a storm! (That would have been me.)

Since I was lazy, I did not get that many pictures today, so I made up for it by running around the house before typing this blog so I could photograph random things to talk about. Here we go!

 

Again, Mary is wearing one of Lydia's staple summer outfits from last year (probably the last chance she has to wear it), and the end of a beloved hand-me-down always makes me want to run for a tissue.
Again, Mary is wearing one of Lydia’s staple summer outfits from last year (probably the last chance she has to wear it), and the end of a beloved hand-me-down always makes me want to run for a tissue.
Don't mind my naked child. She did not feel like getting dressed, and I did not care to fight that battle. So here she is, in all of her naked glory. I did, however, re-try that waterfall twist braid. It doesn't look super great here, but it wore really well and got progressively prettier as the day went on.
Don’t mind my naked child. She did not feel like getting dressed, and I did not care to fight that battle. So here she is, in all of her naked glory. I did, however, re-try that waterfall twist braid. It doesn’t look super great here, but it wore really well and got progressively prettier as the day went on.

Aghhh! Below is my naked toddler again. The neighbors can see right into our house (we live on a hill), and so I am sure they think I am negligent. Lydia had two full hours of quiet time today…she actually has a blast during quiet time, but I do wonder what the neighbors think watching a little naked child run all around by herself for that amount of time. Also, here she is calling her cat on the phone. (The cat is her favorite thing in the world, and we accidentally left it in New York. I have been ambivalent about asking Clark and Swathi to send it back since Lydia’s devotion transformed a cuddly stuffed animal into a mangy, smelly, most-likely-hazardous object. But Lydia has talked about/to the cat every day since he went missing weeks ago, and my heart goes out to this loyal child of mine.)

Aghhh! My naked toddler again. The neighbors can see right into our house (we live on a hill), and so I am sure they think I am negligent. Lydia was thus THREE hours of alone quiet time today...she didn't mind at all, but I do wonder what the neighbors think watching a little naked child run all around by herself for that amount of time. Also, here she is calling her cat on the phone. (The cat is her favorite thing in the world, and we accidentally left it in New York. I have been ambivalent about asking Clark and Swathi to send it back since Lydia's devotion has transformed a cuddly stuffed animal into a mangy, smelly, most-likely-hazardous object. But Lydia has talked about/to the cat every day since he went missing weeks ago, and my heart goes out to this loyal child of mine.
Today mommy just lost some steam, okay?
My dinner. Ingredients: bananas. If you have never frozen bananas and blended them in a food processor afterward, you need to go do that RIGHT NOW. I saw this recipe years ago and dismissed it as ridiculous, but now I know I am the ridiculous one for not trying it. The easiest thing ever, and the end result tastes like the best ice cream you have ever had. Please go do this now.
My dinner. Ingredients: bananas. If you have never frozen bananas and blended them in a food processor afterward, you need to go do that RIGHT NOW. I saw this recipe years ago and dismissed it as ridiculous, but now I know I am the ridiculous one for not trying it. The easiest thing ever, and the end result tastes like the best ice cream you have ever had. Please go do this now.
Lydia wrote the "o" in the word, "Stop". This was for the game she, Abe and Mary played a couple days ago, and boy, we are so proud of her!
Lydia wrote the “o” in the word, “Stop”. This was for the game she, Abe and Mary played a couple days ago, and boy, we are so proud of her!
The flowers Abe got me are blooming. If I did not battle a continual running dialogue in my head about how terrible I am at everything, I think my life would be perfect. I have the world's sweetest, most affirming husband, beautiful children, the best mother in the world, the greatest brother and sister-in-law in the world, and everything else anyone could possibly want to be happy. I just need to get with the program and start being happy, right?
The flowers Abe got me are blooming. If I did not battle a continual running dialogue in my head about how terrible I am at everything and what a horrible person I am, I think my life would be perfect. I have the world’s sweetest, most affirming husband, beautiful children, the best mother in the world, the greatest brother and sister-in-law in the world, and everything else anyone could possibly want to be happy. I just need to get with the program and start being happy, right?

Slogging through

Last night was rough. Abe and I got to bed around midnight, and two hours later Lydia woke up from a nightmare. I had those all the time growing up, and I really appreciated that my mom always came to me when I was scared. So we do the same for Lydia, and Abe heroically got out of bed and comforted her. A mere two hours after that, Mary woke up sobbing from a poopy diaper and fire-engine red diaper rash. I changed her diaper and put her down, but the ordeal was so loud and messy that Abe got involved; by the end, I was wide awake and did not fall asleep again until right before Lydia woke us at 7:30 with the news that she had peed and pooped in her potty. (By the way, Lydia had no accidents again today and kept her bed dry all night. Go Lydia!!)

So I had trouble being motivated today. I ate too many brownies, let Lydia watch hours of kiddie shows on DVD and the iPad, and stayed engrossed in my own book way after the girls were done with afternoon nap/quiet time. (That means I read my book to myself for an hour while they did whatever the heck they wanted nearby.)

During Family Home Evening,  we read from the Doctrine and Covenants about establishing a house of order, and then we promptly tramped down to the basement to organize. Basically, cold weather will be upon us soon, and I want to do crafts with the kids down there without feeling that we are being ambushed by entropy. Hence my proposal for our FHE activity. (Abe did all the work while Mary and I cuddled on the couch. I love my husband.)

Before FHE, I did get some other stuff done. I took Mary (and Lydia) to the doctor when Mary’s diaper rash started bleeding. SO sad. And I cleaned the basement, did laundry, cooked dinner, wrote in my scripture journal and, of course, cleaned the kitchen. Considering I feel like I have been slogging through mud all day, that’s not too bad, right?

I found this after breakfast. Minnie Mouse was taking a bath in Lydia's water cup.
I found this after breakfast. Minnie Mouse was taking a bath in Lydia’s water cup.
Mary's teething, and she had a terrible diaper rash today. So she was fussy, but let me tell you, I think I fell in love all over again today. She was just over-the-top cute, and we spent a LOT of time cuddling.
Mary’s teething, and she had a terrible diaper rash today. So she was fussy, but let me tell you, I think I fell in love all over again today. She was just over-the-top cute, and we spent a LOT of time cuddling.
Here are my over-the-top cute children fighting in a not-so-over-the-top-cute way for a toy.
I mainly took this picture to show Lydia wearing something other than pink. Also, I spent a bunch of time this morning trying to master this ridiculously easy hairdo, but I failed miserably. But I am proud that I have managed to learn how to do the Dutch braid headband thing.  This is huge, considering I could not even do pigtails properly two years ago.
Lydia's new favorite way to watch DVDs.
Lydia’s new favorite way to watch DVDs.
My sage friend, Misty, shared this tip with me: Throw away broken crayons! If you think about it for a minute, you, like me, might also come to the conclusion that Misty is Socrates in disguise. And you, like me, might want to do as I did today, and take that awesome advice.
My sage friend, Misty, shared this tip with me: Throw away broken crayons! If you think about it for a minute, you, like me, might also come to the conclusion that Misty is Socrates in disguise. And you, like me, might want to do as I did today, and take that awesome advice.
Here's the pasta puttanesca I made for dinner. It wasn't that great, actually. I mean, it was okay, but considering the cool things that went into the sauce (LOTS of anchovy paste! Kalamata olives! Capers! FOUR cloves of garlic!), I was kind of disappointing. Either that, or I was not really in the mood for pasta puttanesca tonight.
Here’s the pasta puttanesca I made for dinner. It wasn’t that great, actually. I mean, it was okay, but considering the cool things that went into the sauce (LOTS of anchovy paste! Kalamata olives! Capers! FOUR cloves of garlic!), I was kind of disappointing. Either that, or I was not really in the mood for pasta puttanesca tonight.

A dry-undies sabbath

Lydia had zero accidents today. Count’em: Ze-ro! We are just beside ourselves with joy. At the same time, I am terrified that the candy corn potty treats plugged her up and set her up for some, um, nighttime trauma. So we end the day on a note of proud trepidation.

Aside from the loveliest of phone calls with Clark and Swathi  (and also a sweet, short call with my mom and Uncle Steve), here are the best parts of our day, in pictures:

This is where I spent the majority of my day. How about you?
This is where I spent the majority of my day. How about you?

Lydia left her undies on the front path in her haste to make it to the potty. Our undie-less toddler single-handedly dragged down the property value of homes on our block tonight, but we were so proud of her nonetheless!

Lydia left her undies on the front path in her haste to make it to the potty. Our undie-less toddler single-handedly dragged down the property value of homes on our block tonight, but we were so proud of her nonetheless.
Eating apples, shucking corn, and playing chalk on the driveway. We loved our lives tonight.
Eating apples, shucking corn, and playing chalk on the driveway. We loved our lives tonight.
We found a caterpillar in the corn!
We found a caterpillar in the corn!
Lydia spent a looong time picking apples off the tree and throwing them down our street. We live on 12th avenue, which means the apples rolled down twelve blocks before they reached level ground. Quite a thrill for these worm-filled pome fruits.
Lydia spent a looong time picking apples off the tree and throwing them down our street. We live on 12th avenue, which means the apples rolled down twelve blocks before they reached level ground. Quite a thrill for these worm-filled pome fruits.

Our apple tree, because we love it so much.

Our apple tree, because we love it so much.
Mary started doing these trust falls in India when she could not contain her excitement. She still does them whenever she is over-the-top happy, which she apparently was. We ate dinner outside on the lawn tonight. Maybe that made her happy!
Mary started doing these trust falls in India when she could not contain her excitement. She still does them whenever she is over-the-top happy, which she apparently was. We ate dinner outside on the lawn tonight. Maybe that made her happy!
And to think this mess would have taken place on my kitchen floor. Why don't we eat outside every night?
And to think this mess would have taken place on my kitchen floor. Why don’t we eat outside every night?

Today was Sunday. Normally on Sunday, we try to be good Mormons and refrain from work. We were inside the first part of the day, and Abe was helping so much that I could not resist getting a head start on this week’s meals. By the end of the day, I had cooked the following:

Roasted squash with giant red onions and balsamic vinegar.
Roasted squash with giant red onions and balsamic vinegar.
toasted almonds for a pesto later.
toasted almonds for a pesto later.
basil, cilantro, almond pesto for lunch. These are leftovers for Abe's lunch, and I hope he remembers to bring it to work. His lunch budget is teeny tiny, and when he forgets to take his lunch to work, by the end of the week his only option left is to drink water for lunch.
basil, cilantro, almond pesto for lunch. These are leftovers for Abe’s lunch tomorrow, and I hope he remembers to bring it to work. His lunch budget is teeny tiny, and when he forgets to take his lunch to work, by the end of the week his only option left is to drink water for lunch.
Um, this is a brownie. The recipe swapped out butter/oil for applesauce and light sour cream. That, of course, is the only reason why I ate half the pan.
Um, this is a brownie. The recipe swapped out butter/oil for applesauce and light sour cream. That, of course, is the only reason why I ate half the pan.
Tomorrow we are trying out that exciting recipe in Cook's Illustrated for pasta puttanesca with fresh tomatoes. Even though it's sacrilegious, I am amending the recipe so that the fresh tomatoes will be, er, roasted. These tomatoes were SUCH a disappointment--think grocery-store-roma-in-December disappointing, even though I bought them at the farmer's market a mere twenty-four hours earlier. So I roasted the bejeebers out of 'em in the hopes that they'd emerge from the oven tasting more like their authentic tomato selves. We'll see what happens tomorrow when these meet up with all that puttanesca good stuff.
Tomorrow we are trying out that exciting recipe in Cook’s Illustrated for pasta puttanesca with fresh tomatoes. Even though it’s sacrilegious, I am amending the recipe so that the fresh tomatoes will be…er… roasted. These tomatoes were SUCH a disappointment: Think grocery-store-Roma-in-December disappointing, even though I bought them at the farmer’s market yesterday. So I roasted the bejeebers out of ’em in the hopes that they’d emerge from the oven tasting more like their authentic tomato selves. We’ll see what happens tomorrow when these meet up with all that puttanesca good stuff.
This is one of my beloved basil patches in my garden. The plants got neglected and woody while we were away, and so I cut them down today to great effect. Next year I plan on planting NOTHING except for basil and tomatoes in my garden. I am signing up for a church garden plot for everything else. (This year I was greedy and planted too many things in too little space. My tomatoes don't get enough sun because they are smashed too close together, and I have to do ridiculous things like cut down my cucumber vines to get at my basil.)
This is one of my beloved basil patches in my garden. The plants got neglected and woody while we were away, and so I cut them down today to great effect. Next year I plan on planting NOTHING except for basil and tomatoes in my garden. I am signing up for a church garden plot for everything else. (This year I was greedy and planted too many things in too little space. My tomatoes don’t get enough sun because they are smashed too close together, and I have to do ridiculous things like cut down my cucumber vines to get at my basil.)

Potty training success!

The cutest story of the day is that after we put Lydia to bed tonight, she wet the bed. When Abe went in to her bedroom, she was repeating over and over, with tears streaming down her face, “I wet the bed, but that’s okay. I wet the bed, but that’s okay.” And she was frantically trying to put on a new pair of what she thought were undies (they were actually just Mary’s cotton shorts). “Daddy, can you please help me put these on?” she sniffled. Our hearts became water reservoirs on the spot.

I wish I could take credit for the potty training work that went on in the house today, but I’ll confess that I cheated and went to the farmer’s market, Tony Caputo’s, and the grocery store this morning while Abe dealt with all of the accidents. (To be fair to myself, I have had the girls for three straight days by myself, and the wheels had come off the cart and rolled far, far away.) As I was bringing in the groceries, Lydia peed all over the box of applesauce cartons and then…no more accidents until bed time! I am thankful to God for answering my request for some aid in this process, and I am thankful to Abe for helping me feel sane again.

I also went to stake conference tonight.  The stake president counseled us all to keep the commandments, and if we don’t know where to start, just start by trying to be nice people. It was a more inspiring talk than it probably sounds here.

Because I actually had time to cook today, my kitchen is a holy-moly mess that I need to go clean. So here’s the daily picture fest.

Lydia was excited to be a big girl today.
Lydia was excited to be a big girl today.
Mary was excited too.
Mary was excited too.
I came home to discover Lydia, Mary and Abe playing a "stop" and "go" game with signs they colored while I was gone. Lydia is sitting on an oilcloth we toted around during the day in the hopes of sparing our carpets...
I came home to discover Lydia, Mary and Abe playing a “stop” and “go” game with signs they colored while I was gone. Lydia is sitting on an oilcloth we toted around during the day in the hopes of sparing our carpets…
Mary thought the game was hilarious.
Mary thought the game was hilarious.
I cooked today! I roasted a bunch of baby beets, wilted down those deeeelicious beet greens, and made some Cuban beans from my library cook book. It turns out that Mary LOVES beets, and even though she has been picky recently, she happily gorged herself on those.
I cooked today! I roasted a bunch of baby beets, wilted down those deeeelicious beet greens, and made some Cuban beans from my library cook book. It turns out that Mary LOVES beets, and even though she has been picky recently, she happily gorged herself on those.
Eating dinner. Very satisfying shot, in light of all the boxed mac 'n cheese the we've been eating in Abe's absence.
Eating dinner. Very satisfying shot, in light of all the boxed mac ‘n cheese the we’ve been eating in Abe’s absence. Oh wait, that’s mac ‘n cheese on Mary’s tray! (Guess what we had for lunch…again?
Abe brought me flowers yesterday, but I was so stressed and tired that I forgot to take a picture. Hopefully I remembered to thank him. They're beautiful, Honey!!!
Abe brought me flowers yesterday, but I was so stressed and tired that I forgot to take a picture. Hopefully I remembered to thank him. They’re beautiful, Honey!!!

 

 

potty training eve

Both play dates this morning cancelled, so I made some quick decisions about what to do with the day. I decided we’d trek to Target to get ready for Lydia’s big potty training day tomorrow and then to Kid-to-Kid for some fall and winter clothes for the girls. After the outings, the girls did not take their naps (I felt soooooooo sorry for myself!), and so we practically jumped straight in to the dinner, snack, second-dinner routine.

Tonight I actually made multiple dishes, and I was so proud that the girls had options aside from graham crackers. Sadly, Mary was super fussy (maybe she’s teething? This week she has morphed from my easy baby to this squawking, screaming, super-duper-picky child!) and kept refusing to eat. Finally I gave up and let her crawl to Lydia’s table where she set up shop stealing all of Lydia’s food. Lydia was eating only on the condition that she be nice to Mary, and so she very sweetly shared her food and kept spooning out heaps of rice onto the table for Mary to grab.

Anyway, I need to get reading up on potty training because tomorrow is the big day, and I have done zero research thus far. This was kind of an impulsive decision borne out of a conversation I had with my friend, Misty, who just potty trained her daughter on Thursday. After a mere eight accidents, Sophia got it! I pray Lydia’s training can be a similar experience (please note that we have white carpets), but I don’t hold out much hope. We shall see, I guess.

So here are the pics from the day. I should really figure out Flickr so that I can just do a daily picture dump there.

Abe kindly took care of the girls' morning routine, and when I came downstairs, I discovered Lydia's hair. It reminded me strongly of Bellatrix Lestrange, but that sweet smile counteracts the effect (somewhat).
Abe kindly took care of the girls’ morning routine, and when I came downstairs, I discovered Lydia’s hair. It reminded me strongly of Bellatrix Lestrange, but that sweet look counteracts the effect (somewhat).
I redid Lydia's hair.
I redid Lydia’s hair.
I mainly wanted a picture of Mary in these overalls. I remember Lydia in them, and they feel nostalgic to me.
I mainly wanted a picture of Mary in these overalls. I remember Lydia in them, and they feel nostalgic to me.
Mary and Lydia playing "parachute" with a wash cloth. And one last shot of Lydia in diapers. May this be her last day in them, Insha'Allah.
Mary and Lydia playing “parachute” with a wash cloth. And one last shot of Lydia in diapers. May this be her last day in them, Insha’Allah.
This is Mary folding her arms to pray. Normally, she folds them for a total of one second before she starts clapping for herself.
This is Mary folding her arms to pray. Normally, she folds them for a total of one second before she starts clapping for herself.
Half an hour before bedtime, and I was still working on overhauling the girls' wardrobes. In case you are wondering, Lydia's room is now clean, clean, clean, and I am so tired, tired, tired.
Half an hour before bedtime, and I was still working on overhauling the girls’ wardrobes. In case you are wondering, Lydia’s room is now clean, clean, clean, and I am so tired, tired, tired.

A definition: Kitchen clean-up

I have been playing with, reading to, driving around, and cleaning up after my children since 7:30am. (Lydia finally went down at 10pm…a story that may or may not be told in this blog.) They napped for two beautiful hours, during which I lay on the couch, picked out a recipe for dinner and read half of No Easy Day by Mark Owen (the navy seal on the team who killed Bin Laden).

Here’s what I accomplished today. I read Lydia over 30 books (I counted during clean-up), most of them multiple times. I colored a LOT with Lydia and got carried away doing the word puzzles in her Candy and Cupcakes coloring book. I showered, got dressed, and even put on make-up (all with Mary’s active participation). I cooked breakfast (eggs and oatmeal), lunch (mac ‘n cheese from a box and baked beans from a can), and dinner (bean, basil and zucchini salad–from my garden!, instant oatmeal again, nutella sandwiches because I was beginning to be depressed that 2 hours had passed and we were still in the throes of meal time).

I cleaned the kitchen every time the girls ate meals or snacks (every one and a half hours in the morning, and continually from 4:30pm until 7pm at night.) I cleaned it again after I put the girls to bed at 9pm, and then again after Lydia screamed and screamed and screamed that she was hungry and needed a late night snack at 10pm.

You may wonder what I mean by “cleaning the kitchen,” and you also might wonder why I do it so often. I mean this: Getting down on my hands and knees and using a wash rag to scrub everywhere the girls have dropped/thrown their food while eating. Then I scrub down surfaces where they ate (sometimes I start doing this while they are eating so that I have a head start and so Mary doesn’t totally lose it during that awful time when she’s done eating but I still have more to clean before I can get her up because if I don’t, she WILL crawl everywhere and track the mess all over the house. Excuse the run-on, but those times of day are when my stress level feels almost unmanageable.) I then clean all the dishes it took to produce and eat the meal. Sometimes I leave the dishes until later, but I hate doing that because I know I will have even more dishes to do on less energy as the day marches on.

I have considered NOT cleaning the kitchen so much, but then I just picture little feet running through the kitchen and then tracking crumbs, jelly and cheese goop all over the house. In this reverie, I also visualize little hands touching sticky surfaces and then sticky-fying my entire house. That thought makes me want to start drinking. I am not exaggerating. So instead, I keep on cleanin’ on, and by the end of the day, I’m not drinking, but believe me, my inner dialogue is soooooo not G, PG, or PG13 rated.

Okay, where was I? Oh, yes. After I got dressed, I read Mary these:

Mary practically jumped out of my arms by the time I finished with The Big, Hungry Caterpillar. I have to resort to using props to keep her focused. After I stopped breast feeding her two months ago, I realized that I had spent so much time nursing her I rarely/never (?) took the time to read to only her. So now I am trying to make up for lost time.
Mary practically jumped out of my arms by the time I finished with The Big, Hungry Caterpillar. I have to resort to using props (pictured) to keep her focused. After I stopped breast feeding her two months ago, I realized that I had spent so much time nursing her that I rarely/never (?) took the time to read to just her.

Then I took the girls to the library for story time.

I took the girls to story time at the library, and can I tell you how much I LOVE these librarians? As in, each time we go to story time, I silently praise God that these talented, smart, funny people chose to be children's librarians.
Each time we go to story time, I silently praise God that these talented, smart, funny people chose to be children’s librarians. They are heroes to me, but they probably don’t have any idea how much their efforts are appreciated.

Then the guy who checked our books out told us that it was going to rain. With that in mind, I high-tailed it to the park for some outdoors time before the downpour.  The weather while we played at the park was my version of heaven (the overcast, breezy, not-at-all chilly kind of glorious).

The guy who checked our books out told me it was supposed to rain today, so I immediately drove the girls to the park to cram some outdoors time in before it rained. Sure enough, after half an hour, it started to rain. But the weather while we were there was my version of heaven (the overcast, breezy, not-at-all chilly kind of glorious). Here's Lydia climbing to the big slide.
Here’s Lydia climbing to the big slide.
Here's Mary napping while Lydia played.
Here’s Mary napping while Lydia played.

Then it was home, lunch, coloring time, reading time, and nap time. After nap time, we embarked on an eating fest that lasted almost until bath time.

Here's a better look at Mary's top knot. She is naked because she ate from approximately 4:30pm to 7pm, with very few breaks. She was fussy the ENTIRE time (probably because her morning nap was cut short), and I had to remove her clothes halfway through her little food extravaganza.
Here’s a better look at Mary’s top knot. She is naked because she ate from approximately 4:30pm to 7pm, with very few breaks. Halfway through that eating extravaganza, her clothes were entirely covered in food and needed to be removed.
After dinner, I took the girls outside to play. While we were outside, we saw this! The sky is so dramatic in Utah. The first time I saw a rainbow like this here I cried, but today I kept my head about me and ran for my camera.
After dinner, I took the girls outside to play. While we were outside, we saw this! The sky is so dramatic in Utah. The first time I saw a rainbow like this in Utah I cried, but today I kept my head about me and ran for my camera.
Doesn't the rainbow look like it's landing on our neighbor's roof?
Doesn’t the rainbow look like it’s landing on our neighbor’s roof?

Abe has been out of town, but he got in tonight in time to see Lydia before I put her down again.

Time to go to bed so we can do it all again tomorrow.