Book of Mormon – Page 10

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!

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…

Cleaning marathon

Aside from taking my girls to story time at the library and then going to the gym for a swim, I literally cleaned all day long. Well, I took a forty-five minute break to play the piano, and I fed the kids a couple times, but other than that, all I did today was clean (and bake cookies). I don’t think the house has ever been this clean, and I feel so happy! The only thing I wish I’d done is mop all the floors, but at least they’re all swept or vacuumed.

I have another final project to do tomorrow, and there’s nothing I hate more than doing school work in the middle of a mess. I anticipate highly enjoying my project tomorrow thanks to today’s efforts.

And, best of all, my friend Candace is coming in tonight and will stay the weekend with us! She got a mini-pass to the Alt Summit to hear Martha Stewart present. I was supposed to buy a pass and go too, but I never had my wallet with me when I was at the computer, and by the time I finally got around to it, the event was sold out. I was bummed. But at least the good news is that, as I mentioned before, I have a final project (and a final exam) tomorrow. I’m pretty sure I would fail both if I were going to see Martha too.

Here are today’s pictures:

The girls woke up and wanted to build a nest for themselves in their princess tent. They had a blast.

I told Mary to say "Hi Mommy!" She opens her mouth pretty wide when she says "hi". — I told Mary to say “Hi Mommy!” She opens her mouth pretty wide when she says “hi”.

The girls were really affectionate with each other this morning.

We have gotten our money's worth out of this dress. Lydia wears it at every opportunity. — We have gotten our money’s worth out of this dress. Lydia wears it at every opportunity.

Mary makes life pretty easy for everyone by putting herself in voluntary time-outs so she can have her binkies. She's only allowed to have them in her pack-n-play, so she spends a lot of time like this. — Mary makes life pretty easy for everyone by putting herself in voluntary time-outs so she can have her binkies. She’s only allowed to have them in her pack-n-play, so she spends a lot of time like this.

Also, I’m linking to my favorite Christian song of late. It’s called “Build Your Kingdom Here,” and this is what got me on the Christian rock kick.

Gym, hugs, and sky

I went to the gym today, and Mary stayed in the child care the whole time! I can’t say how liberating that is–I can actually work out now! It’s an option!

Other than that, it was a rainy day so we stayed inside a lot. I had a lot of work to do for school because tonight was the last night for Garde Manger. All we did was clean the kitchen, but I had a bunch of stuff due.

Abe had fun with the girls tonight. Lydia has been an angel these past couple days, and we can’t get over how easy and delightful she’s been. This morning she got dressed, brushed her teeth, used the potty and washed her hands all by herself–without me asking! I couldn’t believe it. She’d actually gotten half way through that routine before I woke up, so she woke me by saying, “Mommy! I got dressed all by myself and now I’m going to go brush my teeth and use the potty!” I was both dumbfounded and delighted.

Lydia and Mary got in a hug fest while Abe was watching them, so he ran to get the camera. By the time he got back, Mary wanted out, but Lydia wanted to keep posing for the camera. The following pictures document Mary’s attempt to escape Lydia’s death-grip pose:

In other news, it was really cold today–and it snowed in the mountains! The sky was unbelievably beautiful; I almost drove off the road on my way home because it was so distracting. I didn’t take a picture, but I thought it was notable enough to mention. There was even a full rainbow at one point. I missed Lake Michigan when I first moved here, but the Utah sky feels like it performs a similar function in my life as the lake did in Illinois.

bath and fruit day

Today was pretty uneventful. Abe and I were even more exhausted than usual, and neither of us has any idea why. At least, I don’t know why I am so exhausted–I get plenty of down time these days, and I definitely sleep more than Abe.

This morning I gave the girls a bath, and aside from doing their hair, feeding them, playing with them, and reading to them, I really didn’t do much else. I had big plans to go work out, but a big nap edged those out…

Lydia loved making Mary's hair white with bubbles. — Lydia loved making Mary’s hair white with bubbles.

Then at school tonight my class made a fruit platter:

We got out hours early, which was especially nice since I had made myself practically sick from gorging on fruit and dip. I came home and had a long chat with Abe. Usually we just have five minutes of interaction on my school days, so it was nice to talk so much–it felt like a luxury.

I love June too.

I love June. It is my favorite month of the year. The weather right now makes me so, so happy. Sometimes I wonder if I have a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder because when I read my childhood journals, half the time I think I might as well be reading a daily blow-by-blow of the weather report. At any rate, the good weather has been lifting my spirits all month long, and today we celebrated by going to Red Butte Gardens.

After we got home, we headed straight to the home of Abe’s friend, Andrew Walker. He and Abe have been trying to get together for over a year, and we finally got around to it tonight. It was so nice to visit with Andrew and his family, and Andrew told us amazing stories about his dad, who is a church historian. Apparently, before President Hinckley died, he wanted the whole story of the Mountain Meadow Massacre researched and told in its entirety.

Andrew’s dad was the first professor in the history of BYU to get a two year leave to write the book, and he researched every single fact surrounding the massacre. He studied all of the original documents out there and unearthed secret journals in the process. Every single sentence that he wrote is meticulously documented in the footnotes of his book, which comprise two-thirds of the final work. I can’t wait to read the book, and hearing his account of what actually happened cleared up a lot of questions for me.

Here are the pictures I took today (mostly from the gardens):

"Hi Fishies!" Mary was especially enthused by her encounter with the fish. She kept begging to go back. I was afraid the girls would slip and fall in. Next time they're not going to wear their jellies! — “Hi Fishies!” Mary was especially enthused by her encounter with the fish. She kept begging to go back. I was afraid the girls would slip and fall in. Next time they’re not going to wear their jellies!

Lydia needed frequent breaks from all the work of pushing the stroller.

The Three Bears' Cottage. — The Three Bears’ Cottage.

We pretended to have tea inside the cottage of the three bears.

Thank-you June

I honestly don’t know too much about Lily’s day because I only saw her for a couple of minutes. My day went really well at work and I may even close some deals this quarter that I did not expect to.

At home, I enjoyed the beautiful June weather with the girls over dinner and then we painted and colored. Lily had one of her last classes tonight for Latin cooking. She absolutely loved her group tonight and her cake turned out fantastic. The other food pictures are from her team.

Pictures!

A picnic, a final, and some really gross pictures

Lydia begged me to have a play date with Sophia today, and since Misty’s play group was having a picnic at noon, it worked out. Mary loves Sophia too, and after the play date on the way to the library she kept saying, “Mama, Fia!!” (“Mama, I saw Sophia today!”) They had fun.

Then I had my final for Garde Manger tonight. It was stressful because I was running late, but I managed to turn everything out, and the chef really liked it!

I made the tuna tartare canapes on the silver tray in front.

This was my sample plate for the chef. It looks sloppy, but I was running late because I was the only person who had to make forcemeat yesterday (I was gone when everyone else did that), so I got behind in my prep work. That's what my final chicken galantine looked like when sliced. There are also the two tuna tatare toasts, and some breakfast sausage. The sauce is a balsamic vinaigrette that I dipped my beets in. — This was my sample plate for the chef. It looks sloppy, but I was running late because I was the only person who had to make forcemeat yesterday (I was gone when everyone else did that), so I got behind in my prep work. That’s what my final chicken galantine looked like when sliced. There are also the two tuna tatare toasts, and some breakfast sausage. The sauce is a balsamic vinaigrette that I dipped my beets in.

Six of us made this food in an hour and a half. Well, we prepped yesterday, but still--it felt like a ton of work! — Six of us made this food in an hour and a half. Well, we prepped yesterday, but still–it felt like a ton of work!

Finally, I thought I would include pictures I forgot to post Saturday. While I made my practice galantine Saturday, I thought I’d take pictures to show how gross the process is:

This is what sausage looks like before it's cooked. Feel free to swear it off forever. We spread this nastiness on a chicken skin, throw internal garnishes in, roll it up, poach it, and then try to fry the sliminess away. — This is what sausage looks like before it’s cooked. Feel free to swear it off forever. We spread this nastiness on a chicken skin, throw internal garnishes in, roll it up, poach it, and then try to fry the sliminess away.

Chicken Galantine--who knew disgusting could reach such heights? — Chicken Galantine–who knew disgusting could reach such heights?

Discouraged by organized

I felt kind of discouraged today. I’ve been keeping track, and I went on antibiotics at the end of April/beginning of May because I had had a stuffy nose since January. After barely a month of reprieve, it feels like my sinus infection is back for good. I am trying not to feel depressed, especially since I know as trials go, this is pretty minor.

Abe didn’t have a great day either, and his allergies are hitting pretty hard.

I baked muffins with Lydia this morning and then it felt like we spent a lot of time eating outside at various times throughout the day. In the afternoon, Lydia begged to paint, so I took the girls to the basement so Lydia could paint. After that, I collapsed on the couch with the girls and watched Peter Rabbit until Abe came home–an hour early! Hooray!

We foraged for dinner and I disappeared to the basement to iron and get laundry done. When I emerged, I found Lydia sulking in her room after her seventh tantrum today (I counted), Mary playing with her binkies in her pack’n play, and Abe passed out on the floor. He mumbled that he’d hit a wall, and I took that as my cue to lie down (again) until we all decided it was time to do something with our lives.

Abe and I spent the rest of the evening organizing the girls’ clothes and sorting old/seasonally-inappropriate clothing into bins. We have been on an organizing kick lately, and it felt sooooooooo good to have that done.

When that project was done, it was already 9:40pm, and so we thought it wise to send our tired children to bed.

After Fablehaven, I am in the mood to get addicted to something again, so I think we’re going to watch Downtown Abbey now. I’ve never watched it and am really excited.

Here are a few pictures I took of Mary encroaching on Lydia’s territory:

Fablehaven frenzy

I just finished the Fablehaven series, and I have to say, the author got better and better with each book. In the afterward, he says that himself. My mind is currently racing with the end-of-the-world battle, fairies, dragons, and all sorts of fun fantasy things, so it’s hard transitioning to what actually happened today.

Let’s see. I took the girls to the library for baby book club, and afterward the librarians gave all the kids ice cream. The girls ate theirs outside under the waterfall/fountain. I should have brought my camera because they were both pretty dainty about eating. Mary climbed on a chair, crossed her ankles, and licked pretty evenly. Every couple minutes she would extend a hand for me to wipe because the ice cream kept dripping down. Lydia loved being wiped down too, and I was so focused on them eating as cleanly as possible that I expended half a package of wipes to that almost impossible end.

After our library excursion, Mary took a nap while Lydia and I ate lunch. During her quiet time, I started finishing the last book of Fablehaven. Abe bought it for me yesterday when I found out that every single library copy in the entire system was checked out.

I struggled to control my temper again today with Lydia, but I keep praying for help. I feel like that’s helped me do a bit better on the front end and make faster, more effective repairs on the latter end, too. Today I definitely had repair work to do, but with God’s help (and with the frank forgiveness only three-year-olds can offer), it turned out okay.

After dinner, Abe took the girls on a walk to the playground while I read my book. Here are the pictures he sent me:

Sibling Rivalry

Abe blogging here trying to make things a little easier on Lily since she is still very sick. She is so sick that she drove to school tonight before her class to take care of a financial aid appointment and tell her teacher she would have to miss due to illness. Apparently her teacher was not so forgiving during their conversation because she ended up staying for all of class. She definitely has less flexibility because of all the class she missed due to our trip. But, she just got home and I’m happy to report she made it through!

During the day, Lily read book 3 of Fablehaven, ate cupcakes with the girls outside for breakfast (reminding her of a Bill Cosby skit about chocolate cake) and babysat for Sarah (who has the most well-behaved kids in the world). During class she had her knife skills test and she passed!

As far as my day, work is going very well, but the pace is very dizzying. It’s not just my pace, it’s the company’s pace. We are trying to double revenue and staff every year. I started 5 months ago when the company had 400 people and now they have about 500 people. Everyone everywhere is running around working as fast as possible to try to make history at building an extremely successful tech company. Our quotas are aggressive and there is literally no time to come up for air. I absolutely love it, but today I felt the strain of the pace a little more than usual, I think possibly because my allergies were kicking in.

At home I played with the girls. Lily and I have put a lot of thought and prayer into Lydia because she has been such an emotional and behavioral mess lately. She cries all the time and refuses to do anything we ask. The challenge for Lily and I is to know how to respond (and to have the strength to respond the ways we think we should). Well, tonight I didn’t get any major epiphanies about how to help Lydia, but I think I learned what all of her distress centers around. Do you remember a few blog entries ago when Lily mentioned how with Mary’s new rule that she only gets binkies in her crib, she climbs in there multiple times a day sometimes for hours? Well she did that tonight. She climbed in and proceeded to read a book for twently minutes while she joyfully sucked her binky. At that point (with Mary effectively removed from existence, trapped in her crib), Lydia became the most angelic well behaved girl. She’d say please and thank you and oblige any time I told her we had to do something else or that play time was over. I couldn’t believe it! As soon as I retrieved Mary from her crib (she can climb in, but not out) Lydia resumed her screaming, crying and throwing toys.

I think I’m going to try to give Lydia a little Mary-free time each day. I think she needs a little space!

Pictures!!!

Lydia told me that she had a playdate with Nathan and he was very nice and she (Lydia) was super sweet — Lydia told me that she had a play date with Nathan and he was very nice and she (Lydia) was super sweet

Hannah talks really well just like Lydia and she's not even 2 yet! — Hannah talks really well just like Lydia and she’s not even 2 yet!

Lily made the salad towards the front and spent the rest of the time on her knife cuts mid-term

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