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 play date with Nathan and he was very nice and she (Lydia) was super sweetHannah 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
Another sick day for me. I decided to skip school tonight in the hopes that by tomorrow, I’ll be a little better. I was better today than yesterday, so at least we’re headed in the right direction!
Because I was sick, we did not leave the house today. Thank goodness Mary took two naps! When she was awake, I spent a lot of time doing the usual: feeding the girls, reading to the girls, cooking with Lydia, baking with Lydia, and letting them play outside.
Well, Lydia didn’t play outside. She stayed in the front hall and screamed while Mary and I sat on the front stoop and examined ants and flower petals. I told Lydia she had to go potty before going outside, and she just didn’t want to. I probably should have relented, but I was not in the mood to clean up accidents, and she had gone so long without taking a trip to the bathroom that I felt sure she would have an accident if she didn’t go soon. Sometimes, I just don’t know how to handle Lydia–or I do know, but I don’t always make the most patient choice. It’s something I’m constantly praying on.
After Abe came home, we ate dinner outside, and then I retreated back to bed. The best thing about being sick is that I have recently become addicted to the Fablehaven series, and even though I’m having trouble breathing and feel feverish, I forget all that while reading. The first book wasn’t great, but each book seems vastly better than the last.
I only took one picture today:
The girls spent quite a bit of time watching the garbage trucks this morning. There was also construction on the street, so that occupied them while I devoured Fablehaven (and took a picture). When I was little, we lived in Rome, and my dad made a big deal about the garbage trucks. We used to gather on the porch and cheer “refuti!” at the trucks whenever they came by. This felt kind of full circle–the girls thought the garbage trucks were some kind of parade.
Also: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDMA!!! My dearest, sweetest grandmother turned 96 today. We love you so much, Grandma! Sloppies!!!! (That’s an inside joke…)
If I have to be sick, I want every day to be like this. It was sunny and glorious, and even though I spent most of church feeling miserable and so sorry for myself, the rest of the day was terrific. Thanks to Abe’s efforts and the kids’ long naps, there was lots of down-time. I even started reading the next Fablehaven book, and it’s proving to be much better than the first one.
Here are today’s pictures:
We ate dinner outside again. It was so nice I forgot I was sick for a little bit.
I was sitting at the table eating and marveling at how green everything is. I just love, love, love verdant scenes.Lydia still has not figured out how to glide on her balance bike, but that doesn’t stop her from walking around on it.Abe was dying to trace the girls’ outlines and color them in, but the girls were scared. So he finally begged us to trace him. Here’s Lydia coloring Abe’s outline.And then she danced on it.Abe felt proud.Whenever Mary wants praise, she just folds her arms like she’s going to pray. We all go nuts.After all the fun with Daddy’s outline, Mary wanted in.And, of course, so did Lydia.Then it was chase outside.
Then we returned inside and wondered how to spend the rest of the evening. At that very moment, who should call but Clark and Swathi! We Skyped with them for an hour. That’s always a highlight of my week. As soon as we said good-bye to them, the doorbell rang. It was Suzanne!
Suzanne came over for a visit.The girls both wanted turns on her lap.Mary spent approximately an hour picking out cards from our various piles, sorting them, and handing them to all of us.Handing Suzanne a card.Returning from card distribution duty with a sense of satisfaction.
And I have Suzanne to thank for the decongestants I am about to take. Here’s hoping for a great night’s sleep!
Today I dragged myself to cooking school, only to discover I was the only one there (at first). That meant I got to choose what I wanted to do, so I opted to make tofu nuggets. I love the kind that Trader Joe’s makes, but I’ve always assumed they were so synthetically crafted that they’d be impossible to reproduce. After today, I’m encouraged! My nuggets weren’t at all what you get at Trader Joe’s, but I think if I add some things (quinoa flakes? different kind of miso? Extra firm tofu?) they might taste a bit closer.
Here are mine:
When I got home, the girls ran to meet me. It was so sweet! I just loved coming home to these people/this picture.I think I startled them by whipping out my ready camera. Next time I think I’ll just run to them and give them hugs instead.Eating the garbanzo beans I brought home from school.Again, Mary ran to me to give me a hug, and I pulled out the camera on the poor thing. I need to stop doing that, but she’s just so cute!We had an Amazon Local deal to The Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant. Since we were out and about, we ate there for dinner.Mary was so hungry she started eating the menu.Um, YUM.Beets are a Darais family favorite. We had to order the kids extra. (Good thing they happened to be wearing pink!)More beets!We are going through a Christian rock phase. Abe came home a couple months ago and wanted me to listen to “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus. I pulled up the YouTube video and was so appalled that we let that kind of garbage into our house (we have young girls in our home!!!) that Abe swore off pop music completely. In its wake, he has listened to nothing but Christian rock. It has been the greatest thing ever for all of us! I feel the same kind of evangelical enthusiasm I felt when I was a teenager–a kind of high on God that is, at times, hard to recapture.
Also, a HUGE shout-out to Abe for organizing the whole house today, top to bottom. We’ve been team-tagging this project ever since we got back from our trip, but yesterday and today I’ve been out of commission. Abe did an amazing job organizing everything, and the house looks absolutely incredible. Thanks, Honey! You are the bestest best best!!
I felt exceptionally unwell today, so for the most part I lay in bed and gave thanks that Mary loves her pack-n-play so much. Abe and I were supposed to go to Toscana to celebrate our anniversary, but I was so sick I didn’t think I could muster up the energy to go. We rescheduled for next Friday. In the meantime, here’s what happened when I wasn’t in bed.
I took the girls outside for lunch today. It is so nice to be able to do that now that the weather is beautiful! No post-lunch clean-up!!!
She was happy, I promise. That’s just her way of grinning at the moment.Lydia looking pensive.Her pensive mood took her to the lawn.Still thinking.Yay for so much green!No longer pensive!I love, love, love these roses. That they bloom until the fall helps me enjoy them without feeling anxious that they will die soon. (That’s always on my mind with tulips. I love seeing them, but in the back of my mind, I start feeling stressed that their bloom season is so darn short.)The anniversary bouquet is blooming! My two favorite flowers are peonies and tiger lilies. The smell is happy.After dinner I collapsed in this chair and let the girls climb over me. Abe grabbed the camera to capture their antics.
One of Mary’s favorite books is “Red Hat Green Hat” by Sandra Boynton. She knows it’s funny, but she doesn’t know to time her laugh after the “Oops!” parts, so she just laughs every time I turn the page–and keeps laughing until the next page. Basically, this is a laugh-intensive book.
I am getting lazy! Just posting pictures due to the fact that I am sick and it is past midnight.
It’s our anniversary today! Bob, the Anniversary Elf, always leaves us flowers and a letter. He chose my favorite flowers this time–peonies!!Lydia had a really weepy day today. At one point, she refused to stand up. Mary went over and kneeled by her. She peered at Lydia’s face really closely and then reached for Lydia’s hand. She then stood up and tried to pull Lydia up! Lydia was immediately cheered and got up using Mary’s help. I couldn’t get that on camera, but I took this right afterward.I took Lydia outside to ride her bike while Mary napped.
Everything is lush now! Summer feels like it has arrived.Ron, our land lord, gave me these roses from the garden yesterday. He is such a sweetie.Coconut sherry slush. (I had cooking school tonight–tonight was Jamaican themed).Rice and beans with three really complicated recipes. They were the best rice and beans I’ve ever had, but still-rice and beans! Waaaay too much work for just that.I made these! They are fish fritters made with salt cod.I also made that nasty polenta/okra cake. Yuck! But I didn’t know a creative way around a recipe that called for you to mix okra into polenta. At least they didn’t make us try to incorporate okra into a cupcake!Abe took this while I was at school. We have a new rule now that we are home: Mary can have her binkies whenever she’s in her pack ‘n play, but no other time. Today she crawled into her pack ‘n play at 11am and had zero desire to leave until well past 3 pm. She gets 2 binkies in her pack ‘n play, and she seems to enjoy them both.
We just got back last night from our long road trip to Illinois and back. Thirty plus hours in the car with two small children–without electronic entertainment, thanks to my rushed packing right before the trip–was a great adventure. We were surprised by how well both kids did in the car, especially since both were sick at various times.
Since I have innumerable pictures, I’m cutting straight to those:
Lydia running around getting her wiggles out before the trip.
On the way to Springfield, we stopped by Hannibal, the home of Mark Twain:
Blocking the model of a statue that was supposed to pay tribute to Twain. It was slated to be erected during the Depression, and because of its expense, it never got built.In Mark Twain’s house.
Mark Twain with a binky.Our own Becky Thatcher.Tom Sawyer’s white picket fence.
In the museum.
That night we arrived in Springfield in time to catch the tail end of a family pizza party. I don’t have any pictures, but the girls were soooooooo happy to see my mom.
We stayed at the Presidential Abraham Lincoln Hotel, which is where my grandma always took us swimming whenever we visited her. I got up three hours before Abe and the girls, and after eating breakfast, I swam in the pool. It felt exactly the same as it did when I was little–they haven’t changed the decor one bit! The only thing missing was the sauna. Maybe it wasn’t safe enough, but I did feel nostalgic when I noticed it was gone.
Abe and the girls woke up at 10:30am, just in time to get Maid-Rite and head to the picnic. Maid-Rite is the nation’s first drive-thru; it’s also one of my favorite Springfield spots because we used to go there every time we visited Grandma.
At Maid-Rite, in the car.
At the picnic:
My cousin, Kathy, pushing Lydia on the swing. Lydia and her kids, Kole and Kaitlyn, became great friends.
Beth attending to the three dogs, Bella, Cooper, and Payton.Lydia showing Grandma her boo-boo.
Frisbee with the cousins.
Action shot.
Then we went back to the hotel so Abe and the girls could swim before dinner. At dinner, we took a lot of family pictures, all of which can be accessed here for the next couple weeks. After that, I’ll need to upload them from the CD which my mom is so kindly sending me. Thanks, mom!
Here are the pictures I did get:
Taylor sang us a song, and Aunt Dee held the speakers.
Parker sang “Never Mind, I’ll Find Someone Like You” by Adele. He was amazing!
Abe joined the kids in serenading us with a resounding rendition of “Let it Go.”
Then Clark, Swathi, Abe, the girls and I took a walk to Abe’s Lincoln House. It was dark, so I didn’t take my camera. Too bad! The house was lit up and beautiful. It’s right downtown, so the walk wasn’t too demanding–which was great, considering we’d gorged ourselves at dinner.
But before our walk, I got a picture of Abe posing as Abe.
The next morning, we barely made it to church in time to hear my mom give a fantastic Relief Society lesson on love. (Well, I got to hear it. Abe and the girls can’t go to Relief Society.)
Then we headed to Grandma’s for lunch and some visiting. While there, Lydia suddenly came down with a 103 degree fever. As I cuddled her, Abe gave her medicine. Oops! She vomited that right up, all over me. Emma, pictured below, is my new favorite person. She was so great at helping me clean the vomit off in the bathroom. Seriously, whenever I have my next baby, I want her to be the nurse.
Emma and Grandma put on a great puppet show.
After saying hasty goodbyes, we headed off. Lydia slept until we arrived at a Dairy Queen, several hours later. She was feeling better, so we got her an ice cream cone.
Lydia gets very subdued and polite when ill. Here she is meditating (or waiting patiently–same thing?) outside of Dairy Queen.
That night, we stayed at Abe’s Aunt Bonnie’s lake house in rural Missouri. It was gorgeous.
The view from the porch.
Aunt Bonnie’s house.Mary padding around chasing the cats the night we got in.
The next day, we stopped in Independence, Missouri, to visit our church’s visitor center. The Independence temple lot is really important to Latter-Day Saints. The Community of Christ (formerly the Reformed Latter-Day Saint Church) owns most of the lot, and they’ve built their own temple on their portion. We visited that, too.
Inside a reconstructed log cabin.In front of the Christus. Lydia really wanted to touch Jesus’ toe.The Community of Christ’s temple.The inside of that spiral dome.Mary wanted to be done touring.
We spent the rest of the day driving. Kansas, in my opinion, is a little spooky. Since the land is flat and a lot of time there aren’t any trees in sight, it feels like you’re lost at sea. The sky is so big and oppressive. But, at the same time, it’s also pretty:
We got to Denver late that night, and in the morning, we completed our Grandparent Grand tour.
Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Forsythe.
At Grandma and Grandpa Edmudson’s house. The girls and I met them for the first time–so long overdue! We enjoyed them a lot.William Norris Edmondson, Abe’s great-grandfather.Abe’s great grandparents, William Norris Edmondson and Mary Hazel Coulter.Abe’s grandpa and great-grandpa. Abe’s grandpa was very sick with asthma his whole childhood, and no one expected him to survive.I think this is a picture of Abe’s great-grandparents, Jeremiah Couter and Amanda Staten.The family home back in Kentucky. Abe’s grandpa came to Colorado in 1961, and his whole family stayed behind.
Karin, Grandpa Edmondson, Grandma Edmondson, Mary, Abe, Lydia, and me.
Then we drove home.
Driving out of Brighton, Colorado (where Abe’s Grandma and Grandpa Edmondson live).This is hide and seek–NOT peek-a-boo. Did you know you could play hide-and-seek in a car?Mary played with her feet most of the trip.
Nearing Salt Lake. We love where we live. If only it could be a little closer to the family we just left!
This morning, Mary slept-in until 10 AM. It was amazing. Lily took advantage of the time to clean the bathroom, wash, dry, fold and put away laundrey and get a lot of other things done. When sleepy-headed Mary got up, Lily and the girls planted the seedlings that Aria gave us last night (see pictures from yesterday!).
[change in blog authors] Abe is exhausted from allergies, so he stopped blogging and it’s Lily now. I’m just going to throw up the pictures from today:
On our way to plant seedlings.The girls with the seedlings.
Waving bye-bye to Abe and Mary before class (Lydia was asleep in the car). It was especially hard to leave Mary today–she was only awake three hours of the entire time I was with her! (And one of those hours we spent driving to school in the car.)I made cheese tonight. This is fromage blanc and mascarpone.I also formed mozzarella. We didn’t make the curd, so I’m hoping we do that sometime in the future. I asked Chef if we could take cheese home, and he agreed. When he saw that I had packed six pounds of cheese, he made me put some back. Sorry, but it was really good!! I had great plans for that six pounds of cheese…
Today was a really easy day. I loaded the kids in the jogger this morning and went to Marilyn’s house for visit teaching. I love visiting her and today ended up visiting until lunch. Then I trekked back home and fed the kiddos.
Mary proceeded to nap for four hours, during which, I am sorry to say, Lydia spent the time glued to the iPad. I took a two hour nap and then did homework for two hours.
Then it was feed-the-kids time again and off to school. Tonight we made cheeses, another terrine and a broccoli mousseline.
When I arrived home, I discovered this:
Yesterday I told Aria about how I’d killed all of my seedlings. While I was at school, she dropped off all of these!! I was so touched by her thoughtfulness. Now I need to end my blog so I can e-mail her a thank-you.
Abe’s allergies hit him hard today, so he’s already asleep. Just one more email, and maybe I’ll get another good night’s sleep again, too!
Today we had an inspiring Sunday School, and Abe and I got to pay attention again because Mary stayed in nursery! We are so happy about her transition.
After church, we went to Ensign Park for a picnic with Aria, Clay, Espen, Enna, Paige, Mike, Ada and Liv.
Then we came home and napped. When we finally got up, we took the rest of the evening sloowly. I made strawberry-rhubarb bars, and we ate snacks for dinner while watching someofthesevideos on the iPad.
Abe and Lydia did the dishes:
Then Abe chased the girls (since Mary napped until 7:15 pm) until they were ready for bed.
