They Grow Up So Fast

I'm about to begin the process of packing away Phoebe's 0-3 month size clothing. I could probably squeeze her into them for the next week or so until she's actually three months old, but she wouldn't be very comfortable.

How did that happen so quickly?

When You're the Best of Friends

We're sick. Again. My brother asked me if it's normal to be sick as often as we've been this year. Probably not. Peter's been asleep since 5 this evening, and that's after taking a short nap this morning. Peter doesn't nap anymore, so that's a pretty good indication of how bad he feels.

This evening after Peter was in bed I gave Cooper a bath in an attempt to help him feel better. While he was getting ready to get in the tub, the following conversation took place.

Cooper: Mommy, I miss Peter.

Me: You do huh? He's your best friend, isn't he?

Cooper: Yeah, Peter's my best friend. And Daddy's my best friend. And you're my best friend. And Phoebe's my best friend too.

Me: You're my best friend too, Cooper.

School Spirit

Shawn the Sheep

This is from Peter's new favorite show. It amuses me.



Happy Thanksgiving!

Ticket to Ride

On Monday I was feeding Phoebe in the early morning, thinking I was the only awake person in my house, when I saw Cooper. He went shuffling from his room to mine, wearing the hood from a winter coat he can no longer fit into. It was not attached to the coat. And it was upside-down.


When I asked about it he told me it was his helmet. And, he informed me, since he had a helmet, he needed a motorcycle to go with it.

I don't think so, Middle Man.

Moving On

Bryan's Grandma Barbara passed away yesterday. We found out in the morning that she wasn't doing well, she had fluid on her lungs, and that we might want to go visit her. I talked to Bryan and we made a plan to go over after he got home from work for our Family Home Evening.

A short time later the message came that she had passed. Bryan's aunt and his cousin were there, holding her hands during her last two heartbeats. We gathered with some of the family afterward to discuss what had happened, what needed to happen to prepare for the funeral, and to remember Barbara.

Barbara was widowed in 1983. I found out that today is Bryan's grandpa's birthday. I think he and Barbara must be having a wonderful birthday celebration.

Hallelujah

I saw this on my friend's blog and thought it was, well, worth posting on my own blog.

Thanks Stephanie!

The Beginning of the End

The first semester Bryan and I were married we took a couples-only Ballroom dance class. It was a fun date every Friday night. I remember one Friday in November, our class finished early and we were driving around town looking for something else to do. We decided on a movie.

"Didn't that Harry Potter movie come out today?" one of us said.

"Yeah, but it's probably sold-out," came the reply.

We decided to check it out anyway. There were a few tickets still available and we snagged two of them. I had only read the first five chapters of the first book, so I had nothing to compare it to. But I liked the movie, I thought it was fun.

We enjoyed it so much that when the second movie came out we bought our opening-day tickets in advance.

For the third movie we went at midnight. This was the first Harry Potter movie I saw after having read the books. It's also my favorite film of the series.

We saw the fourth movie twice, two days in a row. Once on opening night. Then again on Saturday morning as part of a company-wide movie day from Bryan's employer.

The fifth was our first of the franchise to require a babysitter. Luckily, Bryan's sister lived nearby and stayed with Peter while we watched the Order of the Phoenix. This is my second favorite.

You can read my thoughts on the sixth movie here. We were in California and had the luxury of leaving Peter and Cooper with my parents while we saw an opening day showing, not at midnight, because we were no longer crazy.

We've seen every Harry Potter movie on opening day since the first one premiered.

Until today.

We do not have tickets for part one of the Deathly Hallows. Even if we did, we don't have a babysitter. I've never been comfortable taking a baby to a movie theater, and even if we had a babysitter, we couldn't leave Phoebe, at least I couldn't, she's still too little to be away from her food source for an extended period of time.

So today we're breaking our nine-year tradition. I'm a little sad, but I figure I'll feel the same way when I see it on DVD as I would after seeing it on the big screen. Maybe I'll sit really close to the screen and throw popcorn all over my floor, you know, to recreate the theater feeling at home.

Cold Feet

Bryan asked me to make a list of what I want for Christmas.

As I sat, holding my phone, ready to write a wish list and email it to him, I looked at my foot.

"Hmm," I thought, "I don't think I should be able to see quite so much of my foot while I'm wearing socks. Or any of my foot."

On the list? Socks.

You might say this means I'm boring. I prefer to think of myself as practical.

Either way, my feet will be warmer. And I'm a big fan of warm feet.

Life With Peter

This is surprisingly representative of how Peter has been lately.

Comic strip found here.

Nice and Chubby Baby

Phoebe had her two-month check-up last week. The first thing the doctor did when he walked in the room was to smile at Phoebe and say, "Well, you've never missed a meal, have you?"

It's true, she never has. And she is chubby in a cute-baby kind of way, but she is certainly not fat. She doesn't even hold a candle to my youngest brother; when he was a baby he looked like he had rubber bands around all of his joints. No, Phoebe is just nice and snugly.

People have asked us if it's different having a girl. Sometimes I want to answer by saying, "You realize that she's only two-months old, right?" But you know, there have been a few differences. She's far more verbal than the boys were at this age. That's a scary thing in light of how much the boys talk now. Could she grow up to talk even more than they do? I may never get the chance to speak again.

Another difference is with me and not her. I find that I'm more conscientious about what I say to her. I used to have no problem telling the boys I thought their giant heads were cute. With Phoebe I think I'm afraid of giving her a complex at some point in the future, so I don't say things like that.

The other big difference is that I spend a few extra minutes in the morning picking out her clothes. Little boy clothes are so much easier to match. Most of the pants come in solid colors so coordinating a shirt to a pair of pants isn't a big deal. Little girl clothes? There are flowers and hearts and polka dots and stripes and ruffles, on the shirts AND the pants. Those extra minutes are spent trying to figure out how on earth these things are supposed to go together.

A New Veteran's Day Tradition?

When you add a new member to your family, certain sacrifices have to be made to ensure that everyone's needs are met. Things fall by the wayside. Maybe the laundry doesn't get folded as quickly as it used to. Perhaps those trips to the park only happen once a week instead of once a day.

And maybe you carve pumpkins on Veteran's Day instead of on Halloween. The boys didn't seem to mind.
Peter drew a picture of what he wanted his to look like and Bryan did the carving. For Cooper's, Bryan asked him what shape he wanted each facial feature to be, which is why one eye is a heart and the other eye is a star. At least we know he knows his shapes, right?

Lead Me, Guide Me

The year that Peter turned two there was a four-year-old girl in our ward that memorized and beautifully delivered her whole minute-long talk for the Primary program. I was impressed. Afterward I asked her mom what the secret to such an articulate and intelligent child was. She laughed, shrugged her shoulders, and said that she didn't know, her daughter had just come that way.

I didn't buy it.

Earlier this week I walked into the kitchen to make dinner. We have a little rocking chair that all three of the kids have spent time in. I plopped Phoebe down, strapped her in, and proceeded to narrate my dinner preparations. When I looked back at her I saw that she had fixed her gaze on a toy that was attached to her chair. It was with great determination that she reached out her arm and grabbed that ladybug. I was shocked. Neither of the boys showed any interest in toys at two months old. But Phoebe saw something she wanted and got it.

She's determined about almost everything she does. When she wants to eat, she is incredibly persuasive. She smiles and coos for a few minutes, playing the cute-card. When that doesn't work, she turns on the tears. Then she just yells until she gets what she wants.

It appears that the number of strong-willed people in our house has increased by one, bringing us to a grand total of five out of five.

I know that Phoebe is awfully young to be pegging her into a personality hole, but I also recognize that these children come with personalities and talents already in place. Just as that mom said, they come this way. But there's a part missing. Yes, they do come this way, but parents play a huge role in guiding them. It's up to me to find out who they are, and help them discover what they can be. If my mom hadn't noticed that I had a nice singing voice when I was ten and taken me to be evaluated by a woman in our ward who sang, I wonder if my voice would be such a defining part of who I am. Would I have seen in myself what my mom saw?

I think that's one of the most exciting and the most scary parts of being a parent. What will your child become? How will they use what they have come with? How can I guide Phoebe and Peter and Cooper and help them channel that strong-will into something positive?

Maybe I came equipped too. Just as all three of my children came to this earth with ample servings of determination, perhaps I came with the tools I would need to be their mom. Maybe some of the gifts I was given before I came to this earth were to be Peter and Cooper and Phoebe's mom.

Silly Old Bear

Yes, two YouTube videos in a row. It's been that kind of week. Not bad, just long and full.

Bryan sent this to me this morning to show the boys.



I distinctly remember watching the first Winnie-the-Pooh movie while lying on my Grandma Bonnie's living room floor. Does anyone else have fond memories of watching the original Winnie-the-Pooh?

I've Had The Chorus of This Song Stuck In My Head Since I Titled Yesterday's Post

Lovely Lady Liberty

On our way home from Costco:

Peter: Mommy look! It's the Eiffel Tower!

Me: (glancing out the window at an ad for a New York themed sandwich shop) You know, that's actually the Statue of Liberty.

Peter: (laughing slightly at his mistake) Oh, that's right. I get those two confused because they were made by the same guy.

I told him that at some point. At least, I'm pretty sure I did...

This Is My Sixteeth Post With the Word Pumpkin In It

Bryan rearranged the freezer a few days ago (in an attempt to fit in more food storage stuff) and found my final cup of frozen pumpkin from last year's jack-o-lanterns. I figured a year was long enough and asked him to stick it in the fridge so I would remember to use it.

Since then I've been craving pumpkin cookies. I finally decided that we should make some and I went to find my favorite recipe, the one that I copied out of my Mom's cookbook when I went to college.

And it was gone.

It was then that I remembered that the last time I made these cookies (a few weeks ago) the page the recipe was written on had been about to break free from it's mooring. I guess I've loved that cookbook a little too much. After a quick (but understated) freak-out, I found the paper stuck inside a different cookbook.

It occurred to me that the best way to not lose the recipe again was to put it on the blog. And, bonus, that means I get to share it with you. I think everyone has a favorite pumpkin recipe (everyone that likes pumpkin at least) and this is mine. And according to what he said when I talked to him a few weeks ago, it's my brother's favorite too. My brother who makes ridiculously good cookies (or so I've heard) and loves to bake as much as I do, so that's saying something.

Pumpkin Cookies

Combine:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt (I prefer kosher salt)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Set aside.

In a new bowl cream:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup honey (or 1 cup sugar if that's what you prefer)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 cup raisins (if you're my brother) or chocolate chips (if you're Bryan)

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Oh, and according to my notes these cookies have 95 calories apiece, which means tonight I have consumed 475 calories in pumpkin cookie form. Maybe I should save the rest for another day...

A Few Final Thoughts on Halloween

We went to a Halloween party with some friends in our neighborhood a few days before the actual holiday. We decided to recycle our costumes from two years ago. Because sizes have changed and an addition has been made, the roles were recast.


Cooper was tickled to be Santa. He even obliged us with a few "ho ho hos." I thought the pipe cleaner fireworks coming out of Peter's hat were clever. Phoebe slept the entire party and only woke up when we got home and I tried to take her picture.


We did some prep work for our costumes on Halloween (or Halloween eve, because this is Utah, and nobody celebrates Halloween on Sunday). We sang songs from The Wizard of Oz and from Wicked. We read some of the history of the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. And finally, we read the book itself. It got intense in a few places (like when the Tin Man hacks the flying monkeys to pieces, yikes), but overall the boys enjoyed it. And bonus, that's what our book club is reading for November. You know, I really liked having costumes based in literature. I think I'd like to do it again. I wonder, what could we read and dress-up as next year?

One final festivity (not pumpkin carving, our gourds are still sitting whole on the counter, waiting) was making root beer. Bryan has fond memories of doing this when he was little. I had no idea that people made their own until I came to BYU, but apparently it's quite popular in Utah. The boys thought it was awesome. My favorite part? The scientific discussion about carbon dioxide that took place while the dry ice was melting. Yeah, that was sweet.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

It didn't come in time for Halloween, but have no fear, she will still get some use out of this darling dress. It's so nice I think she could wear it to church. And it fits perfectly.

I love her hint of a smile.

Thank you for making these beautiful costumes Shari! I'm so thankful that you have skills, and that you're willing to share them.

King of the Forest

Look what finally got here!

I think this looks great. It's a hoodie, isn't that clever?


Dorothy pictures coming tomorrow...

Maestro Peter

Peter: (after singing our song for scripture study on Monday) Mommy, have you heard about the new thing in music?

Me: The new thing?

Peter: (excited) Yes. It's really cool. It's bigger than a crescendo and louder than a fortissimo. It's louder than a smoke detector. You have to scream it.

Me: Wow, that's really loud.

Peter: It's called fumtisimo.

Me: Fumtisimo?

Peter: (with certainty) Fumtisimo.

We're Off to See the Wizard

Do you remember the ruby slippers in this post? Well, those shoes were the inspiration for our Halloween costumes. Bryan's mom kindly agreed to make them. We agreed to let her.

And then the Post Office agreed to lose them.

Bummer, eh?

Luckily, Shari had found a Tin Man costume online at a major discount and had decided to order it instead of make it. Peter's costume is the only one that has arrived at our house so far. I have a picture on my cell phone of Cooper's very cute Cowardly Lion costume, but not one of Phoebe's very small Dorothy dress.

Hmm... this picture doesn't really look like Peter. Maybe silver makes his hair look yellow? He looked cute in real life, don't worry. And he had a heart to wear, it just got left off for the picture.

We were sad, but we found things that worked instead.

On Thursday Bryan mentioned to his coworker that the costumes were lost in the void and she mentioned that she had a size 3 lion costume and asked if he wanted to borrow it. Yes please.


I went to Phoebe's closet (or rather, the bar in my closet where her clothes are hanging) and brainstormed about what I could use for a Dorothy dress. The same sister-in-law that sent us the ruby slippers had sent Phoebe a darling blue and white dress. Hmmm... It wasn't gingham, but it was awfully cute, and I figured with the shoes and her Tin Man buddy and Lion pal, it should be clear who she was. So thank you Amanda, you furnished Phoebe's Halloween costume.

The shoes are still way too big, but we used them anyway.

You will have to just believe me that I was the Wicked Witch. We failed to get my picture. I was so busy figuring out the costumes for the small people that I decided not to paint my face green, I just wore all black. I did have a witch's hat on, and old-fashioned lace-up black boots, so that added to the disguise. Bryan suggested that I sing songs from Wicked as we Trick-or-Treated at his work, but I opted not to.

Bryan was going to be the Scarecrow, but we didn't pull it together in time. Instead he wore a Star Trek shirt I had gotten him for his birthday this year and pulled up the tricorder app on his phone. It was swell.

Our costumes didn't go quite the way we had planned, but we looked awesome anyway.