On the Move

Mommy and Me

When Phoebe was tiny I could but bows in her hair and she would leave them. I felt a spark of girly-ness as I completed her outfits with a coordinating headband. Could having a daughter awake some dormant love of glitter and lace?

Soon her arms were long enough to reach her head and discover the carefully placed baubles. Those curious fingers removed every bow and clip I adorned her with. Well, I thought, that was that. So much for my attempted foray into girl stuff.

I've documented the two times Phoebe let me put ponytails in her hair. What I didn't include was that she ripped out the elastics shortly after each picture was taken. As much as she loves jewelry and pretty clothes, she has adamantly refused my attempts to get her all dolled up.

A few days ago I had my hair in pigtails. No, this style is probably not appropriate for a thirty-one-year-old, but I hadn't washed my hair that day and something had to be done with it. Phoebe noticed the hairstyle. I asked her if she wanted her hair to look like mine. She grinned and nodded yes. She even sat still while I gathered her baby-fine hair into two sprays on the back of her head.

And then we took pictures.

Wow, maybe I need a mirror when I do my own hair.

You can see the pigtails better here. You can also see how enormous her head really is. Enormously adorable, that is.

And finally, her fake smile. She does this when she knows a camera is present.

Peace on Earth

We had a lovely Thanksgiving break. Much time was spent lounging and on Friday we wore our pajamas all day long. Peter regularly asks to have jammy days, so he loved it. On Saturday, Cooper tried to convince me that he should keep wearing the same shirt he'd had on since Thursday morning, having slept in his clothes that night and then not changed when he got up in the morning. I insisted otherwise.

We watched movies, played video games, put away the Thanksgiving decorations and pulled out the Christmas tree. And unlike most lazy days, our house stayed tidy. I credit the cleanliness to the fact that I told the boys we couldn't put up any Christmas decorations if the house was messy. The tree was highly motivational.

My favorite part about the break was spending calm time with my family. The only places we HAD to be were Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and church on Sunday. The remaining time was ours.

And we didn't go shopping on Black Friday, which I think that added to the stress-free nature of the holiday.

Persimmon-y Goodness

Do you have any foods that make you think of Christmas? There are several that quickly put me into a holiday mood. Persimmon Cake is one of them.

My Grandma's neighbors have a persimmon tree and they have been gifting her with the heavy, orange fruit for several years. They make a sweet, dense cake and, because they ripen at the end of December, are a holiday staple at my Grandma's house.

When Bryan made his quick trip to California a few weeks ago my Grandma was kind enough to send with him some frozen persimmons from last year's crop. I couldn't find the family recipe for the first batch and made do with one I found on the internet. The cake was good, but not Grandma-good. I looked harder and found the right recipe, tucked into the back of a cookbook, shut away in a drawer. The kids and I have been enjoying persimmon cake for breakfast ever since.

Persimmon Cake

Mix:

2 cups of sugar (or 1 1/2 cups of honey or agave)

3 very ripe persimmons with the peel (I had about 2 cups including the liquid and dumped it all in)

3 Tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

Add:

3 cups of flour

1 Tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Mix thoroughly. Stir in:

2 cups of raisins

2 cups of walnuts (optional)

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. I got two full-sized loaves of bread from this recipe. My Grandma usually makes five smaller loaves. I would guess that the smaller loaves don't take as long to cook, but I haven't tested that myself.

Piano Duet

My piano skills are only slightly more advanced than Phoebe's. I'm thankful that she sat on my lap for a good ten minutes and sang and plunked keys with me. It was the highlight of my Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Picassos In Training

We spent our first day of Thanksgiving break painting, most of us with paint, one of us with water. I highly recommend painting on cut-up cereal boxes. They make lovely little canvasses.

Nestled, All Snug In Their Bed

I think Cooper had his first bought of growing pains tonight. About thirty minutes after going to sleep he woke up crying. He said his legs hurt and he wanted to be held. Pain reliever was administered and I carried him over to Peter's bed to snuggle.

Cooper still sleeps in a toddler bed, which makes comforting him after a bad dream or leg ache an awkward thing. Imagine a wooden guard rail digging into your side while your knees fall asleep on the hard floor and you have a fair idea of the process. That is why I opted to cuddle both boys on Peter's twin-sized bed.

Tonight I am thankful for the impromptu, bedtime nap I had, snuggled between my two boys.

Let's Go Riding in an Automobile

A few weeks ago our four-cylinder car decided it wanted to be a three-cylinder car. Too bad for the car, and for us, that that's not possible. Bryan had a tense drive to the auto shop, wondering if the car would make it the whole distance or if he would need to be towed.

He made it.

Our mechanic looked at our thirteen-year-old car that we've had for ten years and gave us his appraisal. We needed a new engine, a new horn, a new airbag (because of the new horn). In short, we needed a new car. The repairs would have cost us more than the car was worth, so we decided the time had come to move on and get a new car.

We spent the next week looking at used car ads in the classifieds. With Bryan in school our budget for a car was practically non-existent. We examined the possibility of being a one-car family and having Bryan ride the bus to and from campus. That option was surprisingly expensive. We prayed that we would find something safe and in our price-range.

I didn't mention our need to my family.

A week after the car died I woke-up and got ready to haul the whole crew down to drop Bryan off at school. I looked at my phone and was surprised to see that I had a missed call and a voice mail from my Grandma. Her message contained these words, "Are you in need of a car?"

Tears sprang to my eyes. Yes, we did need a car! I handed the phone to Bryan and had him listen to the message. She called again while he was listening and she explained.

She had bought a new car a few weeks before and had planned to sell her old one. Her buyer fell through and she offered it to my sister. After some deliberation, my sister decided that she didn't need it. Frustrated, my Grandma called my mom, wondering what she should do with her superfluous car. My mom knew that our car had been having trouble for a while so she suggested that might be able to use it.

With emotion in my voice I told her that she and my Mom were inspired. I said that we had been praying for a way to get Bryan to and from school. She was answering that prayer.

Plans to get the car fell rapidly into place. Bryan found an inexpensive plane ticket and the next day touched down in California. By Sunday night he was back with the 2000 Toyota Corolla. We are now not just a two car family, we are also a two Toyota family.

I am thankful for a functional vehicle and family that listens to the Holy Ghost.

Peter Told Me He Wants to Design Roller Coasters When He Grows Up... And Now He Also Wants to Work at Pizza Hut

Filling My Bucket

I just got back from a three-hour discussion about the works of Jane Austen. It was exhilarating.

Book club feeds my soul.

Catching Up to the Boys

Remember how Phoebe wanted to sit on the toilet yesterday? She sat on it three more times today.

And she was successful.

I don't really think she's potty-training herself, or at least not completely. But what if it were this easy? What if my fourteen-month-old stops wearing diapers before her three-and-a-half-year-old brother has mastered it? Is she making up for the battle we've had potty-training the boys?

Perhaps.

They Make the Rockin' World Go Round

We've been waging a war against diapers at our house. A few weeks ago I decided that I was tired of having two kids in diapers. Instead of waiting for him to be ready to potty-train, I stopped buying diapers in Cooper's size.

It's been a struggle, but we've been pushing the potty.

This afternoon I asked Cooper if he needed to use the bathroom. He said no, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Phoebe nod her head yes. I turned to her and repeated my question. She grinned and nodded yes again.

I took her hand, walked her into the bathroom, and placed her on the porcelain throne.

She was thrilled.

During this time Cooper wandered in and the following conversation took place.

Cooper: Does Phoebe have a tiny little bottom?

Me: Yes she does.

Cooper: And do you have a huge giant bottom?

Me: Not exactly-

Cooper: I bet it's super-giant!

I Thought This Was Appropriate Based on When I'm Posting Today

via

Progression of a Tantrum

Me, Myself, and Daddy

Phoebe's newest trick is to answer questions with the word, "Me!" Here's an example:

Me: Who wants breakfast?

Phoebe: Me!

My favorite application of this new skill happened tonight after dinner.

Bryan: Who wants some bread?

Phoebe: Me!

Bryan: Who wants some more bread?

Phoebe: Me!

Bryan: Who loves Phoebe?

Phoebe: Daddy!

Few More Zzzzs

Today I am thankful that Bryan stayed home from school this morning so I could sleep.

We had a night full of waking children. When I woke-up I was worn out and could feel a cold creeping into my ears and throat and nose. The extra sleep got me through the day.

And now I'm going to go crawl under a blanket and tell this cold to go away.

Toothless

There were several days that Peter's smile looked like this:

He had wiggled the tooth halfway out, but refused to pull it the rest of the way. The result was a snaggle-toothed appearance and a tooth that wiggled whenever he spoke.

Today I am thankful that the tooth is out.

Do you think his teeth will wait until after Christmas to come in? I can't resist a good song cue, and I've been humming "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" since the second one came out.

Monkeying Around

My phone ran out of memory while we were there (most of these pictures were taken by my friend that we went with) so you'll have to imagine the rest of our day of fun at the zoo.

Health and Strength

Today I am thankful for healthy children.

Cooper was a sick little boy yesterday. He spent most of the afternoon on the couch, moaning every now and then. Today though, he was bouncy and energetic enough that he earned himself a timeout for whacking Phoebe on the top of the head.

I don't like the naughtiness, but I do like that he's feeling well again.

Game Changer

Last night at dinner Peter announced that we would be doing something new during the month of November. He reached out to the middle of the table and picked up the Halloween pumpkin he had placed there as a centerpiece. Then he said that whoever was holding the pumpkin would say one thing they were thankful for. He went first. After we had each taken a turn, Peter told us that we would this same activity each night until Thanksgiving.

He's on to something.

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. I could blame it on November and Thanksgiving looming, but the topic has been occupying space in my brain for the last month or so. I have much to be grateful for, but I often get sucked into the Complaining Game. You know, the one where you compare all the awful stuff that's happening to you to see who wins with the worst situation. I'm good at that game, but I never feel very good after I've played it.

So I'm going to play Peter's game instead.

Today, as the temperatures outside drop, I am thankful for a warm house in which to live.

What are you thankful for?

The Big Reveal

Throughout the month of October the boys and I discussed various ideas for Halloween costumes. Cooper talked about being a pumpkin, Peter mentioned being a skeleton, but nothing really caught anyone's fancy.

Then a week and a half ago I had an idea.

Last Monday I gathered supplies, then spent the next three days cutting and sewing and gluing and generally pushing myself past my known skills.

The result?

The cutest family zoo I've seen.

Bryan made my costume. He and I were the zookeepers. So, in other words, we went as ourselves.

I don't have any close-ups on Peter's elephant costume. He wanted to be a pirate for his school party and I didn't see any point in forcing him to be an elephant without his animal counterparts.

But I do have a few of Cooper and Phoebe.