Only a Day Away

To celebrate the new year that begins tomorrow:

A Year In Review

Yesterday I started thinking about my goals for the last year. What have I accomplished? What haven't I? What am I doing now that I wasn't doing at this time last year? Likewise, what was I doing then that I'm not doing now?

I wanted to have Cooper potty-trained by now. That hasn't happened. I've been talking it up to him, but he's not really interested. I'm okay with that. He'll do it when he's ready. Peter thinks he can tie his shoes and has therefore refused to actually learn how. So... not so successful there either.

Last year I had lots of projects going. I had made Bryan's blanket for Christmas and was crocheting a handful of items. This year I still have the pieces cut out for my own blanket, sitting in a bag in my closet, not sewn together at all. The afghan I started for my nephew is sitting, half-done, also in my closet.

It sounds like I've accomplished very little this year, doesn't it?

However, I can think of one major thing that I've done this year, one thing that makes up for all the stuff that is still sitting unfinished. And that one thing is very cute, plump, bright and smiley.

It's been a good year.

Handymen

Bryan found these two children's tool kits on clearance.

In January.

We hadn't originally planned to use them as Christmas presents, but since the boys had just gotten a bunch of new toys we decided to wait a little while before giving them out. A week turned into a month and a month turned into almost a year. Along the way we found two small tool boxes to house the fix-it-man treasures. Cooper has been walking around the house, suited-up in orange, singing the Bob the Builder theme song.

Happy Happy Birthday Grandma Dear

My Grandma Bonnie is turning 80 this week. In honor of her birthday, I'm posting my favorite thing she's written this year. She's been taking an online writing course and this was for one of her assignments.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

It is 1939 and I am eight years old. Mother, daddy and I are going to visit the old ranch where my grandparents live. It is located at the edge of town. The car turns off of San Antonio Avenue and on to a dirt, dusty, rut filled road and bumps along for a quarter of a mile before coming to the house.

The orange grove borders the road on either side. Every other row of trees has an irrigating ditch running between them. At the north end of each ditch is a cement standpipe that gushes water on watering day. The grove is well kept and for the most part weed free.

The yard around the house has two big eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus trees shed their bark and it is hanging on the trunks in big, loose pieces, like a pealing sun burn. They are a hundred feet tall and untrimmed. The air is full of their smell. I love it. It smells like what mother rubs on my chest when I have a cold.

When I’m hungry I pick the biggest orange and dig into the bright, orange skin with my finger nails. It comes off in big chunks. I stick my thumb into the top of the orange and pull it apart. The juice runs off my hands and makes little tracks in the dirt. I pull the segments of orange off one at a time and savor the sweet flavor. It’s the best ever.

The yard has soft, warm, sandy dirt that is wonderful for bare feet. The chickens love it too. They make shallow holes and raise small dust clouds, while taking dirt baths.

We are living in the modern age, but this house must be one hundred years old. It has running water and gas lights, but no electricity. The bathroom is very large and I think it had been a bedroom before the house had inside pluming.

Good smells come from the kitchen. My grandmother is a wonderful cook. I love her red vegetable soup and cracklin corn bread. It has little pieces of pork rind in it, and is made into little flat cakes. They have a thick, brown crust and a flavor that begged for more.

At the side of the small living room is a stairway. It is very narrow and if two people meet one of them has to back up. It goes up to two bedrooms. Mom and Pop, my grandparents, sleep in one room and my two aunts, Bettie, age ten and Wanda, age twelve sleep in the other room. I love to stay overnight and sleep between them with my head at the foot of the bed.

Behind the house is an old barn. It is missing some of the side boards and has no doors. The sun light comes through holes in the roof. I can see dust floating lazily in the shafts of sun light. The goose and the chickens roost here and it is a good idea to watch where you step.

To keep the oranges from freezing in cold weather smudge pots are used. The pots have a round base three feet across and a smokestack three feet tall. They are filled with black oil and burned to warm the grove. It fills the air with black soot and the stink of burning oil. The pollution is awful!

Outside of the barn is an old wagon. It is missing the two back wheels, but it still has the seat the driver sat on to drive a team of horses. Under the seat is a large, empty, water barrel. Aunt Bettie and I use the wagon to play, “Going to California.” I drive the imaginary horses, while Bettie beats the water barrel, like a drum, and sings, Onward Christian Solders.

Whoever said, “You can’t go home again,” lacks imagination. I just did.

Operation Lighter Than Air

On Christmas Eve Uncle Isaac delivered one of this season's most popular gifts.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

The gifts are all wrapped. The menu is in place. The cookies are baked. The cranberry sauce is made. The stockings are full. The green Jell-o salad has set.

And it's not even midnight.

Merry Christmas!

Miles To Go...

So, how has your week been? Good? How was my week, you ask?

Busy. Very, very busy.

So busy, in fact, that Bryan and I are staying up late tonight to try to finish everything that needs to be done before Saturday. Yes, it's currently 11:45 pm and I'm taking a break to eat a bowl of cereal before jumping back in.

You may wonder (or not wonder. But if not, why are you reading my blog?), "Why are you so busy? Haven't you been done with your Christmas shopping for weeks?"

Yes. And no.

We were done shopping for our little family. We knew my brother and his family were coming from Hawaii and I only had my nephew left to shop for. And then my Grandma passed away and plans changed. My parents, my other Grandma, my sister, and my youngest brother all came to stay at my house for the funeral and decided to stay for Christmas. It's wonderful, but it has made Christmas slightly more intense.

Because I hadn't been planning to see them on Christmas day, I didn't have presents for them. We usually call and wish people a Merry Christmas instead of sending gifts. That doesn't sound very nice, does it? I like it though. It's less stressful. Since we're all together, we've been trying to make sure that everyone has something to open on Christmas morning. Because there are so many people (fourteen) our Christmas tree looks like it's being eaten by red and green tissue paper.

It's mildly overwhelming.

How To Make a Snow Angel

Snow Day

Babies

The Sound of Music

My Grandma's funeral was today. It wasn't a sad event. I learned new things about her and recalled some sweet memories.

Music played a large role in the funeral. Two of my aunts sang solos and a third aunt played a piano solo. The final musical number was all seven granddaughters (myself included) singing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" and it was beautiful. I had never sung with my cousins before today. Our blend was lovely. As one of them said during our rehearsal last night, "It's like we're related or something."

Music is definitely one of the legacies my Grandma left.

The Long and Winding Road

Would you let your five-year-old walk a mile to school, all by himself? This mom does and she was given a citation for child neglect because of it.

At what age is it okay to let your child walk to school alone? Would it be different if there were other children his age to walk with him? Does it depend on the route, busy streets vs. quiet ones?

What are your thoughts?

Santa's Digital Workshop

I thought a few weeks ago that we were done with our Christmas shopping for the boys. I realized this week that we've gotten the same things for the boys. In other words, we've purchased two of everything.

Because apparently we think Cooper is a carbon-copy of Peter.

It's tough because they play with the same toys all the time, so we just assume they like the same things. But I want to get at least one thing for each boy that is unique to them.

And so, I've spent many hours over the last few days on Amazon (our Christmas provider) looking at toys. Lots and lots of toys.

Maybe we'll just give them cash and let them pick out their own gifts.

It's Funny Because It's True

I'm seriously considering getting one of these for each of my boys.

Generations

In high school I had friends who had never met their grandparents or couldn't remember them. I had two grandmas and two grandpas. I even had a bonus grandma. My great-grandma, or Granny as she was known, was still keeping us on our toes with her sense of humor. I felt bad for my classmates who were missing out on having grandparents.

Today, I feel like one of those kids.

My Grandma Miriam passed away on Saturday night. In a way it was sudden, I wasn't aware of any illness she was suffering from until she was gone. But on the other hand, she was 87, and I guess death can't be called unexpected at that age.

I know that it's a wonderful thing for her. She's with my Grandpa again. She no longer has to deal with the effects of macular degeneration or hearing loss. She doesn't need a walker to get around or an assistant to write out birthday cards for her. This is a blessing.

And yet... I'm sad.

I only have one grandparent left.

As Bryan said yesterday, "It's been a tough time for grandmas."

It's been a tough time for grandchildren too.

Phenomenal Cosmic Powers

Do you ever wish you could move things with your mind? I was sitting here, thinking that I should write about how I let the boys decorate the Christmas tree this year, and that I really should take a picture of the tree in all it's sloppily-sweet glory to go along with the post.

But the camera is in the kitchen.

And I am not.

And so I thought, "I wish I could summon the camera and have it swoop in here by itself, because I'm tired and lazy."

That got me wondering, do other people dream about having bizarre and totally awesome powers? And if so, what would those powers be?

Let Your Light So Shine

When I was in high school my favorite passage of scripture was Matthew 5:14-16. I love the idea that we should let our light shine, be an example, and use the gifts and talents we have been given to glorify God. Light is a powerful concept for me. I recognize light in other people and, by the same token, can see when someone does not have light in their eyes. These scriptures were my mantra when I had to share my talents and was nervous. They reminded me that I had an obligation to let my light shine.

Fast forward ten years. It was August and I had decided to walk home from my job at BYU to our new apartment that was just off campus. It was very hot outside and I was a little more than halfway through my pregnancy with Peter. I had checked out a handful of baby name books from the library and was taking them home to see if Bryan and I could come up with a name for this baby.

Because we had decided not to find out if we were having a boy or a girl, we spent time looking at both sections in the name books. There are some truly terrible names in the world and we were amusing ourselves by finding them and reading them out loud to each other. Then we put the books away and just started throwing out all the names we could think of.

I said I liked the name Monica. I had been watching Friends on DVD, so Bryan joked that maybe we should name the baby Rachel. No, I said, Rachel is too popular right now. I paused to think, then added that I did like the name Phoebe.

Now Phoebe was definitely not my favorite character on the show Friends. (That would be Chandler, in case you were wondering.) But I did like her name.

We grabbed one of the books and looked up the meaning: bright and shining. The baby was due on Christmas Eve and when I saw the meaning of Phoebe I thought of the Christmas star and of Matthew 5:14-16. The meaning of a name is so important to me and Phoebe had a powerful meaning.

It was decided that if the baby was a girl we would name her Phoebe.

And then Peter came.

We found out Cooper was a boy during his ultrasound, so girl names were never kicked around.

When we found out we were having a girl, I struggled with her name. Bryan said he still liked Phoebe and Zoe and that we should go with one of those. But I wasn't sure. That's why I asked for suggestions. (I really liked quite a few of them, by the way, but I couldn't sell Bryan on them.) I still liked the name Phoebe, I just wasn't sure it was this baby's name.

When she was born Bryan looked at her and felt sure that her name was Phoebe. I still wasn't sure, but I did think there was something about her dark hair and round face that made her look like a Phoebe.

This weekend, after the baby blessing, Bryan's uncle was sitting in our living room, flipping through the baby name book my mom had bought for us when we were searching for Peter's name. I glanced over and saw the name Phoebe on the edge of the page. The meaning was slightly different than the one I had read in the other book. It said that Phoebe meant bringer of light.

At that moment the spirit whispered to me that we had made the right choice in naming our sweet girl Phoebe. That night, as I looked into her eyes before bedtime, I saw the light that she came with, radiating from her, still so fresh from our Heavenly Father's presence.

Yes, Phoebe is definitely a bringer of light.

A Man of Many Hats

Peter has discovered the joy of playing dress-up. When he was Cooper's age we had some friends that had lots of superhero costumes for their boys to wear. Peter went over to play a few times and absolutely refused to put on a cape. Or anything else resembling a costume. I'm not sure why.

Peter found part of my Halloween costume (which I still need to find a home for) and put it on. Peter is so tall and so articulate that I often forget how young he is. This picture reminds me. He looks little.

We have a box of hats that the boys like to put on during playtime. Until recently, however, they weren't used in a make-believe capacity, which is interesting because most of our play is of the imaginary sort. Lately though, I have had a whole host of characters visiting my house. We've had construction workers and train engineers and chefs stopping by. And a wizard.

I like it.

Say Cheese

Having family pictures taken is exhausting.

It's a good thing we're so pretty, or it might have taken even longer.

The First White Dress

Phoebe's baby blessing was yesterday. It was beautiful and very spiritual. Bryan did a wonderful job.

If you enlarge this one you'll see how blue her eyes are right now. I'm so used to all my brown-eyed boys, it still catches me off-guard that hers seem to be staying blue.

When Peter was blessed, my great-great aunt Bettie made him this sweater and afghan along with a bonnet, mittens, and booties. All three children have been wrapped in the afghan during their baby blessing. It's a nice tradition we have.

We were lucky to have some friends and family members here for the occasion. There were a few more that we didn't get pictures of. Despite the lack of photographic evidence, we are thankful they came!

Cooper and Phoebe have the same expression in this picture. They had almost the same look as one another in a different picture, but since they were both screaming at the time, I decided to go with this one instead. Good choice, no?

Civilization

This is the first song from a video game to be nominated for a Grammy. Bryan was really excited about it. It's the Lord's Prayer in Swahili.

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

According to a new study, attractive people are more likely to have daughters than their homelier counterparts. I have two sons and one daughter. Are they calling me ugly?

What do you think about their findings? I'm very curious.

Sharing Time

Cooper loves to share. This is a good thing. It helps keep play time calm and happy (most of the time). It makes meals a game for the boys as they pass cereal between each other.

But sometimes, I encourage him not to share.

Peter went to sleep early again last night. (And woke up at one in the morning last night and the night before.) I had made pancakes in the morning and we ate them throughout the day. In the evening I grabbed a couple to eat as I fed Phoebe. I started munching on one and I put the other on a tray next to my big comfy chair.

Cooper walked into the middle of the living room, chewing something. I looked over at my pancake and saw it was missing a bite-sized piece.

Me: Cooper! Did you eat my pancake?

Cooper: Yeah. We are sharing!

I told him sharing your toys is good. Sharing your germs is not. Then I gave him my pancake.

This morning I caught him sharing the water out of my water bottle.

Apparently we're going to have to have that germ talk a few more times.