one year wiser

Happy birthday, sweetheart! We love you so much!

What I'm reading

I really liked this one...

Ug! So much for my resolution for more frequent posting. But guess what? I don't really care. There is no Quota. This is for me. And if I have something to say-I will find time to say it. I don't know who I'm talking back to right now... Forgive my rebellious attitude about my self imposed goal.

Anyway-it's almost summer and we have been swimming a couple of times. Starting next Monday I will be teaching swimming lessons in the morning. I hope all goes well. I like doing it and I like being in the sun. I just hope Felicity fares well with all of the baby sitting and late naps. Nursery in a couple of weeks. So. Excited.

Anyway-I just thought I'd let you all know what I'm reading. Most of you know I love to read. I read mostly junior fiction (it's easy to get through-entertaining-sometimes meaningful and it's what made me fall in love with reading) and board books. Know those ones by heart. Felicity and I hit up the library almost every week and although she never sits on my lap during lap time, we get new books and have fun.

So I got curious the other day and looked up a list of the Newberry award winners to see how many of them I have read. Then I remembered that my good friend's mom offered her kids some large amount of money to read all of the Newberry award winners ($500?). I don't know if any of her kids did it, but I decided I would. And no, I am not going to ask her for the money.

So that's what I have been reading. Newberry Award winners from 1922 to the present. Some of the really old ones are hard to get through and about dolls and stuff. I have to say, I like the newer ones. I was going to post a list of the ones I have read, but that is on the other computer, so you will just have to wait. If you want to read some Junior Fiction now-go read something by Jerry Spinelli, Richard Peck, Lois Lowry, Gary Paulsen or Blue Balliet. Those are some of my favorites. Happy Reading!

Thoughts on Motherhood

Funny faces

Felicity used to be puny (sp?)

I know this post is a week late, but I needed this time to really think about motherhood instead of cards, gifts, and yummy food. Don't get me wrong, Mother's Day was amazing. We got to spend time with both families and give and receive great words of appreciation. I had a great day. Kurt was more helpful than usual (which I thought was impossible-he always helps me a lot) and he didn't have extra meetings-yeah!

Yesterday I was getting my hair cut while pouring over US Weekly ( I know it's dumb-but that's what I love to do when I get my haircut-don't even try to talk to me girl-I love an hour of silence). But it wasn't silent, because the girl next to me was a talker, which was fine but I couldn't help overhearing their conversation. She recently had a baby and was telling her stylist about how she is from California and it's funny in Utah because you don't feel special when you are pregnant or having a baby-because literally EVERYBODY'S DOING IT. When you are in other states and people see your baby they are always going Lady Gaga over you and your bundle of joy. In Utah, nobody cares. When you walk into a store every other person you see either has kids with them or a baby bump, or both.

Even though I have had this same thought on more than one occasion and experienced it myself (taking a 5 month old to a Padres game-we have never had so much attention for being a cute little family) for some reason I sort of resented this girl saying it (probably because although I agreed with her, she was kind of annoying).

So-here's my rumination on that.

Just because everybody's doing it, it doesn't make it less special. Truly. I don't know that there a many things in life that this holds true for, but it's true about motherhood. Even if every friend of yours from high school, college or in your ward is having a baby, it doesn't make your experience any less special. And those that love you will feel the same way. It's amazing to me how sincerely excited I get when a friend, sister or acquaintance tells me they're pregnant. I get weepy. I CARE. Sincerely care-even if I don't know you that well. I want to talk with you about heartburn, otter pops, night sweats, pitting edema, colic, nursing shields and what books you have read. I want to tell you that having a newborn was probably the hardest 3 months of my life and it's ok if you feel like you're going crazy and then feel tremendous guilt about that. That's normal. I went off on a tangent here...

I guess what I am trying to say is that even though women have been doing it for hundreds and hundreds of years-it's still a miracle every time. Even though it's scientifically how our species procreates and survives-it's more than that. It will change you (obviously) and your life forever. No one can tell you how much of a sacrifice and a joy it will be. It is such a miracle that we are able to be parents on this earth. Whether it's by delivering a child ourselves, or by adoption or fostering or mentoring-it feels amazing to teach a child, to love a child.

I grew up in Provo and I now live in Orem and I have never felt like a lemming-or a boring Utah Mormon. Yes, my hair may have been bad in elementary school pictures (whose wasn't-it was the 80's), but I know that just because I may not be completely in style and maybe my hair is now a mom bob and maybe I am a country bumpkin to many -I like myself, and I like living here and I know I'm not vanilla or tofu and I LOVE being a mom. There have been times when I've felt like just part of the herd; go to college, be a teacher, get married, have a baby, stop working etc.. But guess what? I love it. It's hard but I love it. And I think I love it because I know it's what Heavenly Father wants for me.

So-to all you mothers out there-I know you get bored sometimes, get frustrated, feel left out of the working world, feel unappreciated, feel dowdy-but I saw you at Target yesterday and just because you've got a 2 year old and one on the way and Old Navy Jeans-I know you're not a lemming. I know you give your everything to those kids so they can grow strong and smart and feel loved. I know you once had hobbies and won awards or got scholarships and looked good in a swimsuit. I know you've got personality. Most of you.I guess it's taken me a lot of words to say that Just because everybody's doing it, it doesn't make it less special. I'm proud of you-and your stretch marks.

To be a loser...

I don't have very much time and there are a million things I could post about, but I just have to make a quick comment.

Biggest Loser Finale. Seriously. Amazing.

Kurt and I have been watching on and off for the past little while and we were rooting for Mike the teenager. I can't believe the top three contestants were in such close competition. It was a difference of 5 pounds or something. And for prize money of 250 thou. I would have been p.o'd if I lost by so little.

I just can't believe how much weight those people lost. I can't believe it's even possible! I know they're working out 12 hours a day and it's not reality, but still-I seriously can't believe it. Where does all of the skin go?

I also think that the pound for pound challenge is a great idea-that for all of the weight viewers lose they donate the same poundage of food to the food banks. I thought it was touching. Like Jack Sprat or something.

I just think it's an amazing thing. It's not just about being skinny. These people can now do things they never could, stop taking multiple medications, play with their kids and feel good about themselves. Eyes watered at my house (ok just mine)

I loved seeing all of the past contestants in their fancy clothes. They looked so amazing. Could you believe Jerry? The old dude who won the at home challenge and won 100 thousand dollars? And Nicole, wearing a size 8 wedding gown? You go girl. Amazing.

p.s.-I know where some of the skin goes...There were more flabby arms than a R.S general broadcast.

p.p.s Anyone else sick of these "big" shows being so drawn out. I don't want to watch a tv show for 2 or 3 hours. I can't believe they are just sticking one show in their whole prime time slot. Guess it's working though. I am a sucker and I know I will get sucked into the long drawn out Bachelorette episodes.. Yeah!

Doggies and Nap Time

So, Kurt and I have rented a few movies lately, one of which being Marley and Me. I actually liked it. It was a little slow, but there were some things I really liked.

#1-It was wholesome and clean as far as I remember.

#2-I liked seeing Jennifer Aniston in a "mommy" role. I don't really know what's going on with her in real life, but I think she's having a baby, am I right? I thought her acting was pretty good. Can't help liking her.

#3-Owen Wilson is kind of a cutie. Anything with him in it reminds me of my brother Brett who likes him a lot and has imitated him on more than one occasion.

#5-I liked that it painted a somewhat realistic picture of marriage and family-it's not easy-but it's worth it. I thought the movie was kind of ambivalent about where it wanted to go with that-if you watched it as a single adult, it could probably make you not want to get married, have children or a get a dog. But, since I'm a cheerleader for marriage and children-I took the message to be that people (and animals) aren't perfect, life is hard, but it's worth forging those relationships. There were some cheesy parts of course, but it wasn't all syrupy sweet.

Other thoughts:

*We never had a dog growing up and I have never had much of a desire to own one, so I don't really "get" the dog thing which is the whole basis of the movie. It was somewhat touching in that aspect-but I'm sure it would be more moving to anyone who has loved a four legged friend.

* I liked when Owen Wilson said something to the effect of, "I had a fight with my wife-you mend it, you don't end it." Loved that message.

* I thought the argument between the parents was very realistic and easy to identify with. New baby-stressed out parents-mom is a little cuckoo-dad's not sure if he wants to come in the house. Dog is making everything 10x harder. He accuses her of being depressed, she says she isn't depressed, just overwhelmed. She calls him a jerk. I'm sorry-but how many new moms and dad's haven't been there. Am I right?

*Which brings me to my last point. For those of you who have seen it-do you remember when Marley gets excited about the garbage truck or something and wakes up the kids who have just been napping? OOoh-that part makes me mad! Honestly makes me not want to have a dog. I never thought I would be so dang uptight about napping or sleep schedules, but I am. Once you have a kid-sleep is like air, like water, like heat-it is so so essential for everyone in the home to get some, but so hard to grasp onto. You need enough. At the right time. Or life can be horrible, right? I guess I'm going off because today is one of those bad napping days.

-So, Felicity is finally taking a nap and the little dog that lives below us started barking. And he wouldn't stop! Anger- like fire began rising in my chest! I've never been mad at that dog before, which is funny, because Kurt is always mad when he barks, even if it's only for a second. But, when you've had a bad napping day and baby girl finally stops making noises in her crib and you aren't even going to run the dryer or make a phone call or use the microwave because she might wake up, and a little doggy starts barking-momma wants to rip his head off. So that is what urged me to write this post. It reminded me of the movie. Good news-Felicity didn't wake up and the doggie's daddy pulled him inside and made him stop barking at our older neighbor who is sweet, but takes a looong time to walk to her car.

Duckies

Can you see the bread? Felicity didn't want to feed the ducks-every time we gave her a little piece of bread, she ate it. Predictable. Good thing I didn't bring moldy bread. Is it bad to feed moldy bread to ducks? I think I remember doing it as a kid. Sorry duckies.

These pictures are not too exciting-I tried to take a video and it didn't really turn out-but you have to know that Felicity was thrilled to see ducks in real life! I don't know if she has ever seen ducks before, but I know we haven't purposefully taken her to see them -so this was the big event. Kurt called and invited us to the duck pond for his lunch break. What a thoughtful dad. Felicity loved all of the ducks and ducklings (they were really darling) and I don't think she noticed them, but there were cool turtles there too. The ducks are really used to people (being located on a certain, not to be named, University campus) and they let you get pretty close. Felicity has been saying "Quack, Quack" for a while now so it was fun to see her chasing them around and calling to them in their own language.

She is getting so smart and understands so much of what we say to her. She can say quack quack, woof woof, mmm for a cow sound, a whiny noise for a cat, caw caw for any birds, and can growl for a lion or a pig. She is also a fan of saying uh-oh, pointing to everyone's pictures on the fridge and calling her dad Ma Ma. We keep trying to correct her, but to her, Kurt is Ma Ma and she loves him. I know she'll get it right someday.

Largest Dinosaur Museum in the World!

Felicity "digging" for fossils.
She does this with her arms when she is really excited.

This is her little protective apron for playing in the water/sand exhibit. She was a little small for all of that business and wasn't too interested surprisingly enough.

Such an innocent face...

Uncle Seth and Grandpa Radmall

The "build a dinosaur" room

Very excited to be playing with her cousin Max.

This is her with her mouth full of candy which was provided by Seth. Brought for the very purpose of enticing Felicity to be his best friend for the day. It worked pretty well.

Uncle Seth and Uncle Bryan

That Dinosaur behind us was unbelievably huge!

Largest Dinosaur Museum in the World. At least that's what I read on the billboard.

I finally went to the Thanksgiving Point dinosaur museum. I've always wanted to go, but haven't had a reason.

Thanks to an invite from the Radmalls, Felicity and I got to go check it out with most of the family who was on spring break. I got two new pennies for my smashed penny collection and Felicity really enjoyed the whole experience. I thought the museum was great-really interesting. Perfect for an 8 year old boy, but pretty awesome for anyone else too.

Easter Pictures

Uncle Brett-it's Easter not St. Patricks Day!
This is the cute dress and hat from Grandma Julie
( I forgot to take pictures of the other dresses)


Kurt had to run backwards at great speeds to get this picture.
She was excited about getting eggs!
I am in love with her new white sandals from Gymboree.
My shoe fetish lives on. Good shoes are always worth the splurge.


Checking out her haul

Funny faces with dad

Just so you know, Felicity's head looks a lot better now. That picture was yucky now that I look at it again. Sorry. Now she just has a dark line down the middle of her forehead.

On my last post I forgot to tell you that I got to go see Wicked in SLC last week! My mom gave my sister and I tickets for Christmas. It was a very nice gift. Thanks mom I had a blast! I even ate a bagel and cream cheese at the cafe across the street. I love cheating on my diet-the littlest things are so yummy and exciting. I ate a little Reese's egg the other day-it was so decadent. Like heaven.

Just thought I would catch up and try to post some pictures while Felicity is still sleeping. Hope everyone in the valley is enjoying this great weather today!

My return to cyberspace

Poor Felicity fell head first into the corner of the wall tonight.
I hope it looks better in the morning!

I like this picture because you can see her teeth coming in.
It doesn't really look like her though...funny how that happens sometimes.

There is a lot to blog about but I will make it short for now. I am no longer as grumpy as I once was.

Did I do a good job with being media free for a week? Yes and No. I never watched tv for myself-only out of the goodness of my heart for my poor teething daughter. She is getting molars and I have taken her to the doctor twice to get her ears checked because she has been so sick and unhappy. So there is my excuse. With her in her unhappy mood and not pleased with anything and wanting to sit and snuggle-we watched tv. And movies. For a few days. I am not looking forward to answering to M.R. but I never watched something for me and I only got on the internet to do necessary things like pay bills and check bank accounts.

Was I more productive? Yes and No. I read a lot of good books from the library instead of watching tv or checking your blogs. I probably cleaned and organized more than usual. It was a good thing.

In other news...

-We had a great Easter weekend-Felicity wore three different cute dresses. One from Grandma Cheryl, one from TeriAnn and one from Grandma Julie. What a clothes horse.

-For conference weekend we went to LaSal to visit Christie, Brandon and Addison. Maybe I will let Kurt blog about that. It was a weekend of his cowboy dreams come true.

-We went to the dinosaur museum with the Radmalls. Felicity had fun-especially playing in the sand digging for fossils.


-I had an unexplained blood blister underneath my fingernail (I didn't smash it or anything) that got very painful and oozy and infected. Yummy, huh? I had to go to the derm and have what I call a minor operation. It was not fun and it still hurts but is getting better.

-Kurt got a haircut.


-I was able to get my wedding ring back on my finger for the first time in a long time. Will I ever be able to get it off again without the help of a saw? Not sure. But I am happy to be wearing it again!

-My BFF Marissa had her 2nd baby boy! I am so proud of her.


** I will post more pictures later of these happenings.

Grrr.

This grumpy cookie I found online can represent me right now.
Man, I wish I were allowed to eat cookies.

I have been going to an 8 week organization class put on by our Stake. It is taught by Marie Ricks who is a professional organizer and is the momo guru of de-cluttering and cleaning. It has been incredibly helpful and interesting. She has really good philosophies and thoughts on why our lives get disorganized and how we can change it. I really like the Gospel spin she puts on things too. I have been working really hard to keep our house cleaner and I have been organizing and getting things in boxes for D.I. And surprise-it really makes me happy.

Today I worked on our bedroom and it is now-looking awesome. I have even been making the bed which I have always thought is practically pointless, right? But it does make me feel better to have it made-so there it is. For those of you who know her, a certain person named Jeanne once told me to never trust anyone who doesn't make their bed. And ESPECIALLY not to marry anyone who doesn't make the bed. First of all-Kurt is neater than I am. We're good there. Second-HELLO crazy lady-you pay me to make your bed. You probably never made a bed in your life. It made me laugh.

Now for the GRRR. Tonight in class there was a retired woman who said that she has just let everything fall by the wayside now that she and her husband are home all day. She sleeps in, doesn't do much, definitely doesn't have motivation to clean or de-junk or whatever. I then commented that the same thing happened to me when I went from working to staying at home with a baby. I just sat around all the time because I had nothing to do, nowhere to be and yet was completely overwhelmed by the simple yet constant needs of a newborn. Yes-I watched a lot of t.v. Of course.

Then the teacher challenged us both to go on a media fast for 7 days. No t.v. or Internet. I told her that I've actually been doing a lot better with that. But she knew I was trying to dodge it. So I accepted the challenge even though I am grumpy about it. And worried. Felicity and I watch t.v. together when she gets up and definitely while we are waiting for Kurt to get home. Maybe the fact that I am so nervous and mad about this means that I do have a problem. I can stop anytime I want, I swear. 12 steps here I come. Ya know what I wanted to say? Lady, I'm already dieting. How much self restraint do I need in my life? I guess those things are good for you. I have lost 9 1/2 lbs. Raise the roof!

So-I just wanted to let you know that I am going to break my resolution of more frequent blogging because I have been sentenced. You probably won't hear from me for a week or more. What will you do? I know. It's your own challenge. Good luck.

I will probably post more about M.R and her motivating genius when I am not so mad at her. But if anyone wants to check her out she has a lot of ideas and some free downloads on her website. I think it's http://www.houseoforder.com/. Wish me luck.

Forsythia and Daffodils

Felicity and I went for a walk yesterday and I truly had that springtime moment. Spring is just the best. You can't describe exactly how it makes you feel so happy and hopeful and wonderful. To be able to go out in short sleeves and see flowers blooming makes me very happy. It makes me think of all the wonderful days of summer to come.

We saw two of my favorite blooms yesterday. I wanted both of them at my wedding, but alas, the timing was not right. They both have such a short blooming period and it is in March, not June. But I LOVE Forsythia and Daffodils. My wedding colors were Yellow, Brown and cream so they would have fit in perfectly (don't get me started on what Jana said about my wedding colors when I first mentioned them. Ha ha.) Have you read the story about the Daffodil field in California? I would love to go there someday.

Happy Spring everyone! I wish this warmth was here to stay (I know you too well, Utah). It makes my heart frolic and leap.

Small Motor Skills

This is what the little chocolate drooler did while I was writing a card. I knew there were suckers on the table, but I didn't think she could unwrap this particularly delicious variety (yummy Sees). I was wrong. She is always below the 10th perentile in height and weight, but I'm sure her candy opening skills are above average. You should have seen me take this thing away from her. She is so, so strong when she is mad! I had to trade her for a robin egg. So, who's the real sucker here? You guessed it. The momma.

Twilight Highlight

So-I was a watching Twilight and I just had one question. Why the leggings? Why? Anyone else know what I'm talking about? When she goes to the prom at the end and she is wearing capri length leggings (with a lace cuff no less) under her dress.Why? I know she has an air cast thing on (spoiler alert!) but I don't think that warrants wearing leggings. C'mon wardrobe people. I am totally out of it-probably won't ever be stylish again, but even I know that you don't wear leggings (which didn't really match) to prom. Yuck.

Other thought on the movie. Yes I have read the books. All of them. I sincerely think they're good. I don't own any twilight based clothing or memorabilia so I guess I'm not a super fan (why do they make "team Jacob" shirts? Anyone rooting for Jacob? C'mon) but I thought the books were well written in that they were intriguing and addictive. I think they are more for the teen crowd, but I still enjoyed them.

I liked the movie more than I thought I would. I even liked the actors that played Bella and Edward more than I thought I would. Loved the actor that played James aka. Volchok. What a good bad boy. Not a fan of the actors that played Charlie, Jacob, Rosalie and Carlisle (Can't Hardly Wait, anyone?) but that always happens when you read a book and then see the movie. This flick had majorly cheesy parts! When she's talking to Edward in the hospital and she freaks out about them being apart. You know what I'm talking about. Acting class is calling you Kristen.

Anyway-I really just wanted to post about the leggings, but now you know my twigh-life story. Kurt and I went to bad last night with him asking me questions about vampires...silly.

Kid Stuff...

Yesterday I was showing Kurt a new game that I played with Felicity. I used both of my hands to squish her face forward, giving her fish lips and began to tell the tale, "My daddy got a motorcycle..." OK-stop right there. Do you guys know where this is going? I thought everyone knew this little game. So, "My daddy got a motorcycle and he took me for a ride. At first we were going so slow I said, "Go Faster Daddy, Go Faster!" Then we started to go so fast I said, "Slow Down Daddy, Slow Down!" At this point of course you use your hands to stretch the little cheekers backwards giving an airblown squinty eyed face. It's pretty funny if I do say so myself.

So then Kurt says, "What's that from?" What's that from?! It's from being a kid. It's just something that kids do. It's funny. I was astounded that he didn't know about this little face contorting gem.

So then, I turned to the obvious(and not very culturally pc. Sorry.)I said, ok. "Open the fridge. Take out a coke. Take the lid off. Drink the coke. HaHa! Me Chinese, Me play joke. Me put pee pee in your coke." To which Kurt did not reply anything. He didn't know about this one either! He didn't know that you're supposed to say, "Me American, me so smart, me not drink the pee pee part."

What did Kurt do as child? I guess I need to check with him and see if he knows "Big Mac, Fillet of Fish, Quarter Pounder, French Fries, Icy Cola, Thick Shake, Sundaes and Apple Pie." Ya know, with the hand shake?

I wonder if he knows any jump rope rhymes like Cinderella and Not Last Night But the Night Before... Or maybe he has never played Chinese Jump rope, 2, 4, 6,8 on off, twisties, twisties, diamonds, diamonds..." What about, "No Cuts, No Buts, No coconuts!" when someone is cutting in the drinking fountain line? What about playing Mash?!

Don't you love that kid stuff? Poor Kurt. I will have to make sure he knows some fun stuff so he can squish faces and laugh like I do.

Tell me some more fun kid stuff-tricks you played-rhymes, handshakes! Although teaching was hard, I did love hanging out and seeing kids having fun. I miss that. I must say I feel that I had an awesome childhood. Ideal. I hope my kids have as much fun as I did in my "growing up years"! Kurt would say that I'm not grown up yet because I still think those things are funny...

Why?!

Question #1? -WHY?! do they even sell tuna packed in vegetable oil? Maybe I'm not a gourmet cook so I don't get it, but I don't know why anyone needs tuna in oil. If you know why, or for what recipe you would use it, please let me know.

Question #2?- WHY?! am I always the one who accidentally buys the tuna in oil, thinking it is tuna in water. That's right I used the word always because I know I have done this at least 3 or 4 times. "Oh-that's a good price on tuna!" Grab a couple, throw them in the cart. Open them sometimes later to see thick, yucky oil on my tuna fish.

Simple solution, right? Kelli-be more careful when you buy tuna. Check the can. Read it with the college education you have. But alas, I am always so spacey about checking! Maybe it's just my mushy brain or the fact that Felicity has one leg out of the cart and I am trying to bribe her with her favorite treat (yogos) to make it to the checkout. Anyway-I am making a goal to never make that mistake again. I still use the greasy tuna, but it's annoying!

Q#3-Why have I done two posts about tuna fish and therefore already have a relevant photo saved?