A Miracle of All Miracles

IT finally happened. After six and a half long years of waiting; watching others go before her, being the last in her class to reach such achievements - the momentous occasion finally bestowed itself on Beeb.


She lost her first tooth!




On Monday Beeb was playing at the neighbors house (no school). I got a call in the early afternoon from our little neighbor girl who announced to me that Beeb lost her tooth. Beeb got on the phone and told me she was doing a limbo under a bar they have in their basement and she accidentally hit her chin on the bar. With her hands splayed out in front of her her tooth ejected from her mouth upon her chin making contact and landed in Beeb's hand! Isn't that amazing?!

When she came home she brought her tooth in a little clear bag and I inspected the gap. That's when I noticed that her new tooth had already pushed its way up through her gums and was hiding behind her baby tooth.

On top of that Beeb's recent x-ray at the dentist shows that when her permanent teeth do come in she'll be one short. Two of her front lower baby teeth are fused together and it looks like only one will take their place. The girl has some strange things going on.

The tooth fairy visited her and left her $5.00 for this milestone. Beeb quickly promised the money to her girl scout friend for a box of Thin Mints.

What Is In Our Food?

Last night my sister and I went to a lecture given by Michael Pollan. I've been looking forward to the evening for months. I find Michael's writing style to be educational as well as entertaining; a great combination for someone who writes about food nutrition - an easily boring subject for the general population. His ability to be charismatic on paper has helped to drive forth the education of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds about the American government and corporate mismanagement for our food supply and production. This education has resulted in numerous books, articles as well as the creation of popular documentaries like Food Inc. and The Botany of Desire.

I won't event attempt to being to summarize the material he presented but I will share one item with you.


Just because an item says "low fat" or "non-fat" doesn't mean it is healthier. Fat tastes good and in order to keep food tasting good once the fat is removed food manufactures often replace fat with sugar. Note the nutrition labels above for yogurt (first three are yogurts I normally buy, the last one is a popular Costco brand) as compared with to the Coke on the end. Isn't that Kirkland brand sugar content interesting?

Essentially if you want to eat healthier foods, eat whole foods. Food without labels such as fresh fruit and vegetables or food with five or fewer known (real ingredients, not chemical additives) ingredients.

Skiing

In Washington skiing doesn't equate plowing through white fluffy billows of snow that you see in Warren Miller promos. No, skiing in Washington means skiing in the rain through snow sludge. We decided that it was important that our kids learn to ski in sludge and so we enrolled them in ski lessons for the next several months.

Last week was lesson number one. The benefit of mid-week evening ski lessons is that you essentially get private lessons for a fraction of the price. It's nice to live near the mountain.

Beeb mastered the Pizza Slice (stopping) and French Fries (going straight) but Mr. B struggled a bit and DID NOT like that his sister was able to do something that he was not. He literally cried for over a half an hour (deep sobs, no fake stuff) on the way home. I learned two lessons last week. First, practice the Pizza Slice with Mr. B at home and second, bring hot chocolate as it cures everything.

(Pictures from last week)








Tonight we tried it again and when I picked the kiddo's up at the end of class both exclaimed that they "LOVED IT". Whew! Practice helped a lot for Mr. B and Beeb is now working on turning. Their awesome instructor says that they will be ready for the lifts in just a couple of weeks!

I am so glad that tonight wasn't discouraging for them and that they both feel successful in this new adventure. I can hardly wait to be able to ski with my kids! In the meantime I now keep a big thermos of hot chocolate with me, we all loved being warmed up by it on the drive home.

10 Years Later . . .

A little over ten ago we bought a really crappy house on a really nice lot. We dis-affectionately called it "The Ugly House" (sometimes I still do). A common phrase we heard from friends who visited our new purchase was, "Wow, we could never do what you are doing, we just aren't that skilled." My FIL strongly urged us to walk away from it but AH and I saw the potential that others didn't. We knew that what was wrong with the house was strictly cosmetic and that the investment would pay off since it was the crappy house in the nice neighborhood. We also knew that it was 100K less than other houses in the area that weren't that much newer or nicer, and our house had more square footage and is on a great lot of land.

Over the years we remodeled virtually every room in the house from the attic on down. Nearly ever penny we earned went into the house as we tackled each new project as we could save for it. I'll admit we did it the smart way but boy has it been slow!

I am beyond thrilled to say that we are on the last "big" project. The family room we literally lived in for the first 6 months is now the last room to be completed. When we moved in this room had acoustical ceiling tiles, 6" wide OLD cedar siding (set on the diagonal) covering the walls (think lots and lots of places for spiders to hide!) and a very interesting footer shelf that lined the walls but not at the same height in all areas. AH and I could never agree on how to best finish the room so we just ignored it... for roughly a decade.

This last fall we decided it was time to tackle that beastly room. We had our wonderful friend and cabinet builder, Don, come over on several occasions to talk about what could be done to balance the room and make it inviting. I will brag here and say that Don agreed that my idea for fixing the footer issue was the best idea. What amazes me is that 10 years of telling AH my idea resulted in nothing, but when Don gives the okay the materials are bought the next day and the wall is fixed within a couple of weeks! Silly men.

So Don built my cabinets and even painted them for me (he prefers stained wood but the room is so dark I wanted to make it lighter and brighter) and then he and AH installed them. Did I mention that Don is 80? Yep he sure is and yet I hardly ever think of him being older than us because the man is more youthful than men half his age.

The room is not done but it is in immediate progress. The carpet is ordered and AH has finished painting the wainscoting and can start working on the trim for the wainscoting.

The poor stairs have not had carpet on them since we remodeled the kitchen over two years ago! Soon, poor stairs, soon.


Laying the foundation for the cabinets (See how high the footer (shelf) is? It changes height 3 times around the room. It's crazy.).


Ooh progress. AH feels the need to mud every wall to death before he paints thus the big white mud spot above the slider door (and the rest of the walls, but we'd already painted them so you can't see how spotted the room was prior. It looked like our walls had calamine spots all over them.). I love the lighter yellow color (a very soft yellow, not neon!).


I love that Don includes AH in the process. AH loves to be handy.


Nearly there. . .


Oops, no more pictures. They didn't finish up that night and I was out of town the next day when Don came back. Since then Don and AH put up all the beautiful trim around the edges, AH took up all the carpet in the room and has been a painting fiend on the wainscoting. I don't have a specific date for the carpet yet but it is ordered and now I wait anxiously for their call to schedule installation.

I am so so happy to be nearing the end. AH thinks that we'll finally be able to save some money now but I think he had forgotten. . . the new furniture.

Congrats - you are a First Reads winner!

Monday night I received this little gem of a note from Goodreads.com:

Congratulations _______________!

You are one of our First Reads lucky winners! You will soon receive a free copy of Invisible River in the mail. Please allow a few weeks for shipping.

Don't forget to add the book to your Goodreads currently-reading shelf, and we encourage you to also add it to a "first-reads" shelf when you are done reading. Posting a review is optional, but please keep in mind that reviewing the book is in the spirit of First Reads. Publishers provide free copies to Goodreads in hopes of getting early feedback about the book. First Readers who post reviews are also more likely to win free books in the future!

If you have further questions, please contact Bloomsbury, who listed this book for giveaway.

Goodreads is not involved in the shipment of books to winners. Books usually arrive within 4-6 weeks.

If you've waited more than 30 days, visit the Giveaway Details page to let us know you haven't received your copy.

Thanks for playing!
The Goodreads staff

I was seriously shocked by the email because I never win (and I enter tons of contests) and there were 1423 entrants with only 30 selected to receive the book. I LOVE to read so I am happy to get anything that encourages this hobby of mine. Of course of all the contests I've entered I could think of one or two I'd have rather won so I hope winning this one doesn't jinx me or anything. Could this be my 15 minutes of fame? I seriously hope not!

I Love You

For several weeks Beeb has been insisting that when I put her to bed I must stay and snuggle with her like I do with Mr. B. There is a big difference between Mr. B and Beeb’s nighttime activities - namely Mr. B goes right to sleep and Beeb doesn’t.

Tonight Beeb made her request while we read stories together. “Tonight you WILL stay and snuggle with me like you do with Mr. B.”

“Yeah right,” I laughed. “Mr. B goes to sleep right away and you take days to go to sleep.”

She leaned her head onto my shoulder and said, “Not tonight. I feel tired tonight.”

Indeed she was tired. She didn’t squirm throughout the stories and afterward she immediately snuggled down under her blankets with me.

We chatted for a bit and I told her that I loved her. Lately she has not been reciprocating these verbal affections and it has me worried so I told her so.

“You know, I haven’t heard you say “I love you” in a while,” I said.

Beeb held up her hand to show me the ASL sign for “I love you”.

“You know what happens if you don’t say “I love you” very often? Your lips forget how to say it.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“I love you,” she blurted out.

“You know what else happens when you tell me you love me?” I asked.

She shook her head no.

“It makes my heart happy,” I informed her. She looked at me and smiled.

Christmas Re-cap

The days leading up to Christmas were so enjoyable. Last Sunday AH’s family had their big extended family annual Christmas dinner, program and white elephant gift exchange. I especially liked seeing cousins who we haven’t seen in a while and admiring their families and how they’ve grown.

Tuesday evening we went ice skating with the kids (see earlier post) which proved to be a very fun activity for us all.

On Wednesday evening I went to a production of Anne of Green Gables at our local playhouse. It was a musical and as delightful as could be. The music, actors, singing and set design were just spectacular and of course I adore the story. It was a really wonderful way to spend an evening.

On Thursday I took the kids to my mom’s for the day while AH stayed home to wrap up the installation of our entertainment built-ins (which never goes as smoothly as you hope). We enjoyed time with my brother, sister and one of my nieces. My mom made a wonderful lunch for us all and both the kids enjoyed playing/tormenting her little dog all day. Regretfully it was a short trip – I much prefer the longer ones that give more time for visiting and playing games.

Friday evening we went to AH’s parents for a big turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Following dinner each family provided a little entertainment by way of a skit, reading or activity. AH read the nativity while the children all dressed up accordingly and acting out their parts, and this was followed by the annual lighting of the Christmas tree (real candles) as we sang carols in English and German. This is always such a beautiful way to bring on the true Christmas spirit, singing beautiful hymns by candlelight.

Christmas came very early this morning. Mr. B was warned repeatedly last night that he was not to get up before 7am AND that he had to have his bed made and room cleaned before any presents were opened. At precisely 7am the squeals of delight poured into our bedroom as Mr. B saw what Santa had left for him. Beeb was much more restrained and I think still half asleep since Mr. B woke her up. The madness had officially begun and I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed and onto the couch.

The kids delighted in their gifts and AH’s parents and sister stopped by with more gifts for us and stayed through lunch. I was able to remove some of my most wanted items off my “materialistic list -->” – I am so happy for that list.

As the day went on AH went to work on our family room (new custom entertainment system went in a few days ago) and its long list of “must be done” before the carpet can be installed next month. I had woken up with a sore throat so I went back to bed after gifts were open but before the parents arrived. The kiddo’s played with their new gifts and in the afternoon I played with them. Beeb got a couple of beginning sewing kits so she decided to try sewing a “build-a-bear” that Grandma gave her. It took a little coaxing but she caught on and did a really good job. I followed up behind her and did another stitching over hers just to reinforce the seams.








Mr. B and AH worked for a bit building new Lego creations. Mr. B loves to get Lego’s and then have Dad put them together.




It’s always fun to see what gifts come from our Japanese relations each year. I rather like their “lego” variation that Beeb and I put together.



Beeb asked me to photograph her in her new PJ's and robe tonight just before bed:




At the end of the day I am thankful for those who’ve enriched our lives; our family and friends, acts of kindness from strangers, teachers and volunteers and all others who touch us so dearly. I am especially thankful for our health, as I’ve lost several friends recently, and appreciate the gift of life and being here to see my children grow. I am always thankful for our savior, Jesus Christ, and the significance of His life – the real reason we celebrate at this time of year and give honor to Him. Sometimes I sit and ponder what that means to “give honor to Him” – do you? It is a motivator for me to do a little better, try a little harder.

Merry Christmas to you all – may you invite His love into your hearts and know peace and comfort throughout the entire year.

Pre-Christmas Activities

A few days ago AH and I took the kids to our local upscale mall for their winter snowflake parade. I was a little reluctant since it started at 7pm and my kiddo's are usually in bed by 7:30pm but after seeing pictures that friends have posted of this event I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate the season and worth the late night.

I must have been at the wrong location despite following the directions posted on the mall website. The event we attended, with people lining both sides of the street, had no actual "parade" but instead some drummers on stands located throughout the crowd. They drummed while some music played - that was it. No princesses, no one marching down the street waiving to us, no candy being thrown to the kids - nothing. I felt stupid for dragging my very tired husband out of his warm house to stand shoulder to shoulder with strangers for a drummer and a few bubbles sprinkling down on us from the tops of the buildings.

The kids were crushed and I was irritated as we walked back to our car. It was on the way that I proposed to AH that we take the kids ice skating in the park. Thankfully AH agreed not to waste the trip and so we headed to the ice rink.









We had a lot of fun! The kiddo's struggled initially but got the hang of it and were able to skate for short distances without holding on to one of us or taking out all the other skaters. Beeb even announced that having mastered ice skating she is ready to take on snow skiing.

In a Moment Everything Can Change

Tonight started out rather rough. After struggling with Mr. B through part of his homework and then having both kids playing very loudly together, obviously hyper, and being too rough with each other (Beeb got hurt twice) I thought that the rest of the evening would have to be endured.

So I did what any mother of continuously squabbling kids would do - I snuck upstairs to work on cleaning out my craft room. Shortly after I started working Beeb came up to complain about her brother and his latest offense toward her. I had just found an ornament kit that we did for an Enrichment activity the previous week (there were extras so I took one home) and I asked Beeb if she wanted to make it. Together we worked on creating the ornament and it was fun. When we finished Beeb proudly hung it on the tree.



After hanging the ornament Beeb asked if we could make snowflakes. I can honestly say this is not a craft skill of mine, which I told Beeb, so she taught me how to make snowflakes. We each did our first one and then Mr. B came to see what we were up to and wanted to join in as well. The room was filled with the quietness of my two kids concentrating - folding and cutting paper and then excitedly showing me their creations. This quiet winter activity invited a sweet peaceful spirit into our home that only shortly before was filled with loud voices and the makings for a stressful evening.




As went to help get Mr. B ready for bed I entered his room and noticed a beautiful scene that served as a wonderful reminder of whom I am to be thankful to for the change in atmosphere in my home tonight.



I have been praying to find more meaningful activities to do with my children and while my prayer was answered tonight I forgot to give thanks until I saw that gentle reminder.



It softened my heart even more to see how my son had reverently arranged his dresser with deep honor and respect to those things which we hold dearest to our hearts. Mr. B (and Beeb) is working faithfully to finish the Book of Mormon before his 8th birthday. It is really hard right now but he has demonstrated a spirituality that I did not expect when we started. Just tonight as I read to him he would stop me to ask the meaning of a word he was not familiar with. This is tough stuff as 2nd Nephi references Isaiah and the language is very difficult to understand even for most adults. My heart is touched to see his love for the words of our Heavenly Father and an eagerness to choose the right.

The true spirit of Christmas filled my heart the evening and my gratitude to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is immense, even over powering - in the very best way.

When I Grow Up . . .

I have decided, 20 years after leaving high school, that I finally know what I want to be – I want to be Terry Gross. More specifically I want to interview all the diverse people that she does on her NPR radio show Fresh Air.

Yep, that’s it – that’s my dream job. I told AH tonight about my dream. He encouraged me to go back to school and study journalism (sarcasm) but that’s not really what is standing in my way. What I really need is for Terry Gross to quit so I can have her job and yet, somehow, I don’t think that is going to happen. Oh, and her cool voice – that would definitely help too.

Tonight Terry interviewed Dan Charnas about his new book “The Big Payback – A History of the Business of Hip Hop”, a completely fascinating interview.

About a week ago she interviewed New York Times Supreme Court correspondent Adam Liptak. It was a so captivating, informative and yet her style is easy to follow and her connection with her guests feels so relaxed - as if you are in the room with them overhearing a private conversation.

New Hobbies

The kiddos have each recently taken up a new hobby. Mr. B decided he needed to learn the board game Settlers of Catan and now pesters us non-stop to play. I will admit that he doesn’t do too bad and actually plays much faster than his Uncle’s (on AH’s side) which makes the game tolerable for me.

On Monday it was Mr. B’s turn to pick out the game for our Family Home Evening activity. Of course he chose Settlers of Catan which had us wondering what Beeb would do. I didn’t think the game would hold her attention, which was true, but in the process of keeping her entertained I introduced her to her newest hobby; styling my hair. She had fun, Mr. B had fun and I still won the game – fun for me (not so much for AH).

Fast forward to this morning when Mr. B presented our game Settlers of Zarahemla and requested we play it this evening. I was surprised that when this evening rolled around AH was a willing participant so we made Mr. B happy by playing. Shortly after the game started Beeb asked if she could style my hair again, explaining that she had quite the skills for styling. I relented and my poor scalp is still suffering – ouch! I hope she continues to hone those skills lest all my hair gets pulled out.

Beeb's pose for me:


The culprit:


The goofy bunch:


I continue to dominate the Settler's games but Mr. B did manage to tie with AH tonight. Not too shabby for a 7 year old.

TRON

When I was a little girl in elementary school my brother would sometimes take me to our neighborhood corner market, aptly named The Pink Store with it's pink exterior, to play video games. I remember watching him play Tron and wishing I could play it was well as he could.



When the original movie came out I thought it was amazing and watched it repeatedly. Bruce Boxlietner was at the height of his popularity with his role in Tron (1982) and then Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983). (My mom thought he and Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers) were quite the hotties so we had to watch these shows each week.)

Today I got an invitation to the premiere of the new Tron. I invited AH to come along but now am wondering if that was the right decision. AH has not shown that he has the love of Tron necessary to appreciate or pick apart the new Tron since he hasn't seen the original movie (seriously neglected childhood). He has a week to brush up on his Tron trivia or suffer the wrath of his wife.