Dizzy Miss Lizzy

Let’s hear a hip-hip-hooray for three day weekends! We have really lucked out too; Jeff and I both have tomorrow off. I have no idea what we are going to do, but if we’re together, it won’t matter a whole lot, it’ll be a great day.

The girls have started the summer reading program at the library and have enjoyed our trips to the library to pick out new and interesting books. They can receive prizes every few hours that they read (or are read to) this summer. Felicity, much like my self, is very goal oriented and just loves being able to mark off the time from her reading card. Helen as gotten into the action as well and is loving it. She picked out a pig book that she looks at from cover to cover and then wants it read to her several times in a sitting. She almost has it memorized!

We had a busy week. The girls have enjoyed the pool every afternoon this week and both are looking, well…, quite Tahitian! It just so happens that Jeff and I are both blessed with easily tanned skin, we both very rarely burn, and the girls have inherited that little genetic gem, because they are both just as tan as can be. I traded for babysitting this week which has worked out well for both moms involved. We are hoping to get Felicity into preschool in the fall. I’m hoping that few hours a day in preschool will assuage some of my fear of sending her to kindergarten fall after next. I’ve seriously contemplated home-schooling as an option, but it is still over a year away, we’ll just have to see how things go.

I had two cake orders this week; one for work which was a relatively quick project and a hula themed birthday cake which was a little more involved. Both cakes turned out fairly well.

Helen has been upgraded to a big girl bed a little ahead of schedule. Our intention was to put the bunk bed together next December. I was planning on re-decorating their bedroom for Christmas and transitioning Helen into the bunk bed. Well, this week while they were supposed to be napping, Felicity got in the crib with Helen and proceeded to initiate some sort of jumping contest which resulted in both girls on the floor when the bottom of the crib broke out from under them. You may recall a similar incident occurring a few months ago. In that case Jeff was able to repair the crib, this time, however, no such repair was possible so we disassembled it along with the change table which also suffered a “being used as a jungle-gym” injury some months back and put the bunk bed together. It has freed up quite a bit of space in their room, and they are really doing well with the change. We had suggested that they sleep in separate rooms, but this was met with riotous protest, so together they shall stay.

We had a great time on Saturday with Richard and Beth. The girls enjoyed swimming in the big pool. I’m grateful Jeff had the morning off from the Girls and got to enjoy the time with us even though he worked Saturday night. Helen enjoyed having a captive audience and stood in the middle of the room forever just spinning and singing until she became dizzy and fell, then she would get right back up and do it again. Both the girls are such performers!

We will both be off for Memorial Day and I have no idea what we are going do. Sunday is almost always the only day we have the entire day together as a family, so it will be fun. I’m thinking trip to the lake for fishing, the park, picnic, and BBQ for dinner. Maybe we'll go fly a kite. Whatever we end up doing I’m sure it will be great, because we'll be together.

That Means a Lot

This morning I am a proud native Arizonan. I attended the dedication for the new Gila Valley Arizona temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; the beauty of the desert and the uniqueness of the South West was felt strongly and the great love and pride I have for this, my home, the desert welled up inside of me. As I had mentioned earlier, we had taken the children to the open house of the temple so they could go inside and feel, if but a part, of the Spirit of the house of the Lord. As I sat in our chapel in Sahuarita, AZ and participated in the first dedicatory service, the place I sat truly was but an extension of the temple. It was an exceptional experience.

This week was…well just another week I suppose. We were home together on Monday and cleaned up the house and enjoyed time together. Our family home evening lesson was on testimonies and Felicity did a great job practicing hers; she’s very motivated by the idea that if she becomes proficient at expressing her thoughts and feelings in family home evening that she will be able to do it in front of the ward behind the microphone at a fast and testimony meeting. We had ice cream as our treat and played mousetrap together as our activity. The girls really look forward to FHE each week.

We both worked the rest of the week and Jeff worked on Saturday as well for the Girls. Friday brought the return of our weekly game night which has been on hiatus for the last few weeks. It was just the Bryson’s and us seeing as we forgot to send out invites to anyone else. The girls have been doing well and both are already quite tan as they have been enjoying the warm afternoons in the pool. Helen has the cutest crisscross tan mark across her back from her bathing suit. They’ve been out to riding their bikes, playing in the sprinklers and various other things that little girls enjoy in the early summer. I must admit that I used the pool for somewhat less than recreational purposes Wednesday night. The girls had ice cream after dinner and Helen attempted to create her own hair tonic, and needless to say was sticky, quite literally, from head to toe. So, I took off her clothes and rinsed her off in the pool since she was too sticky for the sink, and well heck the pool already had water in, I would have had to fill the tub. Felicity came out and wondered aloud why Helen could swim naked while proceeding to strip. The fun was over when dad came out and wanted to know where the bathing suits were!

So as a somewhat humorous antidote from this week I turn to a common evolutionary concept; the idea of fight or flight. The general idea is that when faced with an emanate danger an animal will either fight for or run for its life. Now from a very superficial look, I would have gauged that I’m a flight person. That given trouble, I would run. But I came to the truth of reality of the fact that I am 100% a fight creature. So Jeff came home around 1:30AM on Thursday night. I lay in bed mostly asleep. I didn’t get his text message saying he was on his way so in my twilight sleep was not expecting him home, so it must have come as a surprise to me when I awoke to a gentle touch on my hip. I reacted by firmly grabbing him while he stand at the side of the bed and kicking him squarely in the kidney. My second kick missed its target as a very startled Jeff back peddled quickly toward the door and I realized just who I was trying to pummel. He was a good sport, and he wasn’t overly traumatized as it has not been the first time I’ve taken a swing at him when caught off guard!


Helen has continued to express interest in the potty, although for whatever reason is not able to take off her own clothes yet. For this I’m grateful as it seems to me at this age Felicity was constantly taking her clothes and diaper off. I am very proud of how intuitive Felicity is and how she is beginning to recognize and acknowledge the needs of others. Saturday while I was refilling the fish tank Felicity came downstairs to tell me that Helen was poopy and was playing in it, arg! And of course as I’m listening to what it is Felicity’s telling me the hose came out of the fish tank as was spraying water all over the entry way. I shut the hose off and headed upstairs, where, as earlier mention, Helen was a GROSS mess. I started the bath and while I am trying to clean her off, thinking of the water-soaked carpet downstairs, Felicity brings in a towel for Helen. When I get her back in the room Felicity has laid out a new diaper and new pair of clothes as well as a replacement sheet for the now soiled crib. Frustration over the mess melted away as I recognized not only the service given to me from my four year old, but the intuitiveness required to think of the needs of others. I have a great desire for the girls to not only learn, but learn to love being in the service of others. Home is the best classroom for that lesson. I will never understand the family where it’s everyman for himself. Love will be found where there is sacrifice and service.

A Day in the Life

The cursor just blinks on my screen. Perhaps it’s just because I’m tired, for I am rarely out of words. We had a rather uneventful week; I worked every day this week. I feel exceptionally torn about work. I’m grateful beyond measure to help support us while Jeff is in school, but I miss greatly being at home with the girls. And this too shall pass. Jeff is registered for a calculus class this summer at Pima and we’re waiting to hear back from the UA. He applied to the college of engineering which is competitive, so there are a few more hoops than normal to jump through. He had the appropriate high school GPA and class standing for their requirements; he didn’t take the SAT, but got an acceptable score on his ACT. Even though he graduated from high school awhile ago, they still require his high school transcript, so that’s what we are waiting on. They also require concurrent enrollment in the honors college. I think he’s going to do well. I’m proud of him; he’s made such great strides!
Jeff and I both worked on Saturday, and I’m so very grateful to Chris and Emily and also Jan and Victor for helping us to do that by watching the girls. It was great to work alongside my companion. It’s also great to see how quickly he has found his niche in the group. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand what it is about Jeff; but people just naturally love him. We needed the extra money this week so both of us working was a great blessing. We replaced the van tires last week somewhat unexpectedly, so this really helped.
The weather has been very mild for being mid May and we’ve really been enjoying the backyard. I feel it’s my place away from it all. We’ve been having dinner on the back porch when it’s not too windy. The garden is doing well. We harvested our peas…a whole cup (I think we’ll be planting more in the fall). The corn is waist high, we got a bell pepper, a tomato, and the onions are almost ready. The okra plants are in bloom and I can hardly wait, I love okra! The grass is really doing well also. The kids get out and enjoy the pool almost every day; even Jeff and I got in and cooled off Thursday afternoon. I really love it out there and enjoy the time I spend watering and weeding.

Helen has shown great interest in the potty as of late and asks to sit on it a few times a day. I refuse to get my hopes up, but it’s a good sign anyway. She speaks so well; full, polite, sentences. My mom asked if she wanted something the other day and she said “no thank you, Nana”. She asks “can I drink, please”? She’s very clever and we are so proud of her. Felicity and I have continued our preschool time. She really enjoys it a lot. We’re working on number recognition and while I feel its slow going, she is very patient with me.
It was just another week. But that’s what life is made up of; weeks, regular boring weeks. I feel great love for my family and great appreciation for our blessings. Remember that it may just be another day in the life, but make it count.

And I Love Her!

Happy Mother’s Day! We had another great week. We had the missionaries over for dinner on Monday which was very nice as usual. Jeff and I took an impromptu date night on Wednesday night. He finished work at five and I met him in Tucson. We had dinner at Applebee’s and enjoyed each other’s company. The more often we spend time just the two of us, the more I come to realize how much we share and complement one another. He has in abundance where I greatly lack. We couldn’t decide on a movie, so, since my mom was willing to keep the girls over night, we saw two. We saw Avatar which we both really liked, and then we saw Clash of the Titans which neither of us was very impressed with; although, I believe that Jeff and I could sit through a tax seminar and as long as we were together could enjoy ourselves.
I was able to spend Thursday with my mother and grandmother, which was a lot of fun. We had breakfast at our favorite restaurant and did some thrift shopping. I didn’t end up with anything for myself, but I got Jeff a new book and got the girls each a couple of articles of clothing and a game for family home evening. It was so nice to have that time with two of my favorite people.
Jeff worked on Saturday for The Girl’s and then worked his shift at the theater. I worked on our Mother’s Day gifts, three cakes. They weren’t too complicated and I got to try some new techniques. Two of the cakes were almost entirely decorated in icing, which was new for me as I tend to work in mostly fondant. They all turned out well, it’s nice to be able to take something I enjoy doing and bring cheer to others with it.

We left for Tucson early on Sunday and visited with Jeff’s grandma Ruth. She was very happy to see us and we had a nice visit. She didn’t remember the girls or me, but it was clear she was elated to have company. We took a card and one of the cakes for Mother’s Day. Jeff feels badly that we have not visited as often as we used to when we lived in Tucson. We used to visit almost every Sunday after church on the way to my parents for dinner, but since my parents moved out of the Terra del Sol neighborhood, we have gotten out of the habit of regularly visiting. We then headed over to my grandparents house and visited with Grandma Lo and Grandpa Gene. The girls were happy to be out and socializing. Again we took a card and cake for Mother’s Day.
Mom and Dad joined us for Sacrament meeting to hear Felicity sing with the Primary for Mother’s Day. It was nice to have them with us; I know Helen and Felicity especially enjoyed it. I interpreted all three meetings so I wasn’t able to sit with them, but that was fine; I had a better seat for the children’s singing! We had dinner with my parents and delivered the final cake. We had a great day full of family and love.

I’m eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending me to such a wonderful mother. She wasn’t perfect, as none of us are, but I’ve always known she loved me. She’s been the best example of wife and mother in my life. Growing up I always thought that everyone’s home was kept well and dinner was home-cooked every night. I thought that everyone’s parents were loving and affectionate toward one another. I thought every family worked together on the weekends, that everyone took Sunday afternoon drives or had picnics. As an adult I now know that that isn’t the case; I was immeasurably blessed by a home of love and sacrifice. That’s because that is the home that my mother made and I love and appreciate her for it. She was always my mother when I was a child, not my friend. Because of that, I can now say as an adult she is one of my best friends. I’m grateful for a day to honor the divinity of womanhood and the sanctity of motherhood. I count myself blessed to have been trusted with two of Heavenly Father’s choice spirits. I love my girls.
We hope that everyone had a nice Mother’s Day and that your week will go well. Love to all.

A Hard Day's Night

I love Sunday. We get to spend the whole day together as a family. The girls got out the Veggie Tales armament this morning as well as their other Sunday appropriate movies. We started a new Sunday activity about 4 or 5 months ago where we choose a “memory song” for the week and practice it on Sunday and then sing it throughout the week. Lately we’ve been choosing songs that Felicity is learning in Primary. She, and all of us, has learned quite a large repertoire. I think this week Jeff has chosen “I Know That My Savior Loves Me”. We also work on memorizing the articles of faith on Sunday morning around the breakfast table. Felicity has 1-4 down pretty well; we’re still working on 5. I think we don’t often realize just how much our little ones can do!

We are still, honestly, recovering from our guests from last week. A week of no set schedules and no cleaning can set you back for a couple weeks! Jeff picked up a second job this week. Well it’s not really a second job, he’s only working Saturdays. He’s working for The Girl’s Estate Sales, where my mom works, moving larger purchases out to people’s cars. He seemed to like it well enough this week. He is, needless to say, sleeping in this morning! He worked at the theater on Friday night and didn’t get home until 1:30am, and then he had to leave the house at 5:00am to meet my mom for work on Saturday. It probably won’t be like that every week, but I knew he was tired when he went to bed at 8:30pm last night! The extra money each month will really help. We have a trip to Utah planned this July and would like to take the girls to Disneyland early next year. And there is of course bills, and debt. We are also planning on having to replace the van in the next year or so. It’s not given us any trouble that Jeff couldn’t fix, yet. It’s got 184,000 miles on it and it’s just a matter of time before it starts to have serious problems. Our thoughts are that there’s no use sinking money into a vehicle so that it will limp along when you can put that money toward something reliable. But we’ll see, it might surprise us and last another 24,000+ miles. Better to be prepared, though!
I worked two full eight hour days this week. I was tired when I got home! Kudos to those of you that do it every day, not that I don’t do a lot everyday and work from home most days, but it’s tiring to be away from home all day. Work is going well, I recently moved buildings and plan to finally put up some pictures and personal items in my cubicle, I put it off since I knew we were moving.

I took the girls to the doctor this week and they had a great check-up. Both are healthy and growing well. Helen has made it into the 50 percentile for height and weight. Both impressed the doctor with their communication skills and color/shape recognition, even Helen jumped in on some of the color questions. Helen knew all the body parts she asked her. We’re very proud of the girls. Felicity had to have four inoculations, she did great and didn’t cry or resist at all, she sat bravely and only cried after the poke. She went first to show Helen how brave she could be. They both got to have McDonald’s lunch and a trip to the mall as a reward. We still drive into Tucson for their appointments, but I love their doctor. She’s been the doctor for both the girls since birth and she remembers them every appointment and asks them questions specific to them each time. Once you’ve found a doctor you like, it’s worth the hour drive!
The girls and I had a night in together on Friday while Jeff was at work. We didn’t have game night because of some strep floating around. We had a dinner of the girl’s choice, hotdogs (Helen’s request) and macaroni and cheese (Felicity’s request). We watched a movie together, made some cookies, and painted our toenails. It’s great to have some girl bonding time.
Our weather hasn’t been as warm as it usually is this time a year, but it hasn’t kept the girls out of the pool. They’ve really been enjoying it. We empty it on the grass and move it every couple of days so that it doesn’t kill the grass underneath. Another great week with lots of love and family and memories in the making!