Trick or treating with Dad at work!

The kids got a surprisingly good haul for showing up unannounced. Hoping to get more and better pics up later--but we're moving Friday, so we'll see . . . Happy haunting!

Fan mail for Sam and Ezra

This is going out to Ginger's boys--it's my kids' reaction to their AWESOME dance video. Hopefully they'll all meet someday at the same Saturday Night Dance.

Sorry if you don't know Ginger and can't see the original video--maybe this is still entertaining?

Oh no, or maybe oh boy!!!

Guess it's a good thing we're getting into a house (rented--more details later!) soon so I won't blow any walls off! I've been thinking of dabbling in unique instruments lately (lyre, dulcimer, banjo) . . . better add this to my list.


You Should Play the ACCORDION

You Should Play the Accordion

You are eccentric, funky, wacky... definitely one of a kind. People have trouble putting you in any one particular category. You definitely have your own thing going on. You are a born entertainer. No wonder you'd be perfect as an one man (or one woman) band. Your musical influences likely cross all genres - and blend together in a very unusual way. While you are definitely offbeat, you also enjoy tradition and influences from the past. It's just your style to take an old fashioned instrument like the accordion and make it uniquely yours. Your dominant personality characteristic: your total lack of inhibition Your secondary personality characteristic: your interest in obscure activities and subjects

What Musical Instrument Should You Play?

I resonate with the third paragraph--but I'll have to think about the aaack . . . accordion. For some reason I view it as kind of dopey, not intriguing and exotic. And I think I can be plenty inhibited--I like playing with groups--I tried to swing this quiz towards a bluegrass folk GROUP and this is what I got!

The Wedding Montage

The Smilingest Aaron and Amy!!!!! Hooray!

and, in no particular order (because I'm not that skilled with this technology)

the other good shots . . .

with my parents






ZAZEL

Catherine (my sister) and Ken

Adam (my brother), Heather, and Zazel

the PT Cruisers

a pretty lady and a handsome boy on an innocent walk . . .
til this guy came along
and picked them up!
Alli was sad that they took off with her mom too!

Thanks Aaron and Amy, for letting us test out your getaway car ;)

A nostalgic Fall day

He's getting grown up, isn't he?

This is for Papa--a field of dreams surrounded by forest.

Mark's tree shot

The reward after a long leafy walk--two kids asleep in the stroller.

These pics are from Maryland--the day before the wedding.

We went up to D.C. last week for Aaron and Amy's day. . . more pics coming as soon as the kids let me!

One thing that's good about sitting here reading instead of doing something "productive" while Mark's at priesthood for two hours: I'm sure I can feel the baby moving as I sit here. So it's a good thing I haven't moved--otherwise it couldn't have told me three times that it likes to push my waistband. But I'm nearly becoming a vegetable--I can't remember the next sentence I'm planning to type. Oh yeah, the baby will keep on being "it" for a while--we're going to do another surprise round and wait to find out like we did with Simon.

I want to publicly CURSE all the insects of Texas--because it's 10:23p.m. and after a very long day I have to go do the dishes. Blast you you little creatures!!!

The Smiliest of Days . . . the actual birthday!

a Planet Heroes Turbo Shuttle. pretty much the coolest.

Mark says he would have asked for this up until he was 15 . . .

the long adored Buzz Lightyear!!!
and, delight of all delights (Alli's face testifies!), Simon will share one of his new pods with her!

We finally feel like we got this birthday right, "got him just what he wanted, instead of what we overthought he might want", and he's been playing hard ever since (and sharing more than I thought I could hope for!).

Now, after it was all said and done, I needed to sleep muchly. That's why this is all making it up here a week later.

To four years old and beyond!

A sketched-on Buzz Lightyear and cupcakes with planets and lightsaber handles. I'm pleased.

" Pin the rocket on the planet"

Notice the Simon montage on the wall bar. ;)

Simon invited a bunch of good singers!

Making a wish!

He confessed to me a few days later that it was for the big Buzz Lightyear (once he safely had his Buzz and could take it everywhere and show all its features to everyone who comes to the house.)

Cupcakes on the Rainbow Asteroid Belt

Warming up for the LIGHTSABER BATTLE--it got pretty fierce once all the space kids were armed. We did try to make them do it to music and stop (and win prizes) occasionally. Pretty fun.

Developmental Biology on the homefront

We've had some toad excitement around here lately. About a week and a half ago the kids and I found a bunch of tadpoles in this recurring massive rainpuddle we have nearby. It must have been my reward for finally getting out of the house before noon and heading the kids toward the park. So exciting. Anyway, first we realized that their puddle was quickly drying out, so we scratched the park idea and made a bucket brigade bringing them water from our house. Then, we had buckets, so the kids had to scoop tadpoles into them. Sidenote: Alli was really happily playing in the mud with her shovel til I happened to point out to her that she was getting all muddy on her hands and feet and forehead (which I didn't mind). I thought she would be delighted--she was horrified and upset until we went and got more clean water for her and got her hands pristine again. Funny. So, anyway, we brought a bucketful of mud, water, and 'poles home. I think it was to show Mark later; that is the reason for a lot of things we do. I didn't feel a big rush to dump the tadpoles back out, because hey, they were living in a stagnant puddle anyway. And a few days later there was no puddle to speak of. Whenever we'd go somewhere we give the bucket a little turn and our tadpoles were still alive and kicking; plus, some teeeeeny dragonfly nymphs and some spidery younguns were swimming around in there too. Then they got legs!!!! I know, this is very predictable, of course they got legs; but I NEVER can keep things alive (I guess I should just stick to things I can find in stagnant places). Yesterday we poured them out in a shallow frisbee and:

THREE OF THEM HOPPED OUT!!!!!

They were so small, no bigger than a tadpole, just leggy. The rest of them died from the stress of multiple dumps into the Frisbee. My four-year old assistant got a little overzealous--but hey, we kept three alive and we feel pretty great about that. The end.

The apple frenzy continues . . . caramel this time.

I was just going to write about the gloriousness of caramel apples and state my plans to teach four preschoolers how to make them tomorrow. Then I realized that this is just my recent fall apple obsession being extended. They may not look as good as these tomorrow, but I plan to work out the kinks with the kids and make two somewhat like these for Mark and me later. We had a good friend give these to us a few Christmases ago, in lieu of the traditional plate of goodies, and wowie were they zowie! As for tonight, I'm just making myself sick eating too many caramels while I wait for Mark to get home . . . a pretty happy misery.

Oh, and yes, the theme I chose to teach the kids about tomorrow is: apples. Geez, Emily! Johnny Appleseed, wiggling like worms, apple prints with paint, and the aforementioned delights.

Allianna's hierarchy or, a few of our favorite things.

I'm asking Alli all day things like "don't do that" "leave that there" "can I have that please?" when she has something she shouldn't have or is doing something wrong with it. The usual response is a smile, squeal, and a good chance she'll run away squealing and smiling; or an indifferent and sassy "No. no, mom." As in, hmm, that's an interesting idea you have Mom, but I don't agree. Or other times she acts like she doesn't hear me saying anything. So, that is how much respect I get.

However, and this is a massive however, if I mention that what she's playing with is Daddy's, she gets all reverential and agreeable. "Ooh. Daddy's? Daddy's [with awe]." And then she points to it or hands it to me and tells me "Daddy's"--all while nodding her head very authoritatively and soberly ("We definitely can't let bad things happen to something so special, Mom."). It doesn't matter if it's even just a piece of paper. We may have a moment of silence before she utters another respectful "Daddy's." Then she's on her way. There's nothing we agree about more than how dear Dad-O is. ;)

Oh, we also agree that it's fun to window shop pretty things. We were on our own at Target the other day (while the boys were at the natural science museum) and I asked her if she wanted to look for pretty little girl bracelets. "Yeeeah." (in the deep drawn out raspy way she says it). So we wandered the aisles looking for them while she called all the while "Preh-dy! . . . . Wheh ah yooou??? Pretty? wehahYOU?!?!"

This is for Melanie

and for anyone else who knew me in high school or my freshman year. This is what you'd expect for my daughter to wear: thrift store blue shirt and brown pants. Blue and brown, so many options . . . maybe I'll get a better picture later (sorry about the quick webcam one).

UPDATE

The apples are still intoxicating. I nearly fell into the big bin of them at Fiesta and stayed there...

The apples know that fall is coming. You can taste it in them, even in Texas. You need to go out and eat some. Apples get a bad rap for being boring and year-round and reliable, but BABY they're in their season right now! Try a Gala or a Pink Lady or a Jonathan (if you're so lucky as to find one)!!!!!

My ability to detect this may be slightly enhanced by being pregnant--but don't worry, you'll be able to taste it too! You know, if you've ever had real, thick cider, that's a bit of what you'll be tasting.

Some more thoughts

Since Mark's co-workers found out they were expecting their third, they were worried about affording daycare. I really felt for them, as they're both post-docs (just a smidge more income than graduate school). I knew that it must be paralyzing to think of finding another nearly $1000/month. I was glad when Lyn let us know what the going rates were for daycare, nannies, and homecare. We really had no frame of reference, except that we had done the math and 700/month added up to $3.50hr.

I knew that if I brought their baby into our house I would love her. I would do everything to make her comfortable and her parents at ease. I've done it twice before for friends who were working on their masters'.

A big aspect of this is how I feel physically right now. I am barely able to accomplish the most basic things to keep my household together (e.g. being upright before 10a.m., providing my kids food regularly). Things that used to be rote, like doing all our laundry, are Herculean. If I manage to get to the grocery store with the kids once a week, I only have the gusto to get some fresh produce and a few other things. Even that effort slays me for the rest of the day. I'm usually a foodie and love to make a wild variety of interesting nutritious dinners. But take this week for example, one night it was oatmeal and the other it was instant soup and quesadillas.

So the way that it falls out is this: Mark puts in 10+ (often stressful) hours a day at work, then comes home and tries to repower by eating basically vapors for dinner, before spending the night hauling our laundry to the laundromat or going to the grocery store or doing something for church. What would it be like if I managed to take care of even less for our family . . . So I'm not accomplishing much; at home, with neighbors, in any kind of personal enrichment/achievement . . .but, I'm pressing on.

I'm not writing all of this to complain. I love the choice I've made to do what I do during this season of life. I think that for all women it's hard. We measure constantly what our impact is on those around us--and how we can alleviate things especially for those we love.

So, when I entertain this chance to care for our friends' baby, I hope hope hope that I will feel much better by October. But I still come back to a mental image of me carrying the baby in her carrier, waddling with new girth, carrying Alli as well (sometimes), and verbally directing Simon to where he needs to be. All just to get through the parking lot to our car. No elaborating on what navigating the store would be like.

So, here's my last thought. It's just not my season. Case in point: I have a favorite aunt who's having serious treatments for cancer. There's no way I can offer to come stay with her and help--because of my kids and family right now. But my older sister can and has; she's an awesome strong women who has chosen different efforts than me, and that makes her able to help right now.

I want to help other people, I want to love you whoever you are reading this, and maybe someday I'll be able to work for the U.N. too

In the meantime I think I'll tell Mark's friends about the awesome Chinese lady across from us who has adopted my kids like a devoted grandmother.

What would you do?

So I'm wrestling with a decision. One of Mark's co-workers has asked if I could watch their 2

month old baby for a few months. Here are the details of the offer. I'd watch her from 8:30-6:30 (10 hours, yikes?) monday-friday. I'd get $700/month (though I will be asking for more if I really do it). It would be during October, probably not November, and then again for two weeks in December--so not permanent. My kids are barely 4 and almost 2. There are a jillion pros and cons, but I'm just going to open it up to opinions. Am I crazy to consider? Are some things not worth whatever money, or would it be easy street with an immobile sweet thing?

Oh, and yes, of course, I am pregnant. :) Just finished the first trimester (or almost). Been saving a bunch of stories of my prego mindlessness (which will come soon). So that would be a factor . . . though I think sacrifices that will come to my family from one of their own will be different than a babysitting charge, but, a good dry run perhaps.

Any of my local gals want to split the job with me???

Let's get chile! Share a meal with us.

You may like chile/chili, you may not. Regardless, this is your next "Share a meal with us" invite--you are strongly invited. I've made about 7 very different types of chili in our marriage and this the one that Mark gives the "Only chili I can eat without crackers or bread" seal of approval. That means that he likes a chili that is thick and even still he's usually trying to fill up by putting it on crackers. I have dubbed this the Man's Chili, because:
it was created by a man, approved by both my men (received the "My Man ate 4 bowls" award), and is as easy as can-opening; but don't worry it is perfectly feminine in presentation and texture and variety. So without further beaning about the bush (oh hah!) . . .

Marti's Yummy Chile (with my variations)

1 lb. browned hamburger meat (lean) I usually use less
2 cans beef chili (any kind) or 1 large can
2 cans black beans or 1 can, this recipe gets big
1 can kidney beans
1 can white beans or 1 can hominy (that was nice tonight)
1 can Italian tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp., brown sugar

Brown meat until deep brown. Add remaining ingredients (I rinse the beans to get rid of a metallic taste that only I can detect). Heat to boil. Serve with onions, cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc., whatever you like. Hooray!!! oh, it's good!

HA HA!

It's 7 p.m. and my kids are in bed!

Mark had a 6 p.m. Priesthood mtg. so I started their bath at 6 too; how could I resist???!!!!

Holding my breath for 20 minutes now, just to make sure!