Are You my Friend?

Overheard while walking to the bus stop:

Lydia: Braden, are you my friend?
Braden: (Thinking for a minute) Family members can be friends.
Lydia: But are you my friend?
Braden: Yes.
Lydia: Okay, I just wanted to know.

They are such good friends, and they play together so well. I couldn't ask for them to be closer and love each other more. Just the other day, Braden wrote Lydia a "letter" and wrapped up some Legos. Then he "delivered" them to her room.

They spend most of their time at home together. They love to go outside and play sports, pretend in their fort -- a sheltered area under some evergreen branches, and do art projects. Lydia knows more about Star Wars than I ever did, and Braden is not above watching Barbie movies.

I also love to see them working together. They do daily chores, and every Wednesday they sweep or mop the stairwell in our house. On the days they mop it, they work together, one mopping, the other drying. They make a great team.

I'm so glad that "family members can be friends," and I hope that they will always be close.

Braden

Here are a few pictures of Braden from the past month. He has been quite a busy boy.

I was so proud of him at the Pinewood Derby. He designed, built, and painted his own car. It may not have placed, but he did it himself. Which in the world of scouting is an accomplishment. You can always tell the cars that were built by the dads, and a lot of times those are the cars that win. But Morgan is extremely patient with Braden, and showed him how to use some of his hand tools, and then allowed him to do it all by himself. Morgan had to leave for a month before it was done, so I helped him finish up with painting, decorating and putting the wheels on. With my help, he was lucky it even moved. But it was actually very fast, and he was a terrific sport.This is a picture of Braden with his Social Studies project. They had to choose a country, and make a salt dough map of it. We worked really hard on it, and he learned a lot about Egypt.

This last picture is Braden with his "Student of the Month" award. I was so proud when he brought this home that I started to cry. I am so happy that he was recognized for being trustworthy. He has received awards in the past for trustworthiness and honesty, and it is something all of his teachers comment on. I don't think it is possible for Braden to tell a lie. Even if he knows he will get in trouble, he always tells the whole truth, nothing but the truth.

He is a sweet brother, also. This morning he got up early and made breakfast for everyone. I came downstairs to find three bowls of soggy cereal. It was delicious. He even put out a yogurt for Liam on his high chair. We are so blessed to have this sweet boy in our family.

I'm Sorry

I know. I'm a tease. I set you all up to expect regular posts, and then let you all down. All I can say is, I'm sorry. Last week was one of those weeks when you say, "if I can just make it to Saturday . . ." Saturday was World Thinking Day for Girl Scouts. I am the leader of Lydia's Daisy troop, so I had a lot to do to prepare for Thinking Day.

Thinking Day is a celebration where each troop sets up a table with information on Girl Scouting in other countries. We chose Romania. I e-mailed the Girl Scout organization in Romania and asked them for some pictures of their scouts, and they kindly replied, which made our display really special. Each troop also hands out Swaps -- little pins that symbolize some aspect of the country they studied. Morgan and I stayed up late all week making Martisori, which are little pins that Romanians hand out on March 1st. It is kind of like Valentine's Day in the States. I also spent half of the day Friday making cozonac, a Romanian sweet bread.

On Saturday, we went and set up our display, and then I gave a 9 minute presentation on Romania 10 times in a row. I was so exhausted by the end, but my cute Daisies and all of the other girls had a great time. Lydia got to try some new foods at the other tables, and got a "passport" full of stamps and stickers. She was thrilled with all of the swaps she received from the other tables.

I forgot to bring my camera, but my assistant leader took pictures for me, so I will post those when I get them.

I will try to be better at posting this week. I am a big believer in planners and lists. I have a daily task list, weekly task list, and then I do lists for other things for which I need to prepare, like getting ready for the baby. So I am working off of three lists right now, and it really helps me to feel in control. If I add "write blog post" to my daily list, I am much more likely to actually do it. You see, if it is on the list, I have a really hard time going to bed without doing it. So hopefully you will hear more from me soon.

I am always thinking of things to write about, but sometimes I hit a real slump. Right now I have plans to post pictures of the inside of our house. I have been working so hard on organizing our house. It is hard to move as often as we do, because I believe in "a place for everything, and everything in its place." Whenever we move into a new house I have to find new places for everything. And German houses don't have closets! It may be a huge house, but there is not one closet!

I am also thinking about doing a post on some of our favorite things. I always enjoy learning about products and items that others have found helpful, so I was thinking about posting about the things that make our life a little easier.

I also am planning a post on Braden. He has earned a great award at school recently, and I am so proud of him. He and Lydia also just started piano lessons, and are getting ready to start baseball in the spring.

Anyway, those are some things to watch for in the coming posts. Now that I have told you about them, I have to do them!

Flashback FridayThis is me when I was 3, during my Wonder Woman phase. It lasted for quite a long time, as I recall, because several years later I acquired a set of Wonder Woman Underoos.

Every year at Christmas time I marvel at the faith and belief of children. My very logical, scientific-minded 8-year-old doesn't even question the existence of Santa Claus. When you are young, all things are possible. I believed in unicorns, fairies, magic, and that I could grow up to be Wonder Woman (this was, of course, after I had gotten over the desire to grow up to be Dorothy Hamill). I remember truly believing that I could be Wonder Woman when I grew up. It was all a matter of the spin. If I could just spin fast enough, surely I would be able to transform into my favorite super-heroine.

I spent a lot of time spinning around. There was a neighborhood girl who was especially supportive of my endeavor, insisting that she could see the star forming on my forehead, or the wristbands appearing.

I don't know when I gave up my dream, but maybe it was somewhere around adolescence when I was more self-conscious about traipsing around in a bathing suit. Maybe I never gave up the dream completely. I still try to do more than is humanly possible, and get down on myself for never being able to accomplish everything I set out to do.

And then again, maybe I don't have to give up the dream. So many women I know are "wonder women," whether they are at home with children, in the work force, or pursuing some other dream. They find time to be educated, interesting, work, care for others, volunteer, etc. I think that it must take some super powers to be a mom. Sometimes I don't know how I stay awake! Hmmm, I wonder if I can get my hands on a Lasso of Truth, or if I can trade my minivan in for an invisible airplane!

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways . . .

La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Sir Frank Dicksee

Happy Valentine's Day! Since Morgan is out of town, I didn't think I would get a Valentine at all, which didn't bother me since we just celebrated so much -- my birthday, our 10th anniversary, the anniversary of our first date (we celebrate that every year). Actually, come to think of it, Morgan was out of town for two of those three events! But he brought me sweet presents to make up for it, so I can't complain. But this morning, all of the kids were up by 6:15, and we exchanged heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. Morgan had bought some for me, and Lydia hid them under her bed. Thanks, Sweetie!

The kids have been so excited for Valentine's day. Seriously, they didn't get up that early on Christmas! We only have one Valentine's Day TV special on DVD -- The Charlie Brown Valentine's Day special. So we have watched that a few (hundred) times now. Charlie Brown makes me so sad sometimes. I mean, he is a pretty serious kid anyway, but the Valentine's special is devastating! The first time I watched it this year I ended up sobbing when he brought his briefcase to school, expecting to need something that big to carry all of his Valentines. Of course he didn't receive one. How can those kids be so cruel? And then, Lucy and her friend gave him a used Valentine the next day, and he happily accepted it. I can't stand it! I'm crying now.

Okay, on to a happier subject -- MY Valentine. I thought, in honor of Valentine's Day that I would list 14 reasons I love Morgan:

1. He is patient with me. Not many people would have had the patience he exibited while we were dating.

2. He is confident. That was another reason I was attracted to him while we were dating. He didn't even flinch when I said "Let's be friends" and he seriously was happy to be my friend. He cared about me enough to accept those terms and still stick around.

3. He is a great father. It is so hard on him to have to be away from the kids so much. But he calls every day when he is gone, sends postcards, and always brings them something from his trip to show them he was thinking about them. When he is home he spends as much time with them as possible. He is Braden's assistant den leader in Scouts. He goes to every soccer game, recital, scouting event, parent-teacher conference, etc. He is very involved, and they all have special relationships and bonds with him.

4. He is a good provider. I don't have any worries that we will ever go hungry or homeless. He gives 110% to everything he does.

5. He is handsome.

6. He is taller than me. That was important to me when I was single. Not that I wear high heels very often, but I wanted the option.

7. He helps around the house. He does dishes, laundry, floors, helps with kids' baths, and the list goes on. But he doesn't do windows.

8. He wrote poetry and love letters to me when we were dating, and still does occassionally. He even writes lullabies for our kids.

9. He supports my interests. One of his goals is to make it possible for me to get a masters degree. He recently encouraged me to enroll in a professional photography correspondence course that I am extremely excited about.

10. He humors my obsessiveness.

11. I can trust him.

12. We have similar interests. I am grateful that I don't have to sit through televised sporting events. I have had to become somewhat versed in sci-fi nerdiness, though. Can you believe that I actually know James T. Kirk's middle name?!? I'm not telling, though. It's embarrassing enough that I know it!

13. He massages my feet when I am pregnant. He has also been known to sit on my feet to warm them up like a chicken on her eggs. My mom used to do that for me, and he obligingly took over the role when we got married.

14. He loves me. How could I not love someone who loves me that much?

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day!

Wordless Wednesday

My Friend Lydie

When I was growing up, my absolute favorite doll of all time was "My Friend Mandy" from Fisher-Price. I spent countless hours dressing her in the homemade culottes, vests, blouses and skirts that my mom spent hours making. I washed her hair regularly and set it in curlers, switching her hairstyles from cute under-curled bobs to flips. My mom tells me that she is still in their garage, and I look forward to retrieving her!

Well, I now have my very own real girl, who happens to look an awful lot like her predecessor. See the button nose, shiny blonde hair and bright blue eyes? Fisher-Price could have designed this child!

Lydia is such a funny combination of pink frilly princess and tomboy. She loves to play dress-up, wear pink, sing and dance. She also loves sports -- she plays soccer and is planning on starting t-ball this spring. She doesn't really play with dolls, but when she does, she is not the "mommy." She insists that she is the "big sister" because she has no plans for getting married and having babies. She wants to grow up and get a job and live with me forever. I tell her that she can stay with me for as long as she wants, because I know one day she will want to leave home. Besides, I am glad that she hasn't gotten boy crazy yet. At her age I had quite a crush on this guy:

(Nicholas from Eight is Enough)

And this guy:

(Superman)

Anywho, she is not yet interested in boys, and I am glad. She doesn't usually dress up as a bride like some girls do. The one time she tried it, she put a scarf on her head, and started humming -- not the Wedding March -- but the Imperial Death March. I guess that's what happens when you only have brothers!

Seriously, though, I am very grateful for the sweet little girl I have been given. She is spunky, spirited, funny, and so helpful. She is spiritual, and says the sweetest prayers. She cried real tears last week when President Hinckley, the Prophet of our Church passed away, and prayed that "he would come back to life." She is memorizing the Articles of Faith of our Church. She is learning to read, and is so impatient to finally be able to read a book.
She is Daddy's girl. This morning she made up a song about how wonderful Saturdays are because that is when Daddy comes home.
So, introducing "My Friend Lydie," the best little "doll" I could ask for!

Goal
I have a goal this week to post every day. I only mention this because I know if I don't I won't do it. So check back again tomorrow, because there should be something new again!

Why am I doing this? Well, Morgan is gone again, and I usually give myself a few projects to do while he is gone. It makes the time go by more quickly, and seem more positive. Instead of thinking "Oh, no. We still have another 5 days!" I think "Oh, I'm so glad I still have 5 days to finish my tasks!" It may seem silly, but it really helps me.

Also, I am in the nesting phase of my pregnancy. This is the time when most pregnant women feel the need to make a cozy nest for their new baby, and they spend time setting up the nursery, cleaning, etc. I become completely neurotic at this point, washing walls, filing paperwork, organizing closets, updating 72 hour kits . . . the list goes on and on. Because of course it would be utter neglect on my part to bring a newborn home to a house with unfiled papers and messy closets. Or out of date blogs. Nothing is safe during this point in my pregnancy. I'm pretty sure Morgan has volunteered for all of these work trips just to avoid my nesting phase.

I am feeling pretty good right now, though. Normally at this point in my pregnancy I am much bigger than I am right now. So I am still relatively comfortable. This brings me to one last thought for the day. Can you please help me spread the word? It is NEVER okay to comment on a woman's size! Just because she is pregnant doesn't give strangers and friends alike carte blanche to say whatever comes to mind about a woman's weight. In fact, this is probably the worst time to comment, since the woman has so many hormones coursing through her veins. An example: A seemingly innocent comment made when I was 5 months pregnant, "Oh, you don't have much longer!" Translated by my pregnancy brain: "You are a freak who looks like she is about to give birth at any minute, even though you are only 5 months pregnant!" You see? You can't win. So just don't mention size, okay? This is a miraculous, wonderful time, and women want to feel free to enjoy it, not feel self-conscious.

I have big plans for this week's posts. I have gleaned (okay, stolen) some fun ideas from some friends' blogs for post ideas. So check back tomorrow! See you then!