"Come what may, and love it."

Thanksgiving

2009-12-30T15:58:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving – with no pictures to show for it! We went down to St. George to visit my parents. My sister Susan and her husband Rogan and son Asa were there too. We had a blast – eating great food, playing fun games (Dixit, Bang, Lost Cities, Wyatt Earp, For Sale) and just generally enjoying each other’s company. What a blast!

Star Wars in Concert

2009-12-30T15:55:00.002-07:00

In October we heard that Star Wars in Concert was coming to Salt Lake. We immediately set about trying to find tickets to it, only to
discover that they were pretty pricey. Nick and I decided not to
mention it to Jacob, as we figured it was not in the budget.

Well, the day of the concert, I was checking the ads on KSL (thanks to
my good friend Nova) and found the tickets for half price! I was so
excited, and immediately bought tickets for Nick and Jacob to go.

These pictures were taken with Nick’s cell – and needless to say, the
concert was a hit. Before it even started you had the opportunity to
walk around the arena and meet the different Star Wars characters.
They had exhibits, replicas and various representations of the movie.
Jacob was even wearing his “Vader Lives” in honor of the occasion.

The concert itself was incredible. There was a full orchestra (the
Star Wars orchestra) and a four-story movie screen behind them. C3PO narrated different scenes/themes from the movie. Nick and Jacob were completely entranced.

When they got home that night, they were both giddy with excitement.
I am so happy that they had the chance to make such a great memory!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

From our little dragon and our knight in shining armor

Block Party

2009-09-20T15:25:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, we had our neighborhood block party. It was such a blast! While we were there we ran into our neighbors, which made it even more fun. Jacob loves spending time with his friend Emma - from the first minute they saw each other they were racing off together, holding hands. I loved spending time with Emma's mom Jamie, and Nick always enjoys speaking with Michael, Emma's Dad. We went around to all the booths together. They had some fire trucks/emergency vehicles, some maintenance vehicles, and lots of food. They also had a place were the kids could make a rocket and then shoot it off. The nice woman at the table gave Emma and Jacob a big hint - the rockets went higher if you cut the tails to triangles. Boy, did they fly high!!

Sam had a good time too - his favorite part was dancing to the music while Jacob was in the bounce house! Here is a sampling of his moves:

(P.S. Ok, so I honestly thought that I rotated this when I edited it in imovie. I was wrong, and am apparently too lazy to change it. Feel free to ignore the video of Sam. Also, please forgive the pictures, they were taken with my phone and not my camera!)

Soccer Jacob

2009-09-17T13:23:00.000-06:00

Jacob started soccer this past week. He has been looking forward to it all summer long. We were going to sign him up for it last spring in TX, but with preparing for the move I didn't want to add anything else to our already hectic schedule. We bought him a team USA jersey a few weeks ago in preparation for the World Cup next summer (Nick can't wait), and he has his own uniform from his team, the light blue team - which we have unofficially named the "Blue Thunder." Tuesday night was his first game and it was a blast! He is in a non-competitive league, and he really loves it so much. You can see the happiness on his face when he is out on the field.

And let's be honest, it is completely amusing to see a whole gaggle of kindergarteners chasing after a soccer ball in a clump.

Jacob is in kindergarten!

2009-09-17T13:01:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that Jacob is in kindergarten! He loves it so much - everyday he hurries me to the car because he wants to be there.

The night before Jacob started school, we had a celebration with all of his favorite foods: homemade chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, peas and chocolate cake. We talked about our family theme for the year "anchoring our souls to Christ," in family home evening, and then Nick gave Jacob a father's blessing. It was wonderful! We also presented Jacob with his very own school journal that I had made for him. I look forward to seeing the pages filled with his memories and pictures.

Walking in! My big, brave boy.

Family fun

2009-09-17T12:44:00.000-06:00

After Nick’s crazy week-long three-credit class, we spent some time outdoors playing football, swinging, and just plain having fun as a family. We love the weather here in Utah, and we are trying to take advantage of it every opportunity that we can!

And my favorite photo? This one:

What does that say about me as a mom?

Thus it begins...

2009-08-18T10:25:00.000-06:00

Nick started his one week super-intensive class yesterday. It is from 8-4:30 pm everyday, and he was up until 10:30 last night working on homework (with a brief time out for a very short family home evening). Sigh.

I'm not going to lie, it has been nice spending so much time together this summer. Even when he was studying, it was still at a somewhat leisurely pace. I know that the next few years will be hard - that we've been spoiled for the past few years with time - but gosh. It is not fun missing your best friend.

To top it off, Jacob starts kindergarten in two weeks. I can't believe it. I'll be losing another one of my best friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to the time with Sam, but it will be different. Who will ask all of the random questions? Who will keep up a constant chatter?

On the bright side, Jacob is only going to half-day kindergarten. It was something I really struggled with. I really wanted him to go half-days, but then I worried that I was being too selfish, wanting to keep him all to myself. What if he wanted to go the full day? What if it would have been more valuable to him educationally to do it?

Thankfully, the decision was taken out of my hands. When we went to register him last week at school, we found out that a) the full day kindergarten was full and b) it wasn't really a full learning time, it was a half-day with extended care! Woohoo! I can keep Jacob with me a little longer without the guilt.

For now, until school starts for Jacob, we are filling our time with lots of outdoor activities - in hopes that it will help me not miss Nick so much. Yesterday we spent forever at the playground (in between nap times), and we also made yummy brownies for FHE. Today, we went outside in the morning and are planning on hitting the zoo as soon as Sam wakes up. While he takes his afternoon nap, Jacob and I will attempt the Lion House rolls. Tomorrow we will hit up the library.

Hopefully these activities will take the edge of off missing Daddy. Soon we will be into a routine, and everything will work out. For now, we will play and bake ourselves better.

Here are some photos from this morning outside (and yes, Texas friends, Sam is in pants and a light jacket - it is only 60 at 8:30 am).

Molars

2009-08-06T15:58:00.000-06:00

We hate you. Please come quickly, and bring back my sweet child. We miss him.

Grandma and Grandpa

2009-08-06T15:49:00.000-06:00

We spent a wonderful two weeks at my parents place in St. George. The boys absolutely loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, and Nick and I really enjoyed our extended vacation. We were fed, loved, relaxed, read great books, played outside (before it got hot!), played inside, and had great conversation. It was a blast! Next time, though, I won't let Grandpa be so camera-shy.

CRUISIN' 2009

2009-08-06T15:26:00.001-06:00

We went on a cruise! This is Sam as we spent our day flying to Orlando, Florida. My parents generously paid for our family reunion to take place on the Carnival Glory, stopping in Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We had such a great trip, and we are so grateful to Mom and Dad for it. Thank you so much!!!!

Jacob's imaginary friend

2009-08-06T15:20:00.000-06:00

We were curious how Jacob would handle the move - saying goodbye to all of the friends he loves, and moving from the only home he can really remember. We were impressed with his resilience, and with his excitement.

He also coped with the move by introducing us to a new member of the family - his imaginary friend. His name? John the Baptist. Yes.

I must admit, I never thought that I would hear the phrase "John the Baptist thinks you are beautiful, Mommy" come out of my son's mouth. Go figure.

And to add, here is a picture of Jacob enjoying TX BBQ one last time before we left. The kid loves his TX BBQ.

Moving!

2009-08-06T14:45:00.000-06:00

Well, we made it out of Texas. I absolutely hate moving,packing, anything of the like, and I put it off until the very last minute. I tried to say it was not procrastination; that it was more out of a desire to not disrupt the boys' schedule - but we both know the truth. I hate packing.

Poor Sam had to deal with the brunt of it - we turned his room into our box storage room. The whole week before we left we tackled one room at a time, leaving the last two days for catch-up. The plan worked wonderfully, and we managed to do it all. Mind you, Sam's room looked like this in the process:

But, the good news is - we made it. The bad news? We had to say good bye to these people:

On a related note:

We are so grateful for all of the help we received with the move - our wonderful friends and neighbors who helped pack our truck, Nick's always-there-for-you-parents who drove our moving truck and two cars, Nick's sister Michelle who helped too, Paul and Cami who took me and the boys to the airport, and my parents, who flew us out so we wouldn't have to deal with Sam on the trip. From the bottom of our heart, we are grateful.

And we miss this already:

Rewind!

2009-05-30T20:59:00.000-06:00

Here is a little rewind of our recent events/activities:

Most recently we visited Papou and Giagia's house for cousin Joshua's birthday. Jacob absolutely adores his cousin Joshua, and was counting the days down to Joshua's fourth birthday party. Here is Sam playing the piano at the party:

Cowboy boots. Jacob was so excited to have a pair just like his cousin Joshua!

Nick's family at his graduation from Texas State with his EdS. in School Psychology. I am so proud of him, and we are looking forward to the next great adventure in education.

Sam and I at Papou and Giagia's house. We visited them for Jacob's fifth birthday, and he had a lovely party with family. And yes, Sam does wear clothes, but at Papou and Giaiga's house he seems to shun them.

A picture of Jacob in front of the Star Wars cake that Papou, Giagia and Aunt Shelly made (notice the chocolate and vanilla frosting - representative of the dark and light forces at work).

Jacob's preschool birthday party. He had a blast with his friends, and enjoyed the Star Wars cake that mommy made.

Jacob with his light sabers and Jedi tunic. It was really fun looking out over the playground and seeing eighteen Jedis.

Since the weather has warmed up, we have enjoyed using our pool. Sam at first was skeptical of the whole thing, but he has grown to love it (as long as the water temperature is over 80 degrees - just like his grandma likes it).

Last April we had the opportunity to visit Nick's Giagia, or Progiagia as the boys call her. I happened upon this photo and I love it - the joy is apparent in both of their faces.

Well, that is a quick rundown! We are cleaning out our house and purging the old in preparation for moving to Salt Lake City. We are moving June 18th, and we can't believe that our time here has come to a close. We love this area, and we are saying "see you later" to so many friends. We are so blessed to have been a part of this community, and though we are excited about the new life awaiting us in Utah, we are sad to leave this one behind.

Boys

2009-05-30T20:45:00.000-06:00

I love being the mom of boys. This was on our dining table a few weeks ago:

Obi-Wan Kenobi's head in a dinosaur's mouth. Enough said.

Jacob Byron

2009-05-05T10:27:00.000-06:00

This was on his way home from the hospital.

For the first month at home, Jacob's favorite place to sleep was on Mommy.

We did have some concern with his rebellious attitude.

He was such a thoughtful baby - he would think and plan his next move before he did it.

He still loves spending time with Daddy.

You can't really see them, but he does like to rock his cowboy boots. He never forgets that there is Texas in him.

He's picked up our love of reading - wherever he can. He is so busy, sometimes this is the only place he can find the time.

He's even thoughtful on the playground.

He loves his stuffed animals - though his best friend, Froggy, was yet to be introduced to him at this point.

For the longest time, if you asked how old he was, he would say, "16." This was because he wanted to drive.

Enjoying the bluebonnets.

Always using his imagination to play fun games.

He loves the river here.

Giving us one of his real smiles.

With his newly shorn head. He has certainly turned blonder!

Oh, Jacob. We love you so much. You surprised us, and then proceeded to teach us all about the important things in life. Compassion, empathy and a love of learning direct your life, and I am so proud of the boy you are. You bring me joy everyday, and I hope to live up to your bright example.

I love you, Boo. Happy 5th birthday.

Twinkle Toes*

2009-04-20T18:59:00.000-06:00

Hilary and I had the chance to photograph our friend Chow's dance classes. It was a blast and a privilege. First off, because I think Chow is amazing. She is an incredibly talented dancer who teaches children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn dance (i.e., she offers it at an incredibly affordable rate). So wonderful!

Anyway, here are some of my shots from the day. Hilary shot in black and white, while I did color. I hope you enjoy!

P.S. Yes, I did steal the title of my post from Hilary. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Fun blogs!

2009-04-20T18:56:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I love to cook. It is my main creative outlet, stemming from my days managing the Museum of Art Cafe at BYU.

I've found some wonderful cooking blogs on the internet, and thought I might share. Those of you who I have cooked for before will recognize some of the recipes!

Cafe Johnsonia

Bakerella

The Pioneer Woman

Smitten Kitchen

Also, if you are looking for a little slice of heaven, please try this recipe. Trust me.

Pictures of the boys (with some catch-up)...again

2009-04-20T18:43:00.001-06:00

Our Primary at church had an Easter activity for the children. They had an egg hunt (which Jacob loved) and they also had an Easter museum. They visited different tables with objects signifying Christ's last week on earth, and also the resurrection. Jacob paid great attention, and was very interested. I love this photo because it shows his intent on the subject. Also, later on that evening as we went out for dinner with Nick's parents, Jacob recounted the whole thing to his Papou and Giagia. They were both impressed.

Sam is a funny boy. He has pretty much skipped the whole baby food thing. He much prefers "real" food. His favorites? Guacamole, meat, and peas. This photo was taken after a dinner of herbed chicken, roasted potatoes, and dilled peas. He was in heaven.

Jacob on the playground. As much as I begrudge Texas heat in the summer, it sure makes for beautiful springs and falls. We are definitely taking advantage of this weather.

Sam in his little Lord Fauntleroy outfit, as my mother-in-law calls it. The light from the window is hitting his face funny, but I do love how beautiful he looks.

And a shot of San Marcos. My friend, Hilary, and I are still taking photography lessons (well, we've had two so far) and we decided to take some shots of the surrounding area last week. We had a lot of fun under this train trestle, and we enjoyed the practice.

It just makes you feel good...

2009-04-20T18:10:00.001-06:00

Seriously. I love this. My best friend Sarah wrote about Susan Boyle today, and someone commented with a link to this youtube video. This video has nothing to do with Susan Boyle, but a lot to do with synchronicity. And, as Sarah said, "anything synchronized is funny."

And I love it.

Jacob-isms

2009-03-24T15:35:00.000-06:00

Here are some of our favorite Jacob moments from the past week:

Nick, teasing Jacob, told him, "You have an answer for everything! What is three plus three?" Without skipping a beat, Jacob said, "Actually, that would be six." Genius.
Today I was the snack parent for preschool. Jacob picked bananas, yogurt, and pigs in a blanket (his favorite) for snack. The smell of the pigs in a blanket were definitely strong in the car. Jacob said, "That is the sweet smell of joy. And by joy, I mean pigs in a blanket."
During Jacob's prayers last week he was really petitioning Heavenly Father for help. During his prayer he said, "please bless me that I may not have any nightmares tonight. I'm really serious about this, Jesus. Really serious."

I love him so much!

Recent Photos

2009-03-13T19:13:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos that I have taken recently. My friend, Hilary, and I are taking photography lessons, and it is a ton of fun to play around with my camera. We've only had one class so far, but it is really fun to get comfortable with the manual function of the camera. So far we've learned about metering, middle gray and movement. I don't get to practice as much as I'd like, but I do feel like I am improving. My goal with the class is to be a better photographer so that I can record our family story through photos.

We visited Byron and Lisa's home the past two weekends, and here are some photos from it.

Sam (we've been calling him "Little Bear" lately) crawling around

Jacob ("Boo") being sad for some reason I can't even remember:

Jacob being serious:

Sam reflecting:

Sam's attitude whenever Jacob is around:

Jacob's preschool also took an unofficial field trip to the childrens' museum a week ago. Here he is with his friend Marley (they both love Star Wars):

And here Jacob is blasting off:

Jacob's Answers

2009-03-09T19:14:00.001-06:00

1. What is something mom always says to you? I love you

2. What makes mom happy? When I come here

3. What makes mom sad? When I get hurt

4. How does your mom make you laugh? By making funny jokes

5. What was your mom like as a child? Ah...star wars?

6. How old is your mom? 16

7. How tall is your mom? Well, it almost looks like as tall as this (points to the jumperoo)

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Ahh....I think it is, um.....oh, let me go get it to show you (brings me a netflix envelope).

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? She just cleans

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Because I like being famous

11. What is your mom really good at? Cleaning (I wish!)

12. What is your mom not very good at? Ummm.....not good at....kinda, trying to cut a long plant with scissors because you cut your finger doing it.

13. What does your mom do for her job? Do homework

14. What is your mom's favorite food? Vegetables

15. What makes you proud of your mom? When you let me do what I want to

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Um, a star wars character - you remember, Princess Leia?

17. What do you and your mom do together? Clean

18. How are you and your mom the same? Because we have the same haircuts

19. How are you and your mom different? Because we don't have the same feet

20. How do you know your mom loves you? Because you hug me and kiss me. I want one now, please!

21. What does your mom like most about your dad? Because he has nice hair

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? the zoo. I think.

The New "Pay it Forward"

2009-02-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You will have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or maybe even some creation I haven't even invented yet (but Heaven knows it will most likely be totally fabulous and creative... :). I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.

Yesterday's Nap

2009-02-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

We still are in full-scale nap strike, but he does get exhausted around 2 pm. He fussed for around three minutes yesterday after I placed him in the crib, and this is how he fell asleep. Doesn't look too comfortable, huh?

Sam's crawling!

2009-02-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well, Sam's been crawling now for over a week. He started tentatively the day that we were all home sick. For the first week, he would only crawl around the room that he was placed in. It was nice and convenient, because I didn't have to worry about him crawling away from my line of sight. That all ended yesterday when he started crawling up and down the hallway, exploring his new territory. He is quite excited by his new skill.

So excited by it, that he has been on a sleep strike for the past four days. He refuses to take naps (for three days he only had one 45 minute nap from 6:30 am -6 pm), instead he wants to wander the house making sad noises. I tried everything! Yesterday, I finally got him to sleep in my arms, only to place him in the crib and have him wake up. He cried for about 3 minutes while sitting up before he collapsed from exhaustion. This is how he slept for 45 minutes:

Not too comfortable, huh?

Well, I think the strike is over as he is taking his morning nap right now. Hopefully he is getting back to himself!

Moustaches

2009-02-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

The other day, as we were preparing dinner and playing around the house, Jacob started talking about moustaches. Nick, taking Jacob's cue, asked Jacob if he wanted Daddy to grow a moustache. Jacob, after waffling about it, finally said, "well, if you had one, I would laugh at you." Nick, not wanting to be the object of Jacob's ridicule, said, "well, then I won't get one."

Jacob's comeback? "That's OK, Daddy. You can get one. I'll just laugh in my head."

Which begs the question: just how often does Jacob laugh at us in his head? Is this a common occurrence?

Sick

2009-02-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

We've been sick here. Continuously sick. Starting around mid-October, The Cough visited our home with a vengeance, wrecking its havoc on me and Jacob. It subsided, only to be replaced by The Allergies. The Allergies had the decency to spread its love around, touching Nick also. Almost two weeks ago, Jacob came home from preschool with A Fever. A Really Strange Fever that would only stop by between noon and 2 pm everyday, reaching heights of 103 degrees, only to steal away until the morrow. Finally, finally, we rid ourselves of our unpleasant house guests (well, except for The Allergies - that one cannot take a hint).

Yesterday, Food Poisoning decided to visit Nick, Jacob and myself. We are recovering, albeit slowly, from his visit, thanks to an amazing neighbor/friend-for-life Hilary. Hilary, thank you for going shopping at 8 am this morning (a true sacrifice!) for supplies and also for taking Sam this afternoon. We are deeply indebted.

And for the record, our home is now closed to any other visitors of the Sick Variety.

Pictures of the boys

2009-02-07T22:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some recent (as in yesterday and today) pictures of the boys. Jacob is not the most willing participant in my amateur photography endeavors, but lucky for me, Sam is too young to truly protest.

University of Utah, here we come!

2009-02-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official. Nick received a phone call on Tuesday night from the University of Utah School Psychology department, extending a position and grant to him to start on his PhD in the Fall of 2009. So it looks like we are headed to Salt Lake City.

Crazy how life can change. One year ago, Nick was interviewing for internship positions. We were so grateful when he got a position with an amazing district nearby. We started saving for a house, excited to stay in this area long term.

Last fall, Nick received an e-mail from one of his professors at the University about the grant available at the U. After (almost) completing a three year specialist degree (one step up from a Masters - 69 graduate credit hours and 1800 practical hours), the last thing we were interested in was more schooling. Besides who could really afford it?

The real question is, who could pass up a free PhD.? In school psychology, those grants are somewhat few and far between. This grant covers tuition, gives a stipend, and will prepare Nick to be a leader in School Psychology. Pretty awesome.

So, after much prayerful deliberation, we are headed to the University of Utah.

I am so proud of Nick!

Book Recommendation

2009-02-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

"Too often, the behavior of girls is the gold standard. Boys are simply treated as defective girls."
-Michael Thompson

I picked up this book, The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do, from the library last week. It was on the new book shelf and sounded quite interesting, especially as I am the mother of two boys. It sat on my desk as I read through the other books that I had picked up at the same time - mostly fiction bestsellers. When it came time to return to the library last night, I put the book in the car with the books I had finished. Since Nick was driving, I took the time to start reading it. I quickly found myself reading parts of it aloud to Nick.

Here is the synopsis:

From the moment they step into the classroom, boys begin to struggle. They get expelled from preschool nearly five times more often than girls; in elementary school, they’re diagnosed with learning disorders four times as often. By eighth grade huge numbers are reading below basic level. And by high school, they’re heavily outnumbered in AP classes and, save for the realm of athletics, show indifference to most extracurricular activities. Perhaps most alarmingly, boys now account for less than 43 percent of those enrolled in college, and the gap widens every semester!

The imbalance in higher education isn’t just a “boy problem,” though. Boys’ decreasing college attendance is bad news for girls, too, because admissions officers seeking balanced student bodies pass over girls in favor of boys. The growing gender imbalance in education portends massive shifts for the next generation: how much they make and whom they marry.

Interviewing hundreds of parents, kids, teachers, and experts, award-winning journalist Peg Tyre drills below the eye-catching statistics to examine how the educational system is failing our sons. She explores the convergence of culprits, from the emphasis on high-stress academics in preschool and kindergarten, when most boys just can’t tolerate sitting still, to the outright banning of recess, from the demands of No Child Left Behind, with its rigid emphasis on test-taking, to the boy-unfriendly modern curriculum with its focus on writing about “feelings” and its purging of “high-action” reading material, from the rise of video gaming and schools’ unease with technology to the lack of male teachers as role models.

But this passionate, clearheaded book isn’t an exercise in finger-pointing. Tyre, the mother of two sons, offers notes from the front lines—the testimony of teachers and other school officials who are trying new techniques to motivate boys to learn again, one classroom at a time. The Trouble with Boys gives parents, educators, and anyone concerned about the state of education a manifesto for change—one we must undertake right away lest school be-come, for millions of boys, unalterably a “girl thing.”

We have been quite fortunate in the quality of the preschool that Jacob attends. His teacher, Ms. Pat, understands that preschool is not the place to stress the kids out with unrealistic expectations of scholarly performance. When she visited with us at the beginning of the school year, she shared the daily schedule. As a caveat, she explained that this schedule some days just might not work out. Some days the children may need more time at the playground, and less time inside.

Instinctively, I want to protect Jacob's childhood. I don't want to pressure him to be the next Einstein at age 5. I want him to learn, yes, but I want that learning to take place through play. One of the main reasons why Nick and I chose this preschool was because the philosophy of Ms. Pat was similar to ours. She wants the kids to have a positive social experience, and to be exposed to learning in all different manners. This is not to say that Jacob hasn't practiced writing his name there, or that he hasn't been exposed to proper learning. There is circle time, and there are certain expectations at various times in the day. But those expectations are realistic for a classroom of 3, 4 and 5 year old children.

When Jacob was younger, I tried to shield him from playing with guns. We didn't have any gun toys, we restricted violent cartoons/shows and generally tried not to expose him to it all. When he was 2 1/2 years old, he started building "shooters" out of his LEGO toys - he didn't even have the vocabulary to say "gun." We had tons of rules: you can't shoot people, you can't shoot trees, you can only point to the ground or the ceiling, etc. As Jacob has grown older, we have relaxed these rules (even to the point of buying him a pop gun from Cabela's and a star wars gun too!). I don't know why we started to relax the rules - I think it had more to do with me tiring of asking him to stop and redirecting him - "pretend your finger is a fire hose, shoot water out of it." Now? Jacob loves to reenact scenes from Star Wars, his favorite movie (he's only seen the old school ones). He runs around the playground, pretending to shoot Darth Vader and save Princess Laia. Up until yesterday, I cringed when I saw him do that. I felt embarrassed that my child would engage in such violent behavior. I did not want to raise a serial killer.

Tyre addresses this point in chapter 4 (the preschool chapter) about imaginative play and boys. She discusses boys' fascination/inclination/desire to play bad guy/good guy, and to play with guns and engage in imaginative "violence." In the book, psychologist Michael Thompson suggests that rather than outlawing violent play, we should pay closer attention to what it is really about.

Usually, it reenacts the age-old struggle between good and evil, "but" says Thompason, "it's really about something more. It's about courage, loyalty, risking all to save friends in the face of powerful foes." Little boys are playing at being the best, most compassionate, most heroic kind of men imaginable. Thompson and others believe that at least some of that fantasy type play has a place in school.

I am only on chapter 5 of the book, but already I feel excited. This is something that can help me. This can help Nick. And in turn, we can help our boys.

Any thoughts? Oh, and I did not return the book to the library.

Boys and the bath

2009-01-31T13:33:00.001-07:00

Financial Advice

2009-01-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

My friend from college, Shaun, posted this financial advice on his blog. I highly recommend that everyone checks this out during these troubled times.

Advice for Navigating these Troubled Financial Times

Some of the coolest people you will ever read....

2009-01-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Presenting,

A great blog, written by some of the coolest people I know - an ex-professor, my best friend, friend of a friend, and girl I have never met, but someday hope too.

I hope to always be a witness to such genius.

Evidence of my new camera

2009-01-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

For Christmas/Anniversary/Birthday, Nick got me a new camera! I think he was distressed about the lack of photos of our children (I hate using our old camera), and tired of my grumbling when I did use the old camera! Here are some pictures of the boys from today.

Our almost big news.....

2009-01-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

There is a great chance are moving to Salt Lake City this summer! Last fall, Nick received an e-mail from his professors about the University of Utah receiving a large grant for their school psychology doctoral program. Well, even though we had decided that we were finished with school, and that we love Nick's current job, we decided it wouldn't hurt anything to apply. So Nick applied, and we received word that they wanted to interview him in person! Nick flew to Utah last weekend on Thursday night, to prepare for his Friday interview. Well, as he was leaving the hotel to go to dinner with his sister Thursday night, he received a phone call from the director of the program. She wanted to meet with him that night!

They met, and she proceeded to speak with him at length about the program. Basically, she said that unless he flubbed the interview the following day, he had a great shot at being in the program! They also went over Nick's schedule of classes for next year - it was incredible.

Of course, the interview with the whole panel went very well the following day. They complimented Nick's questions, and they appreciated his answers to the hypothetical situations. We will find out for certain the first week of February, but it looks like we are moving to SLC! Unless, of course, that we decide that it is not best for our family.

Interestingly enough, it is a hard decision. We love Nick's current job, and allergies aside, we really enjoy where we live. But the PhD. would be great, and it would be practically free, between the tuition waiver and the stipend. We would live in the same state as my parents, and it would be fun to see old room mates and friends. Nick would also be on his way to his dream job - a professor. The grant is a leadership grant, specifically geared toward getting professors out.

Of course, through this whole process, Nick was unsure whether he was a good candidate. He would never brag about himself, but I am so proud of all of the work he has done! He will be graduating in May with a specialist degree in school psychology from the best program in Texas, and he has been published twice! He also has worked in the autism clinic for a year, and has worked as a school psychologist this past year for two elementary schools. He speaks great Spanish, and has an awesome GPA. I could not be prouder of all the hard work he has put in.

We will see! If/When Nick receives his official acceptance, we will spend a fair amount of time on our knees, praying to figure out if this is the best course of action for our little family. Who knows?

Christmas and a Catch-up

2009-01-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

So sorry it has been so long since we have posted. Holidays are crazy, and we have been enjoying ourselves! Here are some highlights, organized chronologically:

November

Jacob's preschool celebrated their 25th anniversary! We love his school so much, and though it was stressful at times planning for the event (I was the head of fund raising - with the President of the Board), it went beautifully and was a ton of fun. We are certainly so blessed to be a part of such a lovely community.
Thanksgiving! We had a delightful time visiting with Nick's family. We gorged ourselves with our Greek thanksgiving - spanikopita, tyropitakia, mellamacarna, limonata and other such assorted goodies (I think I might have spelled one of the dishes correctly, if I was lucky). It was lovely visiting with all of the siblings and their children. Jacob and Joshua are the best playmates, and Sam got to meet his cousin Ethan that is only one day older! We also loved seeing the always adorable Paul and Will. It is a blast having all the boys (6 under the age of 5) in the house.

December

Christmas! We celebrated Christmas a million times - starting with putting up the tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving. All of us adore Christmas here - it is such a joyful time. We then proceeded to celebrate Christmas at the preschool (Jacob had his first presentation - it was beautiful and fun watching him sing), at home, at Nick's parents' house and at my parents' house! Jacob is obsessed with Star Wars this year and received plenty of gifts to show off his obsession. He also received tons of books and other fun presents. Jaocb especially loved going shopping for Sam and Mom and Dad. He really got into the spirit of giving, and requested the story of the birth of Jesus EVERY NIGHT before bed. It was lovely.
Nick and I celebrated our sixth anniversary in St. George while we were visiting my family. For the first time since Sam was born, we went out on a date. We went to the Painted Pony for dinner and had such a lovely dinner. It was fun to dress up and be adults again. My parents and family watched Sam and Jacob, and when we got home Sam had fallen asleep on my sister. I don't know who enjoyed it more - my sister or Sam.

Family, family, family! My sister Susan, her husband Rogan, and my awesome nephew Asa were in St. George from Los Angeles. I love seeing them, and we spent many a night up late playing games (Bang, Pandemic, Ivanhoe, etc.). It was wonderful! And of course, my parents are always amazing. Great food, great company - it was a beautifully relaxing vacation. My brother Michael, his wife Emma, and their seven kids also stopped by for a few days. It was so much fun seeing Carina, David, , Kathleen, Peter, Annie, Jared and James together! We are really looking forward to our family cruise in the Caribbean next summer.

January

Sam has multiple teeth! Over the Christmas break, Sam had two bottom teeth come in. Last weekend when Nick was away, he had three top teeth come in. It was a fun weekend, let me tell you. the house was a wreck, I was a wreck, and the only person who got any sleep was Jacob. We were so excited to pick Nick up from the airport this past Saturday night! Daddy to the rescue!

National Babywearing Week

2008-11-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Next week begins National Babywearing Week. I know I posted a picture of Sam in the Moby already, but to celebrate NBW, I thought I might post another one:

I love our Moby! Sam is so comfortable in it, and I use it all the time. My mom had the opportunity to see firsthand how great it is when I visited my parents in St. George. I wore Sam pretty much everywhere - the mall, the airport, the playground, and walks around the neighborhood. I must have been stopped at least 5 or 6 times by people- young and old - interested in it. There is something so right about carrying your child to your chest, and the Moby makes it comfortable and easy!

Nick also uses the Moby. Sometimes Sam gets fussy at night, and all he wants to do is be walked around the house. It can get pretty tiring on your arms, so Nick just pops him into the Moby and goes about his business. I wish I had a picture of the two of them!

I assume eventually I will move on from the Moby. Right now I am contemplating the Ergo next. Pricey, but I've heard some pretty great things about it. We already have the Bjorn, but I really want to try something new, and many people I know have raved about their Ergo. Any thoughts?

Jacob's thoughts...

2008-11-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Jacob is hilarious. He really keeps us laughing, and we appreciate it so much! Here is just a taste of what we get everyday:

Today, when he was driving in the car with Nick, he noticed the stars in the sky. He made a wish on them. His wish? "I wish that I may have a beard." When Nick asked him why he wanted a beard, Jacob replied, "So I'll be handsome."

When Nick and I were discussing our family, and laughing at something, Jacob walked by and said, "this is no laughing matter." What? So great.We love him so much!

Dar Williams Part II

2008-11-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the promised link to the beautiful Dar night. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to Hil.

October catch-up

2008-10-31T20:32:00.000-06:00

Here are a bunch of posts that I wrote to catch-up. Hope you enjoy!

Tagged by Jasmine

2008-10-31T20:22:00.000-06:00

Here are six random things about me:

1. When playing the game "Two truths and a lie," I like to steal other people's truths and make them my lies. This makes my lies seem more authentic. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget who I've played it with, or who's experiences I am borrowing and end up stealing someone's truths at the wrong time. Sorry, Autumn.

2. I like to play Sudoku. A lot. Pretty much every night before I fall asleep I play at least two games in bed.

3. I have a pretty awesome memory. It amazes my husband, and I am quite proud of it.

4. I have tiny sneezes. For this I blame my sister. When I was a child I was traumatized by her loud, scream-like sneezes and have repressed my sneezes ever since. Nick likens them to the sound you hear when you step on a mouse.

5. I have monkey toes. I can pick up many objects using just my toes, and Jacob seems to have inherited the same talent.

6. I love snow, dislike hot weather, and still enjoy living in Texas. Go figure.

Thanks Jasmine - this was fun!

I tag my local peeps plus one:
Hil, Jamie, Chow and Sarah O.

Dar Williams

2008-10-31T20:13:00.001-06:00

Last night I went to a Dar Williams/Shawn Mullins concert in Austin with my great friends Hilary and C. It was so amazing. I admit, I kind of forgot who Shawn Mullins was until midway through his set when he referenced his "monster hit" - Roackabye. Remember? Yeah. It was pretty good, though I must say I am glad he went first so that I could fully enjoy Dar, and leave with the glow of her music on me.

She played some wonderful songs - notably such favorites as "The Christians and the Pagans," "As Cool as I Am," and "After All." I actually can tell you her whole set list - in order. And not just from memory. My amazingly brave friend Hilary went up to the stage after the concert was done and retrieved not one, but two set lists - one for me and one for her. Her bravery was born of experience - eight years ago she attended a Dar concert and received a set list there too. So great.

The venue was awesome. The concert was presented by the Cactus Cafe at UT and took place in the Ballroom - an intimate setting that added to the wonderful overall feel of the concert. Hil laughed at me during the second half of the concert - I most definitely had perma-grin.

After the concert we waited around and Dar signed our set lists and took a picture with us. I admit, I was a little star-struck when it was my turn to speak to her. I think (and I am sure that Hil can correct me on this) I said something like - "I'm so happy and I can't find any other words." It was silly, and true.

Ah, beautiful music, a beautiful night, and wonderfully beautiful friends. Thanks Hil and C. And a big thank you to Nick who stayed home (though he loves Dar too) to watch the boys so I could enjoy the evening out.

Oh, and as soon as Hil posts the picture on her blog I will steal it and post it here.

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T19:43:00.000-06:00

This year I was determined to do family-themed Halloween costumes. Back in June we asked Jacob what he wanted to be for Halloween. He said Captain Hook so we went from there.

We found Jacob's costume at the Disney store (an ebay version of it, at any rate) and my blue nightgown was discovered at Kohls. When I was in Utah visiting my family, my mother, sister-in-law Emma and I all tackled Sam's Peter Pan costume - we dyed a white t-shirt and tights green and fashioned a hat out of green felt. My favorite part? Brown booties made from felt and rubber bands.

Nick's Mr. Smee outfit was constructed from pants and a cheap t-shirt we bought at the store, and I sewed him a red sleep hat out of an old t-shirt. The finished family product was something I was extremely proud of.

It was good we were actually prepared in advance, as we had lots of fun Halloween obligations this year - we attended a BBQ party at our friend's house, had the church's trunk-or-treat on Wednesday night, Jacob's pre-shool party on Thursday and went trick-or-treating this morning. It was a very successful, if drawn out, Halloween. And Jacob has fully embraced the concept of candy. Oh, well.

Aunt Meggie

2008-10-31T19:21:00.000-06:00

We love Aunt Meggie so much! Megan is my best friend and former next-door neighbor from Long Island. She works really hard and her job takes her all over the United States organizing different conferences. Thankfully, some of these take place in Austin and we had the pleasure of her company a few weekends ago after she finished working in the city. We had fun shopping, talking and just visiting. Thanks for coming, Meggie!

Here are some photos from her visit:

Megan and Sam

The girls and Sam

Megan and the boys

Funny faces

Weekend in St. George

2008-10-31T19:10:00.001-06:00

The second weekend in October my mother and father flew me, Sam, my sister Susan and her son Asa, my sister-in-law Emma and her youngest James all to St. George for a long weekend of spoiling and good times. We were also happy to have Emma's sister Elizabeth and her daughter Megan join us from northern Utah.

We shopped, ate delicious food prepared by Dad (thanks, Dad!), relaxed and enjoyed each other and all of the children. It was a beautiful weekend, and it was a great time with family. Thank you so much Mom and Dad!

Me, Sam, my sister Susan and her awesome son Asa

My adorable and generous parents

The girls and their boys

Emma's sister Elizabeth and daughter Megan (so much fun!)

My sweet nephew James (Mike and Emma's youngest)

My beautiful sister-in-law Emma

My sister and Asa again

Random Photos

2008-10-04T21:11:00.000-06:00

My mom wanted to see what the Moby wrap looks like, so I thought I would share! I love it so much, and Sam is certainly cozy in it. We use it a ton - going food shopping, picking up Jacob from preschool- everywhere. I highly recommend it!

I just really like Jacob's eyes in this photo:

The Children's Museum

2008-10-04T20:45:00.000-06:00

On Friday we met up with some friends at the children's museum. We had a blast! We drove down with Jamie and JT, and met Jacob's friends from church and preschool. Jacob was really excited - it had been too long since we had last visited. All morning long he kept on proclaiming it the best day ever.

It really is a neat place - it is pretty much one big room with different exhibits, so Jacob had some freedom. The museum is set up as a little community - there is a hospital, house, grocery store, outdoor area, bank, newspaper office and outer space area just to name a few exhibits. Here are some photos of the fantastic day:

The many faces of Sam

2008-10-04T20:12:00.000-06:00

Some of these photos were taken awhile ago and some were taken today. I thought you might enjoy!

Sam's six week photo shoot:

I caught this one mid-sneeze:

And here he is a little over twelve weeks old:

Seriously, how adorable is he?

Samuel Asher's Blessing Day

2008-10-04T19:40:00.000-06:00

Sam was given a name and a blessing on September 7, 2008. It was a lovely day in San Marcos, and we were very happy to have our friends and family with us. Nick blessed Sam, and Bishop Currit, Nick's dad Byron, Nick's uncle Mike, and our friend Jay (Hannah's dad) assisted him. We missed our great friends the Morgans, but we were happy to see the Adams and the Pattersons come from long distances to celebrate with us. Grandmother and Grandfather (Nick's mother's parents) came too, as did Progiagia (Byron's mother - the name means "great-grandmother" in Greek) and Uncle Mike, Aunt Sally and cousin Charlie. It was a beautiful and very special moment for our growing family.

Afterwards, we had a luncheon in our home. We ate some delicious food (thanks to everyone who helped/contributed!) and visited with our friends and family.

Sam didn't seem to impressed with the whole thing. He slept through the beginning of church, awakening to smile and stare during the blessing, only to fall quickly asleep after and pretty much stayed that way until the whole shindig was over.

I wish I was smart enough to get a ton of pictures of that day, especially of Sam in his cute blessing gown (not dress - Nick told me that I was not allowed to call it a dress since our son was wearing it). I even forgot to get any family photos. Thankfully, we visited Byron and Lisa a few weeks later and recreated the moment, thus the picture at the top of the post.

Cloth Diapers

2008-09-22T13:46:00.000-06:00

We recently switched to cloth diapers for Sam. It wasn't a hasty decision. We (I) did tons of research online, went to a cloth diapering class, and considered all of the different options. Cloth diapering sure is different nowadays!

The cloth diaper switch has been fun. After attending a class a few weeks ago, we received a bunch of great information. Nick and I discussed which route we wanted to take (there are so many options -pre-folds, all-in-ones (AIOs), pocket, etc.) and we decided to go with fuzzibunzs (FBs), which are a specific type of pocket diaper. I was ok with the pre-folds (kind of what you imagine them to be like back in the day - a folded cloth with a cover) - they were cheaper - but Nick really liked the ease of the FBs. They are most similar to disposable diapers, and I really liked the snaps. They were a little price-y, but we consider it an investment. We bought 16 diapers, and I do a load every other day.

http://www.fuzzibunz.com/why_choose_fuzzibunz.php

Taking care of them is so easy. We bought a diaper sprayer that attaches directly to our bathroom toilet. After we change Sam's poop diaper, we just bring it to the toilet and spray it with the water, flushing the water down when we finish.There is also an insert in the diaper that goes in the tupperware tub that we keep in the bathroom where we store the diapers until it is time for laundry. Oh, we also spray the poo diapers with bac-out, an environmentally friendly
cleaner that deodorizes and treats the dirty diaper.

http://www.diapers.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?productid=6098&&cm_mmc=cse-_-googlebase-_-null-_-null&cvsfa=912&cvsfe=2&cvsfp=BU-009

http://www.bi-o-kleen.com/general.htm

On laundry day I just throw the diapers in the wash and run a cold water cycle with out any detergent. I then run a hot water cycle using Allen's detergent (safe for cloth diapers). I pop the diapers in the dryer and run it on low. When they come out, I re-stuff the diapers with the insert. It is really easy! Oh, you only use around a tablespoon of the powdered detergent, so it lasts a long time.

http://www.babycottonbottoms.com/allens_naturally.htm

We also bought an extra pkg of inserts. At night time we double up on the inserts, increasing the absorbency of the diapers. The diapers themselves are amazing. They are so soft (the inside is micro-fleece) and we are both impressed with the absorbency. They really keep the bum dry, even when the diaper is full! That is because the fleece wicks the moisture away, filling up the insert.

When we first started this journey, Nick was not completely sold on the idea but supportive. Now he is totally converted. We originally decided to use disposable diapers for errands and church. Yesterday Sam had a blowout diaper after church, and the disposable could not contain it. We have never had that issue with the cloth diaper, even though Sam has been gassy lately (I need to avoid nuts!). Nick now wants us to use cloth all the time. I understand his sentiments.

There are so many different cloth diapers out there, and I really believe that they address all different needs. We love this brand, and really enjoy using it. The staff at the store we bought them at were incredibly helpful, and they are available for any questions we may have.

http://www.austinbabyonline.com/ClothDiapering101.html

I am so glad we made the switch, and I can't believe how easy it was! I only wish I had done it with Jacob, but I am glad to be doing it now. We are now preparing to make the switch to cloth wipes!

Jacob's Preschool

2008-09-22T13:33:00.000-06:00

Jacob started preschool this year! We found a great preschool run by the Presbyterian Church that we absolutely adore. The school has a board certified teacher, Ms. Pat, and two parents who volunteer every day. If your child is enrolled in the preschool, you are required to volunteer two days/month. It is a great opportunity to participate in Jacob's education, and I love meeting all of his classmates.

Jacob goes to school Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-12. He plays at the playground, makes beautiful art, learns new songs, and practices social skills. It is an incredibly loving environment, and Ms. Pat is the perfect teacher. Before school even started she came to our house and played with Jacob for two hours! What a great preschool.

My boys

2008-08-13T20:33:00.000-06:00

I love being the mother of boys - it is so much fun. Trucks, swords and lego "shooters" have taken over my life. The colors blue, green and red dominate our home, as does kara-tay, wrestling and soccer. The volume in our home is consistently loud, and we have yet to make it into church with Jacob's shirt still tucked in.

And the hugs. The kisses, the smiles and the knowledge that I am the girl of the house, and I have three males to defend my honor - that I cherish.

Just a few reasons to love my guys:
Jacob-

his love of knowledge. When we go to the library, he bypasses the nice picture books and stories and heads straight for the non-fiction section. He wants to learn things, and he goes through phases with it. So far this summer our family has learned about: lobsters, crabs, whales, germs, viruses, volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and dinosaurs. I love that he loves learning, and I am being taught by him too.
his persistence. Ever since we studied lobsters (my personal favorite library book? Lobsters: Gangsters of the Sea), Jacob has had a desire to go to the restaurant Red Lobster. We pass by it on the way to church, and he shouts with joy. He knows that we will be going there to celebrate Daddy's first paycheck from his new job in two weeks, and he has even gone so far as to make a paper chain (with my help). When Jacob decides something, he keeps with it.
the way he comes into our bedroom to shower me with kisses before I am officially "awake." He gives me hugs, says "I love you" a minimum of 30 times a day and sings songs for me. I love his stories, and I love his love. I hope to be worthy of it.

Sam-

has the cutest sneezes, followed by the best sighs of relief. His sneezes come in packs of five, and they take a lot out of a little man. After they are finished, he always sighs with such relief that it makes me laugh.
has the most hilarious grunts. He has almost made up his own language, consisting solely of grunts, red/purple faces and fist waving. I love it, and try to communicate to him in his own language. Also, after waking up, Sam relishes his stretches so completely. I love that he stretches out each individual muscle, and does it with such contentment.
is a content little boy. He radiates peace and love, and he has already made our home a better place. I can't imagine our life without him, and I am so grateful for his presence in our home. He completes our little family.

Nick-

is always willing to get me a glass of ice water, regardless of the time of day or night. He answers every request of mine, no matter how frivolous, with a smile. He has even run out to the convenience store at midnight to buy ice because the water here tastes nasty. That is love.
makes me laugh more than anyone else in my life (though Sarah O. is a close second!). He not only laughs at my silly puns, but responds with his own. He never courtesy laughs at my jokes - he genuinely thinks that I am funny, which is true love too.
helps me live my dreams. He takes care of me, teaches me, laughs with me, leads me and makes me a better person. He challenges me, is more patient with me and is always willing to forgive. I hope to be worthy of his love.

Presenting Samuel Asher

2008-07-15T14:45:00.000-06:00

SAMUEL ASHER

born July 7, 2008 at 2:50 am, weighing 7 lbs., 12 oz. and 20 in. long. He is already a light and a joy in our home. He sleeps wonderfully, grunts loudly and loves to be cuddled. Jacob is the best big brother in the world, and loves to kiss Sam and help Mommy and Daddy. We are so blessed, and feel grateful for our expanding family.

Catch-up and Highlights

2008-05-15T15:23:00.000-06:00

It has been forever since I have written anything of substance in this blog - I am so sorry. This entry is my penance, and I hope to cover some of the highlights of the past few months in our little (but expanding) family.

- Nick got a job! Nick is finished with his graduate coursework, and has been interviewing for intern positions across the state. He was hired at our number one choice school district AND at full starting salary (not intern salary!). Starting August 13th Nick will be a school psychologist at an elementary school nearby.

- We are upgrading to a three bedroom apartment, on our way to our own home in two years! We are lucky that our current apartment complex worked with us, so we are only moving diagonally upstairs. We plan to move around July 1st, 9 days before baby Sam is due. We are so happy that we get to stay in this wonderful town and community - we have grown to love the area over the past two years, and we are excited to stay here permanently.

- Jacob turned 4! I can't believe that my little man is growing up so quickly. He is such a joy and a pleasure to be around. I don't know how ready I am for his pre-school in the Fall - he tells me he is ready all of the time, but I know it will be an adjustment for me!

- We had some wonderful visits over the past few months. We enjoyed the Easter holiday at my in-law's home with Nick's brother Raymond, his wife Allison, and their two sons, Joshua and Paul. Nick's sister Ana, her husband Thomas and their son Will joined us as did Nick's sister Michelle. It was a nice holiday, and it was great seeing everyone. Jacob and Joshua (one year apart) were especially taken with each other. I am so excited to watch them grow up together.

We also had a visit from my parents! They flew out from Utah and proceeded to spoil us like crazy for six days. It was wonderful - we ate delicious food, played some fun games (Cheeky Monkey!), and had some great discussions. Jacob certainly loves his grandma and grandpa, and we are blessed by their kindness and generosity.

My best friend Megan visited us for two days after her business conference up in Dallas. It was fun catching up and talking, eating, talking and eating. We celebrated Jacob's birthday with her, and Jacob couldn't get enough of his Aunt Meggie. Megan is also the photographer responsible for the beautiful pictures.

- I am now 32 weeks pregnant! I can't believe it - well, some days I really believe it. We've decided that Sam is claustrophobic. He is constantly moving, kicking, punching, sliding, etc. He is so active - sometimes we get scared. It is nice to have a reminder every other minute that I am pregnant. We are looking forward to meeting this little man.

- I had a beautiful Mother's Day. Nick and Jacob picked me the most beautiful bouquet of wildflowers. It was absolutely perfect. Later on that day, they showed me the field where they picked them, and it was all mowed down! Jacob cried for a bit; he was really sad that the flowers were all gone. He said, "but how will the earth be pretty if the flowers are gone?" I love him.

Theodosis Look-alike Meter

2008-04-22T08:36:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Yes, we can!

2008-02-28T18:25:00.001-07:00

Last night I had the privilege of attending a Barack Obama rally held at Texas State University. I went with two of my great friends, Hannah's parents, while Nick stayed home to study and watch the sleeping children (what a great husband!).

What an amazing experience. I have been really excited about this presidential election because for the first time in my life, I have the opportunity to vote for someone I believe in. For once, I am not choosing the lesser of two evils. I am casting a vote for a person who I think can best lead this country towards the changes that we need to make to be a better people, a better nation. I am so excited to vote in the Texas primary for Barack Obama.

He spoke movingly, powerfully last night. He didn't incite the crowd with empty rhetoric, he clearly laid out his stance on such powerful issues as education, energy, the economy, diplomacy, safety, employment, taxes and health care. He defined his stance, and provided concrete examples of what he wanted to do. I believe him.

A year ago I read "The Audacity of Hope" and thought it was an interesting book. Now, I know that it is written by not a politician looking to shore up votes, but it is written by a man who wants to explain how he arrived at the beliefs he has today, a man who uses his experiences to learn, grow and change.

I get tired of people patting me on the head and stating that I am too idealistic, that as I grow up I will learn more, and not rely on hope to guide my decisions. I do not want that day to come. I am with Barack Obama, when he states that he doesn't want to lose his hope. I believe that we can change, and I believe that Barack Obama is the person to lead us.

Nick wrote a great e-mail to his parents outlining his political beliefs. I just want to share some of it:

I'm voting for Obama because he gives me hope. I honestly believe the things that he says in his speeches about change. I believe that this country is ripe for change. I believe that we can start today to build a world where equality is a reality, where one family does not live in poverty because the system prevents them from advancing because of their race. I believe that men and women can come together in spite of differences in religion, philosophy, or ideology. I believe that a language of discourse exists in which the children of our God can communicate and work for change. I believe that God is no respector of persons. Why should we?

Why should one man be able to come to this country with his family and two generations later his descendants are recognized without question as "Americans" while some of my classmates' families have been in this country for over a hundred years and live everyday in the shadow of inequality?

We live in a democratic republic. The government is by the people, of the people, for the people. These words may seem idealistic. They may seem unreasonable in the face of what you have seen and experienced growing up in this country. I realize that there is an entire generation who sang the songs of peace and equality, only to slowly have those dreams dashed by the reality of bureaucracy and short-sighted politicians. I do not know what it was like to be drafted, to be in America during the cold war. But I believe that in many ways we are standing on the shoulders of that generation, your generation, just as you and your generation stood on the shoulders of the previous.

While I realize that some day the world will come to an end, and as a result, there will be an erosion of culture and civilization that must preclude it. I do not believe that moment is now. I believe that hope is the language of progress. I believe that change is closer than it has ever been, but it will never come if members of the church sit in silence and hold on to what's theirs. We must speak out for justice and equality. We who have been blessed of the lord to know truth, must speak. We must come to the town square as Romney alluded to in his speech. We must be the light unto the world.

For too long have we as a group thought that chastity and family integrity are the only doctrines worth sharing with the world. If we reflect on our Savior's we will find that we should give of our substance, feed and clothe the poor. The reality is that we as individuals do not have the time and often the resources to make this happen.

Yet a group of people. A nation, can and should take care of its own. It should respect other nations and not make financial gain its only objective. Too long have we allowed the rich and the mighty control foreign policy. Too long have we waged war for that which rusts and corrupts. We must be willing to sit with our friends and enemies compromise where we can and should and work for peace in the world. Even if it means that I pay more taxes. Even if it means I have to work a little harder to "get ahead". I don't want get ahead on the backs and shoulders and heads of the poor and oppressed, I don't want to look back on life and as Jacob Marley in "A Christmas Carol" reflect on the chains I forged in life by my greed and selfishness.

You have spoken of my idealism in the past as though it were a folly of youth, something to be grown out of.

God make me humble enough to ever see the good in mankind, to hope and shout out the hope and light and truth that God has promised all. This nation was consecrated by the hand of God to bring forth the gospel to all the world. It as of yet has not been shouted from every housetop or heard in every ear, so we as Americans, as ambassadors of God's will should be filled with hope. Our governments should be filled with those who are not devoid of hope. I listen to the other two candidates who still have a shot and I see a man and a woman devoid of hope. Two craftsmen who will work their craft in the political arena, lying a little crushing the poor and afflicted all in the name of gamesmanship. I can not with good conscience vote for either of them.

I agree with Nick, and I think he said it better than I can.

A few resources for you to turn to:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633

This is a great breakdown and comparison of Barack and Hillary's voting record from 2007. I highly recommend looking at it.

http://www.barackobama.com/

The official website of Barack Obama.

No matter what your vote, please just do it. Vote.

Fun Family Times

2008-02-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, before I ran out to the Obama rally, Nick, Jacob and I engaged in a fun game of "Ants in my Pants." It is one of Jacob's favorite games, and it turned into one of the silliest ever.

In the middle of playing, Nick and I looked up from our feverish attempts to get our ants in Mr.Dog's pants to see Jacob, looking like this:
Pretty soon, we couldn't contain ourselves either. Ants ended up everywhere, and Jacob's giggling was absolutely contagious.

What a great night.

Here are some of our recent favorite Jacob comments:

When questioned by an adult "How old are you?" Jacob's response, as of late, has been, "Well, my mom thinks I'm three, but I'm really 16." When the adult (in this case a stranger at Gymboree) further queried, "Sixteen?" Jacob elaborated, "I can drive."

Tonight, after Jacob's bath, I was lotioning him up and holding his underpants open for him to step into. I noticed a stray hair on his penis from the towel, and said "oh, a hair." Jacob's response? "I'm growing up!"

Exciting News

2008-02-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, after trying for over a year, Jacob is going to be a big brother! We are pleased to announce the impending arrival of our son, Samuel Asher. He is due to arrive July 11 (or thereabouts), and we can't wait to meet him! We had our ultrasound today to determine his gender. Jacob was rooting for a little sister, but we are so excited to have another sweet boy. This makes five grandsons on Nick's side of the family - and no granddaughters. My mother made a comment about Greeks being "manly."

We are so happy for this new addition to our family, and we hope to update you further about his progress! Also, I am apologizing for the lag in posts - morning sickness hit with a vengeance, but I think after 18 weeks I'm feeling pretty great. I hope to update this more regularly now.

Happy day; All is well

2008-01-29T18:57:00.001-07:00

Nick and I were shocked at the news that President Gordon B. Hinckley had passed away this past Sunday. Selfishly, I was sad because I wanted to hear him speak again; I couldn't imagine a General Conference without him.

And then I rejoiced. President Hinckley is now with his beloved wife, Marjorie Pay, who passed away over three and a half years ago. They had been married 67 years at the time. Nick and I were still living in Wymount, one month away from the birth of Jacob. I remember watching the funeral on tv, and crying at the sight of President Hinckley breaking down in tears. Their son, Clark Hinckley, read a letter that President Hinckley penned his wife after almost 60 years of marriage. It stated, "When in some future day the hand of death gently touches one or the other of us, there will be tears, yes. But there will also be a quiet and certain assurance of reunion and eternal companionship."

I am so happy that these two great lovers, and exemplars of charity, the true love of Christ, are together again. I can think of no greater reward after a lifetime of work then greeting my Savior with my husband at my side. I am so grateful for the principle of eternal marriage, and that my marriage to my amazing spouse, Nick, is forever.

I can think of no greater way to remember President Hinckley than to recount his testimony. He wrote the hymn, My Redeemer Lives. Here are the lyrics:

I know that my Redeemer lives,

Triumphant Savior, Son of God,

Victorious over pain and death,

My King, my Leader, and my Lord.

He lives, my one sure rock of faith,

The one bright hope of men on earth,

The beacon to a better way,

The light beyond the veil of death.

Oh, give me thy sweet Spirit still,

The peace that comes alone from thee,

The faith to walk the lonely road

That leads to thine eternity.

We certainly thank thee, o God, for a prophet.

I'm vanilla, what are you?

2007-10-29T09:04:00.000-06:00

I must admit, I do love ice cream. Always have. When I was a child, my birthday cake request was always a Carvel ice cream cake (who can resist those wonderful chocolate crumbles separating the vanilla and chocolate ice cream? Not I.).

My current favorite? Bluebell Ice Cream's Key Lime Pie. MMMmmmm.

So I took the ice cream quiz to find out what flavor I am. Results?

I recommend that you take the quiz.

Jacob and Hannah

2007-10-23T13:03:00.000-06:00

In case you don't know, I have had the wonderful privilege of watching an adorable little girl Hannah for the past year. She is such a sweet girl, and I am glad that Jacob has the opportunity for a sibling-like experience. Sometimes it can be challenging (mainly Jacob being punky), but overall it has been so much fun!

Last week at the park Jacob loved pushing Hannah in the swing. It was so sweet, listening to her giggle and him laugh. The next day, when we went grocery shopping, Jacob and Hannah kept hugging and kissing each other. People kept stopping me to comment on how sweet they were together. It was a kind of magical moment, and it made me so happy that they have each other.

Jacob the Cowboy

2007-10-23T12:55:00.001-06:00

Well, in case you couldn't guess, Jacob is a cowboy for Halloween. The best part about this, is that when we first started talking about costumes, he was so excited to be a cowboy. But when he saw the costume design, he started crying. He told us that he wanted to be a cow-boy (a boy cow). Through his tears he kept saying, "but I really want to moo!" Eventually, he was reconciled to the cowboy costume, especially once Daddy shared the secret of lassoing with him.

Also, many thanks to my mom who made Jacob his costume in one afternoon. How amazing is she?

Pretend Monsters

2007-10-15T21:26:00.000-06:00

With Halloween just around the corner, we've had lots of interesting discussions with Jacob. Mostly they center around ghosts, witches, big spiders and monsters. Jacob is very concerned about all of these things, but most especially monsters.

Yesterday we had a discussion about monsters, and the fact that they are pretend. At the end of the conversation, I felt fairly reassured that Jacob was reassured. The world was back in order, and fear of pretend monsters wasn't included in this new world.

Last night, or more appropriately, this morning at around 2 am, I woke up to see Jacob standing at the foot of our bed. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me that there were monsters in his room. When I revisited (though not necessarily coherently) our conversation from that afternoon about pretend monsters, he clarified:

"No Mommy. There are pretend monsters in my room and they are scaring me."

What was I to do? Jacob climbed into bed with me and Nick, and I was once again reminded that a king sized bed would be nice.

Love, morals and science fiction

2007-09-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

Madeleine L'Engle died on Friday at the age of 88. I just found this out as the NPR clip came up on my google home page. What a way to find out that one of your heroes has died.

I love Madeleine L'Engle. I was first introduced to her books with A Wrinkle in Time, her Newberry award winning young adult novel. It tells the story of Meg Murray, an awkward teen who, together with her younger brother Charles Wallace, saves their father with the help of science and love.

Madeleine L'Engle was my friend. No, I have never met her. But her books have carried me through some of the most important times of my life. I remember reading them (and rereading them) when:

I was an overwhelmed student at BYU, looking for comfort and familiarity. I would often escape to the Juvenile fiction area of the HBLL. Many students probably assumed I was an El Ed major doing research but no, I was just seeking comfort from my favorite books.
I was married. After Jacob was born, Nick and I started reading books aloud to each other. We read the whole Wrinkle in Time series aloud to each other in bed at night, and then we would talk about it. I look back on that time and I smile, thinking that I had the opportunity to hare these books with my best friend.

I look forward to the time when I can read these books aloud to Jacob, and our other future children. I want to share with them the beauty and faith that Madeleine has, and I want them to know that they can find comfort in these books too.

One of my favorite lessons from Madeleine comes from her book A Ring of Endless Light. The protagonist's parents advise the family to pray for a friend when something distressing happens. The teenager in the story rebels, citing many instances where prayer didn't help anything. Her wise mother reminds her that prayer wasn't meant to be magic. Suzie then asks her why we bother with it. Her mother replies "Because it is an act of love."

When I related to Nick that Madeleine L'Engle died, I said, "Oh, how sad. Madeleine L'Engle died." And then after a moment I realized, "No, actually, it is not sad at all. Madeleine is probably happy. She had such great faith and love that her death isn't sad. She is probably really happy right now."

Sometimes, it is hard.

2007-09-02T20:37:00.000-06:00

I am blessed to be surrounded by amazing women.

Not your ordinary, nice-to-be-around, glad-she-is-my-neighbor type of women, but truly extraordinary women who teach me things all of the time. And at this point in my life, many of these lessons are learned by reading through their blogs. Oh, how grateful I am for the blog.

I love reading about my former roommates from Eden. They are doing such fun things with their lives, whether it be studying interesting topics, going to far-away romantic places, contributing to the world by serving humanity, and raising their families. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with their accomplishments.

I also love their honesty. Sam wrote a wonderful entry in her blog about the trials of motherhood, and sometimes how you just need to eat peaches and milk. It is nice to know that I am not the only one who finds motherhood challenging sometimes.

We got back from camp two weeks ago. It has been an adjustment for me. Prior to going, I had been at home, not "working," for almost three years (pretty much the sum of Jacob's life). We decided to go to camp because: a) it is fun to be surrounded by children in that environment, b) it was extremely financially advantageous for us to go and c) I despise Texas heat. I was excited to go to camp, and worried about the toll it would take on my family. I was also worried that I wouldn't be considered a "good mother" for possibly wanting to work this summer. It requires long hours away from Jacob, with him being taken care of by nannies and Nick for most of the summer, and me popping in for the fun moments.

I had a great time at camp. Every week, I was faced with my weaknesses as a mother, wife and head counselor. I also faced my strengths, and I had the wonderful opportunity to help some really great 10 & 11 year girls have a terrific summer.

And, I cried. A lot. Probably 3-4 times a week. Now, I am a crier, so this is not indicative of anything tragic, just more my way of releasing stress after a hard day, or a hard moment.

Now I am back to being a full-time stay-at-home mom. And I am enjoying it more than I did last April. Now, that could be because Jacob is older, or it could be because I have grown. I don't know. I am just so very lucky to have had the opportunity, to work at a place I love and share it with my family.

And yet, even now, there is a part of me that is embarrassed that I wanted to work, that I really enjoyed working. I think just as I would never want a mother to feel inadequate for choosing to stay at home, I also don't want a mother to feel bad for choosing to work outside of the home. And sometimes I feel like I should feel bad for working outside the home, even though that is not how I really feel.

Sarah Olson forwarded me a link to an essay that really helped:

http://segullah.org/summer2007/googleme/

I, like Sarah when she was relating to me the contents of this essay, really like the therapist's questions. I think that God is merciful, and that I am thankful for that mercy and grace that helps me find ways to be a better mom, even if those ways include me working a few months while my husband is the "stay-at-home/camp" dad. Nick and I are lucky that we have our lives set up so that for nine months out of the year he can work and go to school while I stay at home with Jacob. And for the other three months, I get to work while Nick has the privilege of staying at camp with Jacob. This doesn't make me less of a mother. If anything, it shows God's tender mercies in helping me continue on in my quest for motherhood.

If you google me, you come up with a link to my camp's newsletter. And I am ok with that.

Catch Up

2007-08-06T20:02:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been almost three months since we've written in this blog, and I totally apologize. Our life has been crazy, and will continue to be until we return to Texas after our summer job. Nick and I decided to go back and work for a camp again this summer - and it has been absolutely, wonderfully crazy.

We left Texas towards the end of May and drove two FULL days to Long Island to visit my parents and my childhood home. It was great fun, seeing my family, my friends and beautiful Long Island. We spent a week and a half with them, doing all things Long Island-ish - bagels, beaches and the occasional jaunt to Sayville parks. We swam in the sound, the Hampton Bay and the Atlantic ocean, and took the train and subway to NYC to visit the Museum of Natural History - Jacob was in heaven. One of my favorite moments? Jacob befriending a little boy on the NY subway, and listening to them sing a song they made up between 42nd and 54th streets.

We then drove up to beautiful New Hampshire, where we have been ever since. Camp here is amazing. My day is really packed - my first meeting is at 7:30 am and some nights I am on until 1 am, but it is really enjoyable working with kids again. This summer we are at an all-girls camp which is a new experience that I am loving. First session I was responsible for around 75 campers and 30 staff, and this session I am responsible for 50 campers and 16 staff. The campers finish on August 15th, and we will begin our journey back to TX around the 18th or so.

Jacob has been loving camp too. He has three wonderful nannies, and three other playmates that really make it fun. This summer he has learned to put his face in the water and "swim," he has been horseback riding and he has spent countless days playing on the soccer fields, the tennis courts and the lake. And, of course, at an all-girls camp, he is a major hit. The campers lavish him with attention and he eats it all up.

Nick enjoys his job at camp too. He works with transportation, so he is off-camp most days. It is nice because his job is somewhat flexible and he can take time off to be with Jacob frequently.

I will write in this blog more frequently once life returns to normal again. If you are interested in looking at some pictures our nannies took of Jacob, check out this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/juliecrow

Hope all is well with everyone!

Catch up

2007-05-17T20:33:00.000-06:00

Things have been so crazy lately! I apologize for not writing sooner. Hopefully I'll be able to remember everything that has happened...

Nick finished up his classes for the semester and is now almost finished with his GA stuff. Nick's professor coauthored a new textbook, and Nick was responsible for creating the companion website. It has been a great learning experience, and wonderful for his CV, as he will be listed as an author. Woohoo!

I've managed to fit a business visit to NY in two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see my parents, but I did get super pumped up for camp! Nick, Jacob and I are really looking forward to a summer at camp again - we've missed it the past two summers! We will be out of the TX heat, and I will have the opportunity to be a head counselor at a new (to me) camp. We've been busy planning and trying to get everything ready for it, but as time draws closer we can't seem to hide our excitement! Jacob asks repeatedly "can we go to camp now?"

Jacob has celebrated his third birthday this month - all month! We had a terrific "friend" party May 3, and the fun has continued with a small family party (Nick, Jacob and me), more visits with friends who couldn't attend, and a party at PapouGiagia's house including Grandmother and Grandfather and Progiagia! What fun - and he will have another party when we get to NY in a week with my parents. I don't know how we can top this year - Jacob is certainly loving his birthday and completely understands the meaning of the word "party."

Jacob is in a wonderful phase right now where he says "sure" all of the time - as in "I sure do love you," and "this sure is my favorite game." It is quite adorable, though we are still trying to figure out where he got it.

I had a lovely Mother's Day too. What could be better than spending time with the two most handsome men on the planet? Jacob and Nick let me sleep late, and they both prepared a delicious dinner. I am one lucky lady.

Some more fun Jacob moments:

Nick was a little late in picking me up at the airport, mainly because he took a wrong turn while he was circling. After he picked me up, as we were driving, Nick pointed to the road that he accidentally turned down. Jacob, commenting on it from the backseat said "yeah, Daddy is not too smart." Indicted by a three year old!

Jacob and I decided to bring lunch to Daddy during a particularly busy day on campus. After we finished spending time with Nick, we boarded the elevator in the education building to head back to our car. The elevator was full of smart, professional woman (they just exuded confidence and collegiate-ness) and Jacob charmed them. After striking up a conversation, Jacob felt compelled to share a random thought:
"When I was a baby, I drank milk from my mommy's boobie." I wanted to die, but just smiled amid all of the laughter.

Small towns

2007-04-20T07:56:00.000-06:00

We have had the pleasure of living in some really great places. Right now is no exception. Our community is a nice, smallish university town with great events for children and young families.

Last weekend, to celebrate the Day of the Young Child, and to bring awareness to child abuse prevention, our town had a Youthfest. Jacob was in heaven.

He got to ride on the train (one of his favorite activities), paint pictures, bounce in the bounce house, see his favorite librarian Miss Ashley, listen to performers and run around. What a great day!

Jacob's Comments Part II

2007-04-09T13:43:00.000-06:00

Easter weekend we went to San Saba to visit Nick's parents. Jacob was in his usual adorable form, so here are some of my favorite comments from the weekend:

#1

Papou (what Jacob calls Nick's father): "Wow Jacob, it looks like you've grown another foot!"

Jacob: No response, just looks down quizzically at his two feet, searching for the new one.

#2

Gia-gia: After placing five eggs in a bowl for scrambled eggs: Jacob, how many eggs are there?

Jacob: one...two...three...four...five!

Gia-gia: Good job. Adding one more egg. Now how many are there?

Jacob: looking at Gia-gia like she is crazy - One more!

I love my boy.

Jacob's Comments

2007-04-05T13:25:00.000-06:00

I love what comes out of Jacob's mouth. His mind constantly amazes me - and makes me laugh.

Today, I asked Jacob to help me wash some dishes. He pushed a kitchen chair over to the sink and said "Ok, Mommy. I'll use this chair." He looked me up and down. "You just use your legs."

Playgroup

2007-04-05T13:15:00.000-06:00

Jacob and I are lucky to belong to the San Marcos Playgroup, an amazing group of parents, grandparents and kids that get together throughout the week.

This week we went to Central Cheer, a gymnastics type place that opens their facility up every Wednesday for playgroups. We haven't been there since last fall, so it was pretty brand new for Jacob.

He loved it so much! He ran around, played under the parachute with his friends, and even jumped into the foam pit - what fun!

More photos...

2007-03-28T20:10:00.000-06:00

Playing with the flowers...

Whenever we ask Jacob to smile, this is what we get:

Jacob was sad when it was time to go home for dinner. He wanted to stay out with all of the pretty flowers.

Bluebonnets and blue jeans

2007-03-28T19:51:00.000-06:00

It finally stopped raining long enough today to get some pictures of the beautiful Texas bluebonnets in bloom. Jacob really enjoyed the pretty flowers, and of course we think he looks incredibly dashing!

Two sides of a coin

2007-03-26T08:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was one of those moments as a mother when I question the purpose of going to church with a two year old.

We arrived 10 minutes before Sacrament meeting was to begin. Normally we take up a side pew in order to have enough room to amuse/contain Jacob appropriately, but Jacob saw his friend Elizabeth (7 years old and quite adorable- they bonded at the previous night's baptism) sitting down and really wanted to sit next to her in the center front pew. Contrary to my instincts, and most likely against the wishes of my husband (as evidenced by the look he was giving me), I agreed.

Mistake number one.

Now, Jacob also loves sitting in the aisle seat. Usually, this is fine by us. Today, not so much, given Elizabeth's location when we sat down. Here was our pew:

pew--aisle-Jacob-Elizabeth-E's Mom-Me-Nick

Notice that Nick nor I are in arm's reach of Jacob.

Mistake number two.

Jacob did really well in the beginning. He was playing quietly with Elizabeth, looking at books and generally being cute. I did have to lean over a few times and remind him to be reverent, but for the most part things were ok.

And then it was time for the Sacrament.

Jacob, wise to the fact that Mom was not in "reminder/enforcer distance," decided to exercise his new found freedom and stand up on the pew and loudly talk to the family behind us. After ignoring repeated reminders from me, he then noticed his best friend Race sitting at the other end of our pew.

Jacob was so excited, he proceeded to yell - loudly - for Race. Jacob started to get quite hysterically when he realized that it was necessary to wait until after sacrament to greet Race. He started crying, screaming and hitting.

Then it happened. The moment you dread: walking out of the chapel with a screaming child on your hands. Now, Jacob is fairly articulate for his age. So not only was he crying, but he was screaming "don't take me outside. Don't take me outside."

Ugh.

After 10 minutes or so in a darkened room, separated from his books and snacks, Jacob was ready to return to the chapel. I straightened my tear-soaked shirt and led him back to our pew. The same set-up.

Inevitably, Jacob had to be taken out of the chapel again. We have done this dance in the past, but it has been quite a few months since we have done the "sacrament two-step." I was pretty upset, and trying everything to keep the Spirit with me.

These are the Sundays when I get home and, instead of reviewing what I've learned in my classes, I ponder the purpose of church with a two year old.

But as many Sundays as I have spent doing this, I also have many other days when the purpose is reaffirmed. Yesterday was also one of those days.

As Jacob was looking at a Greg Olsen book of illustrations of Christ with Elizabeth, E's mom was asking him questions.

E's mom: "Jacob, who is that?"

J: "Jesus Christ. He's my friend. Jesus helps me feel better."

All it takes is a moment like that, and I will happily do the dance every Sunday.

Peer Pressure

2007-03-25T08:52:00.000-06:00

We're doing it. We are starting a blog. Yet again.

Now, I know some members of our family are probably rolling their eyes. They are most likely remembering the failed attempt of '04 (or was it '05?) - one, maybe two posts and a picture.

But this time I am committed. I want to do better. I want to record our life, in tidbits and snapshots. My great husband Nick, who had kept a journal faithfully until he married me, deserves more. A wife who can record. A telling of our family life.

I admit, I feel horrible that I might be the reason my husband has not kept his journal up so frequently. Talk about being a force for - well, not evil, but definitely not good. So, in my attempts to absolve myself of that guilt, I am now keeping a record of our family.

So here we are - the first post. One down, many more to go.