Christmas Traditions

I love the traditions of my childhood and I am enjoying passing those traditions on to my children. And of course, establishing new traditions in my own home. Here are some traditions from my childhood that I am passing on to my children:

We always got a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve before bed. This year I sent my kids down to get their PJ's on and they were amazed that new pajamas had "magically" appeared on their beds! It was fun to play Santa's advocate.

On Christmas Eve, after a Family Home Evening lesson with the account of the Savior's birth in Luke 2, we always played board games, had a fire in the fireplace, and ate goodies. It is such a cozy memory. We did that this year as well. We taught the kids how to play Sorry and it was so much fun to play it with them now that they get how! What a fun age!

This Christmas we also discovered the magic of "The Polar Express" with children who truly believe. We discovered how much fun it is to get gifts for our children and help them pick out gifts for one another. It was fun to decorate Christmas cookies and have a game night with friends.

Other traditions include a dramatic reading of "The Grinch," and coffee cake for breakfast on Christmas morning. Everyone stays in their pajamas all day long, right? It was so fun to watch the kids go from one new treasure to the next all day. Audrey looked like she really wanted to just roll in the piles of wrapping paper all over the floor...that paper looked so TASTY!

The kids received so many fun and thoughtful and generous gifts: Hungry Hungry Hippos was the request of choice from Santa (Whew! That was only $13!). The kids also got nerf guns, new gloves, new coats and shirts and pants and socks, Build-a-Bear stuffed animals from a secret Santa, books, coloring books, puzzles, and so much more! I got some new kitchen items including a scale, new silverware and Chris got me a dock for my iPod! I suppose my new haircut counts as a Christmas gift as well. I am one step closer to being back to my original hair color. Oh yeah, and Chris himself installed a new (used), WORKING, and free dishwasher for me on Christmas Eve! I love having a dishwasher again! And I thought on a new budget, we would be having a simple Christmas.... Not so! We are too blessed!

So that's how it goes...

I learned this song at Girl Scout Camp one year, but I could never remember more than one verse and the chorus. I still sing it every time I make cookies. So today (while eating my melty cookies and a glass of milk) I googled it to find out if it is a real song. Here are the lyrics:

They're made outta sugar, and butter and flour
You can bake 'em in the oven 'bout a quarter of an hour
But the thing that gives them, their magical power,
Are the Chocolate Chips inside
Boom Boom Boom

CHORUS:
Chocolate Chip Cookies, You gotta have more
You can bake 'em in the oven Or buy them at the store
But whatever you do Have them waiting at the door,
And I'll love ya till I die
Boom Boom Boom

You can't have one, You can't have two
Once ya start a munchinThere's a nothin you can do
So clean off your plate And eat the crumbs too
And go out and buy some more
Boom Boom Boom

Repeat Chorus

And when I die I don't want wings
I don't want a halo Or a harp that sings
Give me a book, a fire, And someone who brings me
Chocolate chip cookies all day
Boom Boom Boom

Repeat Chorus

And here is a "Music Video" so you can hear the tune. I have to say, this version is a little cheesy and if I were taking a picture of the inside of my oven, I would clean it first. (And what is up with pictures of Whoopi Goldberg?)

Thanks to Jane

I just finished reading Sense and Sensibility and thoroughly enjoyed it. It makes me want to use long, flowery words that I'm not quite sure of their meaning, and talk in a British accent, if only I could come up with something eloquent to say.

Here are a few gems I dog-eared as I read. Such a perceptive commentary on society! and how much does Marianne remind me of someone...myself!

• On avoiding awkward pauses in social gatherings: "Lady Middleton had taken the wise precaution of bringing with her their eldest child, a fine little boy about six years old; by which means there was one subject always to be recurred to by the ladies in case of extremity, for they had to enquire his name and age, admire his beauty, and ask him questions which his mother answered for him[...]. On every formal visit a child ought to be of the party, by way of provision for discourse. In the present case it took up ten minutes to determine whether the boy were most like his father or mother, and in what particular he resembled either, for of course every body differed, and every body was astonished at the opinion of the others." (Vol 1, chapter 6)
• The maturity of seventeen. "Marianne began now to perceive that the desperation which had seized her at sixteen and a half, of ever seeing a man who could satisfy her ideas of perfection, had been rash and unjustifiable." (Vol 1, chapter 10)
• Ever heard people say that the baby looks just like someone on their side of the family? Mr Palmer got it (who in the 1995 movie is played by Hugh Laurie, of course...): "Mr Palmer maintained the common, but unfatherly opinion among his sex, of all infants being alike; and though she could plainly perceive, at different times, the most striking resemblance between this baby and every one of his relations on both sides, there was no convincing his father of it; no persuading him to believe that it was not exactly like every other baby of the same age; nor could he be brought to acknowledge the simple proposition of its being the finest child in the world." (Volume 2, chapter 14)
• Ever try to argue with someone who just doesn't get it? "Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition." (Volume 2, chapter 14)

Next is Northanger Abbey while I wait for Pride and Prejudice to come in the mail.

What is your favorite Jane Austen?

Toy time lineup

Within an hour of free play at Grandma's house, Leah and I found the Little Einstein Annie, who had been MIA since Christmas. She was lost in a box of toys, of all places. And now back at home, here is the whole Little Einsteins gang back together again. (If you are not Little Einsteins savvy like some of us, Annie is the one with blonde hair).


And here she is with a lineup of Trolls, which I collected when I was a kid. Aren't they cute? I even remember some of their names. Becky and I each got one for Christmas when Frank was serving in Bonners Ferry, ID, so we named our Trolls Bonnie and Ferry. The one with the mask and cape is named Calvin, after the alter-ego Calvin from the comic strip. The bride is named Bridely (don't ask), and Leah walked around all week saying that Bridely was Lala and Calvin was Carl and that they were getting married. There is a red, white, and Blue one that I named Liberty. I can't remember any of the other ones names, but I'm sure they all had names and family groups.

Oh, Chicago, How I missed your...

• Humidity.
• Rain.
• Thunderstorms.
• Green.
• Frizzy hair.
• Brick cheese.
• People of color.
• Nasal vowels.
• Lightening bugs.
• Pop.

Memories of Girls' Camp

The winner of their own personalized Bingo game is Michal & David! This will be a great tool to help you stay focused during Sacrament meeting. Thanks for all your ideas. We tried the little cup of snacks method today and it just turned out to be a continuous Goldfish refill service. I think we'll go back to "Reverence practice" during the week.

Today in Sacrament Meeting the Young Women reported on their experiences at Girls' Camp. It made me reflect on some memories I had in my years at Girl's Camp. Ah, those were the days!

Here are a few lot. You don't have to read them all.

• My first year of girls' camp landed on the week of my 12th birthday. The family rule was that you can wear makeup and nylons when you turn 12, so I got nylons at camp, but I don't think I wore them until I got home. My mom was our Beehive leader at the time, and my assignment that day was to clean the latrine. On my birthday. I did not get any special treatment in this respect and still had to do it, and I was grumpy the whole time.
• That year we also used a particular kind of dishoap (a white bottle of Ivory soap) that I still like to get because the scent reminds me of that aspect of girls' camp.
• There were two particular girls in my age group that were not very nice to me and my friends. In fact, they were actually really mean and cruel. If you were there, you know who they were. They liked to pull pranks. One year, I remember them saying "Don't get mad. Get even!" It was pretty good advice when you are a relatively good kid-just not as an adult.
• One year our camp theme was "Hearts knit together in love and unity." At some point in the week, we were hit by a huge thunder and hail storm. While it was scary, we were all soaked, our tents blew over, the power went out in the administration building, and a lot of people were scared, I thought it was pretty exciting. Some of the ward leaders thought we should pack up and go home, even though no stake leaders had authorized it. I remember thinking that to do so would not exemplify "hearts knit together" in love or unity. We stayed.
• One year, I had "Ironic" stuck in my head the whole week. Some other campers nick-named me "Alanis," which I though was really cool. That was the year I learned to make a fire with dryer lint and a 9v battery. It was also the year I became a pyro!
• Liz-didn't we fall out of a canoe once?
• Kathryn's dad was the driver of the rental truck that brought all the gear. I got to drive in the truck with them on the way home one year. Backing up, the rear step of the truck got hooked on a tall tree stump and we tried for an hour to get unstuck. It was my idea to cut the tree trunk with a chain saw and it worked!
• One year a girl prayed at a campfire that the racoons would go to the leaders tents instead of ours. What a scandal!
• Speaking of racoons, my journal got some little dirty racoon footprints in it!
• Liz or I correctly guessed the number of skittles in a disgustingly large jar and we ate all of them. We were so sick of skittles, and I still can't eat that flavor (tropical).
• I wore sandals and brought a walkman one year, both of which were strictly prohibited.
• The poolhouse had a boys locker room and a girls locker room, but of course there were no boys. The leaders posted a sign on the boys room that said "Nude women" so that we knew not to go in there unless we wanted to shower sans swim suits. I used the other bathroom.
• As a junior leader, I took great pride in carrying one of the four coveted walkie talkies around camp. My mom, who was the lifeguard, had one too, and accidentally jumped into the pool with it on her suit, and it became a standing point of humor. The same camp leader that distributed the walkie talkies gave Chris and I a set as a wedding present and we still have them.
• The kitchen leader always brought a sign that said "Roadkill cafe."
• Mom nailed the stake leaders in a water fight and planted giant fake bugs in their sleeping bags.
• There were a couple male camp staff members that managed the camp and chopped wood and took out garbage, etc. Of course we singled out the only guy under 30 (and who wasn't a stake leader) and tried to flirt with him. He told us his name was Elmo, but we knew he was lying.
• Liz and I knew all the camp songs, and we even made up a couple which I still remember.

Here's one that was too depressing that we had to write a second verse to reunite the sad couple :

Boom boom my darlin', boom boom my darlin'
Gonna get along without ya know.
Gonna find someone who's twice as cute
And I didn't love you anyhow.
I'll miss you much, I'll miss you much,
But don't come back to me,
We're apart for good, we're apart for good
And thats how its gonna be.

(Here is the verse we made up)

I love ya darlin', I love ya darlin'
You came right back to me.
I said you shouldn't, you said you couldn't
Go on livin' life without me.
So now we're happy all day and night
And that's how its gonna stay.
And if you up and leave again, I'll love you anyway.

Here's one we wrote on the bus. I think I memorized it without ever having to write it down, and I still remember it. I think we got the Stake to put it in the camp book. I wonder if it is still in there or if anybody knows it. It is loosly to the tune of "It's a small world."

It's a camp of racoons, a camp of bugs,
It's a camp of spiders, a camp of slugs,
It's a camp of tears and a little fears,
It's a camp for girls.

It's a camp of laughter, a camp of love,
It's a camp with help from the Lord above.
Lots of friends we make, memories we take,
It's a camp for girls.

Naperville camp really ra-ah-ah-ocks,
Naperville camp really rocks,
Naperville camp really rocks,
I will go back soon!

And in case you are still reading, here are some more favorites. I am writing this down because I know that some day I won't remember them anymore.

The Zulu king with the big nose ring fell in love with a sweet young thing
And every night by the pale moonlight, 'sounded like this to me:
Baroom, *kiss*kiss*, baroom, *kiss*kiss*, Baroom diddle-ee-ya-dee-ay
Baroom, *kiss*kiss*, baroom, *kiss*kiss*, Baroom diddle-ee-ya-dee-ay
Oh, we'll build a bungalow big enough for two, big enough for two,
My darlin' big enough for two.
And when we're married how happy we'll be, Under the bamboo
Under the bamboo tree, if you'll be M-I-N-E mine I'll be T-H-I-N-E thine and I will L-O-V-E love you all the T-I-M-E time.
You are the B-E-S-T best of all the R-E-S-T rest and I will L-O-V-E love you all the T-I-M-E time! The Zulu king.....

--

I'm a little acorn 'round, lying on the cold cold ground
Every body steps on me, that is why I'm cracked, you see.
I'm a nut *click*click*, I'm a nut *click*click*, I'm a nut, I'm a nut, I'm a nut.

Called myself up on the phone, just to see if I was home
Asked myself out on a date, picked me up at half past eight.
I'm a nut....

Took myself out to the show, sat me down in the second row.
Put my arms around my face, got so fresh I slapped my face.
I'm a nut...

I can sing and I can dance, I wear ruffles on my-Oops! Boys, take another guess!
I wear ruffles on my dress!
I'm a nut *click*click*, I'm a nut *click*click*, I'm a nut, I'm a nut, I'm a nut!

--

Announcements, Annoouncements, Announcements!
A terrible death to die, A terrible death to die!
A terrible death to talk to death, a terrible death to die.
Again! Again! She's bugging us again!

San Francisco Top 10

View Album --hundreds of pics from our trip!

First and foremost, Samuel is allergic to cashews. We found this out only two hours away from our destination (and after ten hours already in the car), and subsequently got to experience emergency room care in Auburn, California. We were there for four hours; we figure one hour per cashew. His reaction consisted of constricted breathing, vomiting, whole-body hives, and hot, itchy skin. We're grateful for the GPS that we bought for the trip, because it led us straight to a hospital in about 5 minutes.

Oh, and driving across country was much more enjoyable for me this time considering that for all the other road trips we've taken in the past few years I was pregnant and puking in the gravel on the side of the road. Soooooo much better when you're not puking!

TWO--Sam is a graduate! The core of our trip was to cheer for and support Chris's cousin Samantha, who just graduated high school and celebrated her 18th birthday. She is the next oldest grandchild after Chris and his brother, and the only girl of their generation. Filipinos sure know how to party!

THREE--Chris has moves. He really got to bust out his break dancing and popping during Samantha's big birthday party. He complained of foot pain for weeks afterward, but he said it was worth it. The kids had some moves too. As soon as I'd put them down to dance and they'd start crying instead of dancing I knew it was time to put the kids to bed.

FOUR--Leah is not shy. She treated the entire party to a solo of Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star by microphone, then lectured on flowers and lights and houses and cameras and other unconnected random things that only make sense in the mind of a three year old..

FIVE--Great food. Chris got a full dose of seafood at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (at Fisherman's Wharf) and I managed to find something on their menu that wasn't fishy at all. We spent $60 on one lunch--the most we ever spent for two on one meal. Ouch. Chris's friend Rebecca Hamburg from his high school years in Japan treated us to some authentic Japanese food. We also got lots and lots of Filipino food!

SIX--The Sights! Rebecca also gave us a guided tour of San Fran and drove us down Lombard Ave (crookedest st). Chris and I spent a day at Fisherman's Wharf, enjoyed the sights, entertainment, and of course, the shopping. We scoped out the seals, and for the love of chocolate, ventured over to Ghirardelli Square. We also spent an afternoon at Golden Gate Park for a picnic with Lola and to give the kids a chance to ride the carousel and run amok at the park. The kids playground in Golden Gate Park is a definite site to hit if you are in SF with kids. This park had just about everything you could want: sand, swings, slides, climbing, water--you name it.

SEVEN--Alcatraz. They let us out. Whew! By far the best self-guided audio tour we've ever done. We highly recommend the Alcatraz tour to anyone visiting SF. Plan to spend several hours there, and you'll definately enjoy it more without kids in tow. Chris wants to do the tour again at night next time, after he reads his new book "The Ghosts of Alcatraz." OOohh...

EIGHT--The kids got to see (and pee in) the ocean for the first time. I didn't expect it to be quite so cold and windy!

NINE--Lola loves her grandkids. She was a ready babysitter and took 10 pictures per minute! She was so great to play along with Leah's "I'll race you to the potty" game...

TEN--Family. Chris got to spend some much needed one-on-one time with his mom. We were graciously hosted by the Rafaels, and CJ even gave us his bedroom. We've decided that we are not going to wait for another 10 years to pass before seeing his extended family again!

Here are a few video highlights we managed to capture. I'll let you figure out which one goes with which description (I think you'll be able to do it...)



Transcription of Leah's first public address:
So everyone has flowers on their table so they can help their lights be comfortable.
Because at their house they have cameras and toys and they have lights.
You’re welcome.

Ode to Dad

Here are a handful of things that I love about my Dad.

• Little green basketballs (peas).
• Moldy fly speck, and pond scum ice cream (mint chocolate chip, and marble fudge swirl respectively).
• Chocolates on your pillow.
• Colorful pancakes (and mom's green oatmeal).
• Demonstrate and explicate (show and tell).
• Smiley face food, including bologne and assorted fruits.
• "Bologne sandwhiches!" instead of "Geronimo!"
• Floppy-arm-itis and its companion disease stiff-arm-itis.
• The bathtub song.
• He thought my coupon for "two free jokes" was for me to tell him two free jokes. It was a coupon for him to tell two free jokes.
• Dad's bright red sweat pants.
• Dad kept waking me up for seminary for all those years.
• Dad's inflatable "pool" in the backyard those few years when it was the only choice.
• "Don't take any wooden nickels".
• One time on a campout, I accidentally drenched my pork chop in salt and thought it was too gross to eat. I gave it to Dad without telling him about the salt and thinking he wouldn't notice. He ate it without saying a word about it.
• As a kid his Sunday school teacher took the class to get ice cream cones--they were a dime apiece. Dad's trained frugality led him to say, "I'll just take the dime".
• Dad's trademark "I'm home" whistle, also effective as a "where are you" whistle in grocery stores.
• Dad's cheerful whistling anytime and anywhere. He'll also unknowingly switch tunes if you start whistling a different song.
• The state border song. "Happy Utah to you! Happy Utah to you! Happy Utah dear family..." Definately a tradition we are continuing.
• Dad's explosive and contagious laugh.
• Dad's integrity.
• Dad was secure enough that he would skip with me across the parking lot into the grocery store. I didn't realize how big a deal that must have been until I had a husband and tried to skip with him. I stand corrected: I am lucky to have a husband who will do this with me and our daugther.
• Dad was an expert hair-braider when there were two grade school girls in the house.
• Dad's parents always gave him the choice of helping with the dishes or practicing the piano. It is because of this that he is an accomplished pianist. Whenever he practices, the house is filled with cheerful music. He is always willing to be my pianist when I join him for showtunes.
• I remember when our little blue Omni was about to turn over 100,000 miles. It was such an event to celebrate that Dad took us all to Dairy Queen. We drove back and forth in the parking lot until we reached the momentous mile and we all cheered and then had ice cream. Going out to ice cream every 100,000 miles makes ice cream a very special treat, indeed. I think I might do the same someday.
• Dad does all the ironing. On top of that, he has the patience to endure fuzzy, static-y basketball on TV while he does it.
• One time Mom was out of town and so Dad was getting us all ready for school. One morning he was especially goofy and tossed a banana peel over his shoulder onto the floor in the kitchen. I don't know why it was so hilarious, but I still remember us all laughing.
• Dad has always been a righteous, honorable man. He is a great example of forgiveness and Christ-like living. Thanks, Dad!
• Siblings--please comment with whatever I have forgotten to mention...

Love you, Dad! I miss you!

Ode to Mom

I thought about making a list of the reasons why my Mom is the greatest. Then I realized that to really do her justice, in order to have a truly fitting tribute to mom, I’d have to use poetry. So here we go.

This Mom is the Bomb
By Dr. Spoofs.

The sun did not shine, it was too wet to rake.
So she sat in the house and she started to bake.
She sat there with bread dough, she sat there and kneaded.
This was not a good time for yards to be weeded.
No laundry to fold and no toilets to scrub,
Thanks to her wonderful excellent Hub.
So all she could do was to
Type
Type,
Type,
TYPE!
And did she complain? Not one little gripe.

Then Eve was redeemed!
How that news made us gleam!
A real, hooded Doctor, standing so calm,
We cheered and we cried out, this Mom is the Bomb!

And she said to us “Why do you sit there like that?”
“Don’t act like I’m tired and should be ready to rest,
Look at what’s happened inside of this nest.”
“I know some good projects to start”
(Please don’t slouch)
“I know some great stories”
She sat on the couch.
“A lot of great stories, I think you should stay.
I am your mother, now do as I say.”

And Becky and I did not know what to say.
Our mother was acting quite strange for the day.
And our Dad said “Yes! Yes!
Let us hear all about!
Let us count up the ways that your mom is worn out!”

“She has mastered the Bard
She has studied phonemes
While mothering hard.
Let her tell us these things.”

“Now, Now. Let me see.
Let me see, I will quench.
I’ll tell you the story in Spanish or French.
Why we can have lots of good fun, if you please,
My story of counting 1-2-3 degrees.”

“Very well” said the mom.
“I will tell you all how.
I’ve been going to school from then until now.
I raised you four up as I studied a lot,
With a book in one hand and some soup in a pot.
But that is not all that I did,” said the mom…

“Look at me! Look at me then!” She said chiming.
“Raising four kids while in school and still smiling.
I could look at TWO books, untie any knot,
Could sew a black skirt, and get out that damn spot.
And look, I can swim endlessly in the pool
All while coordinating car-pool.”

“Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me then!
It is fun to have fun, but you have to know when!
I could hold a church calling, tape record dinner,
Draw by eye-balling, then nurse any splinter.
I could bike here and there and not even perspire.
And look, with my feet, I can lead the ward choir!
I know every verse in the hymnbook, what’s more,
I can sleep next to Dad even though he would snore…”

That is what the mom said when she fell on her bed!
She came down with a bump, she came down with a roll
And Becky and I saw that the bed had a hole.

She fell deep asleep, she fell on the bed
“She does fall asleep like this”, our dad said.
“But this is a good story, do not side-track!
If we must wake her up, We may heart attack!”
At B.Y.U., N.I.U., C.O.D. even,
What’s next for your research, the Garden of Eden?
Mother of four and now with five grands,
And to think that she did it with only two hands.
And many years later, she’s Supermom still
Enjoying the beautiful, green Naperville.

But it doesn’t make much of a difference where from,
No matter the place, this Mom is the Bomb!

Making History

Guest post by Frank Sorenson, aka SuperGrandpa

On Tuesday night, when we realized that the Obama campaign was planning a post-election rally in Chicago, we decided that we wanted to be there when history was made. I have been fighting a cold, but I agreed to go down to Chicago with Ellen. We stuffed pbj sandwiches into a backpack and jumped on a train to the city.

To get into the restricted seating area where the speeches would be given required admission tickets, but we knew that the park is a big place and we wanted to be there to participate in the event. People were streaming into the park, where there were several 40-foot-wide tv monitors showing election results as they came in. The crowd was enormous! People of every race, age and economic status were there (but probably not every political party). We were fortunate to have one of those very rare Indian summer days where the temperature was in the 60s—it could have been 25 with sleet.

The gathering was the best of the USA : a beautiful city, a peaceful, multicultural crowd enjoying the basic right to peacefully assemble, and the evidence of a fair election (no killings, no kidnappings, no stolen ballot boxes, etc.). Though crowded, the 200,000 or so people present all seemed to be happy to gather together to celebrate the successful election of the first Black to the US presidency.

When I was a young adult, water fountains, bathrooms, and even restaurants were segregated in many areas of the south. Many jobs were not available to blacks (in the south and in the north), even though they may have had the same qualifications as the whites who got the jobs. Growing up in Utah, I didn’t even know of these inequalities!! It wasn’t until I served in the army, visited the south, and read histories that I understood the latent racism that took so long to die.

This week we had an election where 110+ million people voted without threats or coercion; the outgoing president will not call up the Marines to keep himself in power; nobody will “suspend the constitution” and declare himself a dictator-for-life. The most powerful position in the world will be changed peacefully and smoothly because the entire nation is run by laws and proper procedures. And the new president will be a black man! We have truly come a long way from the days of Jim Crow.

We cheered as projections came on the big screen. We tried to position ourselves so we could see the screen nearest us, but it was difficult because of the enormous crowd. We needed to catch a 10:40 pm train back to Naperville, and stayed as long as we dared. We had left the park and were on Michigan Avenue when word came that McCain was going to concede defeat. We could tell something had happened because of the roar of the crowd. Where we were, there were 200 people entering the park for every 1 person leaving! Cars were honking, people were cheering, and everyone was a friend to everyone. Most blacks admit they NEVER thought it would be possible for a black to be elected.

So, while we were not able to shake hands with the president-elect, at least we can say we were there on the night history was made.

The Folly of Youth: Why Ignorance is NOT Bliss

Okay, here is just one example.

When we were newlyweds living in a BYU married student ward (with so few children that there was no Primary or Nursery), I had the opportunity to babysit a little boy. We'll call him Chip. He was younger than my Samuel is now, so about 8 months old, and if I remember correctly, he didn't have any teeth yet.

Well this is what I was given to feed Chip during my 2 hour babysitting stint: a banana and some rice cereal (no big deal).

And a tuna sandwich.

Did I mention that this little boy had no teeth?

Being a childless and ignorant 20 year old, I had no idea what to feed a baby, nor did I have a box of Cheerios stashed away at the back of the cabinet. But I could tell that a tuna sandwich was an unusual menu item. I could also tell that Chip was not happy. He tried and tried to eat that tuna sandwich, gumming it for 30 minutes until he had finally eaten half of it. Based on his determination and long suffering, I'm comfortable assuming that this was not the first time he had been given a tuna sandwich. But boy, was he grumpy about it.

Chris had been present when Chip was dropped off by his mom, and was witness to my sheer excitement at having a "trial run" at the baby business. He stopped back in briefly after an hour and found me, most likely in tears, rocking and bouncing and swooping the little guy to get him to stop crying and go to sleep (since he had already eaten his tuna sandwich). By the end of my 2-hours when Chip had gone home, Chris came home again only to find me fast asleep on the couch, completely exhausted. He decidedly announced that we weren't having any babies yet, and teased me for my naive longing for a baby of my own.

Ah, the advantage of hindsight. That day I was just as clueless as Chip's mom. Poor baby. Poor mom. At least I could tell that he was not happy with a tuna sandwich for lunch.

In case you are wondering, here is a website that gives some good guidelines about what to feed an 8 month old. I don't see any mention of tuna or sandwiches.

Halloween: Past and Future

Ok. I have made my daughter a Halloween costume two years in a row now, and I personally think my pregnant mummy costume was pretty darn good last year, not to mention "punny". Chris was a super awesome Jack Sparrow two years in a row. I'm hanging up the Supergirl costume for good(wearing it six times, and then pregnant, was just going too far). But this has to be the year that all my hard work is recognized. One of us has just got to get a best costume award.

I want to get a head start on this so I'm not waiting in line at the fabric store or scouring DI on October 30. Here are the ideas I've had for costumes for the family:

Wizard of Oz theme--I'd love to be Galinda (have you seen Wicked?). I would have a shimmery outfit with sequins, and could even tweak a couple hula-hoops so that I could actually travel by "bubble." And I'm sure I could figure out how to act ditzy. I could make Leah a really cute Dorothy costume (just picture the braids!), complete with sparkly red shoes, Samuel could be Toto, and Chris?

Toy Story theme--Leah would love to play Jesse, since she actually knows who Jesse is. Again, the braids...and with a cowboy hat? So cute! Samuel could be a little baby Buzz Lightyear, and I could be Bo Peep. Chris volunteered to be Bullseye for at least the ward Halloween party, but I'm certainly not making him two costumes if he's something else at work.

Other non-themed ideas

I have a great dress that would work really well for Cruella DeVil--and it would be so much fun to wear a feather boa and die my hair half black and half white.

Samuel has the hair for Elvis. We also thought he could be a rapper or sugar daddy or something--with a big silver "S" necklace, a black pleather jacket and shades, and a pink feather boa--how awesome would that be? Of course, I also have a perfectly sized monkey costume he could wear...

Chris acknowledges that he looks good with eye makeup-only on Halloween, of course. But we've been thinking for years now about making him a Pharaoh or "The Mummy" (like the movie) or something--he's got the bald head for it, and with the dark eye and face makeup it could look pretty cool.

Leah, of course, would be super cute as just about anything. I mean, she's got the hair... The same pattern I used for Leah's monkey and fairy also has a silly frog and a lion pattern. Those are options, too.

So....Any ideas? What do you vote for?

(I promise to share our costume contest winnings with you!)

When I went to BYU, Part II

As a continuation to a previous post about what has changed at BYU in the past few years, it keeps changing!

Yesterday Chris took Leah on an outing on the BYU campus. She loves seeing all the buildings and statues, playing in the fountains, feeding the ducks, etc. And Chris loves showing her around our alma-mater and indoctrinating her at a young age to grow up to be a Cougar. He took a quick look at the newly built Commons at the Cannon Center. It is a brand new building, and apparently pretty impressive--I simply assumed it was an addition to the original Cannon Center where I literally flipped burgers and pizza dough at Cosmo's and Tomassito's, and where Chris served up food for hungry freshman and was a late-night janitor.

Today I drove past and saw that the original Cannon center was demolished...today! I could see in through its wounded walls at the chandeliers still hanging from the ceiling in the dining room! No doubt, Cosmo's is gone. This makes me just a little bit sad. I mean, how can I look from where I've been to how far I've come if where I've been isn't there anymore?

Other things that have changed in the past few months:

They finally tore down the KMB. This was the dance studio/History faculty building and home of the Smith Institute for LDS History. You had to leave the building and walk around the outside and up the steps to get to the other half of the building, and it was always way too hot in half of the rooms. It was about time. I guess if I'd spent a lot of time there, I would be sad to see it go, too, but I always just thought it was a really annoying building to try to find anything in. Apparently, they expanded the Richards Building (one of the athletic buildings) to make room for the offices that would be displaced by the KMB demolition, another change that has happened since I went to BYU.

The Tanner building is huge! It was just a square box with window stripes when I went there, and now there is a huge addition on the west side, plus a fancy underground parking garage to the north and new entrance from Bulldog. Wow. Here's a live feed with a view of the new addition.

B-77 was condemned many years ago and is finally being demolished in three stages. Lately, both side arms of the U-shaped building have been removed, the ground has been leveled, and a steel frame of a new building is under construction in their place. Does anybody know what they are building? My prediction would be that they are making a new home for IT services--a prediction based on my main project as a staff-member for OIT in 2006. They'd have to make a new building to move all the offices to before they could tear down all of B77, which would explain why some of it is still intact. Just a prediction. (The other uses for B77--early childhood education and the cooking and sewing labs were relocated when the JFSB was completed, which by the way was just in time for me to graduate). I wonder why I don't feel sad about losing B77 like I do about the Cannon Center? I probably spent just as much time there...

LDS Philanthropies has a fancy new building next to the B77 project. (Seen under construction in the above picture). Oh, and most of Deseret Towers have been demolished, but I don't think I ever set foot in one of them more than once. I think the Faculty Office Building is being torn down too.

What else has changed?

I have to admit that BYU's use of space is pretty impressive. They don't bother keeping old run-down buildings, and they consider the cost-effectiveness of new buildings versus maintaining really old buildings. And no department ever becomes homeless in the process. You gotta hand it to BYU for continuing to move forward--even though it means that I get left behind!

Why I buy Q-Tips in bulk

fix·a·tion: (fĭk-sā'shən) n.
1. The act or process of fixing or fixating.
2. An obsessive preoccupation.
3. Psychology A strong attachment to a person or thing, especially such an attachment formed in childhood or infancy and manifested in immature or neurotic behavior that persists throughout life.

Some time during junior high school, I adopted the habit of cleaning out my ears with a Q-tip daily; it is part of my showering/getting dressed routine, and is as common to me as brushing my teeth or putting in my contacts. You could say I am a little obsessive about this practice. I bring Q-tips with me on vacation, or fashion a lame substitue if I've forgotten (you wouldn't go a week without toothpaste, would you?). My husband has heard me say, "Oh, no! I forgot to clean out my ears this morning!" I have now convinced him that he should adopt a similar habit, and have trained my children to expect having me regularly clean out their ears. (Incidentally, a couple mornings ago, I was rudely awakened by my two-year old putting a Q-tip in my ear and saying "My turn!).

And now I'm going to tell you why.

I was at Centennial Beach one sunny summer day in my teen years. My best friend Liz and I were sitting on one of those green floating things in the middle of the deep end waiting out the no-swim break, or catching some rays, boy-watching, or something equally lackadaisical. Then out of nowhere, and totally unprovoked, Liz looked over at me and said something that has changed my life forever. She said, "Ewww, Jenny! Your ears are disgusting! Don't you ever clean them?" Lets just say I was impressionable. I promise you that until that day, I was completely ignorant and unselfconscious about what was in my ears; I have never been the same person since.

So now it's your turn. What do you do? What comment did someone make to you once upon a time that you still remember vividly and that still impacts you on such a regular basis?

So Very Quotable

The following movie lines are so quotable that I bet you can identify the movie even though the line has nothing to do with the plot.

Here's how this is going to work: You get 5,000 fake points for every correct answer. If you can get the correct answer without looking it up or asking someone, you get double points. The person with the most fake points is the fake winner! Of course, if you know my favorite movies, you have a bit of an advantage. I'll put the answers up in a couple days--don't spoil it for the rest of us! (If you must prove your superiority in this game, I suppose you could email me your answers, but you would still only get fake points). Feel free to add your favorite quotes in the comments and then I can play too!

1. I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them. But no one sells eight hot dog buns. They only sell twelve hot dog buns. So I end up paying for four buns I don't need. So I am removing the superfluous buns.

2. Thank yer, ladies and gentlemen.

3. (singing) Harses, harses, harses, harses...

4. M-Maybe it's the power trying to come back on.

5. Matchy green! Matchy, matchy green!

6. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.

7. Help! Help! I'm being repressed! Did you see him repressing me?

8. (1) I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed? (2)I think you can in Europe.

9. Fresh creamery butter.

10. (1) I know Kung Fu. (2)Show me.

11. I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability.

12. They're not gonna want to buy the whole friggin' ice cream truck when your handing out the popsicles for free!

13. (1) There's something the matter with this yogurt. (2) It's not yogurt, it's mayonnaise.

14. Franch bread, Franch fries, Franch dressing, and to drink, Peru!

15. You're never gonna be Jell-O!

16. I'm sorry I o-ogled you.

17. Nothing says romance like a kidnapped, injured woman!

18. I never told you, but you sound a little like Dr. Seuss when you're drunk.

19. Face it, girls, I'm older and I have more insurance.

20. But I really want a painting!

When I went to BYU...

• Cecil O. Samuelson was inaugurated as University President
• The SFLS had just been demolished and there was a gigantic pile of rubble in its place
• The JKB was still the JKHB and had not been remodeled
• The Alumni House stood and the Gordon B. Hinckley center was not yet conceived
• UTA bus passes were free to BYU students
• I had a class in B-77, where they still had "odd-johns", and which was already condemned
• Steve Cleveland was the basketball coach and Gary Crowton was the football coach
• The stadium was just called Cougar Stadium
• The indoor practice facility didn't exist yet, so the "Great and Spacious Building" only referred to an element of Lehi's dream
• You could take a nap practically anywhere on campus--my personal favorite locale was a saggy orange couch in a first floor women's lounge in the Swicket, with a close second on the 4th floor HBLL
• The computers in the HBLL took zip drives and 3 inch floppies

I attended BYU from September 2003 through August 2005. Not that long ago. But passing through campus I notice that a lot of things have already changed in just a few years

Finish this sentence: "When I went to BYU..."

I'll pick a random commenter on April 21 and send you some BYU paraphernalia! (Don't get too excited--I'm on a budget!)

Project Completed!

Here are some pictures of Leah in her Easter dress that I finally finished today. I started early (like, 3 weeks ago) and then took a week and a half hiatus...then scrambled this week to finish the sleeves and the hem. Here is the final product. A little baggy, very shiny and very Disney Princess-like (not intentional). If I have time, I will finish a matching vest for Samuel that I cut out...who knows if I'll have time with only one more day until Easter.

I wanted to layer the yellow lace over the satin for the bodice because I had a dress like that when I was a little girl, and it brings me happy memories (only mine was orange, I think...)

Total time: probably about 15 hours, but I wasn't keeping track.
Total cost: $30. I could have bought one for less, but I didn't want sleeveless, and this way I could make it longer on her so she can wear it all summer.
Total lifeline calls: 3.

Obviously, she wouldn't sit still for a picture, but isn't she a beautiful little girl?

Oreo Triathlon

When we were kids, my sister and I had matching T-shirts that said "Oreo Triathlon: Twist, Lick, Dunk!" I loved the t-shirts and am sad that they are long gone.

For the record, Chris wants to add that a triathlon is really "Swim, Run, Bike."

I should relay my Oreo dilemma from this past week. To satisfy the first of many pregnancy cravings, I made my husband go buy me a bag of Oreos. I deliberately avoided looking at the fat content. I was going to enjoy this. Then, of course, I had to avoid looking at my teeth in the mirror.

Well, after a couple days (rationing myself to three cookies at a time to savor the goodness) there were only six left. Nobody was around to see me eat all six or to stop me, but I knew that Chris would notice when there were none left, or that he would detect the poorly disposed of bag in the garbage can, no matter how hard I would try to hide it. I ate the first one. Really good. Second one. Third one. Then I had that dilemma: if I ate one more, there would only be two left. If I ate two more, there would only be one left, and that's just cruel to leave just one for my hardworking husband. I suppose I could eat them all, destroy all incriminating evidence, and go buy another bag of Oreos and no one would know the difference.

I used terrific self restraint and left two cookies (even though my glass had plenty of milk left for two more "dunks"). There they were, sitting on the counter, waiting for Chris to notice them. When he finally got home from work, I proudly announced, "Honey, I saved you two Oreos! And let me tell you, it was hard not to eat them!" He then responded, "Oh, you can have them!"

Oh, the cruelty!

Applesauce Association

Yesterday we had grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, with applesause on the side. My mother always fed me applesauce with my grilled cheese sandwhiches, so its just a natural association that I grew up with. I am now transfering this association to my child.

My visit home last month shed some very interesting light on this grilled-cheese-and-applesauce association. My mother served us grilled cheese sandwiches. Grandma (her mother) was sitting next to me at the table, and said, "Where's the applesauce?" (I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the applesauce tradition went back another generation.) My mom dutifully put it on the table and apologized for having forgotten it. We all then proceeded to enjoy our sandwiches with applesauce.

Then we had an interesting conversation about applesauce. Apparently, my mother got the applesauce tradition from her mother, who thought it was a good combination (and it is). Mom told me that when she was a kid, her mom always used velveeta cheese with their cheese sandwiches, and that she thought it tasted awful. She would smother her sandwich with the applesauce to mask the cheesy taste--that's what she thought it was for.

After years of growing up with applesauce next to my cheese sandwhich (not velveeta), it became a tradition for me, too, but not because I didn't like the cheese. Now I'm transfering that same applesauce association on to the next generation. Thanks Grandma!

Live and laugh and pass it on

Do you ever have those moments when you want to be really embarassed or mad about something, but you know you should really just laugh it off? The way it always happens with me is that someone else is trying to get me to shrug it off and I get annoyed because I want my time to be mad about it first. I learned this the hard way from my dear friend Liz.

I distinctly remember our fight right after my glasses flew off my face on a roller coaster at Six Flags. We must have been in Junior High. I was ticked and I knew my parents would be ticked. I wanted my time to fume and blame someone (besides myself, of course). But Liz, who has always been very level-headed, was convinced that there was nothing we could do about it and that we might as well laugh, especially since immediately beforehand we had had a conversation about how not to lose our glasses on the Iron Wolf. And of course, her glasses were tightly clutched in her fist the entire time and survived the ride. She was right, they were gone; I never saw through them again. Why did I reserve the right to be mad when I knew eventually I would have to laugh about the irony of the incident?

I was reminded of this and heard Liz's effervescent cackling in the back of my mind today when I drove away from my house with a box on the roof of my car. I almost wish someone else could have seen it so I could have heard their laughing. I'm laughing now. Thanks Liz!