NOT a symbol of Marriage

My Babe's wedding ring.

Apparently tungsten isn't indestructible.

(And I don't recommend testing that.)

Messed Up!

I know I'm behind. It's been a busy week. But this is what we did for Memorial Day. Cleaned! And dejunked and organized.

Why is it that when you only mean to tackle one room, you realize you need to do the next one too, which leads into the closet which reminds you the bathroom needs to be cleaned and the old vegetables removed from the refrigerator?

I didn't realize my whole house was in disarray until I tried to fix it.

Idaho Spuds

Potato [puh-tay-toh, -tuh]: the edible tuber of a cultivated plant. (My, doesn't that sound appetizing.) Also known as spuds or taters. Can be boiled, mashed, roasted, raw, sweet, white, red, brown, etc and so forth. Derived from Spanish "Patata."

I have succumbed to the potato. Especially the red variety.

* Funny. This particular bag says "Not a product of Idaho."

It's My Babe's fault, really. He introduced me to some of his daddy's good home-cooking.

These Potatoes are WONDERFUL! Expecially if you're pregnant and crave salt a lot like I did. But even if you're now pregnant- Yummy. Just dice your spuds, throw in some mushrooms, garlic, salt, butter and/or olive oil to taste and ENJOY. I know I do.

Ja-hoo!!

So, My Babe can make some pretty sweet yells, yelps, "yeehaws" and a variety of other odd noises (I know, weird). Tonight, after venturing outside to enjoy the fresh after-rain air, we tried some of these out on The Kiddo. Take a look.

Growth, Growing, and Going

May I share?

before (1 weekish) after (5 monthish)

5 months and he's showing off that BIG personality we've been waiting for. He's quickly learning how to push our buttons and test his limits. (Hopefully we'll learn to counter him at some point.) Anything new excites him and his onery days seem to be the ones when we're just at home.

The grocery store is a lot of fun (for now at least). Almost inevitably there's an old man or two who thinks the Kiddo is "the cutest little thing." I love watching them talk to him and shake his hand. LOVE. IT. He gets to brighten people's day just cause he's little. Ok, the smiling probably helps...

He's also starting to sit now, as the video will demonstrate for all our distant relatives (basically all of you). We wish you were closer so that you could witness the little changes. But it all just goes so fast. As a mom you really gotta drink him in just as he is.

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

(from a talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard)

The Place Where I Reside (aka Home)

Let me first emphasize that this is not my house; we’re just living here for awhile. Thank Goodness!

Not that I’m not eternally grateful for the blessing that this house is, I mean seriously, the rent is way cheaper than the majority of places around here (from what I hear it’s even in the running with the subsidized housing). However, it’s just a bit QUIRKY.

- It’s carpeted. ALL of it. Bathroom and kitchen included. (Not to mention every room is a different color and texture). AND the kitchen cupboards have that nice lip that makes vacuum access impossible. So I have to SWEEP everything out BEFORE I can VACUUM. The Kiddo is only gonna get bigger and messier. We’re probably going to have to invest in some sizable drop cloths.

- The bathroom vanity is, well, like this:

Zippo counter space. I cannot count the number of times my hair straightener has fallen in the trash can.

- The kiddo is most likely going to learn to walk while we’re still here and I’m a little concerned about these: (We’ve been told they weren’t supposed to come out that steep . . .)

- Mold. I hate it. We had to deal with it at our last place too. However, our landlord informed us that some people are just more MOIST than others. I'm not really sure what that means, but apparently you can tell cause mold grows when they're around. So we must be moist.

- Also, one of our cupboard doors fell off. As it turns out the cupboards are so old that the part that the landlord needs to fix it is no longer being made.

Ha. Despite it all, I guess we still love it. It is Home.

Mental Notes

My head is SWARMING with obliviousness. Normally when this occurs, I seek out a notebook and a pen (I tend to prefer good-old-fashioned HANDwriting) and I try to write it into consciousness. However today I decided that maybe I’d risk a post. So here you have it. All my MUMBO JUMBO.

1. My head hurts. The only cures I have found include going to bed and/or a Tylenol and Dr. Pepper combination. It’s too early for bed and I don’t want to drink a DP because I’m honestly trying to avoid carbonation. And so I let it hurt.

2. I love that the sun is out, the blinds are open and the door is ajar. Gotta enjoy it now cause tomorrow it’ll probably snow again.

3. Speaking of which, I sweat. A lot. So I love jackets and I wish it wouldn’t get so hot they’re uncomfortable.

4. I went on my first successful postpartum run yesterday and it felt. So. Good.

5. Speaking of postpartum, my hair is falling out. It's weird.

6. Today I’ve been feeling very nostalgic. Maybe it’s the weather. Perhaps it’s ‘cause I just missed the birthday celebrations of the majority of my siblings (seriously, they’re all born in April- minus Linz :)). Or maybe it’s cause I talked to Dad yesterday. For some reason he always makes me homesick. Either way I miss family, old friends, old running trails and old jokes.

6b. Writing that last one made my eyes tear up.

7. We discovered mold in the extra bedroom, which is supposed to be the Kiddo's room. I'm totally bummed. Untils it's cleaned up, he will continue to sleep in our bedroom.

8. I love the temple. My hubby made me go last night. It was amazing. Like usual. Thank you.

9. Being back in school is fun. Biking to school is fun. Doing homework is not-so-fun. So right now I’m doing this instead.

10. Most days, it’s just me and the Kiddo. Growing up in a home with six children, I am not used to the quiet and I find myself aching just for some noise or another voice. While I’d prefer face-to-face communication, it is often not possible. So, I turn on the radio or TV. I check my Facebook, sometimes many times a day. I read the news. I Skype. I blog surf, make phone calls, check emails, and text message. And I wonder how stay-at-home moms did it in the old days?

11. I really just don’t want to figure out what to make for dinner tonight.

12. The Kiddo is really cute. And fun. And noisy. And I’m currently playing with his feet as I proof-read this. (I’m an English minor. I can’t help it.)

Love,
me.