Words to the wise

I've had my fair share of uncomfortable callings in the church. Some of them included young women (a calling I would have loved had the total four young women...that's it..four..weren't punching each other at school or getting pregnant at 14), choir director (another calling which would have been fun if I had any knowledge whatsoever as to how to direct a choir. There is a great difference between being in a choir and actually being in charge of a choir. This calling also would have been fun if I could get anyone to actually come to choir practice), and sunbeam teacher (a calling that would be a little more enjoyable had the children actually listened to what I taught and didn't fight over who got to sit on my lap that week).

I've also had some callings that I've LOVED including being a missionary in Spain, ward missionary, young women (different ward, different young women:-), relief society teacher (one of my personal favorites), and primary pianist (an extremely rewarding calling just to be able to listen to the funny things kids say in primary every week). My eternal calling (one I've had in every ward I've ever been in since Chase and I were married about 7 years ago) is the activities committee. I have always been mindful of being grateful for callings and have learned to never reject them. Some people will say no to callings and I've always thought this was lame because it made the job of the bishop, a calling I hope Chase NEVER gets, even more challenging.

There is however one calling that I have absolutely NEVER wanted. I never told anyone for fear of actually getting the calling to "teach me a lesson" in the future. Can you guess what it is? When we moved into our current ward we sat down with the first counselor in the bishopric as Chase was extended the calling of sunbeam teacher (hee hee). Brother Scott didn't have a calling for me just yet and I told him that was probably a good thing because I was as sick as a dog in my first trimester of pregnancy. Then I made a remark that I had always told myself NEVER to do. I told Brother Scott that I didn't want to be in nursery.

I wasn't feeling well and the last thing a mother of young children wants to do is take care of other mother's young children. I live in a nursery at home for Pete's sake! It wouldn't be right to have a worn out mom put in nursery who wouldn't be excited to be there every Sunday. Nursery should be extended to Dads, people who have grown children, or people who just can't get enough of snotty nosed, smelly, and wild rascals. This is the one calling I would probably say no to. For shame!!!

Guess what calling Brother Scott extended to me just a few short months later? I blame it on myself for telling him I didn't want the calling. He's either trying to "teach me a lesson" (I'm not 4 years old Brother Scott), or he is suffering from Alzheimer's because he obviously forgot that I clearly told him I DIDN'T WANT TO BE IN NURSERY!!! When he extended the calling I asked him if he was joking. I tried to hold back tears. I was not only offended that my one request was not taken into account, but I also had a ridiculous amount of self pity for my sad nauseated self. I pretended to get something from my diaper bag (that's right...DIAPER BAG...because I HAVE A CHILD IN DIAPERS BROTHER SCOTT), so he wouldn't see how flushed and angry I was. I choked down the tears and smiled at Chase who obviously could tell I was FURIOUS!!

I asked Brother Scott why he was giving me a calling that I clearly told him I didn't want and he asked me if I was going to make this calling the "first calling I would ever say no to." Was he challenging me? I did feel guilty. I worried about the consequences of being struck by lightning once I left the building if I did actually say "no." All I really wanted to do was punch the guy in the face but instead I said "yes" after he assured me I would be released before the baby is born in January. Gee, thanks! Only a man wouldn't take into account that by the time I give birth I will be so incredibly large that people will be asking me if I'm having twins. I won't want my own children crawling all over me, let alone other people's children whom I don't care a snitch about. I won't want to lift children off the tables, bend over to pick up toys, or go around sniffing every child's diaper in order to decipher whose bowel movement is the culprit of the foul stench filling the room. After I left his office I went to our 100 degree car in the parking lot and cried. It was pathetic, dramatic and completely childish. Maybe I am four!!

Time for a trim

Jack's hair seemed to be getting a little out of control. I loved it in the humidity because it would curl and form these fantastic wings on the side. Still, it was looking a little unkempt so Chase got out his electric trimmer and went to town.



This pic is about three weeks later after it had time to grow in a little. When I first saw how much he had taken off I couldn't help but cry. Not only did Jack look like he'd been prepped for an operation, but he also looked a whole year older. I wanted the long curly hair back. Good thing hair grows. He does look quite handsome with his new look, but don't tell him that. I stated that he was handsome the other day and he replied "I'm not handsome, I'm a boy!"

Copy Cats

Whatever Mom does, Sadie does. Soon after, Jack quickly follows suit.

Endless Summer

When planning this pregnancy I was thinking that by September the temps would be lowering and I wouldn't be too uncomfortable in my third trimester. No amount of planning could have worked it's way around this hot and ridiculously endless summer. We go to the pool almost every day after school and if it's even remotely under 100 degrees we celebrate and stay outside all day.

One of these such days we headed down to town lake for another attempt at canoe rides with out the fits of hysterics from Sadie thinking we will drown.

She was very pleasant this time around. Even with the smell of smoke in the air and fires looming to the East, there were still quite a bit of people enjoying the cooler (if you can call it that)

Originally we went down to watch Sammy Markham finish his triathlon. We met up with them, hung out on the water, stopped at Torchy's for a little trailer food heaven, and then headed to the bat bridge to watch them soar at dusk.

With cupcakes from Hey Cupcake and a view of the city lights, the day ended complete!

Texas on Fire

When you hear the word "drought" you think...well I guess I should shower less, right? I never thought that we would ever get this close to being evacuated. I kept hearing reports while in Utah about serious water restrictions and 100 degree days with no signs of rain. I heard about some towns just turning their water off for a couple of days just to replenish supply. I was worried when I heard these things and would call Chase to make sure he purchased more water at Costco next time he went.

However, I had no idea how bad this parched land was until we returned to a completely yellow landscape. With 85+ days over a 100 degrees and no water the land was completely barren and vulnerable to any type of fire hazard. A few weeks after school started it seemed fires had started and weren't stopping all around us.
People in our stake were being evacuated. Our friends the Kings from Virginia who live in Leander had a really close scare as they were evacuated and the street below them lost 11 homes. Steiner Ranch just 10 miles north of us lost 25 homes. We almost rented a home there last year!! One night we had a really hard time sleeping. I thought with the thick smell of smoke in the air and orange moon, we were going to get a knock on our door at any minute telling us we had to be evacuated.

There is still a pile at the door of all the things we would take with us if we had a short time to evacuate. Pictures, back up discs, and Chase's cello all seemed irreplaceable. I sat around looking at all our "stuff" and thinking that even though it's just ordinary belongings, I still needed and used them every day. These poor people in the fire East of us in Bastrop lost everything. 1500 homes were destroyed in this fire and huge relief efforts have been made on their behalf. Imagine having to buy everything all over again. Simple things like a curling iron or a spray bottle. Friends in the ward mentioned video taping all our belonging for insurance reasons to make claims easier. I couldn't believe we were to this point of worry.

We prayed earnestly for rain. Stakes were fasting and still for two weeks the fires kept blazing and more homes continued to be destroyed with out a drop of rain in the forecast. It all seemed ridiculous that New Jersey was flooding with water and we were on fire. Every time we heard a fire engine we were alarmed and got ready but were never actually evacuated. Our little neighborhood made it through with out any damage and a great deal of sorrow for those who had lost their homes.

It finally rained yesterday. It wasn't a lot but after two weeks God finally answered our prayers. I still can't seem to put that pile away at the front door. It hit too close to home this time around.

Things they do and say....

The other day it was just Jack and me at home and I have the sniffles. Jack turned to me and asked "your nose running Mommy?" I said yes. He asked me if I wanted a tissue and ran to the bathroom to get one. He gave me the tissue and said "blow Mommy." It made my having a cold totally worth it.

Some of my favorite "Jackisms" lately are just watching him run. He literally prances everywhere. He also enunciates his words very well lately. If he isn't interested in something or if he wants you to stop he'll say "I don't want it." When he wants to hold something "I hold it." When he wants more than what we gave him of something it's always "BIG one Mommy.". We also love that he says "again" like a Canadian and "ya" like a Swedish countryman. "Ca ca stick" for Chapstick and "puffin" for muffin. And my personal favorite...."I can't not open it." Nearly everything we do from getting into the car, out of his car seat, into his highchair, or fixing a toy, it's always "I want to do it." Everything takes about ten minutes longer this way but he insists.
Lately he's really been into reading books. He would read them all day. He'll point to the pictures and say "what's that Mommy?" I love that most of his sentences end with "mommy." He's been carrying a big pile of books around with him in either his stroller or a laundry basket. He'll throw a couple of trucks and trains in there too because those are always at an arms reach.

He loves to listen and dance around to music with Sadie. Those two seem to be be playing VERY well together lately and it's been so nice hearing them talk to each other while in the other room and laugh when someone does something funny. I've said this before but no one makes Jack laugh harder than Sadie. All she has to do is pretend to fall down and he's giggling uncontrollably.
Sadie has been loving school. Every day when I pick her up she has a half a Skittle or M&M for me. I love that it's never a whole piece of a minuscule candy. Always half. She loves to share what's delicious with her mommy even if it's so small you can barely taste it. Today I got the tail of a goldfish cracker. Yummy!

The other day we were reading "Quick as a Cricket" (Jack's new fav.) and when we got to the pic of the whale Sadie said in her most grown up voice "I really like this picture guys. It's really quite fantastic. I love the waves and the feet coming out of the water. It's just really a great picture." She's been taking art at school and I can tell they have been talking about art just by the way she's starting talking about the pictures we see at home.

She came home the other day from school and told me she was going to marry a boy names Mossimo from her class. I guess his name doesn't bother her. If Chase's name was Mossimo he wouldn't have gotten a first date. I asked her what he said when she told him that. I guess he turned her down flat but she told him "well I'm going to marry you anyway." There's also a boy in her class named Chris who calls her "cutie" instead of Sadie. I'm glad she finally acknowledges boys as human beings. Before they were absolutely "disgusting" to her.

She's already the teacher's pet too. She's been the line leader for two weeks now and gets a great report every day. My favorite thing is how much fun she has with Jack when she gets home from school. I guess being apart has made them fonder of one another and they will play upstairs forever together while I cook dinner. It has FINALLY happened. My kids play well together.

Jack and Joy School

Jack started joy school this week. I joined a group with four other moms and since I did it with Sadie when she was two I thought it was time for Jack as well. I love Joy School. I have to admit that when it was my turn to host all the kids it totally stressed me out with Sadie's group. This time around I am going to take a more "laid back" approach and not over think too much about what these little two year olds are learning (or not learning:-). Maybe it was the influence of the East Coasters that gave me such anxiety but I'm feeling much more "easy peasy" down here in Texas. It's going to be a great year.

With Sadie gone at school every day, Jack is TOTALLY bored. I like having the alone time with him because he rarely gets me all to himself. He's such a fun and pleasant little guy to hang out with. It stung a little when I heard they wanted to do school twice a week because I feel like these next four months are the only time I am going to have with just my Jack before baby number three arrives. Still, Jack loves to be around other kids and has such a great time being social. I couldn't deprive him of such a fun time every Tuesday and Thursday. I also REALLY look forward to my morning naps while he's gone:-)

I thought he would be a little sad when I dropped him off his first day but reassured him he would have "new toys" to play with inside. He loves playing with other people's toys. Jack was fine when I left and the whole time I was gone. Kelsey told me he literally played the whole 2 1/2 hours. He didn't want a snack and didn't want to listen to the lesson...just play. I guess that's why they call it "joy" school.

We have a Kindergartner!!

I remember when Sadie was born Chase and I talked about how far away Kindergarten seemed. I knew then it would be an emotional day with her sleeping little body in my arms. Why are parents sad when their kids go to school all day for the first time? They drive us crazy when they're home and we're always looking for something to do to entertain them. Why then do we cry days leading up to the event? Probably because we're handing our child over to someone else to mold and influence every day for 7 hours.
The night before while I was packing her lunch it really started to hit me. Have I taught her how to be brave and how to stand up to bullies? Did I teach her to be nice to everyone and obedient to her teacher? She certainly didn't always obey me at home:-)

While writing her a little note to put in her lunchbox, I totally broke down. Probably because I'm pregnant and probably because she's my first baby and the younger years are over. I don't have too many regrets. I just hope she'll be ok.
Her school starts at 7:30...brutal I know. We were used
to getting out of bed at 8 every morning so that alone made for a rude awakening her first day. I somehow managed to get her breakfast while my eyes filled with tears. I was dreading the next half hour. I knew I would lose it once we dropped her off.
I cried down the hallway, composed myself to say hello to the teacher and then hid my wet eyes from her while I hugged my little Sadie and watched her hang up her back pack. I cried the whole way back to the car and nearly fainted when I got home because through it all, I forgot to feed my pregnant belly that morning. That's the sad part. The joyful part is, Sadie was TOTALLY fine!! She walked right in there and sat down like it was any other day. I guess I did teach her how to be brave.

Watered down

Ever since we left Utah and returned home to Austin Jack has had some interesting diapers...to say the least. Em's kids had their bout of the "runs" while we were there and it turned out to be giardia. After seeing what poor Andrew went through I am convinced Jack doesn't have the same infection.
In retrospect I realize that he probably drank a lot of gross water while we were there. We spent a ton of time playing in the river at Garden Park Ward, playing in the streams at Liberty Park and he was playing with the hose just about every day.
Grandpa let him water the yellow spots on the lawn and after that the hose was HIS. He wouldn't let anyone else touch it if he was around. He quickly learned how to press his fingers at the top and make a sprinkler for the other kids to run through. It was his way of "letting" them have fun with the hose too:-)
Utah's water is my favorite. I love the taste of a nice cold glass from the tap. I'm not so sure about drinking it from the hose. It could be worse. At least it's not the toilet.




So if you happen to drive by my home and you see a naked baby outside playing with the hose it's because there was feces all over him and I didn't want to get the said feces all over the bathtub. Yuck!!! Lets just say the grass got it's fair share of compost that day:-)

Oh the joys of motherhood!!

Bear Lake

I'd like to think Chase returned to Utah to help me fly back to Texas with the kids. I wasn't supposed to do any lifting so we thought it was a good idea for him to come back for a long weekend and fly home with me that Wednesday.
Like I said, I'd like to think he was overly concerned with my prego well-being. But we all know why he REALLY came back. For three reasons: the Gardners, Bear Lake and WATER SKIING!!!
John and Jess invited us and we just couldn't turn them down. We miss our besties so we decided it was time to "rekindle" our relationship:-)
We had FUN!! The kids spent most of their time playing in the sand, on the trampoline or throwing rocks in the lake.
Being preggers I wasn't allowed to ski. In fact, that was one of the things the doctor specifically told me NOT to do when I started bleeding a few weeks before.
I wasn't too bummed on Saturday when the water was pretty choppy but when we skied on Monday the water was amazing and I was sad to not be out there on the glass.
After watching Lizzy and Tommy get up on their trainer water ski Sadie decided to be brave too and consented to sit on the ski but "NOT STAND UP." Baby steps. I was just proud of her for getting out there!
I love this picture of Sadie and Chase skipping rocks in the water. She was teaching him how to crouch down for a better skip. They both look ridiculous but really cute too.
We promised the kids two nights in a row that we would roast marshmallows and make s'mores by the fire. At the end of the day we were just too exhausted and we promised them the next day. Well, our last night came and we just didn't feel like bathing everyone afterwards so Jess had the brilliant idea of making them in the microwave and having a "campfire" in the bathroom. She told "child appropriate" scary stories and they got to eat their s'mores. It was WAY easier than the real thing:-)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of Jess skiing. Not only does she look great on the ski but she can also give us a big smile while she's out there. There's a reason why I like hanging out with her so much and why I was so depressed when they moved to Utah from D.C. She is so fun!! Life is so boring with out her:-)

Jess asked me to take pictures of her family while we were up there and I was totally excited because I LOVE taking pictures of her kids. They are so photogenic. (John and Jess are too:-) It's way more fun to take pics of cute kids (not that I've ever shot a family with ugly children, but you know what I mean:-).
Here's a few of the ones I liked the most. What a beautiful family. Thanks for the trip guys. We had a blast and we miss you already!!

Mimi's tea party

My cute mom hosted a little tea party for all the grandchildren. You would have thought she was planning a wedding! She bought flowers for the table and more for decorating head wreaths. She bought scones and macarones from a french bakery and had such fun crafts for the kids. They were all in heaven.

Of course my camera's battery decided to die right after it started so the Iphone took over for the rest of the party. In fact, most of the pics I took in Utah were taken with my phone. It's just WAY more convenient than lugging my big Canon around.
The girls made wreaths and sparkly wands while the boys made robin hood hats and wizard wands.
They all looked so cute around the table sipping their lemonade and eating their cookie cutter sandwiches.

Aunt Jane brought out her violin and serenaded them while they ate but once the music started all the kids wanted to do was dance. They played Ring Around the Rosies and just danced all over the back yard while Jane played tune after tune.

Such a fun little party. Thanks Mimi!!