From the mouth of Hewitt

I was trying to feed Liv this morning and she was too busy smiling and laughing at (ever-entertaining) Hewitt. I said something to Hewitt about how she was too distracted to eat and he said,

"Well, I guess she's a girl and just wants to talk!"

Such an innocent comment, and the best laugh I've had in a long time.

My other blog

You may have noticed (or not) that I don't write on here as much as I used to...

I started another blog a few months back (more of a journal-type/mommy blog). It's a private blog so if anyone is interested then let me know and I'll send you an invite. Just send me an e-mail or leave a comment.

Only four more days till Rob gets home from Costa Rica!

Too tired to title this

I sat Liv down on the family room floor this morning after breakfast, gave her a couple of toys to play with and ran upstairs to scrub the toilets (she is at the awesome stage where she will just sit in one place, not able to crawl away yet). When I returned downstairs, I found her still "sitting," yet hunched over a doll and sound asleep!


This might be me at this computer soon. Seriously.

I'm starting 2010 off feeling somewhat exhausted! We took a whirlwind trip to Utah last weekend (drove up Thursday and drove home Sunday) for Rob's Grandmother's funeral. Dorothy was 96 years old and we had such a wonderful time celebrating her life with Rob's family; all of his siblings were able to be there and 20 of the 22 grandchildren/cousins.

I was too busy managing kids and visiting to take any photos at the family dinners and funeral luncheon, but here is one of Liv taking a bath in my mom's kitchen sink that I thought was pretty cute:

She's 8 months now. Doesn't the time just fly?

At the end of our short visit (wish we could have stayed longer!), we realized that it was the first time we were referring to Arizona as "home." It's always nice to return home after being away, don't you think? I'm thinking Grandma Dorothy is thinking the same thing in heaven.

Rob left yesterday for a ten-day business trip to Costa Rica. I told Rob that I'm going to try to have the perspective that the kids and I are on "vacation" while he is away. Our routine and schedule will remain much the same (honestly, I think I'm more productive with Rob away, which is kind of weird), but it just means that I'm making more time to be a "fun" parent, keep a happy and relaxed attitude, and not sweat the small stuff. You know, what Rob usually brings to the table. Two days down!

Merry Christmas 2009

We had a wonderful and busy Christmas break! Lots of time together and with family (Rob's youngest sister and bro-in-law for Christmas, and then my two brothers and their families for New Years) and I spent very little time on the computer or even taking photos for that matter...

I didn't want to get too far into the New Year without capturing a few things from Christmas.

The crew on Christmas Eve:

A priceless face:

Too busy playing with each gift to be bothered with photos:

Burke (age 7) and his favorite gift:

Which reminds me that this is me (age 7) with my favorite Christmas gift:

And exactly one year after finding out we were having a baby girl, here she is complete with festive slippers:

2009 was a year of BIG changes for our family and many, many blessings.

Happy New Year!

Merry and bright

I've finally put my finger on it...

Having this baby girl

makes EVERY day feel like Christmas.

Odds and Evens

I am the 4th child in my family of four. Growing up, I always thought that I was the most like my brother (Mark) that is the second born. My sister and other brother (#1 and #3) seemed to be similar to each other as well. Maybe even the fact that #1 and #3 had red Christmas stockings, and #2 and #4 had green stockings was a subtle influence to me. I'm not even talking just looks or height/build here (although it is true), but certain personality traits just seemed to be shared among the "odds" and the "evens."

I can't help but begin to see the same pattern in my own children. Although each one is completely unique and different for many reasons, I am seeing some similarities and will share a few:

My "Odds":
Burke and Tosh are both generally loud. They talk all the time and have a hard time whispering. They are bright and have amazing memories. They were both very happy toddlers and it was always easy to make them smile or laugh. They are also both skinny-skinny (Tosh still wears a 12-month swimming suit at 2 and 1/2, and I kid you not that just last year Burke was able to squeeze into a 6-12 month size Halloween costume. We both laughed so hard we were crying!). Because these guys are both so verbal, I can use logic to reason with them and when I explain a situation or why we shouldn't do something, they generally comply. Burke has always been very helpful with Tosh (he thinks that everything Tosh does is "hysterical"), and they are very good buddies and nice to each other.

My "Evens":

Granted Liv is still a baby, but Hewitt and Liv are "quiet" and also observant. They are able to entertain themselves instead of relying on me to entertain them. They were more solemn babies and cautious of strangers. I'm sure I've mentioned that they have similar coloring and I think Liv will be strawberry-blonde too. They are my "chubby" babies. I swear that Liv gained a few pounds just yesterday...it's like I put her down for a nap and when she woke up she was so much thicker and heavier. Hewitt had the cutest rosy cheeks as a baby and I am so happy that Liv is filling out more too. Hewitt and Liv are also my snugglers - I love it! These two have such a special little bond and love each other so much. I hope that Hewitt will always look out for Liv and protect her like he does now.

Mid-life musings

My Rob turned 35 last week. Still young by most standards - yes, but as a kid I remember thinking that 35 was officially "old." I am only 6 months younger than Rob, so every year I have the six months between our birthdays to get used to the coming age. Surprisingly this "35" mark has been especially thought provoking for me. I mean, although 35 doesn't exactly mean mid-life anymore (most people live well past 70 these days), I am feeling like I have reached the point in my life where I am past my prime physically. And I admit, it's sort of sad in a way.

The much younger me:


Aging is a strange thing. I believe with all of my heart that God's plan for His children is perfect. I think in His wisdom he intended for us to focus on the more important things as we age...the things that are honest and true, and really mean more to put it simply. There is a reason why the physical beauty of youth is intended to fade. Through this process, the focus on outward beauty shifts inward. Infatuation is trumped by a more selfless, unconditional love, and even impulse, risk and thrill-seeking endeavors are often replaced by serenity, consistency and peace.
Aging and wisdom should go hand in hand, but don't always. I think it is really hard in today's age not to buy into the world's idea of beauty to some degree. Don't we all own some sort of face lotion/eye cream to not only keep our skin healthy, but looking as young as possible as well?

Two examples from the media got me thinking this week and I believe they are both relevant to this topic.

1. The Biggest Loser: A wife of one the contestants (Danny) worries that things will change in their marriage as her husband loses dramatic weight. Will he leave her for someone better looking and let's face it, skinny?

2. Tiger (Cheetah) Woods: Rumor has it he started having affairs when his wife was seven months pregnant. Now, that is just wrong on so many levels.

These examples may be extreme cases, but I have to admit to feeling some frustration over my aging and increasingly aching body. Rob and I had a big discussion about this the other night and I admitted something to him,

"I'm sort of glad you are balding. It makes me feel better about my body and the weight I've gained."

Neither one of us is the person we married. And to be honest, I'm glad. We are better people now, even if we don't look quite the same. It's sort of wonderful and like magic that I love him more and more all the time. I'm lucky that he feels the same way.


So here in my 35th year, instead of freaking out that I'm no longer young and cute, I am going to try to focus more on wiser things, and not about the things I can't control. In addition:

I am going to try not to worry so much about the new wrinkles on my forehead/face. They are mostly hidden by my bangs anyway (A ha! The real reason for the haircut).

I am going to embrace my slowing metabolism and be grateful for the opportunity to learn the value of hard work and persistence that is exercise and eating healthy.

Then there's the gray hair. I can't think of any benefit here... maybe an excuse to get out of the house to get my hair done once in a while? (I actually would really like to be white/silver some day. It looks so distinguished I think, but not while I have a baby for Pete's sake!)

And finally, I am going to take my sore back, neck, and knees as a (not always gentle) reminder to slow down and enjoy the ride!