Things to Remember...

Since my memory fails me often (even more so during this pregnancy), here are a few recent conversations/events/happenings that I want to remember for years to come...

*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*

(Occurred at the park the other day, while I was pushing Aiden on the swing...Reilly was busily trying to conquer the monkey bars)

Aiden: "Mama...are you going to marry daddy again?"

Me: (a little surprised by the question) "Well, papa and I are married now...usually you don't get married more than once to the same person."

Aiden: "But, that's not fair."

Me: "Sweetie...I'm confused. I'm not sure I understand what you mean..."

Aiden: "Mom, I want to be able to go to your wedding. I want to be at the temple with you and dad, and me and Reilly can wear beautiful dresses just like you did. Can we do that?"

Me: "We can walk around the temple anytime you want...and when you're older, we can go inside together as a family."

Aiden: "And the wedding party....can we have a party and dress up and dance like you and papa did?"

Me: "We'll have to see what we can do about the party, okay?"

Aiden: "Okay. That sounds like a good plan."

*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*

The other night, after we said good-night and tucked the girls into bed, they decided to stay up and talk for a while. I went in after about 20 minutes and discovered that Aiden had climbed out of her bed into the top bunk with Reilly. "We're just telling stories to each other, mama...it's okay. We're talking softly." Since the rule is they can talk softly after prayers as long as they stay in their own beds, I helped Aiden down and tucked her back in.

About 30 minutes later, the girls were still talking so Doug went into the room. "Dad, we're just telling bedtime stories to each other. It's okay...we're in our own beds." Doug laid down on the floor and asked what the stories were about....the girls then hopped out of bed, grabbed some blankets and pillows, and joined Doug on the floor. The three of them snuggled together and told bedtime stories until the girls finally fell asleep. Yes, it was a late night...but totally worth the time that Doug got to spend with his little girls.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*

(Said by Reilly...this was a recent wish on a wishing flower...)

"I wish, I wish....that dad would come home right now and that we could have lots and lots of money so that I could have my daddy back and he wouldn't have to work...but not that he would get fired, because that's not very nice."

*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*

(Reilly whispered this in my ear while we watched Tangled at the cheap-o theater...it was during a part where the old lady was being particularly cruel to Rapunzel)

Reilly: "Mom - please don't ever be mean to me like that. She is not very nice for making her cry."

Me: "Don't worry...I don't ever want to make you cry."

Reilly: "Thanks mama. She's not like you, at all...she's not a good mom. I really love you."

Me: "Thanks, Roo...I really love you too."

(Yup...that sweet little girl made me cry right then and there. I don't deserve these girls...they are so sincere and genuine, and they have such big hearts...I learn a lot from them and their examples)

*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*

Every night, after we say prayers and get the girls tucked into bed, Aiden hugs my belly, gives it a kiss, and whispers good-night to her baby sister. Reilly loves to snuggle up to me during the day and pat her hand over my belly....she usually nuzzles in and whispers "hi."

Although each girl is demonstrating different traits/characteristics/reactions to this baby girl growing in my belly, I have no doubt that BOTH are going to be a wonderful big sisters. Aiden is very excited to help with bathing and feeding and changing diapers (she says that now, but I'm sure it will change once the baby comes) and Reilly cannot wait to share her clothes and teach her to ride a bike and swing on the monkey bars.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*

Happiness Is...

 

Waking up to an empty sink

Fresh-cut (er...hand-picked) flowers from our garden 

 

Fresh popped, naturally salted popcorn - the perfect afternoon snack

  

Seeing this...and spending as much time here as we can

 

Anything and everything about this handsome guy

  

A perfect view....how could this NOT make you happy?!

Calvin-isms...

A few years back I wrote down a bunch of Calvin & Hobbes' quotes...I had all but forgotten about them until I happened to find the little slip of paper in a box of stuff I was sorting through for the move. I LOVED reading C&H as a kid, and reading back over the paper reminded me why. Here are the lines that made the list:

"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothings seems to change. But pretty soon, everything is different."-Calvin

"You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help."-Calvin
**This was yesterday for me...granted I don't have any lucky rocketship underpants, but even if I did, they wouldn't have helped...which is why the following line is so appropriate**

"Being a parent is wanting to hug and strangle your kid at the same time."-Calvin's Dad
**So true, so true...am I terrible parent for thinking this?**

"Reality continues to ruin my life."-Calvin

"A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do."-Calvin

"Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless."-Calvin

"If you couldn't find any weirdness, maybe we'll just have to make some!"-Hobbes


"When I grow up, I'm not going to read the newspaper and I'm not going to follow complex issues and I'm not going to vote. That way I can complain when the government doesn't represent me. Then, when everything goes down the tubes, I can say the system doesn't work and justify my further lack of participation."-Calvin
**This is how I feel right now with current politics and government actions...seriously. Ignorance is bliss, eh?!**

"You've taught me nothing except how to cynically manipulate the system. Congratulations"-Calvin

"Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success... ...Flat stretches of boring routine... ...And valleys of frustration and failure."-Calvin
**Why do I feel like most of my time is spent in the valleys of frustration?**

"The strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity the tell the difference."-Calvin

Like 6-year old Calvin so easily demonstrates...life is not always roses and sunshine. It is often frustrating, and you have to deal with the idiots and annoyances that life entails. You don't always fit in, and you won't always see things eye-to-eye with everyone else. That being said, you can look to the simple things to help make life more enjoyable - be it through the companionship of an imaginary friend, developing a superhero alter ego, throwing a snowball at a well-deserving moron, or getting a hug from someone who means the world to you.

Today We Learned...

They say you learn something new every day....well, today the girls and I learned that little pond-dwelling turtles like to eat fish. At the risk of sounding like a complete moron, I honestly had no idea that turtles ate fish...I always figured they were herbivores who fed off the moss and plants in whatever body of water they call home.

I had a followup appointment on my thyroid today, and the patient exam room we were in overlooked a large pond by our apartment (the doctor's office is literally across the street from where we live). We've taken plenty of walks to the pond, but I had never seen any turtles before - just fish and ducks and birds. Well, as we looked out the windows from the doctor's office, we saw a white thing floating in the distance. I just figured it was a piece of trash, and didn't give it a second thought, but the girls got all excited and said "look mama...look!! Baby turtles eating in the water!!" After a few minutes, the floating white mass came closer to our edge of the lake and lo and behold - it turned out to NOT be a piece of trash, but rather a dead, rotting fish floating belly up in the pond. Underneath the fish were two turtles - one large, one small - nibbling away to their cold-hearts content. The girls got a kick out of watching the turtles (which made waiting in the doctor's office that much easier), but I was so surprised to watch them eat fish!! The nurses were also surprised to see the turtles and kept coming in to watch the feeding frenzy - apparently they had never seen them in the pond, either.



Such a small thing to have learned today, and some of you probably already knew this. That being said, it definitely made me think twice about wading into a pond or lake without water shoes on...after all, I wouldn't want some little turtle mistaking my toes for a tasty fish!!

Shoe Your Personality...

I was able to attend my ward's RS Enrichment Activity this past Thursday, which was themed "Shoe Your Personality." All of those in attendance were encouraged to bring a shoe that represented them. In addition to a delicious potluck dinner and 3 fun mini-classes, we had the [not-so-fun] privilege of getting to stand in front of everyone and explain why that shoe was symbolic of us.

It was very interesting to see the different types of shoe each woman brought, but even more interesting to hear how that shoe represented her as an individual. Some brought their running shoes, others their dance shoes, some their boots, others their sparkly/blingy/very fashion-y shoes. These are the shoes I chose to represent me: my dirty, old, well-worn flip-flop sandals.

The first (and most obvious) reason I chose these is because of their universal symbolism: flips flops = the beach. I am a Cali girl, and even though I grew up inland about 45 minutes from the beach, the time I spent living in Oceanside converted me into true beach bum. I [LOVE] the ocean...I love the peace and serenity and clarity it provides. I love the waves, the sand, the palm trees, the hibiscus, the piers, the people, the fish, the sea gulls, the dolphins....everything. I can't explain it; I can't fully describe the change I experience when I'm near the ocean because I don't entirely understand it myself. All I can say is, I LOVE the beach. Period.

On a more personal level, I chose these sandals because they most closely represent how I view myself. The sandals are simple, plain, and straight forward - dare I even say, a little frumpy. There's nothing fancy about them - no sparkles, no frills - so they don't stand out in a crowd. Appearances aside, the shoes are comfortable and supportive. They have been through a lot, walked a lot of miles, but they still have a good amount of sole remaining. The flip-flops are low-maintenance and go with pretty much anything. I consider myself pretty simple and straight-forward - I tell it like it is, without adding fluff. I prefer to stay back in a crowd - I'm not the most outgoing person, and I certainly don't feel comfortable being the center of attention (which is why I wasn't exactly thrilled about having to get up in front of everyone to explain "my shoe"). I've been through a lot; I've had my fair share of trials, but I know I still have a lot left to learn and experience. Although I still have my moments of stress and anxiety, I try to go along with the flow and just take things one day at a time. I realize I may not be the fanciest, or most popular, or most social type of shoe, but I am who I am and I'm okay with that.

So, now that I have opened my "sole" in this post (haha...pun intended), I'm curious what shoe best represents you and your personality?