Yesterday

We went to Logan this weekend. It was nice to actually spend some time there when my attitude wasn't so ugly. We arrived on Friday evening, when we went to Firehouse Pizzeria. It was pretty good, although I think I will try the Cordon Bleu next time. I took Benji to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, and Allen went to Becca's house to fix her computer (he sure is handy to have around!). We came home and took a nap, then I went to see Star Trek with Dad. I LOVED IT!! A definite must-own. After the movie, we went to a ward potluck/bbq. Surprisingly, Benji ate with gusto while we were there! He has been so picky with what he will eat lately. He must have been really hungry, because he ate everything I put in his mouth. I don't get it. He has been doing a lot of walking, and he's getting faster (he'll be running by next week, I swear!). He has started doing this chicken wing type thing (for balance? I don't know why!). I'm trying to get him to show his muscles, but he just does the chicken. Boff. It's cute.

I admit to doing a little retouching to this one . . . smoothing out wrinkles, cleaning up dirt and such. I like it, though.

He had fun playing with the ball in the front yard. I'd like to think he's learning laws of physics while he is doing so. ;o) He was having a hard time trying to stand up while holding the ball, but eventually he figured out that it's easier to stand, then pick up the ball. He's funny.

And today was Dad's birthday. It was nice to be there. It wasn't a big celebration, since he had received most of his gifts last week for Father's day. We just had some lemon cake (with no brown in sight, as requested), a quasi-Thanksgiving dinner, and a couple of small gifts.

So it was a nice weekend. I hope yours was good too!

Where Were You

I was in O.R. 6 today, doing a TAH with Dr. Jolles when I heard that Michael Jackson had died. Although I'm not particularly broken up about it, it is a loss for the entertainment industry. The "King of Pop" had many troubles, and I sincerely doubt he had a spontaneous cardiac arrest (I'm betting on a prescription painkiller overdose). Still, it makes you think about where you were when you hear 'big news.' I don't know why some news stories are more memorable than others. Even so, here are some of those moments. The first moment I remember is when the Challenger shuttle exploded. I was in the first grade, in Panguitch, Utah and I heard my teacher (Mrs. Holman) say, "They blew up the space shuttle." That's what she said; not 'The space shuttle blew up.' I don't remember understanding exactly what happened, I knew that the adults were really upset, and that this moment would be a defining one. I hate that I remember this, but when the O.J. Simpson verdict was read, I was in a journalism class in Logan High School. We actually took time out of our class to watch it. Silly. Who cares? On 9/11, I was in France, serving as a missionary. That story is a bit longer; I wrote more about it here, if you're interested in reading it. There haven't been many news stories that have been as memorable since then (until today). I honestly don't remember where I was when President Obama was elected; it's probable that I was at work, so I couldn't watch the results. I know it was life-changing for some people. Sorry--I'm not one of them. There are other moments that have defined me, but they are more personal, like finding out that someone I love had died. It's interesting how some external events can have such a powerful effect on you, isn't it? What moments have defined you?

Walking On Sunshine

And don't it feel good? ;o)

I'm Not Broke, But You Can See The Cracks

Last weekend was Lily's 2nd birthday party. Mach had planned on having a kiddie pool, but it rained most of the day. :o( Even so, she went all out in decorating Nanny & Papa's family room with tons of balloons and Mickey Mouse paraphernalia. It was so cute! Lily had a great time dancing and eating ice cream cone cuppy-cakes. Everyone else did pretty well too; no major catastrophes to speak of. Unfortunately, I was in a pretty bad mood. I hope I didn't put too much of a damper on things. I was stressed out, tired, and I had a headache. I ended up taking two naps that day (always a bad sign). Benji was pretty good, but he doesn't sleep in the car very much anymore. He was pretty whiny the whole ride home, which wasn't very helpful for my headache. So we put him to bed when we got home, we did some dishes, then I made a late-night trip to Wally's for groceries. When I got back, I had to finish my preparations for Primary. Needless to say, I got to bed pretty late. Allen got up with Benji on Sunday morning. I really needed to sleep in, so I was extremely grateful for his consideration. So after several weeks of practicing our Father's Day songs, making a one-day trip to Logan for the express purpose of attending our ward, all the extra prep for Singing Time, and even getting myself and my boys to church on time, we weren't on the program. I thought the Bishopric knew that we were planning on singing during Sacrament meeting (since I had spoken to the music person and the bishop last week . . .). There were only two speakers, and they certainly didn't fill up the whole hour, and they STILLforgot us. So, once we started Primary, we decided to switch things up. I pretty much told the EQ president and the 2nd Counselor that we were going to come in during Priesthood and sing for them. We didn't have a lot of kids there, so the teachers and the presidency got up to sing, too. It went pretty well. Maybe we didn't need to sing all three verses of "Fathers," but I really love the lyrics, and I wanted them to sing them. I have to admit that I kinda like the power I have over those kind of things. ;o) In tribute to my wonderful father and my fantastic husband, I'd like to share the words to that song. It's so sweet to hear young children sing it, too The father of our home Leads our family With wisdom's light in all that's right; My father's good to me. Fathers are so special With a very special love. They watch us and protect us. They guide us and direct us Back to our home above. I do love my calling. Even though it's a lot of work, I just love the kids; they are so stinkin' cute. At least I made a real dinner for Father's Day! We had catfish and one of my fabulous salads (and some potatoes that turned into a minor disaster). I was pretty proud of myself for doing that. This is an older picture (from December 2008), but I wanted to share it anyway. You can tell how much Allen loves our little man, and that makes me love him even more. Happy Father's Day, Babe! I love you!

Freedom Has A Scent

Here are some pictures of my gorgeous new niece Phoebe. Dave & Lex had her this morning. She's beautiful!

It's so fun to have a new little cousin! Thank heaven for little girls!