Tell You [a] Little Story

Heavy on the nonfiction

2012-01-19T23:19:00.002-07:00

Sometimes the life of a hermit or recluse is really, really appealing to me. If I could do that, I would become a good reader and read everything. I used to be a great reader but I'm not anymore and it's one of the disappointments of my adulthood.

Steve and I are in a book club with good friends through his work. Attorneys and homemakers all, similar ages and interests, and stations in life. Plus a professorial couple thrown in for a little academic clout. We have hordes of children between us, all around the same age, same elementary and middle schools. They are good people.

Because I like lists, this is what we are reading this year:

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
Increase In Learning by David Bednar
Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
The Mormon Image In The American Mind by J.B. Haws
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo

2011

2012-01-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to recap 2011 with facebook status updates, but facebook thinks it's smarter than me and only shows me ones it thinks are important. Facebook is sort of lame that way.

My memory is the worst thing I have, so if something isn't written down, it didn't happen. Also, I hate writing down stuff.

Here are a few things I remember, in two minutes or less:

drove to San Francisco with the family
drove to Oregon Coast with Steve's family
van engine died en route home from Oregon
new car! that we weren't financially prepared to buy! but we made it work anyway!
controversy with the cousins
Isaac got baptized
Elliot got the Priesthood
Norah and preschool = good idea
Calvin sailed down Apple Ave. on a rolling football and didn't die
Aaron made duct tape creations
continued to love this
didn't blog
especially didn't twitter
chose to not care about pinterest
tried to learn some Chinese
started a book club

Two minutes are up. Maybe I'll remember more another time. Probably not.
For the record, I'm not nearly as negative about 2011 as the tone of this post suggests. It was pretty good.

Parenting Quandary

2011-10-07T10:39:00.001-06:00

Luna the rat is dead. Cause of death: starvation/dehydration. Isn't that awful? It's awful. We didn't feed her. More accurately, the kids didn't feed her and no one reminded them to feed her.

The dream around these parts is that at some point my kids won't need constant reminders (nagging) to do responsible things. Does that just magically happen at some point? Our oldest is showing signs of turning that corner. He wakes up on his own in the dark, cold basement and starts getting ready for school while I yet slumber. That's a biggie.

But by and large, if I don't remind/ask/nag/tell, bad things happen: kids go to school with bad breath, school reports get turned in late if at all, Grandma's piano teaching efforts are in vain, rats die.

Steve is firmly in the low intervention parenting camp that advocates Lighten Up What's the Worst That Can Happen So They Spent Three Hours on the Computer Big Deal. He does step in to assist with homework because he knows it's important to me and I drown in it otherwise, but he does not begin to know what the assignments are without coaching.

What's the magic balance of letting children suffer the natural consequences of their actions or inactions? As a parent, do I insist they brush their teeth, or do I allow them to be utterly shunned by everyone with whom they come in contact until they learn life's lessons the hard way?

Inconsistency

2011-08-19T21:20:00.000-06:00

This was part of a post on Provo's mayor's blog advertising a community health fair. Can you spot the irony?

Rules, because this blog is boring

2011-08-08T06:50:00.001-06:00

Go where you're invited. Steve doesn't believe in this life philosophy, so I've become lax, but I think it's a good rule. This last Saturday I was invited to two events, each of which I did not have much interest in attending, so I didn't go to either. On Sunday I learned that both hosts had had low attendance and felt bad about it and it made me feel horrible. When I was about 8 my mom had a Tupperware party and no one came and she was hurt; even though it was a dumb Tupperware party, she took it personally. So even when I get invited to dumb jewelry parties, I think it's a good idea to make an effort to show up because people are more important than me not being slightly inconvenienced.
Pay attention to the things you think about while falling asleep/when you wake up for whatever reason/first thing in the morning. Your (my) brain has usually had a chance to filter out the unimportant stuff and whatever is left often provides clarity and new perspective. This is what I thought about this morning when Calvin woke up at 5 AM:

Make extra sure there isn't a child behind the monster Tahoe when backing up, every time.
Don't put anyone on the spot in future RS lessons.
Buy a ticket to North Carolina, baby.

Emily out.

Whatever came our way

2011-07-29T23:51:00.001-06:00

I was 21 before I owned a car (although I'd crashed a couple already - sorry, dad). A Chrysler Cirrus and Stephen came as a package deal. One was rather lemony, the other, pure brilliance. He called her Cheryl, she had big child-bearing hips, er, a wide back end, and she broke down on the 14 on our way down to Arizona to get married. We got towed to Cedar City where we stayed with strangers and I sent Steve off to the mechanic's with the admonition to "be assertive," presumably to get them to hurry up on our repairs so we could get to the altar on time. It ticked him off. Though she was our first car and we were grateful to have her, nary a tear was shed when we very cheaply traded her in for bigger and better things, I think 5 years later. Cheryl was red.

Steve's grandparents died while we were in Tucson for law school. We inherited their ten year old, massively rusted out Chevy Lumina, Euro edition. Did I mention the rust? It was rusty. It had sat in a snowy Canadian field for a year prior to our getting it. The a/c barely worked, it was a two-door, and we had two carseats; get this, the DRIVER SIDE DOOR DIDN'T OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE (oh, we have some funny stories about this car), and not only was the exterior a brick red, so was the awful interior. Guess what? We loved this car! It granted us untold freedoms as we became an official two-car family. It had crazy low miles and never any issues mechanically. We abandoned the newer, chic-er, lemony Cirrus in favor of the rusty, ugly, totally reliable Lumina every time we traveled. And, it provided us with funny stories involving valet parking and funny looks from people. I like to think the Lumina is still out on the road today. I wouldn't be surprised. We also cheaply traded this car in to our friend the auction-based wheeler and dealer who sold us...

A Chevy Venture van with a checkered past. A salvage title. This purchase was purely one of weneedabiggercarbecausei'mninemonthspregnantwithourthirdandwedon'twanttospendtimeresearchingwe'lljustbuywhateverTerryhasinourpricerange. He had a red van, and we drove it for almost eight years until it died last week in Tremonton (oh, Tremonton!) and we laid it to rest for a paltry $375 at a scrap yard. It was ugs and we put a lot of money and time into it, but we have a lot of memories in that van, and it wasn't horrible.

Somewhere in there Steve decided driving a rusted-out Lumina Euro from decades past wasn't doing a lot for his image at the law firm, so we went all out and bought his sister's Chevy Cavalier from her for $1500. Cute little car. We drove it for a while, then gave it to my
brother for a wedding present and I do believe it is still serving its basic purpose on the streets of Charlotte. (I could be wrong.) The Cavalier's color? Yup, cherry red.

All of that is to say that if I never drive another red car, I will not be sad. Not my favorite car color. We've since owned cars in shades of royal blue, silver, and now white (ah, white!) and Our color scheme is looking up.

The coldest winter I ever spent was the week in June I spent in San Francisco

2011-07-09T23:58:00.001-06:00

We rode a cable car to church.

Steve and I are pretty bad at photographing and documenting our collective life. Well, I take that back: he keeps a fairly faithful journal, so I'm pretty bad at it. We're both bad at taking pictures and his stress level rises whenever I suggest he should be good at that, because who has time to take on one more hobby?

Point is, though, we have a good life together. We love each other. Our kids are pretty cute and, in spite of all their wild monkeyness, they're good kids and good people.

We spent all of last week in San Francisco, which is such a magical city. I mean, it totally looks like a magical, fairy tale city when you come in across the Bay Bridge, with its hilly, tree-y skyline. People there are really good at parallel parking and they have charming neighborhoods, awesome food, and everyone is nice, even though there are cheap souvenirs and double-decker tour buses every which way. I probably wouldn't be very nice if I lived in a city with double-decker tour buses.

My parents came with us and were super great. They're maybe the most accommodating and flexible people you could ever hope to travel with, even my dad who pretends to be curt. I love that my children will have memories with all of their grandparents.

Isaac and Aaron have dark brown eyes.

We rode a cable car to church.

You'll get older too

2011-06-14T16:40:00.001-06:00

My cute sister put this together of all the grandkids wishing Papa a happy birthday. Yup, 64. But our dad is cooler than Paul McCartney.

Untitled from Abby Sharp on Vimeo.

A little something for the mama checking in from Independence High School (Go Patriots)

2011-05-13T22:38:00.000-06:00

Joining the conversation

2011-05-10T20:30:00.003-06:00

My handsome and brilliant husband has started a blog, yo.

27

2011-05-02T09:50:00.001-06:00

I love to travel. I crave change and newness and trying new things. I believe LDS temples are among the holiest of places on this earth. I enjoy setting concrete goals that I can work toward systematically or incrementally.

For these reasons, I want to visit all the operating temples on the planet. There are 134 currently in operation. Here are the ones I've been inside.

St. George Utah
Logan Utah
Manti Utah
Salt Lake
Cardston Alberta
Mesa Arizona
Los Angeles California
Oakland California
Ogden Utah
Provo Utah
Jordan River Utah
Boise Idaho
Denver Colorado
Portland Oregon
Las Vegas Nevada
San Diego California
Bountiful Utah
Mount Timpanogos Utah
Vernal Utah
Albuquerque New Mexico
Snowflake Arizona
Redlands California
Manhattan New York
Newport Beach California
Rexburg Idaho
Draper Utah
Oquirrh Mountain Utah

While I don't count these toward my goal, I also find this list interesting. It is temples I have seen in person and/or traveled to the city but for whatever reason have not gone inside. I intend to revisit all of these places and rectify that.

Laie Hawaii
Idaho Falls Idaho
London England
Washington D.C.
Chicago Illinois
Toronto Ontario
Madrid Spain
Palmyra New York
Oklahoma City Oklahoma

You're a Craig

2011-03-24T10:20:00.000-06:00

Christian Nielson, a man who knows a thing or two about being recognized, recognizes Aaron on the slopes. Thanks for the video, Christian!

2011-03-18T18:38:00.000-06:00

Steve tells me I need to blog again so as to push down my pathetic post from weeks ago. So this is what I'm here to say:

Norah named her plastic horse "Rahita Rahita Climb Down Your Hair". It's the best horse's name of all time, if you ask me.

Here's hoping

2011-02-27T21:39:00.002-07:00

Today I was mean and grumpy and irritable and fed-up (when I wasn't being long-suffering, encouraging, patient, and attentive, because let's be honest, there was some of that, too) and I kept thinking about what Diana used to say all the time to her sister Eliza when they were growing up: "I love you, but I don't like you." Mostly directed (but not spoken aloud) to my kids.

Here's hoping for a new week filled with liking my cheerful, non-teething, obedient, loving, neat and responsible children!

Complicated tithing question for my financially-savvy tithing-paying readers. Anyone?

2011-02-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm just now rolling over the 401(k) from Steve's last job to our current retirement plan. We paid tithing on the money we contributed, but obviously not on the money contributed by the firm or any interest that accrued. The same is true for the current retirement plan: tithing paid on money we put in, but not on matching funds or interest.

So now that we're combining the plans, it just seems like it's getting super complicated. When we're retired and withdrawing this money, how will we pay tithing?

Should I:

keep track of the dollar amount that we've paid tithing on already....all the way until we're 65 and living on this money? (Where will I keep this information that I will be sure to find it in 30 years??) Then I could write one big tithing check on interest and matching funds, and then an annual check on additional interest.
just give up on trying to keep track, switch tithing to net instead of gross, and pay tithing on everything when we pull it out down the road, meaning that we'll be double paying on some of it?
pay less tithing this year equal to the amount that we've already paid on retirement contributions, then pay on net income in the future and plan on paying tithing on everything we withdraw when we're retired? This one doesn't feel quite right to me.

I'm genuinely perplexed about how to proceed. I know tithing is personal and up to the individual, but I would love to hear what has worked for you in this situation. Any ideas?

If you like makeup and presents

2011-02-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

If any of you are like me in any of these ways:

loves presents
loves packages in the mail
admires classy presentation of said presents and packages
likes using nice beauty products
but spends almost zero time researching them so doesn't know what to buy
appreciates advice about makeup application or hair or skin care
loves to try new products, as in, gets really really bored using the same things all the time
likes luxurious stuff
likes to feel pretty
would just as soon other people pick out cosmetics/beauty products for you
likes to try something out before committing large amounts of money

THEN, perhaps you would enjoy this beauty product subscription service I've found. It is in my top 5 of favorite things. I love it mucho mucho.

It's called Birchbox (birchbox.com). You sign up for however many months you want, and for $10/month, they send a darling little box full of high-end beauty samples. Sometimes you can use a sample 4 or 5 times, sometimes it will last months and months (no kidding). It is seriously great. I got a box today, and that's why it's on my mind. It had a NARS highlighter, BareMinerals mascara, a moisturizer sample, a face exfoliator, and some dark chocolate. All awesome. In months past, I've discovered some new products that I love (mostly hair care products or moisturizers are the things I'm most likely to purchase after trying). It is seriously fun for my bathroom cabinet/makeup bag to get a recharge every month with high-end stuff I would never otherwise try.

This sounds like I'm trying to sell you something. Totally not, I get nothing. I'm not even linking to the website so as to let you know I will receive nothing if you sign up. Just wanted to share what I'm totally loving right now and what is fantastically great at adding sunshine to my life. Love it.

You got Jimmered

2011-01-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

The thing about being a sports fan is that ultimately, your team will lose and it will be heartbreaking and a big downer. Even if they have a good season, they're probably not going to win the championship, because only one team can win the championship and probability dictates that it won't be your team. So you'll end the season depressed.

BUT.

Sometimes your team will win (hopefully). And every once in a while your team will win in a big way, in an important game. In a historic game.

And if you're extra lucky you'll be there to see it all go down.

Oh man.

That will be the best. You will love that so much. It will be the biggest thrill of your entire winter, maybe your year.

Undoubtedly your non-sports fan spouse will even find it invigorating and scream and yell and laugh and cheer and comment at your foresight to get $5 tickets before the game sold out.

That's the best thing about being a sports fan.

R & R

2011-01-20T23:18:00.001-07:00

Dinner tonight at our house with Ruth and Rachel and their families.

I love my friends and the interesting people they are.

Ruth: foreign service officer, stopping in Utah in between posts in Dominican republic and sweden, nurse, mother of 4, compassionate, a thinker, brilliant.

Rachel: small business owner, makes jewelry, lover of all things vintage, eclectic and bright and fun home decor, loving mother of 3, a complete joy to be around, mismatched colors and patterns in her clothing choices like nobody's business with fabulous fashionable results, generous and kind.

I love that I get to have such lovely and fun and interesting people as friends.

The Year of the Road Trip?

2011-01-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

'Thas (which should be a word) become a tradition in our family to open as the last gift on Christmas the destination for the following year's main family vacation.

2009 destination: Oahu
2010 destination: Disneyland
and
2011 destination: San Francisco, with Nana and Papa to accompany

We will drive and perhaps take our time getting there. Neither Steve nor I have driven west on I-80 and we plan to see Reno, and of course have the obligatory car breakdown in Winnemucca. (Isn't that required? Other types of breakdowns, i.e. emotional or mental, optional.) Google Map's 12 hours and 28 minutes + bathroom stops + cleaning up vomit stops + lengthy restaurant stops + where's the nearest Redbox stops will surely = 16 hours on the road (not counting overnight stay and aforementioned obligatory car repairs).

We will return home to Provo, possibly host a 4th of July party (you're invited if we do), catch up on life, then get back in the car and drive to the Oregon Coast. Google Maps is giving me an optimistic 15 hours and 12 minutes, which of course in Craig time is 20 hours +. I love to travel, love to go to new places and explore new parts of the world, but I am already a tad car-weary.

Plus, just because I like to break the monotony of January/February and because we have a nephew getting baptized, I'm contemplating a trip to Phoenix in the next couple of weeks.

Road trip extravaganzas, I tell you.

Any fabulous ideas for what to do:

in San Fran with children?
in Lincoln City, OR
en route to either location?

I'm thinking we will need to take the scenic route to the Oregon Coast and go through Kennewick, Washington to show my family the little house 713 S. Garfield, 99336, where I grew up, and perhaps the Pik-a-Pop on the corner, the Taco Johns where Neil was to serve his mission, the bowling alley where Ryan played pinball games past his non-curfew and gave Amye the ND. So, also, any fabulous ideas for visiting Kennewick, WA?

Cutco

2011-01-04T22:14:00.001-07:00

makes a sharp knife.

Emily's Rules

2010-12-22T17:39:00.001-07:00

Don't not live somewhere because of the weather.
Do not give reciprocal Christmas gifts or cards. Accept what others give you graciously, with no manner of "Oh shoot now I have to give them something, too."
Don't go to Walmart.
Buy good toilet paper.
Neither encourage nor discourage the believing of Santa Claus. It's like a Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, but if you have to do one or the other: discourage.
Keep your children's expectations for Christmas presents low. Do this by never asking them to make lists of what they want.
Have a policy of inclusion when it comes to social gatherings.
Try new restaurants or new menu items at old restaurants.
Mismatch whenever possible.
Express gratitude when people do nice things for you.
Read the news.
Make sacrifices, especially in the name of financial responsibility.
Sleep is more important than many, many things.
Few things in life are worth waiting in long lines for.
Try new recipes.
Take recommendations for books, movies, and television.
Don't watch television.
Don't keep ice cream on hand perpetually. Buy it a couple of times a year, max.
Teach your children music.
Have a child without drugs, but embrace epidurals for all the other children who may come if you feel like it.
Introduce yourself.

Number 2 is my favorite.

Vintage dresses

2010-12-09T22:23:00.001-07:00

Somebody should buy these darling dresses on Etsy.

Is there a pioneer trek in your future? Fabulous bargain!

This could be really great.

Love it.

Why have I not shopped on Etsy before? darling darling stuff.

I would do prom so differently if I had it to do over.

Shopping is so fun. All of a sudden I'm an Etsy fan.

More:

All right. I'll stop now.

Well now, it's been a while, hasn't it?

2010-11-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

Abby posted this picture which inspired me to steal it and say a little somethin or other about my baby.

Calvin:

is 14 months today!
is not in the least bit interested in walking
is by far the last of my children to walk
can take a step with his right foot, but is ever so much afraid to lift up his left foot, so when I force him to try to walk, he pivots around in a circle a little bit, then gives up and crawls like a madman
has the greatest toothy grin, which I have yet to capture on camera (bad mom!)
sleeps like a champ
says, "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom." a lot
also sometimes says, "Daddy" but that's about the whole vocabulary
upon finding a barrette or hair tie on the ground, immediately takes it to Norah where he fiercely insists on putting it in her hair. If she tries to take it, he resists until she lets him be her hairstylist
grew out of his stranger anxiety mode in the last month or two and will now be non-cry-ey and even tender with other adults. Good job, bud!
knows what to do with all the various implements he encounters: a microphone is to sing into, a baby wipe is to clean a surface with, a hairbrush is to apply to the head, a toothbrush (never you mind whose it is) is to put in the mouth
gives the sweetest hugs
makes big messes
self-entertains
likes to dance to music by swinging his shoulders back and forth
blows kisses to say goodbye
is such a sweet kid and a perfect addition to our family. We love him so very much!

Yi er san si wu liu qi ba

2010-11-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

It's not every day we get to make calls to the furnace guy, the plumber, the garage door repairman, and the yard guy.

All!

In one day, lucky us!

Fixing broken stuff, all of it. Good thing we gave a bunch of money to our former yard guy to redo our backyard and he has been AWOL for 8 months. Actually, not good thing. That was sarcasm.

In other news, I went in to help out in Isaac's Chinese class today for the first time. How awesome is it that all these 6 and 7 year olds can count to 100, recite poems, do the hokey pokey, write characters, do addition problems, and sing songs in a language they knew nothing about a few months ago? Not sarcasm this time, it really is awesome! I am taking advantage of a Chinese instructor who is giving some parents lessons in the language and even though it starts at 9:30 on Monday nights and I never want to go out in the cold at that hour to go, I'm always really glad I did. It's amazing to learn new things. The kids today were duly impressed that I can count along with them in Chinese. Yay me. I like knowledge. I like gaining it and I like being empowered by it. I usually eventually forget it, but then I can gain it again and it's empowering all over again, so it's all good.

In related news, I am also taking a South African Liberation Movements history class and have a big hairy term paper due before Thanksgiving.

For all of the above reasons (repairman phone calls, volunteering for disparate causes, Chinese class, motherhood, history class) and oh, so many others, my house is approaching tornado-dom. Wild and crazy times these are.

Utah is great because

2010-11-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

-- my husband is happy
-- I feel safe (perhaps naively so, but I feel safe nonetheless)
-- my neighborhood feels like the center of the universe in some ways
-- I experienced few public discussions about my changing body when I was pregnant
-- no dirty looks at restaurants or grocery stores when all the kids are in tow
-- the mountains are pretty
-- the summertime weather is ideal
-- living so close to BYU offers much in the way of culture, sports, enlightened thought, et cetera
-- everybody comes here to visit
-- my children don't hear a lot of bad language at school
-- I know and love all of my neighbors — really, all of them
-- much parental volunteerism at school results in good opportunities for my kids

Talking to myself?

2010-11-02T21:23:00.001-06:00

Do I ever watch tv?
It's a rare, rare occasion.

Have I watched tv at night since the finale of LOST?
Negatory, I cannot remember a single time.

As a good citizen of this fine community and country, is there anything to do but watch election results trickle in?
There is nothing else to do.

What do I want to see happen if Mike Lee wins?
When Mike Lee wins, I want my friends Marcus and Michelle to be appointed as grand rulers of something important and festive and magical.

Am I dreading writing a big term paper for my South African history class?
No doiphy, Ralph.

Should Marcus and Michelle be appointed as Rulers of Classes That Can't Make Their Students Write Terms Papers?
I can support that.

Do my children have a hard time understanding what "Don't talk!" means?
Their supreme lack of understanding qualifies them for the remedial class. Or something like that.

Is it kind of lame that I bought the AppleCare Protection Plan in May and it's still sitting wrapped on the computer desk?
Yea. A wasted $79 or however many dollars, to be sure.

Whom do I most want to win tonight?
My neighbor and friend Don Jarvis because he's a smart and capable and principled man and because darn it if Utah County hasn't elected a Democrat in over 15 years.

What was the most memorable and exciting conversation I got to have this election season?
Hands down, the 45-minute, fiery one that started: "Emily, you have a democrat's sign in your yard? I was shocked to see that." "Well, first, he's my friend... ." "I don't care if he's YOUR DAD!"

Maintain this

2010-10-14T16:33:00.003-06:00

We went to a movie as a family this afternoon. Calvin lasted -2 minutes, which is to say I left with the wiggly squiggly child before the opening credits rolled. Had been meaning to get some maintenance done on the van, so pulled up to BigO:

Hi, I think I ought to get the 120,000 mile service done on my van. It has 133,000 miles and I've never done that before. What does that entail? Please infer: I'm willing to spend a lot of money, and I don't really know what the car needs because I'm a girl, so please take advantage of my gullibility.

Not sure, I'd have to look up your specific model. Let me pull it around back and take a look at everything.

Everything looks great. You seemed to have maintained your car really well. You don't need anything done.

Wow. I appreciate your honesty. But are you sure you don't want to sell me some service that's really expensive? The front end shakes...

I can fix that. It's just the tires that need to be rebalanced.

...and I'm probably due for a cooling system flush. Did you look at that? Need to be changed?

It looks okay. We can change it if you want because it's usually a good idea this time of year, but I'd say not necessary.

I've noticed my brakes have been squeaky. Did you look at the brakes?

I already took care of that. We just brushed the dust out.

Hmm, what about my spark plugs? Do I need a tune-up? I've never had one of those.

Your spark plugs look old but not original, and unless the car is acting sluggish, I wouldn't change them. It'll run a few hundred dollars.

Well, it doesn't get great power going uphill. Would new spark plugs help that?

Hey lady! Basically, I'm trying to tell you that we rebalanced your tires for free and your car doesn't need any work, so don't fight it.

Really? All righty then. Thanks so much and have a nice day.

Calvo is one

2010-10-04T20:54:00.000-06:00

Note: While I hesitate to post this photo for fear that the possibility of a child getting his head stuck in the rails might give my mother a bad case of the ND, I just can't resist. Sorry, AG.

We call him: Calver, Calvino, Cal, Calvie, Little Dude, Pumpkin Nose

His latest tricks: picking his nose, shaking his head fervently when anyone asks him a question, going up and down the stairs with great finesse, lifting up the toilet seat and splashing around

We love his: irresistible toothy grins, sweet sweet hugs, goodbye waves, open-mouthed kisses

He likes to eat: crackers, rice cereal, fruits, pasta, olives, beans, whatever we are eating

He promptly deposits on the floor: Cheerios

He is getting better at: letting people hold him, not crying for the babysitter

The cake that we made for his family birthday gathering which ultimately had to be canceled due to vomitous children in the house was: maybe the best cake I've ever made, really delicious and we're sorry we couldn't have you here to share it

Thanks for joining our family, sweet baby. We love you!

Lazy farmer

2010-09-26T22:11:00.000-06:00

Every once in a while I like to revisit this song. It's a favorite.

See 1:50.

Norah is 4

2010-09-26T16:45:00.000-06:00

Somebody took pictures of an event in the Craig household (and her name is Abby), so I present to you a photographic account of Miss Norah's rainbow birthday party

The world is collapsing

2010-09-23T23:32:00.000-06:00

When I remember, I like to end each day asking each member of our family his favorite part of the day. It causes us to end the day with a memory of something happy or fun or peaceful, instead of dwelling on all the garbage we dealt with. Today, though I neglected to ask my children, I am choosing to sort through much mucky muck of this day and remember the best part: a spontaneous and fervored duet with Steve of rem's Radio Song as we were getting ready for bed. I also liked when Abby came over and was nice and supportive and helpful. I hope she had fun seeing Phoenix tonight in concert. I like Phoenix, both of them. I love Abby and I'd like to add that all of my sisters should live near me. I adore rem. And I like favorite parts of days that really aren't altogether stupendous.

Ni hao

2010-09-17T11:30:00.000-06:00

My life is sort of crazy right now, much busier than usual and with ever so much not getting done (*ahem* laundry/backyard/temple/bills/reading for class), so what did I do? I started attending a Chinese class that a neighbor put together for parents whose kids are in the immersion program at school. It starts at 9:30 at night. No problem, right?!

Xie xie.

Stop me if you think you've heard this one before

2010-09-09T11:56:00.001-06:00

I like to change up my blog design with great frequency, and sometimes I like to make it purposefully ugly and unpleasant to read. Why would I possibly want to have an ugly blog? Because, my friends, every once in a while I need to channel my younger, sassier, and more defiant self who wants nothing to do with the status quo and has general distaste for conformity.

Not that I don't appreciate beautiful blogs. I do. My sisters are both the bomb.com at making things look gorgeous. But it's not necessarily a talent that I value enough to dedicate serious time to myself. Plus, while I love having a forum in which to have conversation and I especially love conversation and am interested in what people have to say and so I think blogs are great especially since I'm taking a fb hiatus (breathe), I do not seek after nor desire a large audience to read this blog. I have never once promoted my own blog and I like that's it's very grassroots and raw. That is why I said, back in my depressive post which made all my friends come to my rescue (thank you), that I like that my blog is boring. I really do. It's just me trying to impress not a soul in the world.

I really like

2010-09-03T13:33:00.000-06:00

Pandora, all of a sudden.

People who genuinely love my children.

This expression of specific belief.

Saying "I believe" or "I'm coming to a belief" in favor of "I know" in formal bearing of religious testimony.

My mom and dad and brothers and sisters.

Long weekends.

Days with nothing whatsoever on my calendar.

Buying gifts for people.

Receiving gifts.

Eating out.

Exploring big cities by myself.

Beating Ryan at Scrabble.

Bargains.

My Blendtek blender.

The Cougars are OUT

2010-08-31T22:15:00.000-06:00

I'm so proud of BYU for choosing to go independent in football, and proud of our friends who were intimately involved in making it happen! You know something exciting is happening in sports when Steve ~~and I are~~ is spending a lot of time talking about it.

BYU as a rule doesn't like to rock the boat, but they rocked it, baby! I couldn't be happier.

how many zeroes?

2010-08-24T13:36:00.001-06:00

If I were still on Facebook, I'd post a link to the $38 quadrillion lawsuit because that's just rad. And I'd also link to the Utah Prader-Willi charity winning the APX money on the Facebook contest. Congratulations, Purcell family! I'm thrilled for you and your friends. I'd also link to this article about my near-relative Jason Bagley winning an Emmy for his Old Spice commercial. Seriously very cool.

But since I'm not on Facebook, I'm going to stop snooping around on my mom's account that she left signed in on my computer, stop thinking about Austin's Logitech contest and how I want to suggest that I don't think it's guaranteed that the top three in each city will be finalists but I am confident he will be one regardless, stop thinking about Facebook altogether, and get ready to welcome my children home from their first day of school.

Thank you, that is all.

Something

2010-08-22T21:30:00.001-06:00

Something about Steve is that he is brilliant. He reads things, he studies things, he ponders things, and -- this is the kicker -- he retains everything. Maybe he wasn't brilliant when he was four (but me? I'm pretty sure I was a brilliant four-year-old), but he's 34 now and has all those years of knowledge and wisdom and insight swirling around in his head (me? I'm pretty sure I still know at least as much as I did when I was four).

Seventh grade science class? He remembers every last property of a nucleus and could regurgitate it with finesse.
An obscure Old Testament story he read on his mission? He could name the reference, give or take 5 chapters.
A quote from the documentary about U2's Joshua Tree album he watched last night? Rest assured he will be quoting from it in some conversation 17 years hence, because he will never forget it. He just really will not.

That is something about Steve. I love that guy. I married him thirteen years ago today, and it was hands down the greatest thing I ever did. I remember being in the temple during our wedding ceremony and being so overcome with the magnitude of what was happening: a new family created, forever. We would have children who would have children who would have children, there was so much potential. Our union was bigger than us, that was for sure.

Our marriage isn't perfect. It's hard, actually, and there are times when we do things that hurt each other. But he is a pure-hearted soul and he wants nothing more than to love me perfectly, and I could not ask for more. I never ever doubt that I won the grand prize when I got him to fall for me.

____________________

Something about Steve's brother Austin is that he is very very good at seizing opportunities. He always has interesting things happening in his life because he seeks after them, and takes advantage to the fullest whenever they come his way. That's probably my favorite thing about Austin. Right now he has an opportunity to win a big contest to introduce the world to the new GoogleTV and live in a fancy loft in LA for a few months and throw parties and make money and further his career. I think he'd be fantastic at it. The contest ends tomorrow, Monday, at midnight and he wants to finish strong, so will you please help him by clicking on this link, then clicking the "Vote Now" button? That's all there is to it: two seconds and you're done and Austin and I are very grateful. You are the greatest.

Deals yo

2010-08-17T11:25:00.001-06:00

Some good deals to pass on:

Macey's Provo has discontinued (but very good) bags of pasta for $.25 each, back by the milk and eggs. Also lots of Mexican crackers and cookies for $.79 per package. We have especially enjoyed the vanilla wafer cookies.

Today's Groupon is two hours of bowling for 6 people at Fat Cats, including shoe rental, breadsticks, soda, and pizza or tacos or enchiladas, for $25. I bought two and am going to use them together for a birthday party, which they said was totally legit. Click here.

Delightful surprise gifts in the mail

2010-08-11T18:59:00.000-06:00

are my very favorite.

Thank you to my anonymous, thoughtful friend, whomever you are*. You truly know me, and you made my day.

*Until I hear otherwise, I will operate under the assumption that it was Cerise the beautiful because she is generous and well-read and the reason I read Mountains Beyond Mountains and I love her so.

Cristo XXVI (Gray)

2010-08-07T18:02:00.000-06:00

We went for a walk this afternoon to deliver some cookies to neighbors, and ended up with some new artwork, our first J. Kirk Richards original. It's tiny and beautifully framed and we are really excited.

Email me?

2010-08-05T23:03:00.003-06:00

Steve says: "Emily, your problem is that you are friends with all different kinds of people: stoners, skaters, Republicans, Mormons" [everyone falls into one of the above categories, don't they?] "and that worked for you in high school, but that isn't working for you anymore. You get it from all sides. You're too conservative. You're too liberal. You're too Mormon. You're too whatever. You can't win."

Elliot says: "I think Facebook is, like, pulling people apart, not bringing people together!"

I say: Amen, to all of it, except the part that suggests I shouldn't have diverse friends anymore.

I'm taking a pretty major Facebook sabbatical because I've been in the enemy-making business too much lately. I honestly do not try to say offensive things to people, but the written word is so much harder to interpret for meaning and nuance than is the verbal word, and I tend toward abruptness, so I end up irritating people, appearing smug or self-righteous, or miscommunicating my intentions. I'm also vocal: I like conversation, I like to be heard, and I have a very hard time biting my lip and walking away in an argument or discussion that I feel strongly about or in which I feel I have been mischaracterized.

One dear friend made me cry for two days straight when he unfriended me last year because my fb feed was bringing too much hate into his life. What? Come again? Can I have a do-over because that was not my intention, ever ever ever.

Oh yeah, I'm also sensitive. I'm a vocal arguer who gets her feelings hurt. It sort of stinks.

I'm not even that opinionated. I pride myself on being able to see multiple sides of almost every issue. I can be persuaded. I rarely take a firm stand.

Yet I have been making enemies, and lots of them: political, religious, you name it. I hate enemies. I love people, I really do. Don't listen to that part in my last post about being misanthropic.

So, I'm taking a little break. If you don't see me on Facebook, I did not unfriend you (I wouldn't do that, because I know it stinks). I'm just detoxifying for a while. I told the kids I'd not go on Facebook (at least) as long as they don't eat candy, and we shook on it.

I love you. If my cousins are reading this, I especially love you and hope we can still be friends. Real friends, not spew-ugly-mean-spirited-things-at-each-other-online-that-we-would-never-say-in-person-facebook-friends. 'Cause that kind is bringing me down.

Doldrums

2010-08-03T11:37:00.000-06:00

I like that my blog is boring.

I'm sick of the Provo scene.

I am a misanthrope who loves people, or is it a philanthrope who hates people?

Our backyard situation is very demoralizing.

I like the word demoralizing.

I need a hobby and a talent.

Probably the most likely option for a talent to develop is playing Scrabble.

But I'm not going to spend time to get good at Scrabble.

So I shall remain talentless.

My children are good at reporting the problems.

What I need are solutions.

(What I need is solutions?)

I could make grammar a talent, but it would take some work.

I should probably do that.

My basement smells like human pee and rat poop.

I'd like to receive an anonymous package containing a miniature tollbooth and a map of The Lands Beyond.

Sunday School

2010-07-27T21:04:00.000-06:00

H Street

2010-07-21T22:35:00.003-06:00

In Washington, Steve and I and Diana, my sister-friend, had dinner in Chinatown where we took Pepper's advice on the honey walnut shrimp. It was all very delightful. Calvin wanted a fortune for each hand and one for his mouth. Calvin was and is a super champy baby traveling companion who at 9 months has been to 12 states*. The peeps behind us in this photo had SO MUCH FOOD on their table -- all meaty dishes. It was grody to the max.

*In order: Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, California, Montana, Wyoming, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania

Making my list

2010-07-15T16:47:00.000-06:00

I've been limiting my Costco excursions to once a month or so in favor of other grocery stores in the area, but the result has been that when I do go to Costco, my list is full of the items that it really only makes sense to buy there, usually for cost reasons.

These things include but are not limited to:

baby wipes
frozen fruit
baby formula
garbage bags
artichoke hearts
kalamata olives
dental floss
minced garlic
printer paper
gum

What have I missed? What else is cheaper and/or best to buy at Costco?

El fin

2010-07-09T22:43:00.000-06:00

They were setting up for Clinton's second inauguration on the lawn in front of the Capitol. (You know, They.) I was wandering the city alone, having successfully indicated to Nate that though we were left alone together on this capital adventure, we were not together. There were really not many people around -- it was cold. Loudspeakers blared Unforgettable by the Coles -- I mean really, really blared -- and I wanted to dance.

I'm pretty sure I was heartsick for Steve and it was him with whom I wanted to slow dance right there on the mall, but I'm also pretty sure I didn't allow myself to entertain that dream. He was newly home from Chile; we had been spending all kinds of time together, for he was my best friend (but most especially he had a car and could take me to the grocery store); but there really was just no way a romantic relationship was ever going to come of that. He was convinced of it and I was reluctantly convinced of it and no, we had never had this discussion, but he had eagerly given his blessing to James to ask me out and that was evidence enough that Steve did not love me like I had secretly loved him since 11th grade.

And so I had begun to date James. I had begun to like James. And I acknowledged to myself, and to James, that it was James whom I was missing on this lonely, coming-of-age trip to Washington. I wrote him a heartfelt letter. I sent him a long postcard. I channeled all my heartsick loneliness to the guy back in Phoenix who was into me when Steve Craig so clearly was not. I told James about wanting to dance with him as the workers set up chairs and presidential structures, and about how instead I did a signature shoulder dance move of his right there in the middle of the sidewalk in the middle of the city to honor the moment and him and the 26 states between us.

And that was my trip to DC. The first time I'd been back east. An extension and final installment of my assumption of adulthood that began in earnest six months previously during my thrilling and also lonely summer in southern Africa.

The epilogue goes like this: I came home and married Steve, natch, and I still marvel that I was able to make that happen when I think about it. James was gracious and emotional and sweet when I called to tell him our engagement news; the next person he dated after me became his beautiful, classy wife. Cassie and Shawn got married. Nate is nowhere to be found on Facebook. Clinton balanced the budget and lied to the world. And I got to go back to DC this month, for the second time ever, this time with Steve Craig and our baby #5. We had a wonderful time, thank you for asking.

Howard Jones had a song

2010-05-28T17:04:00.000-06:00

Question: Would these skirts catch your eye if you found them at

JCPenney? Kohls? Talbots? Eddie Bauer?

I was going to say no way,

I would not think these were especially great at any of those stores

and is Anthropologie duping us all

but then I remembered that Anthropologie clothes feel better

almost like there's a quality thing happening there

and that I'm wearing my forever-old, green Anthro skirt with bleach stains on the back today

and it has made me feel pretty(ish) in spite of the cold sore smackdown happening all over my face*

and thus I have concluded that I need more clothes.

*not kidding about that

it is a pathetic manifestation of how broken down my body has been due to my year-and-a-half steady stream of

pregnancychildbirthbackpainstrepthroatweaninghormonalchanges [that's a thing]

Part three and almost done

2010-05-12T10:02:00.000-06:00

A few minutes at an airport pay phone yielded heaven sent weekend hosts: a family in the church in Virginia who could not have been more gracious.

Sure, you can stay with us. When we were in college, we did stuff like this, too. Here are the directions to our house and when you get to the end of the Metro line, call and I'll pick you up to drive you the rest of the way. You can have the entire basement to yourselves. We'll feed you many meals, including Sunday dinner and every breakfast. Want to take a drive? Here are the keys to our Suburu.

They were fabulous.

I don't remember one single thing about the Students for International Development conference, except that we hooked up with some people from it to eat at an Ethiopian restaurant one night. It was fun and messy.

I do remember that, for whatever reason, Cassie and her boyfriend deemed it prudent to go home early -- as in, catch the next flight home -- a few days into our trip. I remember it being in the middle of the night or early in the morning and without so much as a "thank you, we're leaving, goodbye" to our hosts. I remember being mortified by their rudeness and lamely trying to apologize for them the next morning at breakfast. I spent money I did not have to buy an extraordinarily nice flower bouquet for this wonderful family when we were leaving to try to express "thank you, goodbye, I recognize that what our friends did was inexcusably bad form."

I remember the awkwafication between me and quiet, brooding, I-think-he-likes-me Nate ramped up a hundredfold all of a sudden due to our new status of being left alone together on this trip that wasn't our idea, staying with people we didn't know who had every reason to be bugged. Did I mention that he was a painful conversationalist?

He has horizontal mobility

2010-05-05T08:25:00.000-06:00

Calvin was six months

then he was seven months

Norah was too sexy for her Easter hat

and the boys swam at Nana and Papa's.

What if I told you I got them at Urban Outfitters?

2010-05-01T17:35:00.000-06:00

What do you think of the frames I found at the school rummage sale for $.25? I think they're rad.

Part two

2010-04-22T21:21:00.000-06:00

Cassie, Cassie's off-again boyfriend Shawn, Cassie's quiet and introverted and I-think-he-liked-me friend Nate, and me. To our nation's capital for an extended weekend.

We arrived in Baltimore in true fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants fashion: with no plans for much of anything, including a place to stay. Strike that -- we did have a plan and that was that for the first night, we would sleep in the airport terminal. Oh yes, the airport. And the plan for after that was to descend upon some merciful members of our church, somewhere, somehow, in the greater DC area who wanted to house some BYU students with absolutely no advanced warning. I can't imagine who wouldn't jump at that chance! Cassie had on her the phone number of a Relief Society president who someone had told her might be able to hook us up with someone to take us in. We were students, remember, and poor, and I'm quite sure the thought of getting a hotel room never occurred to us. I had spent more money than I had to buy a plane ticket. Po-o-o-or. Quite so.

On the airplane I had had the foresight to ask the flight attendant if I could keep my blanket and pillow. "Sure," she said, "keep them. They were sewn by homeless people. Isn't that cool?" "Yes, that is cool, and very apropos, for for the next 4 nights, I will be homeless myself."

We explored the terminal for the most comfortable sleeping spot possible, and came up very short. There was not a flat bench to be found. The best we could find was a row of seats at an uncrowded gate with a few of the lights turned off, so we set up camp. I lay down across the bumpy low armrests on the hard plastic chairs and settled in for 5 hours of "Welcome to Baltimore International Airport. Please do not leave your baggage unattended." Every. two. minutes. That night heretofore has served as my primary motivation for honoring my mother and my father and not bearing false witness and the like, because, I tell you, if hell is anything like the Baltimore airport, I don't wanna go.

More to come. (Thanks for acting like you care what is going to happen.)

My pivotal trip to DC, in which I name names

2010-04-16T20:31:00.001-06:00

I was 21, I had spent the previous summer in Africa and had come home and broken up with a guy. Nathan was his name, and potstickers were his game. (Because they're good.)

My future husband, long the object of my suppressed affections, had just returned from a lengthy stint in Chile and promptly encouraged his friend James to pursue me, because he himself was most certainly not interested in Emily Godfrey; he had his sights elsewhere. I was crushed, but in a suppressed sort of way. I began to dig James, and we dated. James stayed in Phoenix while Steve and I went back to the motherland for school. This was January 1997.

I was in Students for International Development on campus, and when my comrade from my Namibia trip, Cassie, suggested we go to a SID conference in DC, I decided to go along. There was a group of us going, they'd find us a place to stay, they said.

And now, because I was eating homemade french fries and dodging my daughter's greasy kisses while trying to type this and these three paragraphs took longer than you might think, my threshold for blogging has been reached (it's a pretty short threshold), and My Pivotal Trip to DC shall now be serialized. Stay tuned for: the second-worst night of sleep of my life and disappearances in the night.

Why is it called District of Columbia?

2010-04-01T08:49:00.000-06:00

Thank you for all the suggestions of things to see in DC. I'm excited to try them all out. Amy suggested I ask her brother for ideas, so I did, and boy howdy, the man is thorough. I want something like this for every city I will ever visit. I am posting it for all to reference for future trips to our nation's capital. Thank you, Pepper!

I've been a lot of places in the world, and Washington is my favorite city. It seems to have everything. I'll give you some suggestions based on my lifestyle and my interests. Let me know if you have specific questions about anything I leave off the list, or if you have a specific set of interests/hobbies you would like to cater to.

I think the number one thing to do in Washington DC is attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court. It is a great experience for anyone - no matter the age, education level, or personal interest in constitutional law of the attendee. Unfortunately, oral arguments will not be in session in June; I only mention it so you will keep it in your back pocket for the next trip.

Looks like you are getting into town on a Friday. Is it a late arrival? My favorite thing to do on Fridays during the summer is a picnic at the Sculpture Garden. They do free jazz concerts every Friday evening - I think from 5 until 8. (The great thing about DC is that nearly everything is free) You can get food at the little cafe inside the garden (my favorite is the spinach & artichoke bread bowl - but the best thing is to bring your own food, lay out a blanket on the grass, and sit/lay down listening to music and relaxing. Wine & cheese is a popular item for other families/picnics. Obviously substitute your drink of choice, but there is a really good cheese creamery (Cowgirl Creamery) just a few blocks from the Garden. I'll give you the specifics at your request. The garden has some great art, the centerpiece is a large fountain to sit around, but the music and atmosphere is fun. It's a great place to spend some time before seeing the monuments.

Go see the monuments at night. The sculpture garden is right on the mall so you can take a nice walk after the jazz concert. Go see the Washington monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. Friday night would be perfect - it's a fitting introduction to the city. Also see the war memorials (Vietnam and WWII).

What to do on Saturday? For breakfast, try going to the Eastern Market. There is a place at the indoor market called Market Lunch that is deservedly famous for its blueberry buckwheats. Come back to the mall area and go to the Art Museum. I think the east wing is better, but you will be able to see both. The reason I suggest this museum on Saturday is because the crowds will be large at most other "popular" museums. The African American Art Museum is another interesting place to go that will not have many crowds. You can venture over to the Building Museum and maybe the Police Memorial as well. Those are near judiciary square, and you could eat dinner in Penn Quarter or China Town. Matchbox is a great little restaurant for a burger/sandwich. Ella's Woodfired Pizza is another good place close by. In China Town, my favorite place is Tony Chen's - you can't miss the big front on H Street (try the honey walnut shrimp if you go). Other great restaurants to try in the area are Rosa Mexicana (just for the fresh guacamole) and Jaleo's (Spanish tapas). Jaleo's is very well known and very popular - I'd actually recommend not missing it if you like tapas. It is on the SW corner of the Verizon Center. I know Saturday is sort of jumbled, but I would focus on places that are not too crowded. Another great place might be the Library of Congress. This is the best building to see inside - better than the Capitol Rotunda - but few people go inside to look around. It is a "can't miss" on your trip.

Sunday brunch is the best meal of the week. Unquestionably, the best place in DC for Sunday brunch is the Kennedy Center. You will need reservations in advance, and it is relatively expensive, but it is a great experience. Enjoy the views and the food, and definitely take a look around the Kennedy Center when you are done. Other peaceful places to go on Sunday are the National Cathedral, the National Arboretum, or Roosevelt Island. Let me know if you would like help deciding between any of them.

Monday is the day you should try and get to your "can't miss" museums. I recommend the Holocaust Museum - sobering, but unforgettable and well worth the time. You will need to show up earlier and get "passes" for a later time. They only accommodate a certain amount of visitors each day, and the passes are handed out in the morning for each day. Walking around Georgetown is a fun thing to do as well - just to see the shops and restaurants. Maybe you could do that in the afternoon before meeting Steve in Adam's Morgan for dinner. I prefer Adam's Morgan to Georgetown. It has a very European feel and a good social crowd for our age. You can walk across the bridge from the Woodley Park metro stop and just walk down the sidewalks looking for a good place to eat. There will be patio seating everywhere with menus posted on the sidewalk - lots of different ethnic restaurants. One of my favorites is Meskerem - an Ethiopian restaurant. Remember that dinner time there is about 8:30 or 9:00 so don't get there too early.

Tuesday I would go to the zoo. you are staying right by it (the zoo is free as well). Go see the Pandas. A good place to grab lunch might be Ben's Chili Bowl on the U Street Corridor - lots of history and probably a "can't miss" eating experience. In the afternoon, head over to Arlington National Cemetery. This is also a "can't miss" spot. Go to the Kennedy graves, the Lee House, and the changing of the guard ceremony. The ceremony is another very sacred experience, perhaps rivaled only by the Lincoln Memorial. The Lee House has really interesting history and offers one of the best views of DC. Have Steve meet you over at the Iwo Jima Memorial Tuesday night. It is also a "can't miss," but Tuesday night during the summer is the best time to go because the Marine Corp Band performs a concert from 7:00 until 8:00. Stop by Dupont Circle on your way back to walk around. I recommend a little french bistro there called Bistrot du Coin for dinner. It is one of my favorite little places to eat - and the foie gras is really good.

Here are my rankings for the places I mentioned - as well as things I didn't mention.

Best Restaurants (this is a tough one so I will break it into other categories)

White Tablecloth (more expensive obviously):
1789 (Georgetown)
2941 Restaurant (Falls Church, VA)
Citronelle (Georgetown)
Vidalia (Dupont area)
Blue Duck Tavern

Mid-range (I suppose I could also call this ethnic)
Jaleo's (Penn Quarter - Spanish tapas)
Zaytinya (Penn Quarter - Greek tapas)
Tony Chen's (best in China Town)
Kamlaya (best Thai - also in China Town)
Meskerem (best Ethiopian - Adams Morgan)
Bistrot du Coin (best French - Dupont Circle)

Casual American
Ben's Chili Bowl (U Street Corridor)
Matchbox (China Town - pizza/sandwiches)
Ella's (Penn Quarter - pizza)
Clyde's (Verizon Center or Georgetown - American)

Best Smithsonian Museum:
Holocaust
Natural History
Zoo
Art (East and West)
National Portrait Gallery

Best Monument:
Lincoln
Tomb of Unknown Soldier (changing of guard/Arlington)
Jefferson
Iwo Jima
WWII
Vietnam

Best Thing Most People Miss:
Supreme Court (oral arguments)
Library of Congress
Sculpture garden

The world is flat

2010-03-29T22:17:00.000-06:00

Isaac starts Chinese immersion next year in first grade. I'm thinking about taking Chinese 101 at BYU in the fall so I can learn with him, in spite of his pouty insistence that he wants "to be the only one in the family who speaks Chinese,"

(what happened to my sweet Isaac? there's some bratty kid who's taken over his body. I blame the losing of the second front tooth -- Mr. Sassy Pants)

but the classes offered are at the worst possible times known to motherkind: 8 AM or 4 PM, EVERY DAY. Hmmm, how committed am I to this?

In related news*, I'm going on a trip in June with my husband and only one of my little monkeys to our nation's fine capital {a or o, a or o? google doesn't seem to know} city and I'm interested in any of y'all's favorite things to do there. What one museum, one restaurant, one stroll, one bakery, etc. is not to be missed? Please share.

If you do, I'll tell you about the only time I have been to DC and how it was a pivotal, tormented, maddening, bizarre, lonely, enlightening four days in my young history. How perhaps I could pinpoint my very passage of young womanhood into womanhood on those exact four days. Also, how I was quite unrequitedly lovesick for Steve Craig, although I didn't know it at the time, since I was dating his friend, but that was an extraneous emotion and not at all connected to the maddening, bizarre, pivotal, tormented stuff.

So, do: tell me your favorite place to be in DC.

*Related in that: my kids can be sassy pants and I need a break, and oh look! there's a break coming up on the calendar. That will be really nice for me. I look forward to that.

Who will be the first to call me a liberal?

2010-03-23T15:13:00.001-06:00

On health care reform:
I like change. I think HCR has the opportunity to do a lot of good for a lot of people who are otherwise suffering. I'm pro- trying something new to see if it makes things better. If it doesn't make things better, there's always another solution down the road. I'm happy that Obama has done something he set forth to do. I'd like for him to have a successful presidency; I'm pulling for him for that. Success is obviously subjective, but I think it's the hardest job in the universe, and why not offer a little support where I can? I don't think most of America actually understands what they're bemoaning about, which makes me kind of cranky because I feel like it's being contrarian just for the sake of being contrarian and what's productive about that? If bemoaners know what they're talking about, and want to bemoan, then by all means, let's hear it.

On revelation about Kevin Garn's DUI arrest, apparently while he was an LDS bishop, and before he ran for state legislature:
I abhor lies on any level, and this takes the cake for lying. I'm personally offended by this man's alleged behavior. And I feel especially betrayed because I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on the hot tub thing. Ugh. Ew. Blagh. Seriously, to all friends and family: if you lie to me, I don't like it even one teeny tiny bit. If a politician lies to me, you have lost any chance of efficacy you ever had.

On BYU basketball:
I'm a-buyin' tickets for next year. The game I saw in person was the most thrilling event of my winter.

On this blog:
Was just telling my sister...the more blogs there are that are funny and well-written and nice to look at and making lots of money, the less interested I am in my own blog and the less I care about who reads, if I write anything worthwhile, how it looks, if I'm wearing makeup in the videos I post. That's so me to have a converse reaction. I'm a little bit of a contrarian. Just for the sake of being a contrarian.

From the heart

2010-03-22T19:48:00.000-06:00

Taking lysine

2010-03-19T09:38:00.000-06:00

The internet is great.

Isaac has been sick all week with a fever and sore throat. Yesterday he tested negative for strep throat, although the doctor was puzzled by it because he had spots of nastiness on his throat. Last night Isaac refused to eat dinner because his teeth were hurting him, and his gums were swollen. Steve suggested that could be related to his "flu" symptoms, so we googled "swollen gums sick." Within minutes we had diagnosed our child with herpetic gingivostomatitis, the herpes that causes cold sores and that manifests itself for the first time in children with fever and headache and painful mouth. Then I looked closer at the sore on his lip and saw that it was, indeed, a cold sore.

This morning I called the pediatrician's office to let them know what the puzzling sickness was, even though I'm sure they didn't care. (The receptionist was all, "What? Herpes?!")

The internet is great.

Doing

2010-03-15T21:40:00.001-06:00

This little piggy dressed like Steve Jobs.

This little piggy's five months.

This little pigsty got completely pulled out leaving only dirt and rocks so we can redesign a cool garden space.

This little piggy had fun.

This little piggy cries, "Waa waa waa waa," once in a while at home.

Even Isaac noticed it

2010-03-09T13:03:00.001-07:00

We live by a Chadder's. I cannot eat there without wondering what they were thinking when they made their logo. Is there an armadillo in my hamburger?

Or is that thing with the tail between the buns a mouse?

Shuffle

2010-03-08T20:55:00.001-07:00

These two blogs were right next to each other in my Reader tonight and they made me laugh. They probably made the authors cry, but to me: funny funny.

I'm sorry for your iPain.

Bewitching

2010-03-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

There's a witch of Endor in the Old Testament. Is that where the name Endora comes from? That's right, folks, I'm talking about Bewitched. You can always expect topical and timely discussions when you pop in on this blog.

Speaking of topical and timely, we saw Slumdog Millionaire last night. Who wants to be a Mi'ionaire? It was powerful; it was haunting; it made me grateful for solid and sewage waste disposal.

31

2010-02-17T12:44:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to my brilliant, fun, sensitive, would-do-anything-for-me-when-it-comes-right-down-to-it brother. And might I add, handsome. He is so very handsome.

If you called me tonight

2010-02-13T22:52:00.002-07:00

How was your day? I heard you bought tickets for New York and Philly for March.

We went to RCWilley Outlet today to buy a bed. We left with a bed and a tv. That's how we roll: we'd rather risk not getting the best (whatever) if it means we don't have to comparison shop and/or do research on it. The faster the purchase (when the husband and kids are involved), the better. The tv salesman's eyes lit up when he told us about the new Sony Bravia that just came out, and he was young and obviously in-the-know, so we bought it. Yay us. (I'm going to leave for just a moment now to do a quick search on it, just to make sure we did ok. Be right back.) For some reason when we set the tv up, our cable access instantly multiplied from basic cable channels to lots of 'em. Don't know why that happened, but Elliot is excited about Saturday morning television watching prospects.

Did your students sneak in booze in their suitcases again?

I got my hair cut.

How did you manage to get the boys to sleep through the night?

We had tickets to go as a family to the BYU basketball game. But Aaron's bad attitude necessitated that he stay home grounded all day. And Elliot's lack-of-getting-his-chores-done necessitated the same for him. (I'm a mean mom.) Steve volunteered to stay home with them. Then Calvin cried a lot and it took him a while to eat and calm down, so we were already late for the game. Finally -- undeterred -- Isaac, Norah, Calvin and I set off to enjoy the last part of the game. Alas, we pulled up to the Marriott Center just as people started streaming out. So 6 tickets were completely for naught and we went for dipped cones at DQ instead.

Do you want to come over for dinner this week? How about to watch Lost on Tuesday on our new tv?

Mindy had us over for dinner tonight and it was fun. Mindy is good about fostering relationships with the older generation in our neighborhood.

Let's plan a fun weekend trip this summer for our families to do together. Where would you like to go?

I ought to plan a little something for primary singing time tomorrow. I really ought to do that.

(Yawn.) I'm tired.

Talk to you later.

Some other photographic gems of the last few months

2010-02-03T22:14:00.005-07:00

Cool people who came to Calvin's baby blessing. Gold star to my fabulous Aunt Paula for attending three hours of church!

Our new dining table. We need new chairs. Looking for funky, or yellow, or mismatched, or plastic, or something not brown wood.

The wall of pictures of people I love makes me very happy at Christmastime. Add us to your Christmas card list and send us your picture so I can be happy when I walk by this wall and think about how much I love you.

Milo is fly.

Norah, all bronzed up! She's available for makeup consulting, if you maybe need a few pointers.

Four months old

2010-02-03T20:46:00.002-07:00

("Four...four...four...forget it!")

Tuesday.

2010-01-26T21:28:00.003-07:00

I hurt my back.
I spent a good three days in bed.
I went to two chiropractors.
I decided that chiropractors need to do less tapping on my temple, more massage and stretch.
I am starting to feel better today.
But I still walk crooked.
My clogging class is totally doable.
Our first test got pushed back until next week, which will give my back plenty of time to heal completely, before I injure it again.
I like 30 Rock.
I'm looking forward to the only tv show I try to catch as it happens: Lost season 6 starts soon.
When, exactly, does it start?
Our tv doesn't really work anymore.
We got it from my generous brother as a hand-me-down when we got married.
We got married 12.5 years ago.
Buying a new tv isn't something I really want to do, but I guess I should if I'm going to be watching Lost.
Any ideas for a new tv?
We don't really want to spend a lot of cash on it.
Steve is a great husband.
Sometimes I'm really overcome with gratitude for him and what a good person he is.
I began the process to refinance our house yesterday after doing zero research about rates/fees.
Someone I trust had done a lot of research, and I just took his word for it.
We're going down to a 20-year fixed with rate of less than 5%.
I'm thrilled.
I counted recently, and I've been inside 26 temples.
I think visiting new temples and eating at new restaurants are fantastic goals to work toward.
I don't think there's anything wrong with ending sentences with prepositions.
I mean, I like prepositions for ending sentences with.

Clog fog blog

2010-01-19T21:24:00.003-07:00

Here is a quick accounting of every half credit PE or Dance class I have taken since starting college:

Fitness For Living: take measurements of your body fat, don't really go to class, I can't remember what else
A-

Beginning Folk Dance: learn some Hungarian/Russian/Irish dances, have lots of fun
A-

Beginning Bowling: bowl every day, learn how to score bowling, bowl bowl bowl, flirt with Bowling John who rejects your subtle attempts to get him to ask you out and then when you see him next year on the first day of your political science class and you smile warmly and sit next to him he motions behind his back for his friend to rescue him and his friend says, "John, that's a nice ring you have on your finger!" and you say, "Oh, you got married?" embarassedly and never sit by him again, and mostly just bowl all the time
A

Ethnic Dance (Polynesian): do the hula, shake your hips, do the Tongan rope/ball things
B+

Beginning Racquetball: sign up for this class with your boyfriend who wanted to marry you, then break up with him just before the semester starts and do not make eye contact or talk to each other in this class, ever, even though there are only like 20 people in the class, learn the rules, play the game, never get very good because your arm strength is kind of lame
A

Jogging: jog for an hour a week, unless you want to walk or hike or swim or bike or pretty much anything else aerobic because the teacher didn't care, don't go to class all that much, throw out your back and don't do anything for a week, don't get very good at jogging
A

________________

When my friend JaNae and I signed up for clogging this semester, her niece said, "You did what? I got a D- in that class." She went to every class, she practiced, she sought special help from her teacher. Dee minus. What, how is that possible?

The first three classes were easy peasy. We spent whole classes learning the most basic of steps. Then I went to Disneyland and missed a class. Tonight was my first class since being back and, um, you can call me Joey Tribiani.

All of a sudden we're learning a whole dance routine with steps from out of nowhere, that I certainly have never been taught. It's all double double rock kick hold cowboy double back double up triple kick chug.

I was very much in a daze the last 20 minutes of class. A clog fog. Help. (Sarah?)

I would totally be IPhone blogging on the I-15, except I don't know how to write anything but the title

2010-01-17T19:38:00.002-07:00

My day in age group associations

2010-01-05T20:03:00.006-07:00

My morning was spent with: three-year-old and three-month-old

"But mom, who was my mommy and daddy when you and daddy were little kids? No, mom! Who was my mommy and daddy when you were little? No! Who?"
Tears

My early afternoon was spent with: kindergartners

Penguin crafts
Snacktime
Zipping coats

My late afternoon/evening was spent with: college students

First day of Dance 171, Beginning Clog
"Sweet! You're from Wyoming, too? I've never met anyone from Wyoming in any class I've ever taken at BYU before! THREE people are from Wyoming in this class?"
Me: "My name is Emily. I graduated in 97 in International Relations." 23-yr-old Teacher: "Was that part of the Marriott School?" "No, the Kennedy Center. The major has changed a few times since then." "Yeah, I'll BET it has!"

My evening was spent with: mostly septuagenarians

Relief Society dinner and self-defense class
Surprisingly strong 70+-year-old women
Lots of talk about memory loss, willing 101-yr-old mothers to die, Candida

All were enjoyable in their own way. But looking forward to the last half hour of my day when I get to have some solid conversation/kitchen cleaning help/maybe a back massage from a person: exactly my same age. Holla for 34-year-olds.

Tres meses

2009-12-30T21:21:00.004-07:00

I got called a lazy blogger tonight. I totally just did that link the old school way, the html way, the way we did it before blogger got all the happy little icons, the not lazy way.

Calvin is three months old today. He's crying his head off right now.

My mom is doing my dishes. She's all about service, all the time. I think I have the greatest mom on the planet.

My sister made me cry today. She and her family are moving to the Caribbean, and I had to say goodbye. She and her husband have been the best aunt and uncle to my kids and friends to me and Steve. Utah will be a much lonelier place without them. She definitely made moving here a happier experience for me.

Even though I'm anti self-referential blog posts, I'll admit here and now that "lazy blogger" is a decently apt descriptor. Well, maybe "uninterested blogger" is more apt. "Lazy Christmas-decoration-taker-downer" is apt, though, for sure. "Lazy money manager" fits. "Lazy clothes-put-awayer," that'll do, too.

Eating out is my hobby

2009-12-14T21:33:00.004-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Arizona, and I acknowledged verbally what I have long known deep down: that my favorite thing to do in that state is eat out*. Because I want to share the treasures Steve and I have so painstakingly sought out, I give you a sampling of my favorite restaurants in the greater Phoenix area. I'm not going to take the time to categorize, but please ask me about any of them -- location, menu, price, etc. Trying new restaurants is one of my talents.

Then feel free to reciprocate with a list of your favorite restaurants in (any location) so that I can try them next time I go there.

I love that story.

I present delightful dining destinations in metro Phoenix:

Barrio Cafe
La Grande Orange
Chelsea's Kitchen
Orange Table
Yasu Sushi Bistro
North
The Greene House
Sauce
Oregano's
Pita Jungle
Roaring Fork
Kyoto
Pizzeria Bianco
Cowboy Ciao
Postino
Arcadia Farms
Asia de Cuba
Elements
Flo's Asian Kitchen
Old Town Tortilla Factory
Grimaldi's
Bistro di Napoli
Pedro's

There are more, to be sure, but I would be excited about eating at any of these delicious restaurants.

*Edited to clarify: My favorite, favorite thing to do in Arizona is really to be with my family and friends. And also to enjoy the weather. And also to smell the creosote. Excuse the hyberbole, but eating out is ONE of the best things. One of many.

"Walking to school" as seen by my neighbor

2009-12-07T18:35:00.001-07:00

C. Bake

2009-12-02T10:54:00.001-07:00

Two months.

Too big for his britches.

To infinity, and beyond.

The most fabulous winter tip you've heard all day

2009-11-16T16:08:00.002-07:00

The context:

My thumb nail cracked down the middle, so I've been cutting the nail short short short so it doesn't snag and crack even more. Doing so caused my skin to crack, a nasty deepish sort of skin crack that made the whole area tender and was beginning to even throb a little. A quick heal did not look promising. Lotion definitely wasn't going to do the trick.

The miracle:

The internet, which is where I took my problem in hopes of a solution. In ten seconds I found a solution.

The solution:

Superglue. Apply a dab to the cracked skin. A seal protection is immediately formed. The pain disappears.

The challenge:

Try it. You'll love it.

I don't like movies much

2009-11-12T23:36:00.002-07:00

I usually fall asleep, or fidget thinking about the time wasted factor, or am annoyed at the cost to get in, or find fault in the plot or the acting or the gratuitous sex or the makeup (ahem, Twilight) -- I know, I sound like a lot of fun, right? -- so it's always a joy as well as a surprise when I find one that I love, or at least really really like. Love to find movies I love.

Today I very much enjoyed I Am David in my basement while I folded mountains of laundry. It was beautiful thematically and visually, sweet, hopeful, and just really well done. Life-affirming, yet not insipid. I feel a tad dumb that I didn't know about concentration camps in Eastern Europe after WWII. Bulgaria? Does everyone know about those?

Another lovely, lovely thing happened today and that is that my sister delivered two precious little boys so that I could have more nephews. Wasn't that nice of her? I can't wait to meet them.

Questions for you

2009-11-05T23:06:00.002-07:00

What is the best "band" game for the Wii? Rock Band? Guitar Hero? Should we hypothetically get the Beatles edition, or just buy the regular and buy the Beatles game? Will our kids destroy the instruments in 30 minutes flat? Are there songs on Rock Band 2 with bad language/themes that wouldn't be appropriate for kids?

This conversation is just between you and me, right?

Would you say West Side Story is the most annoying musical?

2009-11-04T21:55:00.003-07:00

We took the kids to a new-to-us restaurant last night: India Palace on Center Street. It was very delicious.

Mango lassis, vegetable samosas, um, who am I kidding, I can't remember the dishes' names.

We entertained Neil's favorite line of questioning, which goes something like: if you had to choose one ethnic cuisine to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, what would it be?

What a fun game that is.

The waitress at India Palace was rather smitten with Norah. She:

touched her cheeks multiple times
played with her hair
picked her up out of her chair and tried to get her to sit her bum up on the top of the chair, I guess so as to be eye level with her
spoon fed her rice multiple times

Really, this all happened. It was all done with lots of smiles and playful looks, plus she was ever such a nice Indian lady; but I am perplexed that I let it all happen. You know? Norah immediately shut down through it all, and looked very uncomfortable. And I let this strange woman continue to touch my daughter. Weird. If you are a stranger, please don't touch my children, okay?

Anyway, the food was good.

It's expensive to take seven people out to dinner, yet we continue to do it. It's one of our favorite things to do.

I failed to leave the house today, and I also failed to do much of anything that wasn't directly in response to Norah and/or Calvin and their very needy neediness. And then the Phillies lost, which I don't really care all that much about and I haven't watched one bit of the games, but my brothers like the Phillies, and my mom bought Calvin a Phillies sweatshirt, and I always like a forced game 7, so it would have been nice if they had won.

And now I'm wondering what kind of thing I will take up this winter to get to look forward to and to keep me from getting blue when Steve takes the kids skiing every weekend. Days like today remind me that it is not good for my soul to be home all day. I need a diversion.

Is my blog becoming a pictures-of-my-kids fest??

2009-10-31T23:45:00.004-06:00

Calvin is a month old. (And he's wearing a cute onesie by Miss Angela Jane. Pants bequeathed by Charlie Bones, and blanket via the very kind Stephanie.)

PLUS! What we came up with an hour or so before trick-or-treating from the dress-up box, special thanks to Mrs. Pam Craig and her creative prowess from years past that made some of it possible. (Here is where I admit to the world that I don't have my children's costumes planned and sewn weeks, months, or even days in advance...But I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.)

En oh ar ay aitch

2009-10-26T13:47:00.004-06:00

Remember when this girl was born?

So do I. Now she's three and a very sweet and spunky big sister.

Sometimes I don't want to blog about anything, sometimes I want to blog about nothing

2009-10-20T22:55:00.002-06:00

Stuff keeps going missing around here. Important stuff -- arguably, the best stuff we have:

keys to the van (lost at the doctor's office. what?!)
Steve's BYU ID card (which he takes with him on bike rides for the purpose of helping the paramedics quickly identify his mangled and/or dead body after an accident)
one of Calvin's favorite pacifiers (where do those things go?)
my tweezers

I'm most distressed about the tweezers. I really hate making unplanned trips to the store to just get one thing. Steve says, "Christmas is coming" in case I opt to let him replace them for me. I say, "Won't you love your unibrow wife come December."

The fact is

2009-10-19T21:20:00.004-06:00

Suppose you're driving along in rural Utah, and come upon this sign:

Do you

a) Keep going and risk getting shot by the angry cowboy who commissioned this very large sign
b) Turn around and find some other, less controversial place to have your picnic in the mountains
c) Get out your red marker and fix the spelling mistake
d) Assume your very best affected rural accent and quote the sign for the rest of the day
e) Feel just a twinge of homesickness for Arizona, because this sign is just so Utah
f) Revisit your understanding of COMMUNISM

So hard

2009-10-15T15:48:00.002-06:00

I am so sad today because my friend Amy has lost a child. My heart is aching for her and her family, and I wish there was more that I could do to alleviate just a fraction of her pain. All I can do is mourn with her, and offer my love.

Eyes are open

2009-10-02T21:49:00.002-06:00

Calvin and I are just hanging out at the computer, listening to the BYU game, quite entranced, and playing with PhotoBooth.

Thanks, everyone, for your congratulations and kind words. We feel very loved.

Look what the storm blew in

2009-09-30T11:14:00.003-06:00

If you are completely unprepared in (almost) every way to birth your child due to the fact that your body does not really do spontaneous labor and you thought you had a good two weeks to worry about details and thus

{house is a mess
haven't begun to wash or sort baby clothes
no newborn diapers
...or bouncy seat
...or swing
...or nursing pads
...or bassinet/port-a-crib for your room
...or pacifiers
packed hospital bag is but a distant dream
child's big oral presentation on William Clark is not ready to go
baby name is not solidified
neighbor kids are coming over tomorrow for a playdate
not mentally geared up to go drugfree
have tickets to Friday night's football game
haven't registered with the hospital
no groceries in the house}

BUT,

you're emotionally and physically ready to not be pregnant anymore and to meet this new precious babe and he has joyously turned his little cute self around so he is head-down after all the fuss about being breech,

AND,

you tiredly say prayers with your husband before going to bed and offer up as a casual aside to Heavenly Father to "please bless my body go into labor on its own," you know, just for kicks, because that doesn't happen for you

THEN,

be prepared to wake up at 2:15 that very night to contractions that hurt and that continue to get more frequent and lengthy and painful and then take a shower and an hour later wake up your husband saying, "I'm in labor," and when he says, "What should I do?" and you say, "I don't know" and he falls back asleep you say, "I'm pretty sure falling back asleep is not the right answer" and then grab a few things and straighten up a few things, and then call your mother-in-law and go to the hospital

AND THEN -------

at 5:25 welcome a perfect little boy into the world.

'Cause that's how it all went down for me.

Calvin Baker
7 pounds, 6 ounces
blonde hair, receding hairline
12 days early! (never thought his birth month would be September)
positively perfect

What?

2009-09-28T22:42:00.004-06:00

Isaac turned six this month. He's a cool kid. Yesterday, after a lifetime of crying every time he was required to clean his room or do a chore, he announced that he loves to help clean, and spent the afternoon -- a couple of hours, at least -- asking, "What can I do to help?", then doing it with a smile and coming back for more assignments. A freak occurrence? Perhaps, but I'm going to be reminding him of it with great frequency.

He's smart, and I am enjoying that he is the oldest in his kindergarten class because I think school will come easier to him and he will have an opportunity to be a leader. He also seems to have natural athleticism; and his long fingers are helping him right along with plucking out his C's and D's on the piano. Three lessons, and well on his way to concert halls.

I tell people that Isaac is spacey, but I don't know if that is accurate. I think he is the third child -- yea, third boy -- in our family and thus accustomed to less attention from his parents and more negative attention from his older sibs, so he has kind of learned to survive on the periphery, learned to act like a monkey. But he is observant, and he's bright. Might I add that I am a third child and since this little kiddo was born, I have felt a kinship with him (that goes beyond being his mom, which I concede is already a pretty strong kinship, but hear me out) because we have that middle/third child connection. I know.

Anyway, I love this boy. He brings me a lot of happiness.

Also, I am no good at taking pictures. There are lots of things I am not good at, and that is one of them. Laundry is another thing.

Also, this picture of my dad is just because it was on my desktop for some unknown reason, and because I love my dad and his scowls. So why not add it to this post?

Also, my baby was breech and not turning around. But! today the doctor thought the head was down, and I have no idea how that happened because I felt nothing. However, I'm not that surprised that he turned, and I attribute it one hundred percent to the faith of my husband and everyone else who may have offered up prayers on our behalf. I'm having an ultrasound tomorrow to verify baby's position, and if it turns out the doctor was wrong and the babe is still breech, then I still think my husband has faith. And he'll channel it for a safe c-section.

Also, I've never seen an episode of Perry Mason, I'm almost certain. It's on in the background, and they use big words. I like big words. I must learn more of them.

Sold!

2009-09-18T13:28:00.002-06:00

Isaac wins!

2009-09-17T22:29:00.003-06:00

Isaac's name got picked out of a hat at the BYU women's volleyball game tonight to compete for football tickets to this weekend's Florida State game. This child, who has no inhibitions, went down to the court, did not know the fight song, but oh, he growled! He won! I love it.

I got two tickets to paradise. Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight.

2009-08-22T22:00:00.002-06:00

Here's to 12 more years, and 4 more kids.

Just kidding. One. One more kid.

And 112 years.

Thanks for marrying me, Stephen Marshall.

Fanny Dooley likes Aaron. Why do you think that is? (It's because everyone likes Aaron)

2009-08-15T22:57:00.003-06:00

Where would our family be without my No. 2, my 8-year-old Aaron? He breathes heart and soul into our household. Tall stature is not in Aaron's future, but oh, his personality is large. He can be the orneriest (that ought to be a word) of ornery and he can be the sweetest of sweet. He is rowdy, yet contemplative; confident, talk talk talkative, adventurous. His pain tolerance is low, so very, very low, and he can howl like no other when he gets hurt. He is not afraid of a challenge, such as always wanting to play piano songs above his skill level or taking on the big and tough 4th-graders at tetherball. He is a natural leader; terrificly goofy; his moods and willingness/unwillingness to be nice frequently set the tone among his siblings. Aaron has a pure heart and a tender testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is forgiving of his mom's shortcomings, and won't even mind one bit that it took me two months after his birthday to post this on my blog. I love this spirited child of mine.

2009-08-08T23:20:00.002-06:00

Dear City of Phoenix,

Thanks for keeping in touch. It's nice that you've sent me two letters in the last three days, even though I was only visiting for a week. I wonder if you'll send more? And those pictures you took of me! Not bad, even though I'm not smiling in them and my sunglasses are covering my eyes. I have to say, I never really gave Bethany Home Road and the I-17 much thought before your letters, but that is one happening place. It's like there is a paparazzo stationed there, just waiting to catch me out and about -- say, on my way to see my sister-in-law in Mesa, or my brother in Tucson -- tracking my every mile per hour. The part in each of the letters about owing you money... $181.50 per each, I believe it was. Well, that part we'll have to negotiate at a later date. If you're really serious about that, you'll need to send someone to my house to properly explain. I choose not to take letters in the mail too seriously.

Well, thanks again. I still like you and am glad you haven't forgotten me. Provo City sends me mail asking for money, too, but that's because I use electricity and sewer and stuff. Their mail never includes a personalized photo.

See one of your hired hands soon? We live under the "Y." You can't miss it.

Love, Emily

P.S. -- You're welcome for all the tourist tax dollars I spent... IN JULY.
xoxo

A blogging synopsis of our lives?

2009-08-06T15:23:00.002-06:00

We went to Bryce Canyon last week. It was cold last winter on our front porch.

A blog at rest tends to stay at rest

2009-07-20T13:18:00.001-06:00

One of these days I'll post something again.

(Blog posts about blog posts are the worst kind.)

Elliot

2009-06-09T23:04:00.003-06:00

I'm the mother of a ten-year-old.

A handsome

funny

inventive

sneaky

reading

helpful

sensitive

long-remembering

easily distracted

logical

independent

meat- and carbs-loving

self-conscious

creative

reserved

inquisitive

loving

ten-year-old.

Elliot had a birthday a few weeks ago. I love this kid to death. I'm probably too hard on him, and sometimes we fight for control (I know I ought to let him grow up, but it's so hard!), but deep down Elliot and I really "get" each other. I love to share inside jokes with him. I love to watch him develop his talents and succeed. I am so grateful for the help he gives me and for the kindness he shows his younger siblings.

It's sad to think about him being on the downward slope of his childhood.

I have woes

2009-05-24T17:28:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning, five minutes into my jog, something gave way in my lower back, and walking has been a complete joke ever since. The kind of joke that makes you wince and cry and stay in bed for eighteen hours at a time; not so much the funny kind.

Also, for the life of me, I cannot stand up straight. My torso bends a full thirty degrees to the left, and who knows? maybe I'll be crooked forever after.

I got up at 8 to get the kids dressed for church and to send them on their way to sit with really nice people who also took them home afterward and fed them lunch (so nice!). I got up at 1 to make myself a peanut butter sandwich. And I got up again at 4 to soak in a long bath and get new pajamas on. Then I ventured into the kitchen and saw how my husband has been so busy taking care of me and the children and the ward at large that no one has been attending to the kitchen, so I decided to spend a few painful minutes on my feet to load the dishwasher.

As I hobbled into the laundry room to grab a towel to wipe up Norah's ice cream-water spillage on the counter, Aaron came up the stairs, having just been outside, and announced, "The bishop's here!" and headed straight to the door to open it.

I hardly had time to panic, but somehow I managed a (too loud) "Oh, for heaven's sake!" and lunged to slide the laundry door shut to hide one small portion of our messy house and then tried to tell Aaron, "Wait! Don't open the door yet!" but the door was already in mid-motion. Our visitors surely saw the laundry room, surely heard me yell at Aaron, and surely saw my next act of desperation. In my I-am-WAY-not-appropriately-attired-to-greet-the-bishop state, I pretended the door was not already being opened, and began to run/limp/wince/angularly hobble down the hallway and into the safety of my bedroom. I am extremely confident that Bishop/friend Jim and executive secretary/friend Brent watched the entire escape transpire. The door, after all, was already open.

So in they walked into our pigsty, talked to Steve for a minute, and asked, "How's Emily feeling?" "She's having a rough day." "Oh, can we visit with her?" "She's in bed." Which I was, and, which they also knew, I had only been for about 90 seconds.

So, that was my big exciting adventure for this otherwise painful and unproductive day. (Apologies to Jim and Brent.) Tomorrow I'm going in for my first ever chiropractic visit and hoping beyond hope that one Dr. Higbee can make my body straight and whole again.

Fill in the blank: eighty percent...

2009-05-19T16:05:00.006-06:00

...off is a really good sale.
...is a solid B- on a test.

AND

...of our children will be of the male variety.

It's a boy! We like boys around here, so we think that is just dandy. Our kids are very happy and excited, except maybe for Norah who has been adamant for the last four months that the baby is a GIRL! She finally relented today that it is a boy, but she generously suggested that we name him Sister.

All seems to be well with the baby. We are grateful for health: so far so good. My heart has been breaking lately with news of friends who are experiencing serious baby- and pregnancy-related challenges and to all of them I offer my most sincere expressions of love and offerings of prayer. I would give so much to not have my loved ones suffer.

Change is good

2009-05-18T13:16:00.003-06:00

I like this time of year.

The weather is fantastic: I can drive with windows down, read outside, not turn on heat or a/c.
The teachers have stopped assigning homework.
I have vacations to look forward to.
I have time and inclination to nap every day.

Tomorrow I find out the gender and general health of my current fetal child.

And I'm lucky to have her

2009-05-12T09:03:00.004-06:00

I could write volumes of books about this girl, starting with how we really didn't like each other growing up, and I acted as though I wanted nothing to do with her or her friends, but really it was because I knew I could never measure up to her beauty and charm, so I acted as if I didn't want to, all the while stealing her clothes after she left for school and carefully replacing them just so in her closet before she came home from basketball practice or whatever it was so she wouldn't know I had worn them; then going on to how we became good friends as we got older and I liked that she liked to hang out with my friends, even when I wasn't around; then how we both got married and had kids and became genuine sisters who loved each other; then how she went through a really intensely difficult time in her life, and I felt like it was the most gut-wrenching thing that ever happened to me because I didn't want her to hurt, ever; and then on to how she is the greatest older sister I could hope for and how as I'm typing this, my daughter is pointing at her picture, saying, "She made my blanket for me!" which of course she did because she is so generous with her talents and gifts, and I love her so.

But I have to get my son to preschool in 13 minutes and then get the nail hole patched in my van tire, and I haven't gotten dressed yet, so I'm not going to have time to write those volumes. Plus, I realize that I have been hot-and-cold with recognizing loved ones' birthdays, et cetera, on my blog and I don't want my other much-loved sisters and folks to feel like I love them any less....

So, I'm just going to quickly say: Happy birthday, Sarah! You are wonderful in every way!

Slimed

2009-05-08T17:07:00.005-06:00

Nicole Hill Gerulat of A Little Sussy won a stock photography contest using this image of Isaac. I love it!

(And my sister called to tell me about it, and thought it was Aaron.)

Two things

2009-04-20T13:22:00.004-06:00

First and foremost, happy birthday to my wonderful mom! I honestly don't know anyone more generous, giving or good with people. I like to think of myself as being generous, giving and good with people, but I've got nothing on her. She schools me, bigtime.

Some of the unique things that make my mom my mom:

She loves my children absolutely, which is a joy and a comfort to me. When she is around, they prefer her to me. She would rather be with her grandchildren than out with the adults, but does not relax when they are around. It's constant counting heads, making snowcones, taking off too-warm clothing, changing diapers, getting drinks. It's exhausting, and she's good at it. And she loves it. (I'm pretty sure.)
She hates flying, but flies all over the place, because travel and culture and enriching experiences and seeing family trump her fears every time.
She also hates bridges. And swimming. And confrontation. And cooking. And bad grammar. And dopey people. And attention (this post will likely make her uncomfortable).
She is magic with teenagers and young adults. Growing up, all her children's friends would come over just to hang out with her.
She has always encouraged me in everything I do. (Unless that thing has any semblance whatsoever of being dangerous.) She has raised her children to be educated, openminded, and inquisitive.
I do believe that to know my mother is to love her. Happy birthday, mom! Isn't it great that your children finally appreciate you?

The second item of interest is quasi-related to my mother. In the sense that she is the most generous person I know, and it became clear to me yesterday that I have very stunted levels of generosity in my heart. Here's the story:

Driving home from Arizona yesterday, we were stopped at a gas station/Burger King in Fillmore, Utah. A man came in, kind of scruffy, and asked the gas station attendant if he could make a call. The phone call was long distance so he couldn't use the store phone. He asked if the attendant had a cell phone, and she said she didn't. Steve was standing right there and offered the man his phone, and we stood there as he (supposedly) called his dad. "Hi, dad. We're in Fillmore. We only need about 10 or 12 dollars in gas to get home. The lady says she can't take a credit card number over the phone. Can you go to Check City and wire me some money? Okay, here's my account number."

Steve whispered to me, "Should I just buy the man some gas?"
Me: "I think he's scamming us."

Ten minutes later, we're set to leave and the man is out by his car waiting for money to appear to buy gas to get back to SLC. I remember about how charity never faileth, and tell Steve to do whatever he thinks is best. Steve goes over and buys the dude $15 worth of gas. The guy seems grateful, and we all leave.

I still felt a little distrustful, which is weird, because I always give money to the beggars in parking lots and on street corners when I see them and when I have some, even when it's quite likely that I'm being scammed. It doesn't bother me then. Mosiah 4 gets me every time (read verses 16-20, and they'll get you, too). But if this guy at the gas station was scamming us last night, it was an elaborate and dang good scam, and I didn't want to be the major sucker who fell for it. I was even tempted to redial the number on the phone and talk to the guy on the other end to check out the story. You know, say something like: "Did your son just call you asking for gas money? Don't worry. We took care of him and he's well on his way." But Steve wouldn't let me.

Our last bishop was tremendously generous with a few people who may have been scamming him, and he knew this, but said, "I'd rather be scammed than be uncharitable." So that is the principle that Steve and I talked about after we gave this guy enough gas to get back to Salt Lake. And we talked about how though that might have been a kind thing to have done on our part, it wasn't overly generous in any sense of the word. There are some people in this world who would have filled the man's tank, bought him and his friend lunch, and sent them away with a wad of cash just in case they needed it.

We aren't generous like that. What do you think? What would you have done?

Anyone?

2009-04-07T21:33:00.003-06:00

I'm starting to think about my kid-less trip to Toronto this summer. I'm really excited about wandering the streets solo for five days with no agenda and no one to answer to while Steve is in his conference. What should I see? Where should I go? What should I eat?