It's about Time for some Pictures!
Here is Nathanael (about a month ago) putting up the Christmas tree with Dad. I have a few more recent photos, but these were too darling to pass up!
Screeching Thoughts
When I sit at the computer my sewing machine inspiration is gone. Ah, here it is again! My thoughts merrily roll along as I go throughout my day (this evening it was at the sewing machine) and the moment I plop down in front of the computer to capture these brilliant and snappy thoughts they screech to a halt, leaving my brain feeling fuzzy and asking, "What am I doing on this computer?"
However, I have learned (and it worked tonight too) that as I type the very words to describe my blockage, my mental flow is at least partially restored. This time, it resulted in this little postlet, and I feel quite resolved that I have given the subject my full attention, even for so brief a time.
Now, I seemed destined to meta-blog as an introduction to each post; however, please don't delete your bookmark of my site just yet--I intend to curb this habit as soon as I get out a few festering concepts. (Among them: privacy, site design, and this one: mental composition.)
A new (and very exciting) idea just came to me: shorter, more frequent posts! [Humor me, I know this isn't really novel or exciting.] That way, you, the reader, can skip the ones about blogging and read only the interesting ones about baby food and the mental derangement of motherhood. Hmmm.
Well, I have myriad thoughts to develop, but church is at 9 in the morning tomorrow, which will come as quite a shock after our usual 1 PM schedule. Toodle-Pip.
However, I have learned (and it worked tonight too) that as I type the very words to describe my blockage, my mental flow is at least partially restored. This time, it resulted in this little postlet, and I feel quite resolved that I have given the subject my full attention, even for so brief a time.
Now, I seemed destined to meta-blog as an introduction to each post; however, please don't delete your bookmark of my site just yet--I intend to curb this habit as soon as I get out a few festering concepts. (Among them: privacy, site design, and this one: mental composition.)
A new (and very exciting) idea just came to me: shorter, more frequent posts! [Humor me, I know this isn't really novel or exciting.] That way, you, the reader, can skip the ones about blogging and read only the interesting ones about baby food and the mental derangement of motherhood. Hmmm.
Well, I have myriad thoughts to develop, but church is at 9 in the morning tomorrow, which will come as quite a shock after our usual 1 PM schedule. Toodle-Pip.
Feast or Famine (or This is a Very Long Post)
I have a confession to make.
Although I have only updated this blog once in the last four months, I write a blog post almost every day. I write as I'm driving, I compose the perfect sentence while showering, I even imagine what I will say next while I'm standing at the sink, washing the dishes.
However, once my daydream bubble is popped and before I can make it to a keyboard, I am distracted by Real Life. This is very distressing to me, as I know that my fantastical musings are more interesting to write about than picking up the living room before the visitors arrive or rushing downstairs to do a load of laundry so that Nathanael can wear something other than his pajamas all day. However, my sense of cleanliness usually wins in the battle with my creative juices.
But! It is Naptime. That blessed gift to all mothers. And so I write.
My true topic of the day is A Really Great Idea. Or, Why I Like to Capitalize Random Words (which, in truth, are not random, but specifically chosen in order to convey more specifically my true meaning.)
So, for several reasons and because of several benevolent people, I am taking Visual Arts Studio 330R next semester!!! This class is quite possibly the best class on BYU campus, and duly coveted by all who know about it. (My husband pointed out that this does not include the vast majority of the College of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Their loss.)
The class teaches traditional methods of hand bookbinding. Basically, I get to make my own books--the real way! Not with a stapler or three-ring binder or plastic comb binding: with real stitches! (I feel like Pinocchio the way I'm going on and on about "real.") This was all very exciting to me when my primary motivation was the artistic value of such cool books, but now I have an even better reason to be thrilled (now we're getting to the aforementioned Idea).
So, a few of you may know that I'm a huge fan of Glenn Doman and his programs of early childhood development. If you don't happen to be familiar with this amazing concept, let me give an overview.
Glenn Doman has studied brain-injured children for several decades with the intention of teaching them normal skills (mobility, speech, reading, etc.). He and his team of scientists have had such great success with these injured kids that they started out-performing the healthy kids. That led them to use similar techniques to teach the healthy kids and learn about what their brains were capable of.
In short, although we all know we don't use the full potential of our brains, Mr. Doman proposes a method to do so. He explains that brain growth is almost entirely completed by 5 or 6 years of age. He teaches that the key to using more or our brains' capacity is using it sooner. So he teaches parents to teach their babies how to read, do math, learn facts about the world, learn languages and to be physically superb. He has a school in Pennsylvania where he teaches some kids and hosts seminars for parents to learn about the programs. What the kids there are able to achieve is absolutely inspiring!
I could go on and on, but this is not the point. For more information, visit The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential or email me and I'll lend you my copy of his books.
The point here is, that the reading program proposes that tiny kids can learn written language in the same time frame as spoken language if it is presented to them in a way they can perceive. That is to say, the words need to be big enough because babies' visual pathways aren't developed enough to read small print. So, for moms teaching their children to read, they prepare various materials, all with 3" tall red letters and as the child's eyes develop both from practice reading and from normal development the letters get smaller and gradually switch to black to provide greater contrast.
All of this to say, I have a plan! I have a very smart baby (just as all babies are, but what mom doesn't want to brag?) and I am very excited to be able to provide materials for him as he learns to read. Of course, he won't start with books, he'll start with individual words on cards and gradually move to couplets, three-word phrases and then sentences. We'll gradually increase his vocabulary and one magical day, he'll be ready to read a whole book. And then my bookbinding skills will be truly a great boon. I will be able to re-make books with too small of print for him so that he can read them!!!
I am overjoyed!
Okay. So it's time to post this and get on with the day, (Real Life and such), but I can't shake the feeling that my enthusiasm and energy for Nathanael is much more real than any cleaning chore. And (this is a-whole-nother post but) it's so spiritually uplifting to make these plans and carry them out.
I'll write about that one while I go wash the dishes.
Although I have only updated this blog once in the last four months, I write a blog post almost every day. I write as I'm driving, I compose the perfect sentence while showering, I even imagine what I will say next while I'm standing at the sink, washing the dishes.
However, once my daydream bubble is popped and before I can make it to a keyboard, I am distracted by Real Life. This is very distressing to me, as I know that my fantastical musings are more interesting to write about than picking up the living room before the visitors arrive or rushing downstairs to do a load of laundry so that Nathanael can wear something other than his pajamas all day. However, my sense of cleanliness usually wins in the battle with my creative juices.
But! It is Naptime. That blessed gift to all mothers. And so I write.
My true topic of the day is A Really Great Idea. Or, Why I Like to Capitalize Random Words (which, in truth, are not random, but specifically chosen in order to convey more specifically my true meaning.)
So, for several reasons and because of several benevolent people, I am taking Visual Arts Studio 330R next semester!!! This class is quite possibly the best class on BYU campus, and duly coveted by all who know about it. (My husband pointed out that this does not include the vast majority of the College of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Their loss.)
The class teaches traditional methods of hand bookbinding. Basically, I get to make my own books--the real way! Not with a stapler or three-ring binder or plastic comb binding: with real stitches! (I feel like Pinocchio the way I'm going on and on about "real.") This was all very exciting to me when my primary motivation was the artistic value of such cool books, but now I have an even better reason to be thrilled (now we're getting to the aforementioned Idea).
So, a few of you may know that I'm a huge fan of Glenn Doman and his programs of early childhood development. If you don't happen to be familiar with this amazing concept, let me give an overview.
Glenn Doman has studied brain-injured children for several decades with the intention of teaching them normal skills (mobility, speech, reading, etc.). He and his team of scientists have had such great success with these injured kids that they started out-performing the healthy kids. That led them to use similar techniques to teach the healthy kids and learn about what their brains were capable of.
In short, although we all know we don't use the full potential of our brains, Mr. Doman proposes a method to do so. He explains that brain growth is almost entirely completed by 5 or 6 years of age. He teaches that the key to using more or our brains' capacity is using it sooner. So he teaches parents to teach their babies how to read, do math, learn facts about the world, learn languages and to be physically superb. He has a school in Pennsylvania where he teaches some kids and hosts seminars for parents to learn about the programs. What the kids there are able to achieve is absolutely inspiring!
I could go on and on, but this is not the point. For more information, visit The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential or email me and I'll lend you my copy of his books.
The point here is, that the reading program proposes that tiny kids can learn written language in the same time frame as spoken language if it is presented to them in a way they can perceive. That is to say, the words need to be big enough because babies' visual pathways aren't developed enough to read small print. So, for moms teaching their children to read, they prepare various materials, all with 3" tall red letters and as the child's eyes develop both from practice reading and from normal development the letters get smaller and gradually switch to black to provide greater contrast.
All of this to say, I have a plan! I have a very smart baby (just as all babies are, but what mom doesn't want to brag?) and I am very excited to be able to provide materials for him as he learns to read. Of course, he won't start with books, he'll start with individual words on cards and gradually move to couplets, three-word phrases and then sentences. We'll gradually increase his vocabulary and one magical day, he'll be ready to read a whole book. And then my bookbinding skills will be truly a great boon. I will be able to re-make books with too small of print for him so that he can read them!!!
I am overjoyed!
Okay. So it's time to post this and get on with the day, (Real Life and such), but I can't shake the feeling that my enthusiasm and energy for Nathanael is much more real than any cleaning chore. And (this is a-whole-nother post but) it's so spiritually uplifting to make these plans and carry them out.
I'll write about that one while I go wash the dishes.
A Promise Kept
So this is for LeAnne. We want to share Nathanael's cute noises (and faces) with her--and all of you too!
It took a little fanagaling to get him off his haunches. But we did it:
Now that my internet connection is a little more stable I can actually post this--hooray!
Love,
Nathanael & Mom
It took a little fanagaling to get him off his haunches. But we did it:
Now that my internet connection is a little more stable I can actually post this--hooray!
Love,
Nathanael & Mom
Flying and Firsts
We had our last Seattle Center adventure (for the summer) last night. We went to Harry Potter at the 3D Imax and then walked around the sculpture garden and International Fountain. This is a picture of Nathanael riding a flying pig. Yet another in a long line of firsts for our family this summer. It is also something which neither Michael nor I have done before, showing that our little son is quite the pioneer himself.
Wisdom on the Mountains
So life has been busy, to say the least, and we have been having wonderful adventures, but I will comment more about that later (along with photos). For now I wish to enlighten you all with a bit of wisdom from the mouth of one who knows.
While hiking Y Mountain in Provo a few summers ago, Michael and I overheard a young lady, very well acquainted with nature for a four-year-old, teaching a much younger lady the ways of the world. She said, "It's a potato and it's a bug. It's a potato bug." I felt that I had been privy to a great moment of wisdom, and I repeat it often to keep myself young.
While hiking Y Mountain in Provo a few summers ago, Michael and I overheard a young lady, very well acquainted with nature for a four-year-old, teaching a much younger lady the ways of the world. She said, "It's a potato and it's a bug. It's a potato bug." I felt that I had been privy to a great moment of wisdom, and I repeat it often to keep myself young.
Rollercoasters & Readiness
Yesterday Michael was invited to the Wild Waves water and amusement park with his team at work. I decided to take the opportunity and came along with Nathanael. We had such a fun time! The wooden rollercoaster was the best--what a thrill! But even the so-called wimpy-looking rides were great fun and we both (all three) had a great day! Nathanael was such a good sport and played and laughed on the ground while his parents rode around making themselves dizzy.
As for the readiness, Michael and I are both in a state of preparation as we are speaking in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. My mind has a thousand tracks it wants to explore, but as it gets later and later, my body is putting it's foot down--it's time for bed!
Here's a couple photos of our fun day:
As for the readiness, Michael and I are both in a state of preparation as we are speaking in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. My mind has a thousand tracks it wants to explore, but as it gets later and later, my body is putting it's foot down--it's time for bed!
Here's a couple photos of our fun day:
Big Accomplishments
I found this quote (which I have adapted to me for this entry) on the blog of a friend-of-a-friend. She is a young mom too and I just love the way she put this:
"...I realized that I had woken up that day with the idea that I was Bethany Deardeuff, Person Who Does Things and Accomplishes Stuff. I SHOULD have woken up with the idea that I was Bethany Deardeuff, Mom of Nathanael Deardeuff, Who Needs Things and Who is a Big Accomplishment That Doesn't Always Seem Like One at the Time."
Doesn't that just sum it all up?
from http://rachnabe.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html (june 10)
"...I realized that I had woken up that day with the idea that I was Bethany Deardeuff, Person Who Does Things and Accomplishes Stuff. I SHOULD have woken up with the idea that I was Bethany Deardeuff, Mom of Nathanael Deardeuff, Who Needs Things and Who is a Big Accomplishment That Doesn't Always Seem Like One at the Time."
Doesn't that just sum it all up?
from http://rachnabe.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html (june 10)
We joined the Navy to see the world! What did we see? We saw the sea.
Today we had the lovely opportunity of hosting our good friends, the Andruses, before they went on their cruise to Alaska! We had such a fun time catching up and visiting together. After they left for the ship, we went on our own boat excursion: Seafair Fleet Week!
We've been listening to the roar of the Blue Angels as they practiced all week for their shows today and tomorrow, and we even got a few sightings in today! They fly so close together--and so fast! But the highlight of Fleet Week came for us this afternoon when we got to tour the USS Bunker Hill, Sword of the Fleet. We met many Navy People (I keep getting corrected when I call them officers and they're really not!) :D
We learned about the missles and the big guns and the machine guns and the little but faster guns. (I had no idea!) We also learned about the navigation, the helicopter landing pad, the emergency boats and their cool system of getting supplies from another ship in open water. They use a pulley-type system that is mounted on the ship to haul supplies from the other ship, which can be up to 100 feet away!
An unexpected tidbit came when I asked about the floating orange perimeter around the entire fleet about 20 feet from the ships on all sides. I figured it was some kind of security measure. Actually, the Navy Man (I didn't ever catch on when they were flinging titles around) said it was in case of an oil spill, it would contain the oil until it could be cleaned up. Michael said that would take a lot of towels! :)
We didn't have our camera with us (now I know how you felt, Margaret! This picture is from the website.), just trust me--these boats were big. I mean, ships. Well, not nearly as big as the Norweigian Star, but we'll see about cruise ships in November.
p.s. I looked through an observation site on board the Bunker Hill and even though it was all the way over by Magnolia, I could still see people walking around on the Star--clear over at Pier 66, on Bell Street! (For you non-Seattle-ites, first of all, come and see what a wonderful place this is! Secondly, we were a long ways away. The point is, it was a powerful set of mounted binoculars!) :D
My Savory Plant Named Sage
I wrote this on July 26th but didn't have the gumption to finish it. Anyhow, here it is, with my follow-up entry. Bonne Journee.
I bought a Winter Savory plant at the Farmers Market four weeks ago. The first week I did my best to kill it by leaving it out in the heat and consistantly neglecting to water it. The second week I brought it in and nearly stained the carpet by over-watering it. Now the lower branches are brown and brittle, but the tops are shooting up like rockets. (Imagine Meg Ryan in I.Q.) I feel like I should go back and read Jacob 5--what have I missed?!?!
Something deep inside me is telling me to prune. Prune like mad! (I told Michael this and he keeps quoting it!) I haven't done it yet, but I know that the longer I wait, the weirder this thing is going to turn out...
8/2/07: Well, I finally pruned and it's getting browner by the day. Now I think it's getting overwattered and undersunned. So yesterday it went back out on the patio. I get to remember to water it out there though. There are quite a few new shoots, so I'm positive about it's future.
p.s. It's called Sage because Michael couldn't remember which herb it was. We attempted a re-christening, but Sage stuck. :D
I bought a Winter Savory plant at the Farmers Market four weeks ago. The first week I did my best to kill it by leaving it out in the heat and consistantly neglecting to water it. The second week I brought it in and nearly stained the carpet by over-watering it. Now the lower branches are brown and brittle, but the tops are shooting up like rockets. (Imagine Meg Ryan in I.Q.) I feel like I should go back and read Jacob 5--what have I missed?!?!
Something deep inside me is telling me to prune. Prune like mad! (I told Michael this and he keeps quoting it!) I haven't done it yet, but I know that the longer I wait, the weirder this thing is going to turn out...
8/2/07: Well, I finally pruned and it's getting browner by the day. Now I think it's getting overwattered and undersunned. So yesterday it went back out on the patio. I get to remember to water it out there though. There are quite a few new shoots, so I'm positive about it's future.
p.s. It's called Sage because Michael couldn't remember which herb it was. We attempted a re-christening, but Sage stuck. :D
A Precarious Balance
I'm still here! It's been a while since I posted--I've been busy being a mom. :)
As for adventures, it was a rainy (drippy) Seattle day today. We had a very exciting night with Nathanael which resulted in a very lazy Saturday morning. (The pancake breakfast was finally ready around 2:00 pm!)
But I've been thinking a lot about why I feel so terrible when I stay indoors all day. I read Ben Crowder's post today on a similar topic which really got me thinking about it.
I love to get out and see people, breath fresh air, move my body. I feel alive when I interact with others. But this is only part of it. The other side is accomplishing something. Each day around dinner time I do an only partly-conscious assessment of the days activities and I feel a pang of guilt if I realize that nothing tangible was accomplished. (It somehow feels more tangible, even if it's not, if it involves others.)
This poses interesting challenges as a stay-at-home mom making a concerted effort to rest more! I get to remind myself that I am still recovering from fairly major surgery less than three months ago and that I also use tons of extra calories breastfeeding and toting around my beautiful son.
This brings me to another topic I was contemplating last night: my work as a mother consists almost entirely of activities that will continuously need to be redone. For example, feeding, washing, organizing, comforting, resting, playing. The entropy in the universe being what it is, my children, husband, and I are continuously getting hungry, dirty, disorganized, distressed, tired, and bored. This is good, as it means I both have a very important job, and one that will be needed for the foreseeable future! (Read: forever.)
However, it can be frustrating as when seen from a temporal perspective I produce no tangible results. At the end of the day, every nap I put Nathanael down for, he wakes up from and every meal he eats turns into another diaper to change. Ultimately, he is healthier and happier (and bigger!) for all my efforts, but when Michael gets home at the end of the day and I look back at my 8 hours I see only maintenance, while he can show me his code and tell me what he learned while writing it.
Obviously, the answer is in the problem: lose the temporal perspective and focus on the eternal! Nathanael is far more precious than Amazon.com, or any of their programs, or even the money Michael earns there. This sounds simple, but it amazing how much energy I glean from making sure I read the scriptures at least once a day on my own. It also helps tremendously if I clean the kitchen once, and then leave it!
The real solution, though, is to rest plenty, shower every day, drink a LOT more water than I think I need, and then leave the house. On Wednesday, I had the hankering to make some cards, so I looked up a local stamp shop and off we went. I ended up signing up for a card-making class the next day, so we did the forty-five minute (one way) excursion again. It was worth it--I had a great time. But at the end of the week I was pretty tired, and I started wondering if I had swung too far in the "pushing it" direction.
As for today (Saturday), Michael took us out to eat dinner in Pioneer Square (we got gyros at a little shop on the corner of 2nd Ave S and Main St--delicious!) Then we went to Safeway and picked up some must-have-before-Sunday items. Of course, Nathanael napped for part of the trip and cooed and laughed for the other half. He is a perfect angel! By the time we got home I felt great about the day and was ready for another round of feedings and diapers!
Well, this post is getting long, and Nathanael's finished his midnight snack and is now sleeping peacefully again, so it's time for me to do the same. (A mom has the wonderful charge of making time for the spiritual when faced continually with the demands of the temporal!)
p.s. Do any veteran mothers have wisdom for me on this topic? How did you do it?
As for adventures, it was a rainy (drippy) Seattle day today. We had a very exciting night with Nathanael which resulted in a very lazy Saturday morning. (The pancake breakfast was finally ready around 2:00 pm!)
But I've been thinking a lot about why I feel so terrible when I stay indoors all day. I read Ben Crowder's post today on a similar topic which really got me thinking about it.
I love to get out and see people, breath fresh air, move my body. I feel alive when I interact with others. But this is only part of it. The other side is accomplishing something. Each day around dinner time I do an only partly-conscious assessment of the days activities and I feel a pang of guilt if I realize that nothing tangible was accomplished. (It somehow feels more tangible, even if it's not, if it involves others.)
This poses interesting challenges as a stay-at-home mom making a concerted effort to rest more! I get to remind myself that I am still recovering from fairly major surgery less than three months ago and that I also use tons of extra calories breastfeeding and toting around my beautiful son.
This brings me to another topic I was contemplating last night: my work as a mother consists almost entirely of activities that will continuously need to be redone. For example, feeding, washing, organizing, comforting, resting, playing. The entropy in the universe being what it is, my children, husband, and I are continuously getting hungry, dirty, disorganized, distressed, tired, and bored. This is good, as it means I both have a very important job, and one that will be needed for the foreseeable future! (Read: forever.)
However, it can be frustrating as when seen from a temporal perspective I produce no tangible results. At the end of the day, every nap I put Nathanael down for, he wakes up from and every meal he eats turns into another diaper to change. Ultimately, he is healthier and happier (and bigger!) for all my efforts, but when Michael gets home at the end of the day and I look back at my 8 hours I see only maintenance, while he can show me his code and tell me what he learned while writing it.
Obviously, the answer is in the problem: lose the temporal perspective and focus on the eternal! Nathanael is far more precious than Amazon.com, or any of their programs, or even the money Michael earns there. This sounds simple, but it amazing how much energy I glean from making sure I read the scriptures at least once a day on my own. It also helps tremendously if I clean the kitchen once, and then leave it!
The real solution, though, is to rest plenty, shower every day, drink a LOT more water than I think I need, and then leave the house. On Wednesday, I had the hankering to make some cards, so I looked up a local stamp shop and off we went. I ended up signing up for a card-making class the next day, so we did the forty-five minute (one way) excursion again. It was worth it--I had a great time. But at the end of the week I was pretty tired, and I started wondering if I had swung too far in the "pushing it" direction.
As for today (Saturday), Michael took us out to eat dinner in Pioneer Square (we got gyros at a little shop on the corner of 2nd Ave S and Main St--delicious!) Then we went to Safeway and picked up some must-have-before-Sunday items. Of course, Nathanael napped for part of the trip and cooed and laughed for the other half. He is a perfect angel! By the time we got home I felt great about the day and was ready for another round of feedings and diapers!
Well, this post is getting long, and Nathanael's finished his midnight snack and is now sleeping peacefully again, so it's time for me to do the same. (A mom has the wonderful charge of making time for the spiritual when faced continually with the demands of the temporal!)
p.s. Do any veteran mothers have wisdom for me on this topic? How did you do it?
Rock-a-bye Baby
One of the topics I have wanted to write down for a while now is the subject of rocking. Now, ever since Nathanael was born we have learned the fine art of rocking a baby. There are many different kinds of rocking, and each baby demands a personalized selection at any given moment of his life. For example, Nathanael may want vigorous rocking from his dad as a newborn when he is tired and gentle swaying from mom as a two-month old when he is upset.
Scientifically-minded persons, beware! There is no pattern in these variables that can be learned or --gasp!-- optimized. And what works for one baby in one sitatuation one day, may not work in a similar situation the next!
However, one humorous aspect that we have discovered about this particular stretch of parenthood is our own acclimation to the rocking. Michael and I both have noticed ourselves unconsciously rocking or swaying at times when we are not holding Nathanael! I have been especially embarrassed when I find myself doing so in a store or public area.
Conversely, the calm rhythmic motion is very soothing and is something that most adults could certainly benefit from. We can take a lesson from babies and learn to serve our bodies when they would like food, water, and sleep and not at our own convenience. We might find that they serve us much better when we attend to them promptly!
Scientifically-minded persons, beware! There is no pattern in these variables that can be learned or --gasp!-- optimized. And what works for one baby in one sitatuation one day, may not work in a similar situation the next!
However, one humorous aspect that we have discovered about this particular stretch of parenthood is our own acclimation to the rocking. Michael and I both have noticed ourselves unconsciously rocking or swaying at times when we are not holding Nathanael! I have been especially embarrassed when I find myself doing so in a store or public area.
Conversely, the calm rhythmic motion is very soothing and is something that most adults could certainly benefit from. We can take a lesson from babies and learn to serve our bodies when they would like food, water, and sleep and not at our own convenience. We might find that they serve us much better when we attend to them promptly!
Happy Birthday Dad!
Isn't he handsome? This is a good opportunity to post an old favorite picture and say I love Michael!p.s. I now call your attention to the new area of the sidebar dedicated to links to my Picasa web albums. Now you no longer need to search through old posts for links to see the sweetest baby in the world!
Hosomaki & Rolling
At various times of day during our conversations, Michael keeps asking, "Are you going to blog about that?" And the answer is usually "Yes." So I have quite a mental list of things to expound on here. The most recent (and most exciting) one happened last night.
We had just returned home from a fireside at the Bishop's home and were playing with Nathanael on the floor. Michael set him down on his belly to give him some practice strengthening his legs and as soon as he hit the blanket he rolled over! Michael set him down again after considerable celebrating and hugging him and he did it again! The second time he startled himself nearly as much as both of us! He looked so surprised to be on his back all of the sudden!
When we got out the camera though, he was content to stay on his belly and practice using his crawling muscles! :) So I don't have any pictures of the momentous occasion.
The other fun event of yesterday was Michael's birthday! We had some friends over for cake and ice cream, but when I brought the cake out, the rotating fan spun around and blew the candles out before we were even done singing!
Michael received a sushi-making kit for his birthday, and he is very excited to get started making delicious creations out of nori with gari and wasabi on the side! I am very excited to be the guinea pig that he tries his creations out on!
We had just returned home from a fireside at the Bishop's home and were playing with Nathanael on the floor. Michael set him down on his belly to give him some practice strengthening his legs and as soon as he hit the blanket he rolled over! Michael set him down again after considerable celebrating and hugging him and he did it again! The second time he startled himself nearly as much as both of us! He looked so surprised to be on his back all of the sudden!
When we got out the camera though, he was content to stay on his belly and practice using his crawling muscles! :) So I don't have any pictures of the momentous occasion.
The other fun event of yesterday was Michael's birthday! We had some friends over for cake and ice cream, but when I brought the cake out, the rotating fan spun around and blew the candles out before we were even done singing!
Michael received a sushi-making kit for his birthday, and he is very excited to get started making delicious creations out of nori with gari and wasabi on the side! I am very excited to be the guinea pig that he tries his creations out on!
Gratitude
This morning I just want to put my voice out into the void to express my thanks for all the beautiful gifts in my life:
A sweet and wonderful husband and son who love me!
A large extended family and in-laws all of whom are also my dear friends.
Many, many great friends who generously share their lives with me as we learn and grow together.
My faith in my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ which blesses my life immeasurably.
My education and healthy mind that can absorb whatever I wish to learn!
My wonderful body that allows me to experience through my senses: the color of flowers, Nathanael's first coo's, the warmth of a hug, buttered popcorn, and salty sea air.
This beautiful planet and all it's wonders: trees, grass, mountains, the ocean, and tiny "weed" flowers growing between cement sidewalk squares.
Well, this was ironically meant to be a short "easy" post. I feel so torn: I don't want to end the list because there truly isn't an end to my gratitude. The more items I list, the more that flood my mind and my expression of them feels so incomplete. However, it is still my gratitude list for today and those who read it can do so knowing that it could easily continue on for pages.
What a wonderful life!
A sweet and wonderful husband and son who love me!
A large extended family and in-laws all of whom are also my dear friends.
Many, many great friends who generously share their lives with me as we learn and grow together.
My faith in my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ which blesses my life immeasurably.
My education and healthy mind that can absorb whatever I wish to learn!
My wonderful body that allows me to experience through my senses: the color of flowers, Nathanael's first coo's, the warmth of a hug, buttered popcorn, and salty sea air.
This beautiful planet and all it's wonders: trees, grass, mountains, the ocean, and tiny "weed" flowers growing between cement sidewalk squares.
Well, this was ironically meant to be a short "easy" post. I feel so torn: I don't want to end the list because there truly isn't an end to my gratitude. The more items I list, the more that flood my mind and my expression of them feels so incomplete. However, it is still my gratitude list for today and those who read it can do so knowing that it could easily continue on for pages.
What a wonderful life!
Happy Birthday Papoose-wa!
Yesterday was Nathanael's two-month mark, so to commemorate the occasion, we watched a movie that he wasn't at all interested in! (We also played with him.) As a sidebar, we watched The Court Jester with Danny Kaye--what a hoot! It's a 50's musical comedy and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
But back to Nathanael. We had such a fun time laughing with him yesterday. He lights up our home. Here are a few sweet smiles I was able to capture.
Here is the lastest upload from my camera. It includes quite a range of photos, from me riding a bike at the science center to a cherry picker truck painted giraffe-style. Of course there are also pictures of Nathanael not a few! (I have now posted the links to pictures on the side bar at the top of the blog. They are separated by subject instead of date.)
Lastly, to explain the title of my post, ever since Nathanael was born I have been giving him nicknames. Not the suggested Nate-dogg and Nathan, but more unusual names such as Bubsie and Papoose-wa. I call him Nathanael too of course, but for a few weeks whatever quasi-random combination of syllables came out of my mouth was his name. (Now my favorites have solidified and I'm out of the highly productive stage.)
At first I felt a little guilty about this, we spent all this energy finding the perfect name to give our son, and then I don't even use it! But now I realize that is just one part of being a mom: I get to let my personality dictate the fun parts of life a bit. And the fact that I call him by nicknames about 70% of the time doesn't mean I don't love him. Quite the opposite in fact. I love to be called by endearing nicknames and so I call Nathanael silly names to show him my affection.
Well I started this post on Thursday, but now it is early in the wee hours of Friday. Little Bubsie is finally asleep after an unusually vigorous crying spell, so it's time that mom went to bed!
But back to Nathanael. We had such a fun time laughing with him yesterday. He lights up our home. Here are a few sweet smiles I was able to capture.
Here is the lastest upload from my camera. It includes quite a range of photos, from me riding a bike at the science center to a cherry picker truck painted giraffe-style. Of course there are also pictures of Nathanael not a few! (I have now posted the links to pictures on the side bar at the top of the blog. They are separated by subject instead of date.)
Lastly, to explain the title of my post, ever since Nathanael was born I have been giving him nicknames. Not the suggested Nate-dogg and Nathan, but more unusual names such as Bubsie and Papoose-wa. I call him Nathanael too of course, but for a few weeks whatever quasi-random combination of syllables came out of my mouth was his name. (Now my favorites have solidified and I'm out of the highly productive stage.)
At first I felt a little guilty about this, we spent all this energy finding the perfect name to give our son, and then I don't even use it! But now I realize that is just one part of being a mom: I get to let my personality dictate the fun parts of life a bit. And the fact that I call him by nicknames about 70% of the time doesn't mean I don't love him. Quite the opposite in fact. I love to be called by endearing nicknames and so I call Nathanael silly names to show him my affection.
Well I started this post on Thursday, but now it is early in the wee hours of Friday. Little Bubsie is finally asleep after an unusually vigorous crying spell, so it's time that mom went to bed!
Seattle
Well, we find ourselves in the buzzing metropolis of Seattle for the summer and we have already had several adventures! The first of which was the day we arrived--we found our building using our excellent navigation skills and then realized that we didn't have a key or even know where to pick one up! It also happened to be a Saturday late in the afternoon, so there weren't a lot of people hanging out in offices, waiting to assist us.Fortunately, Michael is brilliant and found us a house key. It was only then that we realized that our seemingly excellent navigation skills were not-so-excellent: I had been waiting for him for over an hour in the lobby of the wrong building!
Since then, we have been much more successful at navigation and have found our way to church, the grocery store, a friends' house, and the Pacific Science Center, which we visited last Saturday. We have also visited the Seattle Public Library and the Pike Place Market. As we have walked around the city we have enjoyed the various pigs hanging out on the street corners. Here are two of my favorites
I have also recently been playing around with Picasa and created a web album of Nathanael's first pictures, through his 7-week birthday. Enjoy!
I'm back
A good friend has recently inspired me to take up the blogging habit again. It will definitely make a difference if I know that someone is reading what I have to say. :)
I also feel inspired by my newfound enjoyment of reading the blogs of others. It really is enlightening to read someone's thought and say, "Yes! That is exactly how it works for me too!"
This is quite short, but part of the deal I made with myself is that it gets to be simply what it is. No judgment allowed of what it should be. So voila. A bientot.
I also feel inspired by my newfound enjoyment of reading the blogs of others. It really is enlightening to read someone's thought and say, "Yes! That is exactly how it works for me too!"
This is quite short, but part of the deal I made with myself is that it gets to be simply what it is. No judgment allowed of what it should be. So voila. A bientot.
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