Ethan

He's here. Happiness is oozing out everywhere and if you came for a visit it would probably be difficult to open the door. He's here!!!

A few Awards for the past week...

Best Quiet Moment (tie) :

Best Shape:

Best Reaction goes to:

The Sunday Evening Post, issue 14

Or, missionaries can do lots of things, but they can't...

A good part of Friday was spent at our church building pulling together all the details for a funeral. The kids were so great thanks to the nursery closet of toys, plates and plates of cookies, and two missionaries who would come graze in the kitchen when they weren't involved in the funeral. It's a toss up who did the entertaining.

Around dinnertime I made up a little plate of food for the kids and told Natalie she had to eat in the kitchen and not wander around while eating. She grouchily hunkered down at a chair in the corner. When the missionaries came in yet again, she called them over and whispered something to them. One of them replied, "Oh, I don't think your mom would like that very much." I asked, "What's this?" Natalie looked at me kinda sheepish and he laughed and said, "She just asked, 'Can you guys sneak me out of here?'" I've never heard such gut busting laughter from a group of Relief Society ladies before.

Even though putting together a large meal and luncheon was a huge process, it was really nice to hang out with women that I normally just see in passing or church meetings. We laughed and told stories and tried not to get on each other's nerves because we all have different ideas on how to cut up the cakes. Good day.

Changing pace a bit...
Let's say you come across $250 dollars unexpectedly as you are spring cleaning. Surprise, surprise! Unaccountable money---free money! What would you do with it?

The Sunday Evening Post, 13

Or, deep questions that sparked great conversation this week.

"Mom, do mermaids have lungs or gills?"

"Are these trash or treasure?"

Jared's parents pretty much cleaned out their garage by giving Jared all his stored boxes of stuff from growing up. I'm so happy for them. 10, 15, 20 years worth. Natalie has been his little side kick going through the "treasure boxes" and they play Trash or Treasure to determine if something is to be kept or not. As a last resort, my role as consultant is sought. Last resort because t'was I who gently, oh so gently, mandated, ahem, requested a reduction of sorts in the first place and I'll admit my totally and completely objective point of view could be softened just a bit. When he brought these "treasures" in and asked me "Trash or Treasure" I could NOT not take a photo. You have to ask? A bucked tooth sock puppet horse wearing sunglasses and rider? Treasure, honey, those are treasure.

"Why are you laughing?"

My response to Jared's when he saw my silent tears as I stared out the window at this one morning earlier in the week:

The Sunday Evening Post, issue 12

Or, Ladies and Gentlemen: the Easter Bunny has left the building.

What's wrong with this picture?

We celebrated Easter, St. Paddy's Day, and Halloween this week! Not really, but we still have an uncarved pumpkin hanging about around our house. This kids love to roll it about and sit on it. It's a nice bit of whimsy I'm not too eager to release. Any day it's sure to bust open spilling rotten guts (and then we can cry out "I hate your rotten guts!" and mean it.) We still have our Christmas tree in the backyard, too. (It's finally made an appearance after the snow melted.) We should have brought it in and ate turkey under it.

The Isaac egg.

The "me" egg.

The after math of breakfast.

He woke up around 6:30, and after such a healthy breakfast was back in bed fast asleep by 8am. We may be implimenting a "peep in the morning, peep at night" routine at our house.

Happy SPRING this week!



He's suffering from Pica. Outdoor, fresh air, sunshine pica. Alright, alright. Let's go outside already.

The kids have been spending hours a day outside. One of their favorite things to do is make stew in the empty sandbox. They collect mud, snow, rocks, balls, who knows what and stir it up into soooome treat.

A leprechaun visited our house and played all sorts of mischief. We didn't catch him, but he left us some green goodies. He also played some tricks around our house. Natalie loved that our little leprechaun liked her boots so much he wore them around while playing and got them stuck on the light. Isaac was seriously distraught to see his boots on the door hinges. Isaac was also pretty concerned about the turned over chairs and couch. He walked around the house saying, "Uh Oh!" Natalie on the other hand said maybe next year we should play a trick on him and already mess up our house. Then maybe he would clean it up instead.

Tried grilling lettuce. Looked nice, tasted awful.

Natalie picked out an artichoke at the market this week. I've never cooked artichokes before and only eaten them in dips or sauces. Now I know why I've only had them smothered in cheese and butter.

Jared was home on Friday. When we picked him up from the hospital, Natalie repeatedly asked, "Are your really coming home? Are you going to stay all night?" He built some bear dens in the basement and he and the kids had a sleepover.

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Last but certainly not least... Congrats to everyone who celebrated and to everyone who cried on Match Day this past week. You'll end up doing enough of both over the next few years you can't worry too much if you matched right. First choices become last choices and last choices turn into firsts. Try to keep your chin and make the best of it. Oh, and cushy seats will always make things better.

The Sunday Evening Post, issue 11

Book Meme---I came across this and loved these questions so much I'm going to actually do a "meme" which I normally am NOT a fan. Don't you think that often "tag" questionnaires are a form of phishing? So no one is tagged, but feel free to cut and copy and change up the questions or write one of your own.

p.s. I'm leaving this unfinished and will add to it later this week. I'm seriously spent and am heading to bed.


1. If you could host a party with 7 literary characters, who would they be and why? (This is a funny question to me because these are characters I would like to meet, but what would group dynamics look like once all assembled, hun?)
*Sunny Baudelaire from the Series of Unfortunate Events: we need someone to cook! Plus she'd be a fun one-word conversationalist
*Marion from Woman In White: how ugly can she truly be?
*Mme Rotswana from The Number One Ladies Detective Agency: clever, warm, full of great stories, she could give me advice.
*Irene from the Thief books by Megan Whalen Turner (and hopefully Gen would tag along secretly or otherwise): I just want to know her. She wouldn't bring the drinks though. Ha ha ha ha.
*O-lan from the Good Earth: if we could get her to talk... No, actually, I think she just deserves a nice dinner, don't you?
*does Anne Morrow Lindberg count as a literary character?

Bonus Question: What would you wear? jeans, a white button up shirt, big earrings, a bracelet


2. Who is your literary role model?
This is a tough question. Mostly because I'm trying to pull far away information out of my tired brain. And I'm thirsty. And because I rarely read a book and not walk away without admiring one character or another. A couple that come to mind: the PE teacher in The Tequila Worm,

3. Which literary house would you like most to live in?
Hands down for never-a-dull-moment: The Burrow from Harry Potter.
For my romantic fairy-tale side: the enchanted castle in Beauty.

4. Which literary couple would you like most for parents?
Caleb Garth and Mrs. Garth from Middlemarch.

5. Pick 3 literary characters you would like to have as siblings.
Jasper Hale


6. Who is your favorite literary villain?
Favorite because they are so awfully villianous? Characters that make my spine tingle with fear or itch from creepiness? The bully Assef in the Kite Runner (even thinking about him just, ugh, can't stand it), the Horned King from Pyridian Chronicles, Count Fosco from Woman In White,

7. Name a character that most people dislike, but that you do not. Why do you like them?


8. Which minor character deserves a book all to themselves, in your opinion?
Okay, borderline serious here, but the carefree grandma in the book Wemberly Worries by Kevin Henkes. Yup, a picture book. She's throughout the book roller skating with a cane, wearing crazy carefree clothes, doing her own thing.


9. Which character do you identify most with in literature?


10. If you could go into a novel, which one would it be and why?
I so love LM Montgomery's quaint, country settings and people so probably one of her books. If it weren't for microwaves and ibuprofen, I would go to that time and place in a heartbeat.

11. Name 3-7 books that you rarely see on people's favorite book lists, that are high on your own.
A Tangled Web.
The Wheel On The School
On Fortune's Wheel


12. Which is your least favorite book of those that are considered "classics"?
Ethan Frome and Picture of Dorian Gray.

Bonus question: What are your favorite literary names?
Swede (a young girl in Peace Like A River)
Aerin (heroine in Hero and the Crown)
Sirius Black