Memorial Day

Well, today was a time to remember those who've passed on before us, many who have served in wars to protect our freedoms. My Mom emailed me a great letter about my grandfather, who served in World War II. It was nice to read, and look at some of his pictures. I love looking at old pictures, so I thought I'd share this one with you.We spent the day picnicking with our Scotch Plains, New Jersey Ward. The Warlock had fun playing softball and baseball. Pippi had fun running around and playing with the other kids and shooting them with her water gun. I also brought a bunch of water balloons so that they could have a water fight. The boys begged to play boys against girls, and I gave in when I saw that it would be 3 against 12. The boys loved getting wet, and the girls loved throwing the balloons at them.

Bardo, however, did not have fun. The picnic started during his nap so he was tired and whiny the whole time. Poor little guy. He eventually crashed on my shoulder after the water balloon fight.

I Think I Have a Disability

I think I have a disability. I cannot organize and clean my home. For the life of me, I can't get it together. I feel like I just begin to pick up the house, and then somebody has a pressing need. (You know, Pippi needs to have a tea party, or Bardo needs to get his hands out of the toilet, or I need to go outside and get a breath of fresh air, or we need to eat.) I thought it was just because I had too many things to do or maybe that it was because I share a room with the Warlock, but the Warlock managed to find the floor of my bedroom in about 15 minutes. Hooray! My carpet really is still gray. I asked him when he finished where he put all of his stuff. He said most of it was actually mine. So I see that this really is my problem and I'm going to have to figure out a way to fix it.

I Can Pop a Wheelie, I Can Touch the Sky

This month The Friend magazine recommended a bunch of children's books. One of them Cari Best's Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen. Not only does this book convey the love that kids have for their bike, but it shows creative problem solving and service. I expect this book to become a new classic.

I Feel Like I Should Blog About Something...

I listened to 5 minutes of Rush Limbaugh today, and I've decided that he's senile. He described on the air his "beautiful cat's" urinary tract problem and the drama it had caused him last night. I'm sorry Rush, it was just a little too much information. It had been about a year since I'd listened to his program, and I think I may have to wait yet another year.

I ground my own meat today in the food processor. "Why?" you ask. Why not?

Bardo's taking steps. He will take 4 and 5 steps at a time and then he falls on his bum and crawls crawls crawls.

Bardo's favorite person is Pippi. All of you people out there with one child, enjoy being the favorite, because it may never happen again. She knows just how to entertain him. When I got out of the shower (the warlock was home supervising, lest you think I'm an irresponsible mother), they were playing together in the bath tub. Bardo loves his bath toys and was having a blast in the dry tub. Later on in the morning Pippi rolled him and tickled him on the Warlock's sleeping pad for camping. She calls it "pad" time. All she has to do is smile at him in her Pippi way, and he screams and laughs.

Pippi likes to feed Bardo: a lick of her lollipop here, a dollop of chocolate pudding there, and then bam--Shrek push-pop all over his face. Maybe Quinn will learn to like getting dressed because I have to change his clothes at least 3 times each day.

Pippi's discovered the joy of mopping this week. She mopped the kitchen, the bathtub, the refrigerator, the walls (until I told her that was a bad idea), and the front steps. Thank goodness I have Pippi to teach me how to make my work fun.



Pippi's friend started his own preschool today. I told her it was okay if she went to his house to "play" school. She quickly corrected me and told me that they were not playing and that it was a real school. I observe at the school this afternoon, and Charbelle runs a perfect school for his 3 year-old brothers. The total school day is about 7 minutes. They have circle time where they say their name and hello. Then they go to their desks where they identify letters and numbers (1 letter or number for each student). After that they get a snack and a nap. When they wake up from the nap, they go to recess, and then home. Everyone behaved perfectly, even the 3 year-old boys, but I must say, Pippi was the star of the class. She got an A+ grade.

Pippi made her Barbie's a my little pony drawn carriage today. Note the barbie band aid seat belts.


Pippi leaves the door open to the bathroom. Bardo, of course, bee lines it to the toilet. Pippi catches him, but doesn't tell me. Instead, she runs for the camera. So you can thank her for the potty pictures.

A Bowl of Popcorn Can Really Bring a Neighborhood Together

Banana Inhalation

Quinn was fussy all day. I thought he was tired, and then I thought he was teething, and then I was worried that it was his ears, and then I thought maybe he was just bored, but I think he just really needed a banana, because he was fine after inhaling (I mean eating quickly) the banana. I had to give him three pieces just to get the picture. Maybe this is the "monkey" phase of baby development.

Mother's Day

I spent Mother's Day this year just trying to figure out how I felt about Mother's Day.

The Saturday before, I waited in the car with Bardo (he was sleeping) and Pippi (she wanted to stay in the car) while the Warlock went to a sports store to get a tennis racket for my gift, as I requested. It all seemed so shallow and pointless...

I remembered Mother's Day as a child. Sometimes it was fun. Dad would get special foods so we could make Mom a special breakfast. I also remembered my Mom and Dad playing hookie from church to go to Fairmont Hot Springs (we still went to church). And I remembered a tragic Mother's Day when the holiday went completely unacknowledged.

I also keep thinking about how the world seems to have such high expectations of women, or perhaps women have high expectations of themselves. No one seems to be able to fill the whole mold: career, family, service, glowing personality, sexy body. People who stay home with their kids say they don't feel fulfilled being "just" a mom.

But I can't feel so heavy. I love my job. I am just a Mom, and it's enough. And I decided that I will not spend Mother's Day dwelling on my inadequacies as a human being, in fact, I decided that I need not dwell on myself at all. I will not expect gifts or acknowledgment for bearing and raising Bardo and Pippi, and I will focus on the great mothers in my life. There are many. So to all you mothers out there: Happy Mother's Day!

Our mistake...

Pippi came into our room this morning carrying a gallon size plastic bag and a really disappointed face. Inside that plastic bag was a recently lost tooth and a Cheerio. "She (meaning the tooth fairy, of course) didn't take my tooth Mom."

The Warlock quickly replied, "Well, when I was a kid sometimes the tooth fairy got too busy and didn't come the first night."

"Oh she came. I think she didn't take my tooth because of this Cheerio. You know how sometimes in a bowl with Cheerios you can't see the milk? I'm gonna take this Cheerio out and try it again."

Pippi on TWO Wheels

Monday, May 7th was the day Pippi shed her training wheels and graduated to the world of two-wheelers. Tuesday everyone saw her riding. "Wow," a neighborhood 3rd grader asked, "So how does it feel to ride a bike with no training wheels?" Rebecca is enjoying her moments of fame. And she's definitely enjoying her bike more than ever.

Pippi at 5 1/2

I remember when I lived in Manhattan at the end of a wonderful summer when Stacy was 4 and Pippi was nearly 3, and I was sitting at the playground and I just had the feeling that I never wanted that moment to end. I just loved them so much and wanted to bottle up that moment and keep it forever. I wish I could remember what they were doing and specifically what I liked so much about each of them, so that's why I'm writing about each of my kids tonight. We just spent the evening at a Primary kickball picnic in the park. The weather was beautiful and it was just so much fun to be with my kids and the primary kids. The great outdoors brings out the best in children.

Anyway here's what Pippi's like right now:

1. Pippi's favorite movies are Chicken Little and Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets. Chicken Little seems to take first place lately because of the song "One Little Slip." She has random outbursts all day of her version of that song. ".....a confusion of confusion and a few confounding things..." This is the only movie she really loves checking out from Netflix.

2. Pippi has very strong emotions. She uses her body all over to convey emotion. For example, if I tell her to come inside the apartment for dinner and she doesn't want to, she growls and stomps her foot.

3. Pippi hates being told what to do. Luckily, she now has figured out a way over that obstacle called "going the extra mile." When I tell her to do something, then she can tell herself to do something. That way she's helping out without being told and "going the extra mile." Hopefully she will continue enjoying going the extra mile for a long time (like the rest of her life).

4. Pippi is very timid at sports. She reminds me of myself at that age. In the picture she's the one with the blue hat kicking the ball.

5 Pippi's very very tall for her age. She's not yet in kindergarten, yet she's taller then many first graders.

6. Pippi loves to give people presents.

7. Today Pippi opened up a Barbie salon on our dining table. She gave many of her Barbies haircuts. The salon even had a sun deck where they could "lay out" and get a tan.

8. Pippi loves to pretend. This week she made up a new language called jivanese. It was very interesting to listen to her explain to me how to say "London Plane Tree" and "police car" in her new language.

9. Another of Pippi's teeth became very loose today. She's already lost 2 teethe, and this will be her 3rd.

10. Pippi's favorite color is pink.

11. Pippi is generally a good eater. I'm not sure what her favorite food is. I'll have to ask her.

12. Pippi can tell us when she doesn't understand something. This week she told the Warlock that sometimes she doesn't understand the words in the scriptures.

13. Pippi weighs 49 pounds.

14. Pippi can jump rope!

15. Pippi teaches us so much, and helps us to be better people. She's a great big sister and a loving daughter and friend. We love Pippi.

Bardo at Ten Months

I've been reading everyone's baby updates so I thought I'd post a few of my own so that everyone can get to know the wonderful and amazing Bardo better.

1. Bardo loves to get into things.
a. Toilet splashing is a new fave, and when the Warlock's home I find I have to be extra careful. Quinn can now open the lid on the toilet and splash about.
b. Bardo also enjoys trying to climb into the bath--especially when I'm tidying up the kids' bedroom after I've pajamaed him. His head is just heavy enough that he's actually dived in once. Luckily Rebecca saved him from drowning and no harm was done.
c. We have to shut bathroom doors around here.
d. Bardo tries to get in the pantry.
e. Bardo is obsessed with the Warlock's Playstation. He especially loves the guitar for Guitar Hero.
f. Bardo loves to remove all the toys from the bins. He used to stop to taste them, but now he knows what they taste like, and he just removes them quickly and deposits them onto the floor.
g. Bardo thinks that Pippi's dresser drawers are an amusment park ride. Surprisingly he's never slammed his fingers in her drawers.

h. Bardo tries to help empty the dishwasher--even when the dishes are dirty. And he always manages to get knives out first. Luckily he's easily distracted with a wooden spoon and a pot.
i. Bardo wants to play the piano, I think. He cruises along the piano and bench and delights in the noise that he can make as he holds his hands high over his head and presses those keys.

2. Bardo loves music.
a. He bounces to the beat of any music, even my singing.
b. He loves the rhythm of "Patty Cake," and he really claps his hands with energy and with that open mouth smile on his face.

3. Bardo will not sit still for a sacrament meeting or a book or a TV show. This week I put in a Baby Einstein show just to try to get him to cuddle with me for a few minutes. It didn't work. He can barely sit still when I nurse him.

4. Bardo's favorite foods are applesauce, organic teething biscuits (they're less messy), and string cheese, chicken, plain yogurt, and carrots. But he'll eat at least a little bit of everything I give him.

5. His least favorite food is spinach.

6. Bardo communicates. But not with words. He's got a very expressive face. Additionally he uses something similar to monkey language, "uh uh uh" while he bounces up and down on his bum means "I want that." "ooobwooo" while he shakes his head and closes his eyes means, "don't give me anymore of that." "AAaaaah" with a low high low pitch fluctuation means either, "stop wiping my face" or "I don't need a diaper" or "stop messing with me."
7. Bardo sucks his index and middle fingers to put himself asleep.

8. Bardo can stand all by himself for about 10 seconds if he really concentrates.

9. Bardo likes to be outside. He likes the lawn, the sandbox, woodchips in playground...he even likes to go on walks in his stroller. He loves to gently tug at the grass and pet it with his fingers. He also runs the sand through his fingers. And eventually he'll try to eat all that stuff, too.


10. Bardo likes other kids, and other kids like Bardo. This week I watched another kid stick his nose in Bardo's mouth. Luckily Bardo didn't bite him. But Bardo's favorite kid is Pippi. He adores her, and she him.

11. Bardo loves his mommy (ME). He has a little bit of separation anxiety right now, even.

12. Bardo can sleep through the night, and he takes 2 naps each day.

13. Bardo has seven teeth.

14. Bardo's had 2 haircuts already, and is in need of another.

15. Bardo's got a lot of positive energy. We love him so much and we're so glad he's a member of our family.