My Eden

I've put off my yard work long enough. I've completely ignored my backyard for almost three years. First I was pregnant--that's a good excuse , right? Then I had a little baby. Then, when I finally got into a situation that I could go out in the yard and clean it out, I realized it was too overwhelming and I ignored it. Well, the day of reckoning has come. The weather is finally mild and Kate is old enough to play while I work so I got started Saturday.

Since then, except Sunday, I have spent hours every day working in the yard and LOVED IT! I'm addicted to it. I can't get enough moments in the day to run out there and do the little I can before I have to attend to other matters. All I'm doing is tearing up all the dead growth and piling it up, but I've already learned so much.

I really thought I would have to go to the library and research all the stuff about my yard. I was surprised to find the keys of how to work the land were just sitting out there waiting to be discovered. Just looking at the bushes, I could see how they liked to be pruned. After looking at all the dead ground cover shoots and runners underneath a layer of new growth, I knew how I was supposed to trim it in the fall.

As I tore up my yard, analogies came to my mind. I could relate my yard work to spirituality, sin, and repentance. I was having "ah-ha" moments!

I thought my siblings and parents were insane for wasting so much of their precious time here on earth working in the yard. But now, I see that it really is a way for us to communicate with nature--it's exercise for mind body and spirit! They all told me it was, but now, I know.

Happy Easter!

What an exceptionally gorgeous couple of days! Easter was a wonderful day of reflection and rejoicing. I took this picture of Kate after church and after her nap. My family came to dinner at my house and it was fun, as the youngest, to play the hostess. Of course, it was nothing because everyone brought great food and helped with cleanup.

The swelling from my bruised nose has gone down. I still have a bruise. No biggee. Poor Kate woke up last night piping hot with a fever and a runny nose. We're hoping it's just a little bug and will soon pass. Watching Beauty & the Beast is keeping her spirits up for now.

Today, at Kate's behest, we went outside before we got ready for the day. With her dress-up pumps and frilly PJ's, she clip-clopped beside me for a neighborhood stroll. This turned out to be exactly what we needed. We wattered the tulips, chatted with neighbors, played with a puppy, listened to the quail, and saw some friends who invited us on a "real" walk. Spring is here and it's so refreshing after a long, cold winter. I think my face is even a little sun-kissed.

Brown-Noser

So, I think I broke my nose. As I daintily lifted the crock pot to it's resting place on an upper shelf, the glass lid slipped loose and clogged me right between the eyes. The bridge of my nose swelled instantly. For three days I've been walking around with a bruised-up nose. Plus, I had my first cavity filled last week and all went well but now my jaw or my teeth hurt like crazy. So, I don't really have much else to say but, "OUCH!" I don't like to take ibuprofen but I think I'm going to. Even ice cream is miserable to eat right now. I tried calling my dentist but he is, of course, out of the office for the holiday. HELP!

"Eat Poop!"

We were finishing up dinner and Scott had just rinsed his plate and decided to indulge in a treat before hopping in the shower. When I realized he put something with peanuts in the cupboard where Kate could easily get into it, I asked him to store the contraband treat on the top shelf of our closet. Scott seemed to think Kate was allergic to peanut butter, but not peanuts.
I tried to explain her allergy and with all the mention of it, Kate chimed in, "Peanuts!" I reminded her, as a mother--always training--that she can't eat peanuts because they make her sick. I said, "No peanuts. right Katie?" She said, "No peanuts, no peanut butter, eat poop!" And she took a swig of the juice from the chicken noodle soup left in her bowl.

Kate Turned TWO!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!

This picture is of Kate after she tried on the princessy PJ's Nana and Papa B gave her. She twirled and put on a show until the camera came out, of course.

Today, Kate spent time with Aunt Jeni, Uncle Cameron, and Samantha making cupcakes. She had fun playing with Grandparents and this evening, Scott and I took Kate out on a "date" for fries and a hamburger. Scott and I love to watch her eat--how she delicately dips each fry in ketchup and takes little bites and dips again.

She celebrated with extended family on March 2nd and she'll have one more celebration with her other extended family on St Patty's day. So, hopefully it will feel like a birthday month to her.

Supernanny Knows Her Stuff!

We really weren't intending to say goodbye to Binky so soon. I thought it would take Kate a few months before she was ready to let it go but one thing led to another and the Binkies are all gone, just like that.

It all started with the garbage truck Wednesday morning. Kate ran to the window and watched the garbage truck do its job and move along. Later in the day, she was playing while my niece, Samantha, and I videotaped all her funny little words. She ran to the window and started asking us, "Trash man go?" with her hands up. We told her he was probably home with his family. We asked her how many children she thought he had. She said, "Two." As the conversation went on, we found out from Kate that the trash man had a puppy, two girls named Pink Girl and Boy and that they had Pizza for dinner.

In hopes of getting a reaction out of Kate on video, I asked her if she was still planning on giving her Binky to the trash man on her birthday. She looked unamused and just started at me like, "I'm not falling for that one again." So, the Supernanny thing came to me and I ran to the office to grab a cute card. I filled it out and read it to her. It said, "Dear Trash man, here is my Binky for you to give to your new baby. Love, Kate." I asked her if she could give her Binky to the trash man's baby and we could mail it to her in the envelope. She put it in there without a second thought. We all marched to the mailbox and she put the puffy, Binky-filled envelope in the mailbox and I helped her lift the flag.

When Daddy got home around 8:00 pm, he has the habit of checking the mail and he brought the envelope in. Luckily, Kate was in her room and didn't see. I quietly explained the goings on and got a second Supernanny inspiration. I ran to my stash of new toys that I keep for desperate times and filled out a card from the Trash man thanking Kate for the Binky. I set it on the door mat and rang the doorbell two or three times.

"Katie," I said, "The door is for you. Come. Look." She pitter-pattered down the hall. And looked out the door cautiously. I read her the card and we opened the gift--New, princess, dress-up shoes!!! How did the trash man know? Kate bought right into it. She put them on to show Daddy. She told him who gave them to her and why.

She really didn't have trouble going to sleep without it. When she asked for her Binky, I just reminded her that she gave it to the trash man's baby and asked her what the trash man gave her. She exclaimed, "New shoes!"

When she woke up at 2:00 am and asked for the Binky, I reminded her again and she let out a sad, "NOOOO!" in recollection and then talked about the new shoes. She's mentioned binky a few times but then she talks about the mailbox, the trash man, and the new shoes. Who knew it would be this easy. I was preparing for an all-out battle! I guess I should have more faith in my little one.

"Binky, Two Minutes?"

Kate has what I call a little bit of a Binky problem. She LOVES her Binky. I've tried a lot of Binky removal tactics. First I tried snipping the end of her Binky. She took it right out and let me know that she was on to me. A few months ago, Scott and I had a talk with her and explained why the Binky was not the best thing for her anymore and that we should limit it for nap time and bedtime. We used all the keywords, "big girl" and "baby" in hopes to instill a sense of pride in quitting the Binky. She handled that well, until she got the flu. We tried storing the Binky up high and she just learned how to stand on the counters and get the Binky out of the cupboard. We started keeping the Binky in the fridge because she hasn't learned how to open it yet. Every time she asked to have the Binky, I told her she could have it for five minutes and set a timer. That worked for a little while. But now she just comes to me all day and asks, "Binky, two minutes?" as if she is bargaining with me and I feel so sorry for her.

A day or so ago, I let her know that when she turned two on Saturday, it was time to put the Binky in the trash (hey, it was worth a try). As soon as the word "trash" left my lips, tears ensued. Kate screamed in terror, "No, NO, NO!" She immediately asked me to sing the "Binky song" in order to calm down.

The Binky song is something I invented when Kate was inconsolable on a drive home when we didn't have the Binky. I asked her is she wanted to sing about her Binky and that calmed her right down. I clap my hands on my legs and then together and sing what we're doing: we're heading north... we're going north on fourth east... We're turning right... We're going home to the Binky..." When we're on a long stretch of road, I ask her as part of the song, "What are we going to get?" then Kate says, "Binky!" I continue the song, "Where is the Binky?" then Kate says, "Fridge!" Then I'll sing the question, "What else is at home?" and she'll say, "puppy!" Somehow this song takes her focus off how much she misses Binky. She starts clapping at the first sight of our house. She asks for the Binky song regularly and every time Scott tries to discourage it because everything about it drives him nuts but Kate loves it and Scott admits the song is slightly better than Kate bawling so he tolerates it.

I am completely aware that the reason all my attempts to oust the Binky have failed is because I have no backbone. I can't handle her crying for something that I really didn't have to take away. I feel so mean when I just say, "No you can't have it." Because really she can.

In a few months, I plan to give her the "a baby needs your Binky" speech and ask her to put the Binky in an envelope addressed to the Binky Fairy. Then the following day she could get mail from the Binky Fairy thanking her for the Binkies and telling her she did a good thing. The technique worked great for Supernanny. I guess it's worth a try.

Shhh! The Princess is Sleeping!

Okay, I was in here checking out what my friends and family had to say on their blogs and Scott was reading to Kate. Then I heard what I thought was the two of them playing with toys. A few minutes of silence later and Kate was in the office with me. I decided to give her some attention and give daddy a break and I found him all curled up, asleep, on her bed.

"Yeah! Mommy, Daddy! Sing!"

Today, Scott and I sang "Abide With Me Tis Eventide" in a quartet during Sacrament meeting. My sister, Jeni, came to sit with Kate so Kate wouldn't fret. Jeni, of course, invited my mom and dad to come watch us embarrass ourselves.

So we sang our song and it went well, but as we sang the last three notes, Kate stood up on the pew and started clapping saying, not quietly, "Yeah! Mommy, Daddy! Sing! Yeah!" The eyes of several hundred people went to Kate in all her glee and the congregation erupted in laughter. After the meeting closed Kate said exitedly, "Over Mommy, Go!" Then she grabbed my face by my cheeks with both hands, turned my face towards hers and gave me a big, gushy, wet smack on the lips.

I don't think Scott and I could be more proud of Kate if she were the recipient of a Nobel Peace prize. She is such a joy to have around and she makes every moment more fun.

Sister Viginia Pearce

I am so jealous of myself for being audience to President Hinckley's daughter, Sister Virgina H. Pearce. She came to Enrichment Night yesterday and talked about how to keep our hearts open and how to radiate with the love of God and so many more pearls of wisdom. And like her father, she has a way with words and people. She was so real and inspiring. I was so glad I went.

She picked an apple from her apple tree to illustrate her what our hearts are like when the are hardened. The apple was wrinkled, dark, hard as a rock, and a fourth of it's ripened size. She knocked the apple on the pulpit to demonstrate what a hard heart might sound like. She mentioned feelings that we have that let us know if our hearts are hardened. It surprised me. I thought you had to be hateful to have a hard heart but she mentioned feelings like irritated, judgemental, demanding, impatient, and overly sensitive.

She said all we have to do is check our hearts whenever we are confronted with a person or situation and ask if our hearts are open or closed. If our hearts are open, we'll never say or do the wrong thing. And it's easier to love with God's love.

Then she gave us a shortcut to be able to radiate the love of God. She quoted Paul when he said, "For, now we see through a glass darkly..." And glass can be interpreted to mean looking glass or mirror. She said when we are always looking at ourselves emotionally, mentally, or physically we can never have the love of God radiate from us. We must put the mirror down and see the other person as if through a window. We must look at others, listen to them, and only then can God work through us.

I thought it was a great time and I wished I had thought to invite all my family to this lovely event. Although I'm sure they would have just made a ruckas with all their chattering and carrying on. The cupcake refreshements were nice afterwards and because of my attendance at this meeting, I was able to find out that two of my good stay-at-home-mommy friends are pregnant and adorable, if I might add.

I'm 28 Today!

Julie - 1980

Merlin, Kate, Elliot: Ready to go to the Treehouse Museum


So, I've already had an eventful day. My friend Carla drove us to the Treehouse Museum with her two boys Merlin, and Elliot. Our three sardines, crammed in the back seat of her Jeep Cheroke, were all settled and my friend handed all three granola bars and we headed for the gas station. By the time we reached the gas station, Kate was asking for water. I held the granola bar and gave her a drink. I felt compelled to look at the granola bar and saw that it was PEANUT BUTTER!

Kate is allergic to peanuts! The first time she had a peanut butter cookie she broke out in hives. Since she only had one little bite of the granola bar, I figured we were safe. Within minutes, she was coughing a lot. Then she started rubbing her eyes and nose and coughing more. By the time we reached Ogden, She was wheezing. I asked my friend to drive us to a grocery store to pick up some allergy medicine. We drove and drove and Kate started to cry and fuss. I could tell she was uncomfortable and scared. I asked everyone to fold their arms because I was going to say a prayer. Calm came over us as we reached the Pharmacy.

I brought Kate with me to the Pharmacy and talked to a woman there. She was a nurse-thank you again and again God-and she looked Kate over and gave me some tips and grabbed the right allergy medicine.

We hopped back in the Jeep and I asked Kate's friends what they thought we should do. The nurse thought I should take Kate to the Emergency room to be safe. The two boys were really looking forward to going to the museum. I asked Kate if she felt up to going and she said, "Treehouse!" We went and had a lovely time and I feel so blessed that I was with friends and that everything turned out fine.

Kate and Mom playing in the schoolhouse

I really thought she would out grow her peanut allergy. I really thought it was just a fluke. I'm just so glad that things work out and that I can be reminded of how precious life is.

101 Things

Here we go.

1. I’m a t-shirt and jeans girl.
2. I don’t like things that are fussy or frilly.
3. I love to clean my house Monday and just touch it up on Friday.
4. I don’t like to eat out at sit down restaurants unless it’s a special occasion.
5. I really hate to cook and wish I could have a chef.
6. I never go to bed without washing my face and brushing my teeth.
7. I use Q-tips to clean my nose.
8. I had a knuckle removed from my second biggest toe on the right—it looks weird.
9. I never paint my baby toenails because they are too little.
10. I have titanium screws in my face—you can feel them from through my cheeks—no, they don’t set off the metal detectors at the airport.
11. I worry when I’m old and wrinkly that you’ll see the big bolts sticking out of my face and I’ll look like Frankenstein’s creation.
12. I was punched in the face by an old guy in the Alzheimer’s unit while working as a CNA after high school and I worried that he might have dislodged the screws in my face.
13. I went to training that taught me how to release myself from someone trying to attack me while I worked at a care center for mentally handicapped people.
14. Several months after the training, one of the mentally handicapped people I worked for got me in a hair lock, with his hands interlaced in my hair, and at the same time grabbed at my breasts and wouldn’t let go. All my training escaped me and I just stood there, stunned.
15. I swallowed something metal (I called it a penny slug) and had to have it surgically removed from my throat.
16. I lied during the eye exam in first grade so my mom would have to take me to get glasses.
17. My teacher would always put my name on the board when I wasn’t wearing my glasses, so when I saw she wasn’t wearing her glasses, I wrote her name on the board.
18. I had no friends in fifth and sixth grade.
19. The one friend I had for a little while in fifth grade “broke up with me.”
20. A group of girls in grade school threatened to beat me up at school regularly.
21. I got into a shoving match with one of my girl friends and one of us ended up on the ground—it was probably me.
22. A girl passed around a rumor in seventh grade that she turned lesbian because of me—I’m not sure how that’s possible?
23. When I was in seventh grade, a woman caught me kissing a boy at the park near her house and told my mom on me.
24. I’ve had numerous oral surgeries.
25. I wore braces for seven years.
26. Kids made fun of my braces and said they were the old-fashioned kind.
27. I never bite into an apple unless it’s sliced.
28. I can’t stand to be away from my house for too long.
29. I never really liked my family until after I got married. I just didn’t enjoy them as much as I do now—probably because I’m the spoiled baby of the family.
30. I never thought I would love my daughter as much as I do.
31. I never thought I would have such a good-looking husband.
32. I never thought I would have such a charming husband.
33. I still don’t know why he married me.
34. I love him more every year.
35. The first time we spoke to one another I went home, wrote about him in my journal, and said that I knew he would never want to marry me but that he is the kind of husband I am looking for.
36. I will probably wait to go on a trip without Kate until she’s a teenager—I might go away for a weekend but never longer.
37. I used to cry all the time but I rarely do now.
38. The last time I cried was probably over something spiritual or deeply happy rather than sad.
39. I have cried while thinking of how awful it would be if Scott or Kate died.
40. I have extreme PMS mood swings that make me feel crazy.
41. I LOVED being pregnant.
42. I think I loved my stable mood more than anything.
43. Scott loved me pregnant, too.
44. I love watching Scott adore Kate as much as I do.
45. I love that he oogles and awes over cute babies finally.
46. I love that he reminisces about what joy Kate has brought to our lives.
47. I love that Scott is looking forward to having another baby as much as I am.
48. I love to exercise.
49. I love to run around the house with Kate and make silly sounds.
50. I adore tickle wars.
51. I love to ease the tension between Scott and I with something funny.
52. I can't stand going clothes shopping.
53. I want to love others enough so that when I die, that is what they remember about me.
54. I am so afraid that I will not be good enough to be missed.
55. I'm a big-time morning person.
56. I changed #'s 55 and 56 to protect the innocent. 57. I almost never get bothered by other drivers on the road.
58. I am the person probably causing other people’s road rage.
59. Kate’s naptime is one of my favorite times of day.
60. Whenever Kate is asleep I eat, watch recorded programs, and do an art project.
61. I love to watch Supernanny, Wife Swap, and Funniest Home Videos. I record them so I can watch them while Kate sleeps.
62. I enjoy doing dishes.
63. I enjoy organizing things.
64. Everything in my house must have a “home.”
65. When I was little, I wanted to inherit my dad’s Audiology practice.
66. I used to follow my Dad around and work as his assistant in whatever he was busy doing.
67. Even though I’m a Daddy’s girl, nothing feels real until I’ve told my mom.
68. I received my BA in English.
69. In my dreams, I would love to be a writer or an artist.
70. With a young family, I will do anything not to have to work outside the home.
71. When my family is raised, I’d love to go back to school and work towards a Graduate Degree.
72. I could see myself teaching college and loving it.
73. I could live in this house forever and I plan to.
74. I’m scared to death of sports.
75. I am grateful for all the boys I dated because of what I learned from each of them.
76. I attribute the beginnings of my testimony in the gospel to a boy I dated in high school and to his family who always let me come to read scriptures and say family prayer with them.
77. I attribute my good marriage to that boy because he taught me I wasn’t a “throw away” like I thought at the time. His family is a big reason I even considered going to college.
78. I attribute everything that is good in my life right now to my marriage to Scott.
79. Being a wife, a mother, and a daughter of God are the most important things in my life.
80. I wish I could share the gospel more with others.
81. I like right now more than any time in my life.
82. I often feel like no one really listens to me or cares what I think.
83. I have a really hard time getting my words out because I feel like I will only have a person’s attention for a few seconds and I have to hurry and spit everything out before they lose interest in what I’m saying.
84. Every time the phone rings while Kate is asleep I catch myself saying, “Leave me alone!” but I like people and I really don’t know why I do that.
85. I don’t think if people knew everything about me they would still like me.
86. I love living close to my family and Scott’s family.
87. I love the state I live in.
88. I love going for walks.
89. I crave French fries and hamburgers.
90. I want to be just like Marjorie Pay Hinckley.
91. Julie B. Beck is another hero of mine.
92. I want to have a friend that can come over whenever and just hang out.
93. I live in my bedroom.
94. I wear sweats and a t-shirt unless I’m going out of the house and then my outfit upgrades to jeans and a t-shirt.
95. I wear socks all day and night.
96. I love to read.
97. I love Jane Austen’s stories.
98. I love when Scott and I just talk into the night about the gospel, our future, and whatever is going on.
99. I don’t like to wear lipstick because it always ends up all over Kate’s face.
100. When I was maybe five, taking a bath with my sister who is two years older, I asked her if I could sit on her lap and when she let me, I peed on her.
101. Sometimes I just squeal, giggle, and do a little dance in excitement when nobody’s watching.

I challenge anyone reading this to write up their own list!