Peter the Love Guy

I have been promising myself that I would record this classic line from Christian with photos. It actually occured in March not long after moving here.

As pictured, Christian was wearing Diego underpants, a Spiderman cape, a bandanna, cowboy hat, sunglasses, and a belt in which was placed a spatula and measuring spoons.

Eric and I were talking when Christian walked in and said with the dramatic flair only a true actor can give a line, "I... am Peter the Love Guy from Spanish Wyoming." And then with a deep bow, he said, "Hola."

There were just so many layers of hilarious in it, that I'm sure we will never forget it. But just in case, it's now written down for posterity.

Where he gets these things, I will never know.

Christian kept poking me in the rear end this afternoon, gently, but still, it was slightly annoying, so I told him to please stop. And he said, "Mom?"

"Yes, Christian?" I said.

"Are all moms as squishy as you?"

And I said, "Yep!"

I was laughing to myself. I am not sure that squishy is my favorite word, but that's the kind of word that Eric uses as a complement, so I don't have a complex now. Ever since we got married he's been saying how "gushy" I am. I was kind of offended at first, but he swears that what he means is soft and utterly huggable. So he is always coaching Christian how to say, "Mom, you're gushy." Even in prayers, "We're thankful that Mama is so gushy." It's one of those words I've learned to accept and appreciate.

Tonight at dinner, Eric asked Christian what he loved most about Mama (Christian has moved on to calling me "Mom" (which kind of makes me sad because it means he is grown up now), but to Eric it's usually still "Mama."

And Christian said, "I love that she's so squishy." And then he went on to list some other things that were recognizably a complement. :)

Also, today, he was pretending that there were "The United Monsters" in my bedroom (You think they're scary when they work alone? When they unionize, watch out). Christian wanted me to run away with him and try to "TRAPIFY" the ones hiding in his bedroom. I liked the word trapify. Especially when he said it.

He and Eric played tonight on the new Wii. I even gave the boxing a try in between dishes. It was so fun to watch them together. Christian really goes after it and loves the action of it. The first time we saw him box on Christmas day, I was cracking up laughing. His arms were just going crazy, and he actually seemed pretty good! So funny. But he is pretty hard on himself and kind of expects perfection. We will really have to watch that in him.

To the dear, loyal friends of mine who have surprised me by actually reading these, I thank you for your kindness and beg forgiveness for the mundane journal-entryness of these. In the end, what I want from blogging is not to forget the things in life that made me laugh, especially Christian. Not a day goes by that I don't think how much I'm going to miss the little boy him that says a hundred cute things a day when he is all grown up. I will try someday to write something interesting for a general audience.

Today is probably not that day.

Joy to Everyone this Christmas

I just took a minute to watch this video. It was one of those nice Christmas moments in the midst of the chaos, so I wanted to share it. To any one and everyone out there, I wish you joy this Christmas!

Joy to Everyone

Okay, I am sick, sick, sick to death of missing the chance to record all of the things that are happening in our life, especially in Christian's life. I just get so overwhelmed and behind. Not to mention my stupid carpal tunnel issue.

It's been a crazy Christmas month. Once December hit, I felt like I was running in front of a freight train. We just barely got the tree up last night after major Christmas light drama. Well, at first, I was convinced that my tree was going to die, and I was going to take it back. It hasn't taken in ANY water, even though they cut it and mounted it on a stand for us and we took it right home to put it up. But Eric finally convinced me to just keep it and that it would be fine. So it's on him if it dies before Christmas, and I'm okay with that.

Then I brought the lights out from last year and not only were there not enough, but one of them wasn't working and we couldn't fix it. I put up what we had, but I needed to go get some more. Enter distracting emergency A, B, C, D, E, and F, and it was 4 or 5 days later before I made it to the store. Finally I bought more lights only to discover at home that they were COOL white instead of WARM white. And apparently this company's interpretation of cool white is essentially blue. It was not going to work. Another 2 days and I finally got to the store to exchange those lights to discover that they are now completely out of the warm white. So I bought another brand of warm white. And this company's interpretation of warm white is essentially cool white. They weren't working together, but I refused to return to the store that is not as close to my house as it needs to be. So I took everything off, started all over, and strung warm up the tree and cool down so they were kind of mixed together. It looks okay now that I put all of the ornaments on.

And I just wrote all of that nonsense to justify why my tree is just barely up so I could tell you the story of what Christian said once it was done (This is why I can't blog. It takes more time to write than to live.) He was so excited. I said, "Isn't it pretty?" And he said, "It's fabulous!! Now I'm more in the Christmas spirit!" I was thinking, "You're four. You need atmosphere to get in the Christmas spirit? And you know what the Christmas spirit is?" Then he said, "It's the most beautifulist tree EVER! We are the BEST Christmas tree decorators EVER!!! No one is as good as we are!" Does the male one-upmanship start this young?? Apparently. Anyway, he was so cute, and he was so excited to help me put the finishing touches on the tree. He had particular design opinions, of course.

Today I ran around all morning getting Christmas gifts for his teachers. It stressed me out quite a bit to do, but they so deserve appreciation that I just couldn't ignore them. I got them some loaves of Great Harvest bread that was still warm and yummy and a gift card from Target and wrote them nice cards. They seemed to really appreciate it, and heaven knows teachers need more of that to make up for the lack of proper compensation. For how important their job is, you'd think we could pay them as well as professionals at least, if not as well as professional athletes.

Anyway, Christian brought home all sorts of cute Christmas creations from school. He is growing so fast and seems so tall and grown up now. He is just a great boy and a joy to have around.

Tonight I finally had a chance to write the letter that went with the Christmas card I designed in iPhoto 3 months ago. I vowed to never let the stress of Christmas cards ruin my Christmas ever again, and to do Easter cards instead, but then I didn't. The peer pressure just isn't great enough to move me any other time of the year. And we missed last year completely because we were moving, so it's been a long time now.

But writing this one was a challenge because I had to write something or else there would be this huge blank space in the middle of the card. But actually there wasn't enough room to even remotely give an update on what we are doing. That's probably good in a lot of ways - everyone doesn't need to hear all that drama!! But I had to cut out so much, I'm not even sure it makes sense anymore. I'm also a little worried that when they print it it will look too squished. But I did the best I could. It never let me see it at actual size, so it could turn out funky.

Then when I finally finished it and went to order, I found out how much they actually cost per card. It was $1.99, which is fine for a few, but not okay for the 300 or more people I would actually like to send a card to. Sooo, we ordered a small number, and we may scan and e-mail them or post them on my blog - not like anyone would check a blog that only updates twice a year. I actually don't have everyone's e-mail at all. But I could put it on facebook or something. I'll figure it out. It's a modern world now, and there are cheaper ways to send Christmas cards, I guess.

Soo, the bottom line is, the update is squished, the card is too expensive, no one will get a real copy, many may not get the electronic copy if I can't track down e-mails, and it's all so late anyway, no one cares anymore. But I did it. And I have the record of it myself, so that's what matters most to me. If anyone is out there, expect a card sometime in March. You know, when I usually send them.

There, I did it. I just wrote about my day. I still haven't posted the funny stories I have wanted to post for the last 6 months, but I did something. Baby steps.

Christian's Quips

Christian "saving" Flat 

Stanley from the drain

1.  Our first week here, Christian actually belted out in the middle of the grocery store, "The stars at night, are big and bright, (clap, clap, clap, clap) Deep in the heart of Texas!"  He was pretty much a hit with the other patrons, which then embarrassed him to the point of anger. He didn't really think anyone was listening.

2.  The other day as Christian and I were getting ready for bed (Eric had already gone to sleep), Christian said with a sweet sigh, "I'm so glad you're my mom."  I said, "Ohh!  I'm so glad you're my son!"  Christian said, "Yeah..." and then, "I'm so glad the other guy is my dad too."  It just sounded funny.

3.  To preface this story, we still haven't moved our stuff in to our apartment since we are still deciding where to go permanently, and we can't stand to 

move an extra time.  It's getting really ridiculous as there is only a mattress on the floor, a card table, and whatever we could fit in the car here.  So a few nights ago, Christian and I were driving home from the library where we saw "Bonkers the Clown" and Christian said, "I wish my grandma and grandpa were in Reno.  I would give them a BIG hug, and we would lie on the black couch (it's really chocolate brown) and watch a movie."  I said, "You mean Texas?"  He said, "No!  In Reno!"  I said, "Wouldn't it be fun if we could see them in Texas?"  He said, "No!  There're no couches in Texas!"  

4.  Christian has just barely started attending a Spanish immersion preschool. He is a little resistant to the whole Spanish thing, since he can't easily understand what is going on yet.  I was really worried before I took him there for the first time that he might say something rude to the teachers about not liking Spanish.  This is what he actually said, "Even though I don't like your voices, I still love you."

Performing a pirate song and 

dance at the botanical gardens

5.  Christian has memorized all of the songs from two "Howdy Town" videos  (I love those videos.  I want to be in them.)  They are about sharing and working hard and honesty and being kind to others who are different.  It is hilarious to listen to him, because he knows them down to the background noises that are added in, every "Hoo! Hah!"  At school his first day, they were singing a song about the days of the week that he didn't know. He didn't much care for the song I guess, probably because he didn't know it yet.  He said, "I don't KNOW that song.  I have a song about sharing.  Wanna hear it?"  No one paid attention to him, but he was honestly ready to belt out all 4 verses on his first day of school.  The kid is a crack-up.  He also goes around telling all the kids who have toys that he wants that "Sharing is part of being your best!!!"

6.  My sister, Maren, is getting married in May.  It was supposed to be in April, right after Easter, but they were waiting on a sealing clearance.  Anyway, she's been building up the suits the boys would wear as a "missionary costume with a great tie".  She knows Christian is a sucker for a costume.  He's really been looking forward to the whole thing.  In fact, on Easter Sunday, as we were driving to church, he said, "We're going to Maren's wedding!"  I had to explain that we were just going to church.  He said, but I'm wearing the green shirt!"  It was supposed to be for her wedding too.  Christian also wore a snappy new pastel plaid tie.  He got a lot of compliments.  One young guy said to him in the hall, "Nice tie, buddy!"  He said, adamantly, "It's a great tie."  Everyone who heard was laughing and saying, "If he does say so himself!"

7.  I had an extensive discussion with Christian today after his nap where he told me that when Daddy, my husband, dies, that he will marry me and be my husband.  I told him that I thought he would be a perfectly wonderful husband, but that he will probably marry someone who is his age.  He said, "But when Daddy dies, who will be your husband?"  He was really concerned that I would marry a bad husband.  He said, "Sometimes husbands are wicked."  I think that came from the book we had just read called, "Bubba, the Cowboy Prince."  It was a fractured Cinderella tale with a wicked stepdaddy.  I told him that I would never marry a wicked stepdaddy.  He said, "But Daddy's going to get old and die.  Who will be your husband?"  I told him that I was actually as old as daddy, and that I would probably be old too.  He looked at me like he was confused and said, "You're not old!"  Actually, he says "oldth."  

So he insisted that he was going to marry me and that he would be a good husband.  I said, "Well, I would love that, because I want to see you every day!"  He said, "I want to see you every day too, Mom!"  Good to know I have something lined up. 

What Christian would wear 

if he always dressed himself

 8.  Did I ever write about the time Christian went to preschool in Reno, and his teacher Miss Danielle was making him clean up his lunch before he went to play?  I guess he wasn't very happy about doing it.  And then he said, "That's three minutes of my life I'll never get back."

  

Can you imagine?  He actually got that from Veggie Tales, but knowing how to use it in context is all him.  Miss Danielle said that she was rolling.  She said, "He is seriously the funniest kid I have ever met!"  I would have to agree.  We have ourselves quite the character.

Good grief.  It's been so long since I've posted that I couldn't even find where to go to make a new post.  Well, we are finally mostly here in our new home, and starting to settle as much as we can in a temporary apartment.  I just have a few minutes before Christian wakes up and I wanted to record a few thoughts.  Christian has been sleeping in my bed since we were separated from Eric for close to two months on and off.  We hadn't been here a week before Eric flew back to Reno to load our stuff onto the Pods, where, by the way, he came down with a horrible flu and had to extend his trip by 3 days because he was too sick to travel, and too sick to finish the move.  Poor guy.  He rarely complains when he's sick, so when he says he feels so sick that he wants to die, it's a serious thing.  He should be coming home tonight finally.

Anyway, Christian is sleeping in my bed, and I have to admit that I really like it.  It's the only time his little body stops moving long enough to hold him, and sometimes I'll lie there awake for way too long, just enjoying being near him.  So I honestly don't know how I'll get him back in his own bed.  Especially since all he has right now is an air mattress, and we need to get him a big boy bed (he's been in his crib until now - in fact, packing up all of his baby room stuff was sort of sad and sentimental).  

I've been trying to wake up at 6 am to have some time alone for personal study and maybe even a little yoga if time permits.  But I think that Christian senses my absence and wakes up earlier than normal.  He woke up way too early this morning for missing his nap yesterday, and I heard him call, "Mom!  I need you!"  I talked him back into bed to cuddle for a minute.  He was already dressed in a velvet suit coat that he reluctantly set by the bed last night.  I swear there never was a boy who loved a costume so much.  Even his church clothes he's excited about because he thinks he's dressing up as a missionary!  He's so cute.

He protested that he wasn't tired, but got back in bed with me anyway, and rolled around and around for about 15 minutes.  His feet and legs were bouncing away, but I knew he was tired because his eyes were closed, and he has a strict policy against closing his eyes.  They have to close involuntarily or not at all.  I remind him sometimes, "Remember to close your eyes when you are trying to fall asleep."  He says, "I don't like to close my eyes."  No kidding.  What else is new?

But at last he fell asleep for another hour or so of much needed rest.  And I just watched him there for a while as he lay there with his snowman jammies and a black velvet suit coat, and the most beautiful face in my life.  I just love him so much.  What a blessing he is.

Your Majesty

Boy Wonder

Ever since Christian was allowed to sleep in our bed while he was sick, he's been begging to sleep in "The Big Bed" as he calls it. Sometimes at night, he'll be carried off to his own room after family prayer with a desperate plea of "I'm sick! Cough! Cough! I want to sleep in the big bed!"

Last night, as I made my way up the stairs, I heard Christian asking Eric what his favorite part about bedtime was. Eric said, "Cuddling with you." That's how I found out that Eric had declared it to be a "Family Sleepover Night" So Christian was at long last allowed to sleep in our bed. Eric and I actually like it, we just know it could quickly become a habit that is hard to break.

I hurried and got ready for bed, knowing that Christian wouldn't fall asleep until I stopped rummaging around. So after the 47 things I have to do before turning in at night, I got into bed.

Some background: All evening Christian had been dressed up as Robin, Boy Wonder, in a cape and mask. Eric rented Scooby-Doo Meets Batman from Blockbuster this week, which I have vetoed based on the fact that the entire point of Scooby-Doo is to have creepy ghosts/goblins/ villians coming out of the woodwork of whatever haunted place the gang happens to be visiting. But one episode was enough for Christian to get the idea of Batman and Robin. So Eric plays the part of Batman, and I got to be Batgirl. Christian actually wanted me to play Joker or Penguin, but I patently refuse to play the villians.

Anyway, I got into bed, kissed Christian good night, cuddled with him as much as he would let me, and said, "Good night, Boy Wonder."

Christian said, "I'm not Boy Wonder. Daddy and I didn't want to be Batman and Robin to go to bed. Do you not want to be Batgirl?"

I said, "Did you just want to be yourself to go to sleep?"

Christian said, "Yeah, I just want to be Christian. Do you just want to be my mom?"

I said, "Yeah. I do. That's my favorite thing to be."

And then, to my surprise, Christian put his hand on my face, and leaned over and gave me a great, big kiss! It was so sweet, and it's rare for him to offer a kiss. I usually have to grab one as he's running away.

I said, "Thank you, Christian! I loved that."

And he said, "You're welcome, Your Majesty."

Wow. I didn't teach him that, but I would have if I had thought of it.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

I have to say that I was inspired by reading the "These is My Words" series to be more consistent with my everyday, ordinary journal writing. So I am going to try to post even my little non-exciting entries just for the sake of journal writing. If I am successful at doing this regularly, I apologize in advance to anyone who is bored by them. Maybe I'll try to make them look boring too so my gracious "readers" aren't sucked in by them.

Well, I am just getting over my second stomach flu in a month. It really did seem different, with this one being less severe (thank goodness!), but still it slowed me down. I just made sure Christian was fed and that I was awake to keep an eye on him, and otherwise I let things slide. Actually, I still did the dishes, so extra credit for me. I am SO OVER being sick. Oh well. I did finish reading "Breaking Dawn" in 2 days, so I'm all caught up and ready for book club next week.

Today we tried to put Christian down for a nap at a decent time (he's in that stage where he is going later and later but can't really make it until bedtime), but it didn't work at all. He stayed in his bed, but for two hours he talked to himself and sang at the top of his lungs. He just talks almost constantly!! And every word of it sounds adorable. My family just dies every time they hear his voice on the phone. I don't know what it is. The pitch, the animation, the way he can't really say his Rs (My sister, Lauren said once, "Christian, please don't ever learn how to say your Rs right." If you're reading this, Jenny the L., she was kidding.), the funny way he adds a country twang to some things for no apparent reason, or just that he just talks so surprisingly well for a little guy. Whatever it is, it is so cute. I am going to miss that so much. I just wish every day that I had a video camera capturing his every sentence. Where can I sign up for a reality show?

He is really cracking me up lately. Actually, it's kind of freaky. I got him a new Veggie Tales movie for Family Movie Night last week (which occurred while I was at Jenny the L.'s beautiful, amazing, and extremely well-attended baby shower hosted by the fabulous Nicole). It's a take off of "Huckleberry Finn" and stars "Huckleberry Larry and Tomato Sawyer." You should hear him say that. In fact, I really need to get that on video.

Well, on Wednesday, when I started throwing up again, I spent the day on the couch while Christian watched videos. Incidentally, as I lay there, I was astounded at how he does NOT STOP MOVING. I actually was in danger most of the time as he jumped from the couch to the ottoman and back repeatedly, or ran back and forth along the couch at top speed, narrowly missing my head. My mom calls him the "Perpetual Motion Machine." It's hilarious, and just so typical Christian , but it's just too much for a nauseated person to take.

Anyway, he watched this Big River video, and I could not believe it. As he watched it, probably for the fourth time or something, he was able to deliver huge portions of dialogue right along with the characters, and I mean down to every little noise. Without missing a beat. I mean, I have known for a long time that he does that - he is a memorizing machine. But it was just freaky to watch him. The kid is unreal. I wouldn't be surprised if he became some sort of a linguist someday. He has an ear for language that is just beyond my comprehension.

I also don't think I have recorded yet his newest amazing accomplishment. (I am secretly hoping that no one is reading this. This kind of brag stuff is the kind I hate to put in my blogs, but I really do want it down so Christian can read it in the future. Please forgive me.) The first time I got sick almost 4 weeks ago, Eric and I were dying, and I mean, for that first day, that poor little boy pretty much was unsupervised. We both spent the day on the couch downstairs so we could hear him just in case, but we were drugged by the Benedryl that was keeping us from incessant vomiting, so we were semi-conscious most of the day. Christian didn't get anything to eat except cereal and sliced apples. Slicing apples was a Herculean feat for me that day. It was truly a new low for the mother that is obsessed with giving him a meal or a snack every 2 to 3 hours. For that and other reasons resulting from my obsession with nutrition research, Eric calls me the "Food Fuhrer." Actually, he only called me that once, but I thought it was pretty funny. But that's another story.

So, back to the amazing accomplishment. Christian spent all that day (and the next couple of days when he came down with the dreaded virus) watching videos. I'm also really uptight about Christian watching too many videos, but illness is just the exception. There's no way around it. Christian was actually so sick that he didn't even want to watch anything for the first day he was sick. He just wanted to lay silently on the floor in the 15 minutes or so in between every time he threw-up for 24 hours. Poor baby. It was just the most pathetic thing I've ever seen.

But once Christian could stand to watch videos, all he wanted to watch were the new videos my mom sent to us called "Meet the Sight Words" by Preschool Prep. They teach 45 of the "sight words" that kids just have to memorize because they come up so often in reading and typically don't follow "normal" rules for sounding words out (do we have normal rules in English??). Well, by the end of this 3 day period, Christian had pretty much memorized all of these sight words. I was just blown away and ecstatic. It was just so amazing to see him start to recognize words everywhere we go. And I do mean everywhere we go. We can't go anywhere without him pointing out every to, for, from, my, look, play, he, she, her , his, it, some, etc. He is so clued-in to reading now. Like he finally gets that all of those letters represent words. Oh, the wonderful world of reading! I hope he grows up to love it as much as I do. On second thought, that's as much of a curse as it is a blessing. I hope he grows up to love reading almost as much as I do.

Happiness is Christian

Okay, so this is a video of the song I did for Christian's 2nd birthday party, which was a Luau (I got the cool hula dress on eBay). As mentioned previously, I used the tune to "Happiness" from the musical, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and rewrote the lyrics.

Ironically, I have never owned this song and kind of learned it on the fly from a random internet source, so I'm not even sure if I'm getting it right. I seriously need to nail it down if I'm going to be doing this every year, but for now, have mercy if I mess it up.

At one point off camera, Christian pulled a huge grin with squinty eyes when we sang about his "twinkly smile." So that's why everyone started laughing.

By the way, don't tell Eric that I posted this. He hates how I drag him into this every year. But I tell him that he needs to represent, and he's a remarkably good sport about it all.

Note: I do not consider myself a serious song writer. This is purely for purposes of love and memories. But Christian liked it and had me sing this to him before bed for months afterward. That's reward enough for me!

The Most Sensational, Inspirational, Celebrational, Muppetational...Part II

This is the second half of Christian's Muppet-themed performance. The first song, for those of you old enough to remember The Muppet Show and yet young enough to be on a "blog," is the theme song to the Muppet Show. Notice at the end when it looks like he's tooting a horn. Remember how Gonzo always did that at the very end of the song?

One night for Christian's favorite weekly tradition of "Family Movie Night," (he and Eric spread the sleeping bags and pillows out on the family room floor and eat popcorn or ice cream as they watch a video - I'm usually doing laundry or something equally enjoyable), Eric brought home a video with three episodes from The Muppet Show with Elton John, Gene Kelly, and Julie Andrews as "special guest stars." For days after we all were assigned to be one of the special guest stars. Usually, Christian was Julie Andrews, I was Gene Kelly, and Eric was Sir Elton John. Go figure. On other days, Christian was Kermit, I was Fozzy the Bear, and Eric was Scooter. One day Christian lamented with a sigh when Eric went to work, "I miss my friend Scooter."

I'm swear I'm pretty strict about TV viewing, and I'm continually embarrassed that he makes it look like he's seen it 30 times and never does anything else. Invariably he's on a kick of one video or another and walking around reciting dialogue from it. Once during a Veggie Tales "Dr. Jiggle and Mr. Sly" kick he would go around saying vehemently, "No more namsy-pamsy pleasantries! When Sly walks in, we nab 'im, pure and simple!" Pleasantries? This kid really should not be allowed to watch TV at all.

Oh, and by the way, if you hear Christian say anything really violent, he learned it from our New Testament videos from The Living Scriptures. They have taught me that there are a lot of mean, violent people in the Bible. I thought I would love those videos, and I think I still will appreciate it when Christian is older, but they're not exactly TV-7. Still, it is nice when he really learns the scripture stories, and the other day when Eric was attempting to snooze on the couch in our den, Christian said, "Arise, and walk!" over and over until Eric finally got up. That was a good one.

Anyway, the translation of the second clip is, "And now, PIGS IN SPAAAACE!"

The Wainbow Connection

This is kind of a random video from last April or something, when Christian was going through a Muppets phase. Eric and I loved The Muppet Movie growing up, and The Muppet Show, but now I realize how disrespectful the Muppets are to each other, so I disapprove. Of course, I only realized that after Christian had seen it, and it only takes him about 3 viewings to memorize big chunks of dialogue or songs. That was the case here.

He was running around after his bath one evening, and I walked upstairs to find him sitting on the bed in his birthday suit, with a ukulele, singing the "Rainbow Connection." And miraculously, I got him to do a repeat performance for the camera. It cracked me up.

Backblogged - literally

Okay. So I stole this title from my best-friend-since-7th-grade's blog. Only she wasn't actually behind on her blogging. Just her life in general was crazy. Well, I submit that I am having both issues.

I am getting complaints, so my apologies that my blog is so annoyingly outdated (is anyone actually still checking?!?) I have sooo much to post about that I hope I can get to, but I will just start by explaining where the heck I've been as briefly as possible while still indulging my obsessive-compulsive tendency in journaling.

It all started with Christian's birthday. You see, I have this tradition of making myself stark-raving mad for the month leading up to Christian's birthday. Every year I produce a video that includes all the pictures, and some video from his previous year. Like a video scrapbook. Sounds simple enough, right? Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, no. It's pretty much the hardest thing I do all year long. Think finals week on crack, and it lasts at least 3 weeks. Every year I attempt to complete this project without making myself and my husband completely insane. Every year I fail miserably on both accounts. My loved ones BEG me to give it up. And yet I can't. I've decided that there is some sort of mental illness involved.

But this is my rationale (defense):

First of all, I am a little bit obsessed with all things personal and family history related - journaling, photos, etc. Case in point, I started keeping a journal in 5th grade and wrote EVERY SINGLE DAY (often for hours) until the end of eighth grade. I had 21 volumes by then. Nice, but not normal. It got to the point that I was practically writing more than living (definitely more than sleeping), and since I couldn't really do it halfway, my journaling kind of got dropped until college. I've never been as good since, but you can see the tendency to go overboard. Yes, it's true. Enjoy the raw honesty, folks. And next time on Dr. Phil...

Secondly, I am even more obsessed with my love and gratitude for my son. The video has become my way of expressing that love and gratitude by doing a yearly tribute to Christian. I simply just have way too much emotion and meaning wrapped up in it.

Finally, it's just cool. When it's finished, in spite of the fact that it's never as perfect as I wanted it to be (or obsessed over), it is so fun to have. And I know that we will treasure it forever. Oh yeah, and one more thing. I just want to capture this time forever and never, ever forget him the way he is right now. The video is my attempt to do that.

So there's my defense to all who are familiar with this unhealthy yearly exercise that causes me to pull at least 3 all-nighters each year and almost kills me. I won't stop, but I do promise to keep striving for balance. And hopefully I'll get good enough at it someday that it will go really fast!

So I got the video completed just in time to head off to Utah for one of the most fun-packed whirlwind trips I've ever had. We celebrated the 4th of July for several days and then had an early birthday party for Christian with my parents, sisters, and extended family.

The birthday party is a whole other stress-filled crazy woman story. Did I mention that I also write him a song every year? Oh, I almost forgot. Just to be clear, I don't compose music. Ever. But I do rewrite lyrics to existing songs. In this case, ever since Christian's first birthday, I have re-written the lyrics to "Happiness" from the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown to include verses about Christian's personality that year, things we love to do with him, funny things he does, etc. Hopefully more about his party later.

After Christian's birthday and my extended trip to Utah, came my worthless surgery and annoyingly long recovery. That's another story as well.

Then it was my Grandma Simon's 80th birthday. I got the brilliant idea to start another major project and design an album online for her full of the heirloom pictures of her parents and and her family, their love letters to each other, etc. To skip the long story, this one didn't really end up working out in the end and was put off until Christmas. But to make up for it, I wrote her a tribute letter and -whatever possessed me? - wrote HER a song. I swear I don't do that a lot. That's another story too. It was kind of embarrassing because I had to sing it for her over the phone, and I was extremely nervous for various reasons, and then it didn't seem like she really liked it, so I felt stupid. But then my sister Lauren told me that she actually cried and everyone did like it, so I felt better. I just wanted her 80th birthday to be special.

And THEN it was my dad's 60th birthday. And I, of course, started another major project. I got all of his 8 siblings and his mother to write a letter of memories about my dad growing up (which involved lots of begging and nicely reminding my busy aunts and uncles). One of my aunts and one of my uncles spent hours and hours scanning and uploading old pictures for me to put in the album, for which I will be forever grateful. I'm actually still waiting for one more letter, so the book isn't completed yet, but it will be awesome once we get it printed. Lots of work, though. Still, how much work has my dad done on my behalf in my lifetime? I could hardly repay.

And now we have just come through a horrible stomach virus. And horrible is really an understatement. It's the worst I've seen in years.

So, travel, projects, insanity, surgery, swimming lessons, illness, various unnamed crises ranging from serious to not so serious but stressful all the same, Eric's birthday, and just run-of-the-mill craziness have kept me away from my blog. In short, I have been so busy living that I haven't had time to blog. So thanks to the two of you who have hung in there with me and still check. And I promise that there is much, much more to come... now that the birthdays are over.

Christian loves Daddy and wants to marry Mama

June 2008 - Christian imitates the "baby kiss"
Today when Christian woke up, he walked into our bedroom where Eric was still sleeping. After he cuddled with Daddy for a while, Christian started telling Eric to get dressed. Eric was still groggy, so Christian said it again, with the further specification to put on his "day clothes." And then he added earnestly, "Don't put on your good-bye clothes!" Eric wears scrubs to work every day, and Christian knows that means he's going to work. Eric assured him that he wasn't going anywhere today.

We went out tonight to buy Christian some new shoes in a size 9, as he has just grown out of all his size 8 shoes from last year. We got him some really comfortable sandal/sneaker shoes from Stride Rite that should be great for playing, and then Eric bought him some Vans, just like the ones he got last year. Christian really loves his Vans and frequently requests them. And he can put them on all by himself!

After buying shoes, Christian started asking for ice cream. I was thinking, "Oh, boy. Here we go. Now our son is starting to think of things he wants on his own and ask for them." But he asked so politely, that I couldn't help but be impressed and swayed. He kept saying it over and over, but in the most polite and nice voice, "Please? Pleeease?" Apparently, he was so busy asking, he wasn't listening to us, and didn't hear Eric say that we should go to Joe's Diner for a milkshake. So Christian continued to ask, "Please, MAY I have some ice cream...Please? Pleease?" still in a sweet voice. It was so cute. I really try hard to teach him to be polite, but saying "may I" I cannot take credit for. I'm not even sure how he learned it. (Sidenote: Last night he was wearing his chaps and playing his harmonica, and as he put his harmonica in the little leather pocket in the chaps, he said, "What's this doo-hickey?" I'm also not sure where he got that. But it was very funny.)

We did end up going to Joe's where Eric and Christian shared a chocolate and a strawberry milkshake. As usual, Christian was hilariously friendly with the waitress, Jennifer, and spoke to her several times and said, "Thanks, Jennifer!" without even being prompted. He is such a crack-up. He also asked her where Joe was. I guess last time he went there with Eric, they met Joe.

When we came home, Eric and Christian were sitting at the table, and Eric told Christian he was going to have a P.P.I. with him where they talked about how he was doing in his life. Eric said, "So. How do you feel about Mama?" Christian didn't quite know what to say.

Eric tried a different angle. "What do you like about Mama?" After thinking for a minute, Christian said, "She's gorgeous." Eric has been teaching him to tell me I'm gorgeous for a long time. Sometimes he even has Christian say "We're thankful that Mama's so gorgeous" in his prayer. Not totally reverent, perhaps, but still extremely sweet.

September 2007

Eric asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Christian said, "A big fadder (father)" He asked what kind of wife he was going to have. He said, "A wife like Mama." Eric tried to explain to him that I was already his wife, and that I would be a grandma by the time he was old enough to get married (although that would be entirely backwards, and I hope I'm not a grandma until after Christian is old enough and married . I'm sure he just meant that I would be too old). Christian would have none of it, and insisted that he was going to marry me, and that his wife's name would be Melanie (he frequently calls me Melanie, since he hears his cousins and everyone else call me that).

I asked him if he knew why Daddy went to work every day. Christian said, "To fix hurty teeth." And then he said, "But I don't want you to go to work." And Eric said, "I know, buddy. I hate to leave you every day too. But you know what? It's a blessing to have a good job and to be able to go to work every day." To that Christian replied, "No, it's NOT a blessing. It's a blessing for you to come HOME!" Eric tried to argue that Christian was really lucky to be able to stay home with me all day, and that there were lots and lots of guys that would love to spend all day alone with me (he is incorrigible). But truly, it's just not the same without Daddy. He really brings home the fun.

Christian: A Man of Many Disguises

If there is anything Christian loves, it's a costume. Maybe second only to a hat. If it can go on his head, it's a hat.

Of course, there is the ubiquitous cowboy hat and boots (with spurs...and chaps) from last year's Halloween costume. He wears those almost every day. He has been known to refuse to come downstairs in the morning until he locates and dons his cowboy hat and boots. And the hat has to be just right. Christian carefully positions it so that the brim is propped up by his ears, thereby bending his ears forward - nearly in half. Much to my chagrin. I guess he can see better that way.

But in moments where Christian is not wearing his cowboy hat and boots, he readily creates his own costumes. These creative and unusual undertakings have brought us nearly constant amusement. Several times a day I hear something like, "Mom! I'm a Doctor! I'm a Rudolph Doctor!" "Mom! I'm a MEAN cowboy!" "Mom! I'm MEAN King Saul!" "Mom! I'm MEAN Goliath!" And MEAN is said with impressive gusto. Just recently, he has developed an obsession with mean characters. I'm assuming that this is a typical boy thing. Otherwise, it's those blasted violent Living Scriptures videos we bought. But sometimes he's just a doggy, or a baby bird, and I get to be the mama bird. Or sometimes, I'll just hear him acting out something, like his interpretation of "The Grand Old Duke of York." That's the one with the blue mask jauntily placed on the side of his head. What a character! Anyway, I have tried over the last month or so to capture some of his daily outfits so that we could all share.

Note to Christian: When you read this someday in the future, know that you find a way to crack us up every single day! If I could figure out a way to have a camera running to catch your every antic, and every amazing or hilarious sentence that comes out of your mouth with that adorable little helium voice (that I will miss desperately someday), I would do it. Someone asked me recently if my home was filled with joy every day. Well, you're it, buddy! You're the joy.

Mother's Day 2008

May 2006
From the first year that I celebrated Mother's Day as a mother, Mother's Day became my favorite holiday. There are numerous reasons for this. For one, I don't have to really be involved in any stressful preparations (like Thanksgiving or Christmas - great holidays, but have mercy, the stress is ridiculous). It is a day specifically intended to give me recognition and appreciation for the job that I do, which occasionally is considered to be all easy and fun by someone whose name I won't mention. And, this is big, it is the one day that I actually feel justified in relaxing a little. Maybe letting someone else make the food and do the dishes, things like that.

May 2007
Fast forward to Mother's Day 2008. Eric is horribly sick with a lingering illness, and cranky about it (the true meaning of sick and tired). To his credit, he made a pancake breakfast for the company at our house. Unfortunately, much to his annoyance, I'm on this blasted gluten-free diet right now (doctor's orders) and couldn't have any pancakes. So I had to make my own gluten-free pancakes. Eric also made a roast for dinner (incidentally, no rolls or gravy for me either). And there were roses and cards on the table downstairs (Eric helped Christian write his name and mine on the card - I loved that sooo much) when I woke up, which was very sweet. But otherwise, the day was interesting, with Eric being sick and not up to his usual good-guy Mother's day treatment.

May 2008
Eric was too sick to go to church, so Eric's mom and I ended up wrestling Christian all by ourselves - not my idea of a relaxing mother's day, but what can you do? And I won't say how the rest of the day shook down, but suffice it to say, I was somewhat frustrated.

And then I put Christian to bed at night. We had just read the scripture story about Jesus' death and the beginning of what happened after. But it was getting long for a two-year old, so I decided to save the rest of it for the next day.

Christian talked me into lying down next to him on the floor in the dark (I guess he was just in the mood for that?). While we cuddled, he let me tell him the whole entire story from Joseph of Arimathea asking for the body of Jesus through His resurrection. And the whole time he listened so attentively, and whispered, "Yeah. Yeah," after each sentence. It was so sweet. And then we said a prayer together thanking Jesus for suffering and dying for us so we could repent and be forgiven of our bad choices and live with Him again someday, and that He conquered death so that we could be resurrected also. And that Jesus did it because He loves us so much. It was just such an incredible attention span for a "two-a-half" year old (as Christian says). It makes me so happy to see him learn about Jesus and actually listen and absorb it.

So after our prayer, I held him a while longer and whispered, " You make me so happy, buddy." Christian whispered, "You make me so happy too." Chuckling to myself at his adorable reciprocity, I said, "I'm so proud of you." He whispered, "I'm so proud of you too." I said, "Thanks, buddy!" He said, "You're welcome." I said, "Where did you learn to be so polite?" He said, "I don't know!" I said, "I love you so much, Christian." And before I was even done, "I love you so much too." I said, "You're the the best boy."

And Christian said, "You're the best mudder."

What better Mother's Day gift could I ask for?

Funeral for Eric's Uncle Dave

On Saturday, we attended the funeral for Eric's uncle, David Brode, in Carson City. Eric was actually talking to Dave in the very moment that he passed away. It was kind of a sacred experience for Eric, and I hope I can get him to write more about it, since I wasn't there. Pretty amazing, though.

Eric's parents came to stay with us, as well as his sisters, Christie and Jenny, and Jenny's friend Catherine. It was great to see everyone. Catherine is an incredible musician, and was asked to provide a musical number for the funeral service (one of Uncle David's favorite songs, "Somewhere My Love") So she brought her guitar, and we benefited from it during her all-too-short stay with us. Eric's dad is also very musically talented (both he and Catherine actually play in bluegrass groups in their spare time), and he brought his fiddle and his ukulele.

Early Morning Jam Session

First thing this morning, we had the greatest jam session right in our den! The bluegrass pros plus the budding talent, Christian, on the bugle (watch out for his musical talent in the future - he has the genes and the interest) It was incredible! I wish it could have gone on all day!




Anyway, the funeral service was nice, but I spent the whole time in the lobby of the funeral home trying to wrangle Christian and keep him from being a distraction in any way, so I'm the least qualified to comment on it. Eric said the closing prayer, and did a really good job. The family said repeatedly to me what a blessing Eric had been to them in the last week of Uncle Dave's life.


I think they relied on Eric partly because they looked to him as a
proxy for his dad, who, as I see it, is revered by pretty much everyone in his family, and partly because they looked to Eric as a spiritual leader, something that possibly has been missing in their lives. I'm really glad he was listening to the Spirit and was able to help them at such an important time.


David Brode served in the Navy, so there was a Navy Honor Guard at the burial site. Amazingly, Christian watched it all reverently, which was perfect.

After the funeral, there was a family luncheon at Eric's cousin, Tina's, house. I don't know that side of the family really well, but they were just all so sweet and wonderful. We had even more amazing music there at the house with LeAnn's talented daughter and her fiddle, coupled with Eric's dad's and Catherine's guitar. It was amazing, and so fun. Too bad I spent most of the time in the backyard making sure Christian didn't get himself killed while having the time of his life on a trampoline with 3 big kids. He got filthy, but the fun was worth it.

Christian also met a little friend his age, Trevor. They just had a blast once they got to know each other. Here they shared a refreshing glass of water (notice how flushed they look from playing so hard). Christian was even clinking cups together and saying, "Cheers!" I'm not sure where he learned that.

It was a nice day with the family.

One of These Days: To all our friends from Omaha

At the end of April, Eric took a trip back to Nebraska for continuing education at Creighton (where he attended dental school). We really loved Omaha, so I was crushed that I wasn't able to go with him. Unfortunately, his trip was kind of a let-down in general because none of his friends from school attended the Spring Dental Assembly this year. And as most of our friends have graduated and moved away, there aren't many people to visit. Even our favorite, favorite frozen custard place, Sheridan's, (a true staple of my, or should I say, our diet when I was pregnant) had tragically shut down. It just wasn't the same. And that's bad, because that means I will never get to go back.

It's three years this month that Eric graduated from dental school. It's hard to believe. Our life has changed so much. And yet, we haven't forgotten that special time that we spent in Omaha. When we moved there, I was so sad to leave all of our dear friends in Las Vegas, but I knew that at the end of four years we would be just as sad to leave Omaha. I just still have so much love for the people we knew there, even for the city itself. It was truly a magical time.

While Eric was in Omaha, I was visiting my family in Utah. I was lucky enough to hook up with our dear friends, Zach and Mary, just weeks before they will head off to Canada for Zach's orthodontic residency (hooray Zach!). They were some of our closest friends from dental school. Zach and Eric were often mistaken for each other, probably because of their choice of hairstyle. Mary was called to be Relief Society President right after me, which just cemented a bond between us that was begun by an uncanny similarity in the movies we love. Anyway, the visit reminded me of how much I miss them, and how much we miss that special time we had when we all lived next door to each other and shared so much.

This is a video that Eric made just months after we moved away from Omaha. He was feeling kind of nostalgic (and a tad lonely in our new city). I guess we both were. It features a sample of pictures from the last couple of years of dental school through graduation. It represents some funny times and good memories, but by no means does it capture all of our dear friends from dental school. To all of you (and you know who you are): We love you. We miss you. And you are not forgotten.

I Love Sir Percival Blakeney

We just watched "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (starring the amazing Anthony Andrews and the exquisitely beautiful Jane Seymour) with Eric's mom who is visiting. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. It has everything. Comedy, action, drama, suspense, and, of course, romance.

Now, it's kind of my policy to refrain from discussing what imaginary (and unfortunately unrealistic people) I am in love with in my dreams, but since only girls are reading this at this point, I have a confession. I am in love with Sir Percy. Sigh.

If you watch the video, the funny part is at the beginning - well more like the middle (but it only makes sense if you know the plot), and the romance is toward the end of the clip. It was the best clip I could find with actual dialogue.

Have any of you seen this? If not, I decree that a girls night is in order. Actually, Eric likes this movie too because it's funny, has a good plot, and great script. So I guess guys could come too. I just won't sigh out loud.

Can anyone tell me how to personalize the look of this blog?

You all have such sassy looking blogs....how?

The Luckiest Girl in the World

Okay, so I'm feeling more than a little self-conscious about all of the people that are checking my anemic blog. Last week at a church function, no fewer than 5 people told me I needed to post more on my blog - and I had only decided the day before to actually do it (in addition to the family website I was already doing). Baby steps, people!:)

Also, I am really trying to concentrate on getting more sleep, and getting to bed early so that my waking up at 5 am to work out doesn't actually drive me over the edge of insanity that I regularly walk...or kill me. It's really messing up my journaling time, which is usually too late at night. So have patience with me.

This morning we had our Music Makers class (some of the girls at church - six of us - each teach a 10 minute portion of a really cute music class for our young children). It's really fun, at least in theory. But sometimes it's just insanely chaotic (which is, in truth, still fun for the kids, but not exactly what it's intended to be), and I sing and dance around like a crazy person with hardly anyone else paying attention. And of course, getting us fed and dressed and dishes done and all of our puppets, musical instruments, Cd's, CD players, bubbles, and props, lunch or snacks packed for the gym or errands afterward, and out the door on time is for some reason one of my life's greatest obstacles. Those of you who know me well know that I can't be on time to anything to save my life. If anyone finds out the secret to getting an ounce of an internal sense of time, please let me know and save me an entire lifetime of humiliation. But until then, I beg you, tell me I need to be there 10-20 minutes before I actually do. It will work, I promise.

After Music Makers, we had an impromptu lunch at a friend's house. But just getting Christian out of the church parking lot where there is oh so much to explore and into the car was a battle of epic proportions. Christian is just so independent now, and he just WILL NOT COME when I call him. I am at my wit's end, not to mention my patience, because it is frequently dangerous, we are frequently in a hurry (what does Christian care that we are running late?) and always exasperating. I don't know if it's my realization that I have no control over him, or the realization that I have no plan or parenting philosophy to adequately deal with this disobedience that is so frustrating. My pre-parenting plan that I cling to is to only ask once and then the consequences come. But sometimes he's running away, and I can't reach him after the first warning, plus he is so strong now that I have a hard time physically controlling him. And I don't want to spank him, since I'm desperately trying to teach him not to hit me when he's frustrated. Sitting on a chair works well (for the moment) when we are at home, but what about when we are out? What do I threaten? Ahhhhggh!

Anyway, Christian wouldn't come when I called, in spite of the promise of a play date. I got him all the way to the car, and then while searching for my keys, he ran off again toward a the little drainage ditch by the parking lot, and WOULD NOT COME BACK. I actually bellowed at him to come back, but he just kept running. So I got in the car, and started to drive over to him (faster than me running after him). Well, Christian came running out of the drainage ditch, yelling for me to wait for him. The look of true terror on his face I can say I have never seen before, and it was heartbreaking. I felt so bad. I mean, happy that he actually got in the car, but sad that he thought I might leave him.

Anyway, at our friend's house, Christian, in his usual fashion, played HARD, and had so much fun that he screamed and kicked when I picked him up to leave. Big surprise.

I was planning on going home, but decided to go to the grocery store quickly for a few things I really needed right away. Well, Christian must have really been worn out from playing hard, because he actually fell asleep in the shopping cart. That has NEVER happened before. I picked him up and he just nestled into my shoulder and slept in my arms through the checkout lane. I so rarely get a chance to just hold him without resistance (he is always on the move), that I couldn't help but just nuzzle and kiss him repeatedly on his soft little cheek.

As we were walking out of the grocery store, and I thought of how big (and heavy) he's grown, we passed an elderly couple on their way in, slow, and bent with age. I smiled at them, and they smiled back. I thought of how often older people will stop me and look wistfully at Christian, and tell me to enjoy every minute. That they grow up so fast.

At that moment, holding my precious boy in my arms, I was struck with the thought that I am the luckiest girl in the whole world. Yeah, things haven't always gone the way I would have chosen if I was in control of the world. Yeah we didn't get to have a baby until we had been married for ten long years. Yeah, I wish we had already had another one before Christian was too old for them to be playmates. And yeah, I wish we could have another one soon so that I have time to ever have any more before my time runs out. Yeah, I'm a total stress case and sometimes feel so overwhelmed with my daily trials and challenges that I just feel like running away or at least hiding my head under the covers (yes... a bed... sleep sounds nice). But if I never had any other children, or any other blessings besides the unbelievable, amazing blessing of getting to be Christian's mom, I would still be the luckiest girl in the world.

P.S. How long can I get away with calling myself a girl?