Other shtuff

As for a re-cap on other happenings 'round these parts, here's a sampling:

 We baked sugar cookies out of a classic 1957 Betty Crocker kids' cookbook from my mom.

 Clara pretended to be a dog. Or a bear. Or a lion. She doesn't like to be anything scary, though--a "baby lion" or a "cub" or a "puppy" is infinitely preferable over the adult version. At our house, asking Clara to do something in a regular voice does not always guarantee compliance. But saying it in an "Ernie" voice or a "puppy" voice or an anything voice pretty much does.

Clara had hat day at Cub Run Elementary.

 Michael let Clara watch the classic version of "The Karate Kid" with him several weeks ago. Since then, Clara continually wants us to be Mr. Miyagi (she has dubbed me Mrs. Miyagi) and she is "Miyagi-daughter." We have to use the right voice, or she corrects us. She especially loves it when Michael gives her a "karate lesson."

 We went to the children's museum on Charlottesville over Spring Break. It was pretty paltry, I must say, but it was a fun diversion.

This was the coolest part--the tubes blow air and shoot out different handkerchiefs or sponge balls.

See my next post for a video of me in my pregnant splendor. Or something.

Easter

I didn't realize I hadn't posted these pictures. Man, I am behind. I have been very unmotivated to do things on the blog--maybe it's because I am not happy with its current design. Or I'm lazy. Or I'm stressed. Or lazy.

I love Easter and had big plans to spend each day reading about the last week of Christ's life, doing the Resurrection Eggs for Family Home Evening, etc. That all went to pot when I went down to Atlanta, which I don't regret, but it did make our Easter a bit less meaningful than I would like in the future.

Anyway, here are some highlights of our brief Easter festivities.

 Normally we do our egg hunt on Saturday, but Michael couldn't be there so we had it on Friday.

 I made Hyrum carry around a basket--of course, it didn't fit all his eggs, but whatever. I mean, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a photo of a large teenage boy in a sweatsuit with an itty-bitty Easter basket, could I?

 The loot--I bought too much candy, even though I thought I was being lean this time. Well, live and learn. Speaking of learning, Clara seems to prefer non-chocolate candy to the chocolate candy (crazy), so next year she might just be getting some jelly beans and gumballs and we'll call it good.

We dyed eggs--Hyrum couldn't be there because he had a tournament, I believe. Anyway, I loved the tradition of dying eggs growing up, but I don't think my family is a big fan of hard-boiled eggs--I am not sure if Michael ate more than three, and Clara didn't eat any. I think it's because they're a pain to peel. Not sure if we'll do it again next year.

Speaking of peeling, when I was in Atlanta I watched a youtube video with my brother Bryan about how to blow the peel off an egg, and we did it and it worked! But then when I came home and tried to reproduce it, I was unsuccessful and must at some time redeem myself to prove to the menfolk that it is possible.

I love Easter and its message of hope, don't you?

Circus time questions

I have never been to the circus. It hasn't been a life dream of mine. But when the circus came to town, and we had some coupons, we decided to go for it. It was fun, but I won't chalk it up as life-changing. I kept thinking things like,

 "Those poor tigers! I wonder how they are treated," and "How does someone get a job as a tiger tamer? How much does he get paid?"

 Other questions entered my mind as well. "That poor kid. Is she homeschooled while the circus travels around? Does she like that elephant or is this a family business and she just has a part to play?"

 "Is it possible for these metal folding chairs with the chipped red and yellow paint to get any more uncomfortable?"

 "How can I get myself a pair of shiny red pants like that?"

"Are those dogs having fun, and do they enjoy wearing sequins?"

 All in all, I am glad we went, but I won't feel the need to see the circus on a regular basis.

I would like to know how they cut the magician in half, though. Guess I'm a sucker for neat magic tricks.

Spontaneity at an end

On our last full day in Atlanta, we went to the Fernbank Science Museum with Bryan and Emily.

I hadn't been there in years, and we enjoyed the kid-centered exhibits.

 These three Musketeers were so photogenic I couldn't resist taking more pictures, even when they weren't really paying attention.

 Yikes! Ferocious dinosaurs on the loose.

 Just a short trip down the river in the canoe we hewed out of a large log, all by ourselves.

 Giant bubbles = every child's (and adult's) dream.

Gotta end on a silly face.

After we had absorbed as much history and science as we could, we stopped by The Varsity to get lunch. It was my first time being inside (rather shameful for someone who lived most of her life outside of Atlanta).

 Of course I had to order the traditional frozen orange drink. We shared one and it was good, but I couldn't finish it. Guess I had filled up on that burger and all those fries. And Clara's grilled cheese.

The whole gang--apparently Clay and I were the only ones cool enough to wear the hat.

We also dropped by my oldest brother's house for a brief visit, which was great. Families are the best.

The next morning we headed back to Harrisonburg, which welcomed us with temperatures twenty or so degrees cooler. It was a memory-filled trip and I am so glad I made it while I can still fit behind the steering wheel.

Spontaneous continued

After our visit with the Weilers, we spent a night at my brother Clay's house. Their girls were in school still, but Clara's favorite part was jumping on their trampoline. Lia, their three-year-old, is such a cutie pie. My favorite part was just chatting with Amie and enjoying wonderful company.

 When my brother Clay came home, he kindly played with them on the trampoline, which Clara absolutely loved.  Wish I had gotten a pic.

Faith arrived home from school, and she and Clara were found on her bunk bed playing the iPad. Clara uses iPads at school and loves them. Are they really worth it, though?

For Family Home Evening that night, Clay and Amie had planned a special lesson/activity based on Elder Quentin L. Cook's talk last year about the young woman whose purse had been found. We made juice carton coin purses--they turned out quite spiffy but definitely required adult help.

 When we went to Bryan and Emily's house the next day, Clara and Grace opened a beauty spa (grace a Fancy Nancy). Grace painted my toenails, Clara did my hair, and Grace painted Emily's fingernails. They each gave me and Emily a hand massage with lotion. Ooh la la!

These kids got along well, and it filled my heart with joy. Grace and Clara wanted to be matching, so I did their hair the same way and Grace found a similar outfit. Poor Clay was a bit excluded, but he bore it well and was a great sport.

And then we went to Fernbank and the Varsity! To be continued...

Spontaneous

Spontaneity is not one of my strengths. A recent example:

MICHAEL: Honey, how would you like to go to a movie tonight?

ME: Um, well, it's a school night, and I have to get Clara to bed on time, and I'm tired . . . can you give me more notice and then I'll go another time?

(What person turns down a date night?! Me, apparently.)

Anyway, a week ago Friday, I decided to buck my stick-in-the-mud tendencies and leave the following day to drive down to Atlanta for Spring Break. Michael had to stay here since he had patients, but Hyrum, Clara, and I left at 5:00am on Saturday and then returned home the following Thursday.

It was a wonderful trip, and I was so proud of myself, even though I was having figurative heart palpitations leaving in such a rush and driving most of the nine-hour drive both ways. (I did let Hyrum drive for a little while. He did a good job and was patient with my side-seat driving.) We were grateful for the Lord's blessings of safety as well.

We jammed a lot of good stuff in, besides watching a wonderful General Conference, of course.

 Playing "boat" on the top bunk with Weiler cousins.

Some of my beautiful Weiler sisters-in-law during Sunday morning brunch.

 Reading "The Clone Wars" with Grandma (Yes, that was the book that Clara checked out from the school library--she loves it, for some odd reason.).

It was lovely, lovely, lovely.

To be continued . . .

The Big 17

Our "son" is now 17 years old; can you believe it?!

For his birthday, Hyrum requested (at my insistence that he pick something) homemade pizza for dinner, and a cookie cake and ice cream for dessert.

 We also regaled him with gifts (haha)--lots of new socks (I couldn't handle the old ones with all the holes!) and a stability ball for exercising. Here we are teaching Hyrum how to do "heavy heavy hang over," a Dunford family tradition where you hold the gift over the giver's head and say, "Heavy heavy hang over thy pour head, what do you wish this person with a bump (and then bump the gift down on the person's head) on the head?" Then the recipient has to wish the giver something good out loud. Hyrum wished Michael that he'd hit under 90 on a par 18 course this year. Michael liked that wish a lot.

 Hyrum's seminary teacher makes gourmet cupcakes and she made him a dozen (some are missing here--I might have snuck one) for his birthday. Amazing.

 The whole family--note Hyrum's height and precarious position. We literally took this pic on timer probably five times because it was argued that the driveway slanted slightly and either Michael or Hyrum were on their tippy toes, trying to prove who is taller. For the record, Michael is still slightly taller than Hyrum.

I am swallowing my pride in showing this picture, I'll have you know.

Clara gave him a kiss and a hug and continually said, "Happy birthday Hyrum!" or "It's your birthday celebration, Hyrum!"

Of late

For those who haven't heard via Facebook or texting, we are having a boy! He was definitely not shy about it.

Clara handled the news better than expected (after saying "Grrrr!!!!" she then immediately followed it with "I'm having a baby brother!"). I have been trying to prep her a little about what it's going to be like, but quite frankly, I think it's impossible and even I don't know exactly how it will be...except that I am not going to be sleeping and will have to fill my house with baby stuff again.

I confess I am not looking forward to the clutter. You get used to things being a certain way, and seven and a half years is a long time.

But I am looking forward to my hip not hurting so much. And being able to sleep on my back. And hopefully a gradual reduction in comments about how big I am. And of course to baby smiles and laughter and running around and trains and balls and fun boy behavior. I like boys and always have--I told Michael before we got married that I just wanted to have boys. But I wouldn't trade Clara for any other kid in the world.



Moving on again.

So in the "nesting" mode, I am trying to start and finish a project I've wanted to do for a long time--create a cookbook. I dream of having one place that contains all my favorite recipes so I don't have to browse through so many books, a fat binder, etc.

It's a lot of work, and I realize that creating a book about food when I'm not often in the mood to cook is not the best idea. It has made me want to go try new recipes because I feel discontented with my own collection. I hope I can get it done. We will see.

One of my photo attempts. Taking pictures of food is hard when you don't know what you're doing and have a point-and-shoot camera that is over seven years old.

Here are a few random pictures of late--Clara has wanted me to take some shots of her since I have the camera out more often in the kitchen lately.

 Showing off her muscles.

 If reading were a fever, this girl would be aflame.

Planting a "truffula" seed she got from school.

Here's to hoping that the next four months fly by!

The past two weeks

The weather has been very mild and unpredictable here this winter. It's been nice, but it does make me fear an unpleasant summer.

So, we were happy when we got about a half-inch of snow last Monday, even though it didn't last through the day.

I was thrilled to use the excuse to put on our snow pants (I could barely zip mine up) and snow boots.

It was fun trying to peg Hyrum--too bad my aim is less than stellar. I made a large snowball and put it in the shade, and Hyrum and I predicted when it would be melt. Hyrum totally won.

At the end of the week, the day was blustery. Michael came home early from work on Saturday to spend some family time, and we decided to fly kites. At first we thought, "Let's make a kite!" After looking at patterns online, we said, "Let's go to Target and buy a kite!" Best decision ever, especially for a $2.50 Barbie kite.

 Clara enjoyed running with the kite, although the wind was playing tricks on us and jerking that kite this way and that, sometimes plummeting it straight into the dirt.

 After we grew tired of the kite, we enjoyed throwing Michael's purchase: a large styrofoam plane. I was concerned it would break (especially when I threw it), but fortunately it was designed so the wings just fall off and can be easily reaffixed. Genius.

 Michael got this baby to go about a hundred feet. Very cool.

And finally, Michael took this shot of us yesterday after I had climbed under the covers with Clara to snuggle for a few minutes before we began the morning school prep rush. I secretly love turning Clara's light on, seeing her slightly smile through her sleepy, closed eyes, and turn over, telling me she wants to stay in bed all day and "Can I just have three more minutes, Mama?" And when she wears this white nightgown, she is just about as cute as she can get. Minus the killer morning breath.

Not a waste

We took Clara roller skating for the first time at a church-sponsored activity. (My friend, Emily, and I decided that the skating rink is maybe one step up from the bowling alley.)

I shamefully confess I was bracing myself for another bowling-type experience, but to our pleasure, Clara really loved it.

 They had these little scooter things that the kids could use, and that helped enormously.  It also helped that there were lots of little kids there, familiar faces, and nice music.

Michael graciously went around with her, while I happily sat on the side. Pregnancy was my perfect excuse, but quite frankly I have terrible balance and probably wouldn't have wanted to skate even if I hadn't been.

 She even went solo for a little while.

This girl did not want to leave when it was time to go. In her prayer that night, as I was helping her pray, I said, "Thank Thee that we could go bowling," which she repeated but then added to it, "even though I did not do well." I asked her after the prayer why she felt like she hadn't done well, and she commented that another girl didn't need a scooter thing to hold on to.

Well, perhaps it will be something to work toward for another time.

Off to the Caribbean

My parents have planned on serving a mission together for years, and last Monday they entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Their assignment is to be public affairs missionaries in the Caribbean, a mission which covers thirteen countries.

I am excited for them and proud of their dedication to the Lord. They have sacrificed a lot to get to this point, selling most of their household goods, renting their house out, selling their truck, etc., not to mention leaving their children and grandchildren. Their service is already a blessing to their posterity, an added bonus to the hundreds of people they will bless during their 23-month mission in the Caribbean.

Here they are in the MTC, taking the classic map picture as they point to where they are headed.

We will miss them, but we are excited for their new adventure.

A waste

Clara was sad that I wasn't going to let her have a birthday party this year, but I told her we could do something fun as a family, like going bowling. She was very excited about that.

I wish I had said something like, "We'll rent a kid movie and snuggle together with popcorn!" That would have been a whole lot more fun, not to mention cheaper.

First of all, we had less than an hour to bowl because we had to get Hyrum to a stake youth committee meeting.

 Secondly, it was crazy expensive.

Thirdly, Clara did not want to roll her ball down the lane. She got very upset and started crying. This kind of situation is tricky because on the one hand, we know that Clara has a hard time with new places, transitions, loud noises, etc., and we want to be understanding. But on the other hand, there are times when a firm, no-nonsense attitude is required. Michael told her to stop crying, or--I can't remember what the consequence was--oh, I think it was something like, "Clara, if this is how you're going to act when we try to go bowling, then I don't think we want to take you to Disney World next year." (Clara has been wanting to go and we are hoping we can go next year some time. Another lesson learned: Don't tell your kid about things too far in advance.)

Apparently that was enough motivation because she did stop crying and did try to push the ball down the lane a couple of times. Then I asked one of the employees if we could use one of those ramp thingies, which he--very reluctantly--went and got out of the closet.

 That helped a lot, but even still, Clara wasn't interested in bowling after about six frames.

I realized that a pregnant person probably should not be bowling, so I only did it a few times before I felt like I should stop.

So it ended up that Hyrum and Michael bowled for me and Clara as well as for themselves. Hyrum trounced us all, then we hurried to the car and grabbed food on the way to his ride's house.

 Good thing I got this pic to make me remember something positive about this experience.

Michael told me afterwards (or maybe during), "We are never going bowling again."

And I totally agreed.