Hess Farm visit

A few days before Halloween, we visited one of the traditional pumpkin patch places 'round these parts with some old BYU friends, Bill and Lisa Fredericks, and their four adorable boys. We have some classic pics of carving pumpkins with Bill and Lisa from our early years at BYU, so it's nice to come full circle.

 Most of the clan. Here we are waiting for the pig race to begin.

 And they're off!

 And they've stopped.

It was so hilarious--they would run a few feet and then stop to root around in the track for food, so the guy would have to whistle and shoo them along to make it around the track. Apparently these pigs weren't bred to compete.

One of the "race heats" had pigs named from Pirates of the Caribbean, er, Piglets of the Caribbean, such as "Captain Jack Spare-rib," "Miss Elizabeth Swine," and "Captain Boar-bosa."

Clara rode on the "cow train" with Sammy--poor Sammy didn't love being in such tight quarters but I was very very proud of Clara for getting and staying on the train by herself without us.

 Picking our pumpkins and gourds.

 Clara loved hanging out with these sweet boys.

Of course the grown-ups had to have a turn, too.

It was a fun outing on a beautiful fall day.

Halloween

Is anyone else noticing the gradual decline of blog posts amongst bloggy friends (I am guessing due to Facebook)? I don't post much on Facebook but am a lurker and even I have found myself being less bloggy of late. In fact, I thought I had already posted these on the blog, only to discover I had just put them on Facebook instead. What are your thoughts about the rise of FB? 

Anyway, this Halloween was pretty low-key. We took the kids to the church Halloween party and then we opted not to take Clara out on Halloween night because she'd gotten plenty of candy and didn't really seem to care. Instead, we stayed home and watched The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Way more fun than braving the cold!

 Clara was "Wonder Girl" from the PBS Kids show--I am not sure she has even seen a full episode (maybe at school or something?). Anyway, there was a lot of anxiety about what she was going to be, and this was a day-of decision. It worked and she got candy, so no complaints there.

 Michael borrowed a fellow dentist's mascot costume, Timmy the Tooth. Clara absolutely LOVED it. In fact, I will probably have to do a whole separate post on Clara's adoration of "non-talking mascots," as she calls them.

 Me and my little pumpkin.

Two handsome fellers.

The temple

Just like the temples described in the Old and New Testament, we have temples on the earth today. It was a perfect fall day for a trip to Washington, D.C., and we were so grateful for Hyrum coming to babysit.

So grateful for families. Truly a divine institution.

The rest of NYC

We enjoyed FAO Schwarz, of course. My question is does anyone actually buy the lifesize animals in the main display area? Not only are they hundreds of dollars, but how on earth would you transport them home?

 Loved the giant candy--yes, that is one single Snickers. It says "Slice 'n Share" on it. Wish I'd gotten a pic of the giant Reese's Cups.

 A Circle Line boat tour was a highlight of the trip--it lasted two hours and we got to see the beautiful skyline of Manhattan as well as learn about the various landmarks. Seated from left to right are my brother Bryan, his wife Emily, my brother Ben, and his wife Jaclyn.

 Seated from left to right: My brother Clay, his wife Amie, my brother Adam, and his wife Wendi.

 Seated from left to right: Us, then my sister Heather, and her husband John.

 The tall building on the left is the new Freedom Tower, which will be finished in 2014, I believe. By the end of construction it will be the tallest building in the United States (or maybe the continent?).

 Lady Liberty--she looks a lot smaller in person than you'd think.

 Enjoying a brisk breeze on the top of the boat!

 Lots of neat bridges, too.

 One night we all went out to Tony di Napoli's before everyone--minus us--went to a Broadway show. It was fun to share lots of pasta dishes around the huge round table.

 Can I just say how much smartphones were used on this getaway? Unfortunately Michael and I don't have them yet, but thank goodness for texting because there was no way--at least, not as easily--we could have done all this without them.

 The ubiquitous phones again. (Apparently Ben just got some bad news. Either that or he was checking the scores.)

 Getting a decent breakfast is always a must for me, and I loved Jamba Juice's protein smoothies and oatmeal. Michael loves fresh juice and was digging his freshly squeezed OJ.

 With Wendi on top of the Rockefeller Center. My left arm felt like it was going to fall off from holding Robbie like this so much when he'd get sick of the Ergo.

 Handsome brothers, but missing John (since he and Heather lived here, they didn't feel the need to go up to the top again) and Matt.

Sisters-in-law! So fun, but again we missed Heather in this pic as well as Tana.

The view of Times Square from our hotel window.

It was so fun to hang out with my siblings. I confess I am not a big city girl in any way, shape, or form. I loved walking through Central Park to get a sense of peace again. But I am so glad that we went and got to experience the Big Apple. And it made me so glad I have such great brothers and sisters.

NYC with a baby

Traveling can be stressful.

Traveling with a three-month-old can be more so.

Traveling to New York City by train, navigating the city's subways, and then still managing to enjoy yourself just takes everything to another level.

Places I Nursed Robbie:

1. On the train
2. In our hotel
3. In Shake Shack while snarfing down a hamburger
4. In Carnegie Deli at the table while waiting for my enormous plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes
5. In Carnegie Deli (after Robbie didn't like #4) while sitting on the toilet inside the smallest bathroom stall ever (after which I asked a stranger to hold him while I washed my hands)
6. In the American Museum of Natural History while sitting on a bench next to a stuffed tiger display

I really missed my beloved "Brest Friend" but managed to survive without it.

Places I Changed Robbie's Diaper:

1. On Michael's lap on the train
2. In the handicapped stall of the American Museum of Natural History (on a fold-out table)
3. On the dirty tile floor of Shake Shack (fortunately I had a mat)
4. On top of a cardboard box in the corner of the Lego store

Robbie was an easy-going traveler, despite some crying when being overtired or in a loud restaurant. We took the stroller and car seat on the train, which was a good idea since we had so much stuff to carry. During the day, Michael and I switched off carrying him in the Ergo front carrier. He didn't love it and tended to take little cat naps, but I felt like all three of us did pretty well, all things considered. He liked the motion of walking, the subways, and the train. Stopping? Not so much. It was truly a tender mercy that I didn't lose his pacifier until the last day on the train, and even then miraculously there was another one in a diaper bag somehow.

I was also gratefully surprised by all the unasked-for help we received from strangers. On at least three occasions, a stranger came up to us and asked us where we needed to go or had overheard our conversation and corrected our subway plans. At Penn Station when we needed to find an elevator to get down to our train, the awesome Amtrak employee actually walked with us to the elevator, got on it, walked with us to the next elevator, and got on it as well until we were down by our track.

A sweet baby and nice people (and helpful siblings!) sure make traveling with an infant easier.

NYC, there's something about you

Last weekend, Michael and I had the privilege of going to New York City with five of my six siblings without our kids. (My oldest brother, Matt, and his wife, Tana, were sorely missed.)

When my sister Heather made the arrangements last fall we were on board, but then we discovered we were going to have a baby. However, I knew that if I didn't go I would feel like a martyr. Michael's mom was gracious enough to come up (and leave her daughter and two new grandbaby twins!) to watch Clara--and Hyrum--for us. We brought Robbie along, which made for quite an adventure.

 Clara was enormously excited to spend time with her Grandma. Here they were waving goodbye to us (I'm not sure if Clara even missed us.).

We drove to D.C. for the first night and then took Amtrak up to NYC the following morning. Minus the facts that there are no assigned seats and that we had to get a large stroller on board in addition to our luggage, riding a train was a sweet way to travel--more leg room, no seatbelts, and a laid-back atmosphere made for a very pleasant trip.

 Robbie really likes to hold on to my hair. Apparently eating it isn't too bad, either.

 My brother, Adam, brought Dunford donuts all the way from Utah for all to enjoy.

 Hanging out as we all got to the hotel. It was so dang fun to be with my siblings.

 Adam and Clay, messing around and being funny as usual.

 My sister Heather was so great with Robbie, as were my other sisters-in-law. I'm not sure if he was aware of how many adoring fans he had, but I sure was grateful for more hands to hold him.

To be continued . . .

Captions

It is difficult for Clara to maintain eye contact with a camera. Combine that with our nearly eight-year-old dinosaur with a ridiculously slow shutter speed and you get a lethal combination. Thanks to digital technology we can take as many shots as we need, but sometimes after four or five attempts you just have to cut your losses.

 "How about I just look slightly to the left of the camera? Does that count?"

 "Ooh, something is really interesting over there!"

 (Okay, I just had to sneak this one in.)

 "Yo, what up. At least I'm looking at the camera, dawg."

 "You want me to look at the camera? That is the most hilarious thing I have ever heard in my entire life!"

"Please take all the time you need. We'll wait."

Intentional

Last week we watched some of my family's old video footage from when me and my siblings were young. I know that family movies tend to capture only the good times, but I was sat in amazement as I realized how much my parents did for us. Did with us. My parents did things with an end goal in mind--good kids and an eternal family--so they did things with intention. They didn't just let the days pass by and wait for that magical day when we would have plenty of time for fun family activities, or when we would suddenly have money to do big vacations, or the day when we would make our own family orchestra. With seven children, financial resources were always all accounted for well before everything that we kids wanted could be had. Different personalities meant that probably there was always someone who was ticked off at somebody else. There was never enough time. There was always something else to pull attention away from the family. Teaching and encouraging us to be capable, hard-working, creative, and obedient to them and the Lord while also nurturing our individual personalities was no doubt an incredible challenge (I just have two and feel overwhelmed at times), but they moved forward with purpose and intention without waiting for the elusive perfect time or day to appear.

Just a random pic from a recent drive in the Shenandoah Mountains.

We've made family plans/goals a couple of times now but haven't been very good about following up on them and making sure those goals are in the forefront of our minds when we decide to do something. Is an activity going to bring us closer to or further from our goals? Is my spending time on the Internet--stalking recipe blogs or catching up on Facebook or trying to find that pair of jeans that will fit me in my weird post-pregnancy body--helping me become the person I want to become? When I compare myself or my situation or my children to others, am I empowering us to reach our full potential, or am I dragging us down? Sometimes I forget that I will be judged by how I use my time, and that the better I use my time, the more peace I will feel (e.g. when I make dinner in the morning, I am always happier and calmer in the busy evening, but how often do I successfully do I do it?). God has a plan for each of His children to return to Him again. Do I have a plan for how I am going to fulfill my stewardship as a daughter, wife, mother, and woman and follow His plan? Or is life going to pass me by while my mind is occupied by the things that matter least in the long run?

In other news, I took Clara to get her hair cut at a hair place last week for the first time. She was nervoua and told me she didn't want to and almost started crying while we were there. However, a tender mercy appeared in the form of a school secretary who was getting her hair cut right before us, and she encouraged Clara and helped her feel better. The hair stylist, Robin, was an angel and Clara did so well, sitting up tall in the chair, even letting Robin keep the clip in her hair when she really wanted it to come out. I was quite proud of her. I felt so, well, normal, having a typical mother-daughter experience. It was great.

She loved her swing bob haircut, especially after Robin straightened it with an iron.

But of course, after washing (and after just sleeping on it) it bounced right back up with even more wave than before. So now I'm debating on whether to straighten her hair every few days to make it more manageable. Don't you just love seeing your own vanity reflected in your efforts to make your kids look good?

Anyway, just Friday thoughts.

Birthday re-cap

I wanted to quickly post a few pics from my birthday while Robbie's asleep and before Clara gets off the bus.

Michael took the day off and I told him I wanted to go on a hike in the Shenandoah Mountains that morning. So after getting Clara on the bus, we drove up to the South River Falls trail and had a lovely time.

 At the falls--don't you love the self-timer?

Robbie was a trooper in the Ergo. He was also a nice little sweaty furnace for his papa.

That evening Michael made me a fabulous brownie cake. I am glad there weren't thirty candles because the heat from the ones we had was enough to singe my eyebrows off.

Another classic self-timer shot. Unfortunately Robbie was asleep and Hyrum was at a friend's house.

And in other news, this kid just keeps getting cuter and cuter. He has rolled over several times and is only ten weeks. Michael's mom told me that Michael started walking at nine months . . . oh dear.

Conversations with Clara

CLARA: Last night I had a bad dream.
MICHAEL: What did you dream about?
CLARA: I dreamed that I killed Ursula.
MICHAEL: How'd you kill her?
CLARA: With a battle droid.

CLARA: I want to wear my tutu to school.
ME: You can't wear your tutu to school, but maybe I could show Ms. Parks some pictures of you in your tutu.
CLARA: I'm ignoring your suggestion.

CLARA: (while eating beef stew) This looks like (and then proceeds to finger-spell P-O-O-E). (poop-ee)
ME: (laughing)

CLARA: For Halloween, can you be Mary, and Daddy can be Joseph . . . and Hyrum can be a donkey?
ME: (laughing)
CLARA: It's NOT a joke. I am serious. 

CLARA: Terrorists flew a plane into the twin towers.
ME: (amazed) Um, yeah, that's right.
CLARA: And the fourth plane flew into, uh, the Pentagon.
ME: How did you learn that?
CLARA: Ms. Sager. (her music teacher)
ME: Why was she telling you about that?
CLARA: We are learning patriotic songs.

MICHAEL: That is the bomb. (I can't remember what he was referring to.)
CLARA: I hate bombs!
ME: No, Clara, "the bomb" means that something is very cool. It's just an expression.
CLARA: (in a whisper to me) He likes bombs. I don't!

CLARA: (after I poured her a glass of milk) Is this breastmilk?
ME: Uh, no . . . it's just regular milk.
CLARA: Well, it looks yellow.

Thirty Happy Things

Today I turn thirty years old. It's been a wonderful day. While it seems that some dread this day, I have looked forward to it for a long time. For some reason I have no problem getting older--I think it might be because as the youngest of seven children, I always wanted to be older and somehow "catch up" to my older siblings. Most of my friends are older than I am as well, for some reason.

I feel very happy today. I thought I'd make a list of thirty things that make me happy, in no particular order.

1. Going to bed by 9:30.
2. Hearing the dishwasher running and leaving the kitchen with clean counters and a shiny sink before going to bed.
3. When Clara says, "Ro-bbie! Don't do that!" in a funny baby-ish voice whenever he squirts in his diaper or spits out his pacifier.
4. Robbie's amazing smiles.
5. Giving Clara a massage with apricot oil while listening to quiet music, something we did sometimes when she was a toddler and which she has asked to do again recently.
6.  Michael's laugh.
7. Feeling prepared for Cub Scouts and ward choir.
8. Feeling caught up at work.
9. Listening to beautiful music.
10. Watching Cranford with Michael.
11. Seeing Clara get off the bus in the afternoons.
12. Finishing a good workout with lots of stretching.
13. A book that makes me look forward to each moment I have to spare.
14. Huge green salads with lots of stuff in them and a good dressing.
15. Breyers Vanilla Bean ice cream and chewy brownies.
16. Finding a shirt that doesn't cling to me in the wrong places.
17. A good supportive bra.
18. Getting to church early enough to sit and prepare for the Sacrament.
19. Preparing dinner in the morning so the evening isn't stressful.
20. When Clara gets her morning routine done in a timely manner.
21. My Keen sandals.
22. Freshly trimmed nails and plucked eyebrows.
23. Reading to and with Clara.
24. A cleaned refrigerator.
25. The happy feeling I get the morning after if I resist overeating the evening before.
26. Taking slow, deep breaths when I realize how shallowly I've been breathing.
27. Good hair days.
28. Inspiring scripture study sessions.
29. Doing work as a family.
30. Robbie and Clara after their baths.

I could just keep going and going. So many good things. The other day I was feeling very discouraged. I made two lists: a "Crappy Things" column and a "Blessings"
 column. There was no contest. Even when I feel like the crappy things are very heavy (mostly involving concerns about Clara's schooling, her social skills, independence, the future, etc.), the blessings shrink those mountains down to teeny little ant hills, which I could easily destroy with some Amdro (aka faith, gratitude, and an eternal perspective).

Here's to another thirty years and more!