talking out loud!

one of my biggest hopes for my kids is that they can talk out loud - that is, speak comfortably in public.  so as jack neared the end of his second year in primary (the safe haven, if there ever was one, of talking out loud!) without having yet had a talking out loud opportunity, I took the matter into my own hands.  I ever- so- gently suggested to the primary president that jack be given the assignment.  with no result, i had to be a bit more suggestive than that and I was.  when I was asked to have kindin speak (yet again), I politely countered that I wanted jack to accept the assignment.  jack wasn't thrilled about talking out loud but we hammered out a gratitude talk he approved of and practiced over and over.  when he stood up in said safe haven (primary) to speak, he had a huge, sly, embarrassed grin on his face.  dave and I were so proud when he insightfully recognized that a very audible deep breath was needed before he began!  he spoke loud enough to hear and had memorized it perfectly.  he did great!  I begged dave to sneak a picture but he wouldn't (okay, fine, its NOT reverent) so these momentos will have to suffice:

"Apostles talk about gratitude.  The scriptures talk about gratitude.  And we talked about gratitude in family night.   This is our gratitude list.  At first it was hard but then it was easy to come up with 40 things because we practiced.  4 things I want to share are: grasshoppers, banana bread, tv, and cousins.  I know that Heavenly Father is happy when we remember all that he has done for us!  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

on that note....
every week, kindin's teacher hosts an optional show n tell and I couldn't be happier!  I am so happy kindin has an additional safe haven for practicing her talking out loud skills.  every Thursday night, I eagerly remind her (and sometimes force her), to find something meaningful to share.  this week, she proudly brought in her deposit book from her very own savings account!  (can you believe she asked for one on her own? such a cute little saver like her dad!) 

the growing up opinionated kind

dalia has been doing lots of growing up lately: 

she's graduated to a 'big bed'

she is starting to occasionally skip naps

she has a bestie

and she's becoming quite observant and embarrassingly opinionated: 

1. upon seeing a little person at lowe's:  'a tiny guy'.  'ha, a tiny one!'
2. encountering a larger women in the paper isle at hobby lobby:  'ha, ha  a funny tummy.  a funny tummy!'
3. walking past a man at walmart: 'ha. that man has a necklace on. a necklace!'   

Flat Sophia troubles

Flat Sophia snuck into Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo with us and she got herself into a bit of trouble! 

You see, she is the perfect size for fitting into prairie dog dirt mounds. 

When a particularly feisty prairie dog...

...snatched her deep into his hole!  Flat Sophia ended up smooshed underneath a chubby prairie dog!

 

Her cousins tried coaxing the prairie dog out so we could rescue flat Sophia but he simply sat at his hole and glared at us.
 

 

Uncle David quickly found a long stick to scare the prairie dog and pull Flat Sophia to safety. 

 

She was rescued- but a bit dirty.  She needed new Cornhusker duds!

halloween- the year of the mom

I decided a year ago that the 80s cereal monsters would be such a cute grouping of costumes and I spent this past year grooming them to go along with it!  (to be fair, the grooming was simply a matter of dangling sugar cereals in front of their noses.)  I had SO.MUCH.FUN gathering their costumes and, I think, they looked absolutely clever and adorable!

sewing sundays

this not-so-little girl of mine has really taken to her sewing machine lately.  gifted to her by an insightful omi, she loves turning charm packs into 9 patch blocks.  and because she still needs a bit of supervision, I get to enjoy it with her!  sundays have become a perfect day to sit side by side and craft.  I enjoy watching her determination and natural ability- she really has been quite good at arts and crafts since very early on.  (she's been complimented for years on her ability to use things like brads and rub-ons.)  it really wont be long before she'll be sewing all by herself... 

a glove funeral

Today, I threw away these gloves.  They needed to be replaced.  But before I tossed them, I had a very rare emotional attachment to process.  So appease me in a glove funeral if you will.  These gloves were bought 11 winters ago amidst my very selfish, single life.  A life that was half exciting, crazy, middle of the night ER career and half silly, indulgent, carefree recreation.  These snowboarding gloves are perhaps the last physical evidence that I once lived a pretty cool lifestyle!  You see, when I tell my kids I used to snowboard Breckenridge every Saturday, I can tell they don't believe me.  And I don't blame them- after all I'm now a total Nervous Nelly about everything from kites to ferris wheels!  (What is it about motherhood that makes one nerdier and nerdier and nerdier???)  While I can say that I am beyond grateful that "domestication" (if you will) has traded those days for a life with greater maturity, meaning, and spirituality- there is still 10% of me that really embraces those gloves today.  Looking back, while I fully enjoyed that time in Colorado, I worried so much about "domestication" and prayed to begin the rest of my life.  I am so thankful a loving Heavenly Father knew me better than I know myself.  He blessed me with that lifestyle in Colorado because He knew the joy those gloves would still bring me today!

a mushy, gushy pose

despite telling every photographer i've ever been in touch with that I absolutely hate this pose (and despite the fact that I really do dislike this picture), it does capture a bit of how I feel for my Dave.  He is absolutely the rock I lean on.  I lean on his natural ability to smile and his silly, playful humor.  I lean on his ability to be optimistically understanding but also softly confrontational.  I lean on his late night listening ear (unless hair or clothes is the subject matter) and his chatty friendliness to others.  and (even if through gritted teeth) I lean on his more practical side too (i.e. budgeting skills, all things science).... I love my rock!