How Old is 35?

No, it's not that old. That's Lauren, dressed up as she imagines herself at 100 years old, celebrating her 100th day of kindergarten this week.


But 35 is...

Old enough (finally) for your age to be bigger than your pant size.

Young enough to still enjoy the privilege of lighting your own birthday candles,

but Old enough to put the fire out like this...

Young enough to pick the ice cream that has the most chocolate packed into one container, Old enough to appreciate a truly delicious homemade German Chocolate cake, and also

Old enough to control yourself and only eat one piece.

(None of the rest of us are that old yet.)

Old enough to be grateful for calls and cards from loved ones...Thank You!

But young enough to get excited about this gift...

All Fun & Games

Last night Katelyn had a friend from church come over to our house for dinner (pizza) and a movie (Becoming Jane). Katelyn's friend is a sweet girl, and we all had an evening that would rank as "above average" on the Family Entertainment Scale.... Not exceptionally high on the scale, just a little more enjoyable than a typical evening around here.

So today after church, this friend's mom comes to me and says, "Kylie had a great time at your house last night. She told me, 'Mom, they play games at the dinner table. We don't do that.'" I quickly replied to this mom, "Oh yes, we do that every night," as I winked.

The "game" we played was simply an effort to keep our girls at the table and engaged with the family for more than two bites. We ended up playing an impromptu quiz game about Emily, and we shared a few laughs while we finished our pizza.

I wish that every dinner was like that. And it struck me as humorous that Katelyn's friend would go home after one evening with us and assume that we are a jolly, connected, game-playing family all the time.

It reminded me of my first exposure to this place where we now live. Doug and I came househunting. We flew in to our new city on New Year's Day, just a few days after we'd been snowed in at my parents' house. There was misty rain all day long while we looked at houses for rent. But the temperatures were mild, and it was shockingly green and pretty in this area, for the middle of winter. The next day, it was clear and sunny, and a very beautiful day. As we drove around town trying to get to know the area a little bit, we even lowered the car windows a crack and enjoyed the fresh air. Mid-morning, we stopped at a store, and inside, I asked one of the employees how often they had weather like this, during the winter season.
He and his buddy laughed out loud. Now I understand why. I had no idea how lucky we were to be here, exploring the area for the first time, on such a beautiful January day as that.

I think it may have been a tender mercy.

I love days like that, and the more rare they become, the more thrilled I get to see them return occasionally.

But in the meanwhile, I think I'm even more prone to experience one lousy day and think that's the way it is all the time.

I love playing "games" at the dinner table, and although I could easily get depressed because that is not the every-day course of family dinners around here, I'm trying to just be very grateful for those occasions, and from them take comfort that we really are doing something right as a family, and that our relations in this household involve more than just bickering, nagging, and getting frustrated with each other.

There's nothing like the impending birth of a new family member to make a mother insecure and discouraged about all the things she's not yet doing right, or even well-enough, for the family she's already got. And there's nothing like an unusually cold and gloomy summer to make a sun-worshiper like myself dread the seemingly-endless dreariness of winter.

So this week, I am so grateful for lots of sunshine, spending time outside, and family games around the dinner table.

Sunny Get-Away

We decided to surprise the girls with a mini-vacation. It was so much fun! We packed light and didn't go far, but it was great to "get away" as a family.

First we went to see the Spiderwick movie--and it turned out to be too scary for Hannah and Lauren. (I should have believed the reviews I read/heard.) So, we now have 3 movie passes, so we can try again when the Horton movie comes out next month, maybe. I took the two of them window shopping at Target (one of Hannah's favorite passtimes), while the others finished watching the show.

After the movie, we drove to the hotel. The girls caught on pretty quickly and were very excited about the surprise. (Katelyn says she was suspicious that we would do something along those lines, but by the time we pulled into the hotel parking lot, she had forgotten about her suspicions!)

We had some snacks, went swimming in the hotel pool, and then went out to dinner. We had brought puzzles and games with us, but by the time we got back to our room after our late dinner, we were all ready to crash into bed--so that's what we did!

This morning, Doug walked to the nearby bus stop and went to work. The girls and I enjoyed breakfast at the hotel, followed by more swimming, before we came home later in the morning.

You would think we'd be tired of being in the water, but still, Hannah is now enjoying her third bath today. That's partly because she's been playing outside (sadly uncommon here!) and getting dirty, because we've had beautiful weather during this long weekend!! It doesn't get much better than that! Have I ever mentioned before that I LOVE THE SUN?!?!

In Denial

MAJORLY EMBARASSING CONFESSION:
I had a check-up this morning, and also my glucose tolerance test. I was thinking how nice it was that I had to be "fasting" for this appointment (for 12 hours, anyway), since I was not looking forward to stepping on the doctor's scale this month. I knew I had gained more than the textbook 4 pounds in 4 weeks, but I was shocked when the scale accused me of gaining 12 POUNDS in the last 4 weeks! It cannot be true! I've been monitoring my weight at home, and I seriously want a "do-over". I do not believe it. I try to comfort myself by saying that next month I'll probably weigh in at the same weight, or even lower, because I think the scale is lying. Somebody adjusted it and messed it up since last month, or something. My nurse tried to comfort me by telling me that it was okay since I had only gained a total of 12 pounds in the 24 weeks prior to this check-up...and then added a little warning not to repeat this pattern next month! Yes, I porked out on my cruise dinners and yes, I've been indulging in a little V-Day sweetness this week, but honestly...this cannot be true.

So here's what I think will comfort me:
All you pregnancy veterans, please tell me that you once had a huge weight gain in a short period of time, and still had a 7-pound newborn, not a 9-pounder. (This being my fifth pregnancy, I've never gained any double-digit amount before--I think 7 or 8 pounds was my biggest jump, til now.)

And, glucose tolerance testers at the lab, please call me Monday and tell me that I am dangerously close to gestational diabetes, so I have to be strict about my diet from here on out.

And Doug, please confiscate and destroy all the sugar in the house. Even though I'll be mad at you, temporarily, for doing it.

Day of Love

We're off to a happy start!

Rude Awakening

Remember those pesky neighbors I told you about last fall? Well, they've not only worn a nice clear path in our grass from their homemade-pet-door in our fence to our back porch, but they've decided to move in with us. Uninvited.

Saturday night, my sleep was disrupted with what sounded like a construction project on the side of our house. It turned out to be more of a destruction project, and it was on our roof. Stupid raccoons. They chewed and clawed a nice big hole in our roof. So Doug was out in the rain in the middle of the night, chucking rocks at the little pests. And we paid a substantial price to have our roof patched today. It has been raining all weekend, but thankfully, we don't seem to have any noticeable ceiling damage on the inside.

So now that our roof is patched, we get to pay another fee to have someone come and set traps for the little buggers, before they try to claw their way in again... Or did we just seal them inside our attic? I don't like to think about that.

Year of the Rat

Tonight we had the good fortune to attend a Chinese New Year celebration. We got together with several couples, and the host couple cooked about a dozen different dishes of delicious Chinese foods and served them to us hot. Oh my goodness, the food was excellent! I think it would be more appropriate if we were celebrating the Year of the Pig or Whale, because that's how I'm feeling right now. (FYI, according to the Chinese calendar, I'm actually a dragon.)

After dinner, we played a game of Balderdash. I won the first round by getting the most people to vote for my made-up answer to this question:

Complete the following Chinese idiom:
You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying overhead, but...

My invented answer was only one word off the correct answer, and I was the only player to guess the real answer correctly. How would you finish the thought? I'll tell you my answer after you tell me yours!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my brother!! Isn't it ironic...when we were growing up, Aaron always requested Chinese food for his b-day dinner, and the rest of us siblings usually turned up our noses at that. But tonight, on Aaron's b-day, I had Chinese food and thought it was to die for! (I never really minded it, but it's not always been my favorite.) Cheers, bro!

Unforgettable Foods

I just ate lunch, so I shouldn't still be obsessing about food right now, but I am. Just for your random information, here's what's on my mind: Foods I love but must live without (most of the time), because I can't make or buy them where I live.

• Chocolate-Covered Juju Hearts A seasonal treat that I discovered back in Provo. Thank goodness my mom never forgets to feed my craving for these little goodies each Valentine's Day! She brought some with her last month, and I took a baggie full with me on my cruise and enjoyed their sugary sweetness in the Carribbean! "Yes, I would eat them here or there...Say, I would eat them anywhere!"
• Cafe Rio: pork burrito, chicken tortilla soup, and salad, not to mention their desserts... The homemade copycat recipes I've tried are really good, but still, nothing compares to the real deal. Yum, yum, yummy. And yes, I can eat everything on that list in one sitting (with Doug's help).
• Thrifty Chocolate Malted Krunch Ice Cream This one goes back to when I was a kid and could whine my mom into buying me a cylindrical cone practically every time we went to the drugstore.
• Grandma James' homemade donuts This is probably the only one that I will never taste again (because it cannot be reproduced by anyone but Grandma, even though my brave uncles try their best each Halloween), but the memory is so unforgettable, it will satisfy me forever. When I was pregnant with Katelyn and had a restricted diet, the only time I cheated was to eat one of Grandma's fresh donuts. You don't refuse one of those puppies. You just don't.

When you realize how much I think about food, it's no surprise that I'm feeling large already, with three more months of belly-expansion still to come before this baby is due. I have to take a glucose tolerance test next week, and I almost wish I would fail the test, just to have a solid reason to be more careful about what I eat. I can set goals for myself (and I do), but without that external motivation, it's really easy to go to the grocery store (as I did this morning) and throw into the cart, say, a box of powdered mini donuts, a box of fruit snacks (for Hannah, mostly), and some peppermint ice cream (before it, too, joins my list of unaccessibles).

My Addiction

Ok, maybe I have more than one, but my greatest temptation these days is SLEEP. I can't get enough of it.

After flying all night, this is how I spent my 3-hour lay-over at the airport. Cold and uncomfortable? Yes. No matter.

Even when I'm not pregnant, I love my sleep. But it's an overwhelming thing these days. I mean, I do get plenty. But I always want more. The more I get, the more I want. In a funny turn-around yesterday, one member of our bishopric made a comment about how he caught me snoozing during Sacrament Meeting. I wasn't really sleeping, but I did close my eyes for a couple of minutes. I figured I would just look like I was being deeply spiritual, but I guess he wasn't fooled. I'm not too bothered by my addiction. But it does surprise me how much sleep a body can crave.

Saturday is a Special Day, and So is Sunday!

There's a big party I'll be missing this weekend, to my great disappointment. No, it is not a Superbowl party. Who cares about that?! Today my Grandma is 85 years old, and yesterday my Grandpa turned 87. They are two of the greatest people I know.

I like to think that my Grandpa deserves much of the credit for my musical appreciation and talent. I have treasured memories of spending summer days at his house, learning new instruments and enhancing my musical education under his nurturing encouragement. And I think it's ok to admit now that my earliest driving lessons took place in Grandpa's car, when I was very underage. I think he must be an adrenaline junkie, in his own way.

One of the best words to describe my Grandma would be delicious. Anything Grandma touched in the kitchen became increidbly, mouth-watering, can't-get-enough-of-it delicious, and I think that had a lot to do with my early desire to learn to bake and cook, and share great recipes with friends and family. Grandma as a person is as sweet and indulgent as anything she ever baked.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOU TWO!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!