Yep, She's Brilliant

Both of my children are brilliant. I am not just saying that because I am their mom either. They are a couple of smarty pants. And darling to boot (ok, maybe that's the mom talking).


Meg's 18 month well child check went well. {18 months already??? Did I blink? I think I missed something.} She weighs 22 lbs and is 33 1/2 inches tall. She's in the 15% for height and the 82% for weight. She's meeting all of her milestones and has more than made up for arriving on earth a little early. There are no concerns or complications. Here's where the brilliant part comes in.

My daughter talks, a lot. She is a chatter box. I thought my son had a lot of words at her age, but she is one super talker. A med student came in first and started the well child interview that went something like... Can your baby stack blocks? yes, three. Does your baby have a 20 word vocabulary? YES... more like 60. She speaks in sentences now. Can your baby undress herself? Does she scribble when given the chance? Can she climb and run? Yes, You should see my cabinets, Yes and yes. While we were going through all of this the Doctor came in. He knelt down to Meg's level and she walked over to him. He says to her, "Hi there, pretty girl, what's your name?" To which she answers as clear as day "Meggie." He about fell over. He looks at me and says "I didn't expect her to answer me." To which I reply "You asked her." At the end of the appointment they ask if there are further concerns and I tell them No, I think my child is brilliant. He said he was pretty impressed with her and thinks she's brilliant too. I told him to note it in her medical chart. Nothing like having brilliance in writing.

Just for fun, here are some of Meg's favorite phrases:


No Baby, Nope, Let me Out, I stuck, Muck, Muck Muck (Milk) cup, Mama, Daddy, Bugga, Brudda, go bus, Go Go, outside wee (swing), Elmo on, coat on, Gamma (grandma), eat, hungry, juice, and nana mama. She also knows some animals like cat, kitty, dog, bird, cow and some version of squirrel. This is not a comprehensive list, but enough to bore you.

Here's hoping for a lifetime of learning and brilliance. Who knows what The Plan is for her? Amazing things are coming her way and I am so grateful to be her mom.

I LOVE this

Here's my new favorite thing.... In an effort to not have my 18 month old yelling the world "NO" all of the time, I have really tried to be gentle in redirecting her. I consciously change my tone of voice and take her hand and look at her face and say "No, Baby" and then go on to tell her what she can do. She used to be pretty dis-tractable and that made it easier to not have to say "No" all of the time, but not so much anymore. So in the past week when I have asked her if she wants something or give her a choice she isn't happy with she pats my shoulder or my face and gently tells me "No, Baby". It cracks me up every time. Just another reason to watch that tone of voice. I love her sweet little eyes telling me "Thanks Mom, I know you think that's a good idea, but I don't." She's as stubborn as her mom. I never would have guessed my new favorite thing would be being told "No" by my baby.

The cutest red boots ever

I found these really cute red boots at a thrift shop a few days ago. Our little Meg has decided she's never taking them off. She hates it when I take them off to put on her jammies and at nap time today when she finally did drift off, I go in to find her sleeping with them (should have taken a photo of that). Reminds me of sweet Tomato and her pink boots.

So what do you do when it's rained outside and you have on the most perfect red boots in the world? Play in the puddles of course.

Look who popped up

While we didn't get to talk to him, or see him, we did get this picture the other day through the Family Support Group. How fun to see Justin working hard. At first I didn't think that was him, because he doesn't do topside watches often at all, but Adam convinced me and once we blew up the picture we knew it was him. (Pretty sad, huh, that I don't recognize my own husband in a photo...) I don't know when this was taken, besides sometime in the past few weeks. He looks happy to see the sunshine!

On another sad and tragic note, my heart and prayers go out to the Sailors and family of the USS Nebraska. They had a horrible tragedy this week where a Sailor died in the line of duty while underway. A brief article is here. The Submarine community is really a small community and while we don't know this family directly, we do know people aboard. We pray for Michael's family and for all of those involved. We pray for the safety of all of our deployed service men and women throughout the world.

My new favorite website

Ever wonder how to remove the tint from the windows on your car that block the ability to see well through the back window? How to make realistic Zombie makeup? How to build a 60 watt solar panel? Well, I have found the best website to tell you all of that and more. Next time your child asks you how to build a mousetrap car, direct them here. Instructables.com has tons of free and interesting things to do and lots of how-to's. Add your own directions or comment on how things worked out for you after you tried them. My new favorite website. Let me know what you think.

Garden Bounty

My sad little garden is finally happy. I hate to admit that I don’t like to garden, because I really do want to like it. I love the benefits of it, the time outside, the fresh vegetables during the summer. I have read books and asked friends but when it comes right down to it, I feel like I have no clue what it is I am really doing in my little garden.

This summer was harder than others to keep the garden going. It was really cold a lot longer than usual and then it was really hot for a while. We had landscaping issues and I couldn’t even get to the garden for about 3 weeks, so I sprayed it with the hose and hoped for the best. We went organic this year, mostly because I didn’t have time to figure out what kind of bugs and slugs were into the broccoli and I decided it was okay to share the zucchini with whatever creature wanted some. I did have an incident with a raccoon getting into the tomatoes though. Good thing there were 6 plants.

It’s getting to be the end of the season and I am finally, finally getting to harvest some things. Some of the tomatoes are turning red and are sweet and juicy and perfect. I got a beautiful cucumber the other day that was yummy. I remember my Big Grandma making cucumber and onion and vinegar slices. So good. Wish I knew the full recipe for that one. The zucchini has been coming, and coming and coming. Note for next year: Only 1 plant, no matter what. The onions are done, the carrots are yummy and I have found sweet little Meg more than once pulling broccoli tops off to snack on them while she’s playing. She likes her broccoli.

Overall, even though I don’t know what I am doing, I am reaping the benefits of trying anyway, and next year will be better.

In Loving Memory

Justin's Grandmother Evolyn passed away peacefully this morning after being ill for some time. She was happy and excited to "catch the train" as she put it. Our love and sympathy go out to her children, because while we have lost a grandmother, they have lost a mother. She was a no-nonsense woman who worked hard all of her life and took pride in her family. She is meeting her husband George at the station on the other side where I am sure there will be a glorious reunion.

She has requested no services be held and no fuss be made over her. If you are inclined to honor her memory anyway, as we are, you may made a contribution to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Her husband passed with leukemia a few years ago and further research in this field is needed. Our love and prayers attend her, in a quiet and non-fussy way.

Cancer Touches Everyone

This week our family had a devastating blow. Both my grandfather and his wife have cancer. Both are pretty advanced and prognosis is not good for either of them. In the same week they both received this news. Cancer touches every single one of us in ways we can't imagine. Even though you don't know them, they have probably affected your life. They are farmers, they own and operate cherry orchards. They used to have pears as well. Next time you get a drink of fruit juice, you can wonder if some it of came from their farm. They have been active in their community and with the local farmers association. They have made positive contributions to changes around them. Who knows what kind of ripple effect that has had.



I love my grandparents for who they are and for touching our lives. I don't know what can be done for them now, but I pray that more and more research can be done and treatment and cures found for all types of cancer. If you have the ability to support some kind of cancer research, please do it. Together, differences can be made and maybe lives can be saved. In the meantime, prayers are appreciated.

I can do it by myself

We found this cute little slide at a yard sale a few weeks back. I had to clean it up and find a place for it. I set it outside last week for Meg to play on and she was so excited. I was trying to get something done inside and she kept coming in and grabbing my hand to take me outside to help her slide down. After 10 minutes and 47 trips, I decided that whatever I was doing was not as important as teaching my daughter a new skill. So, for the next hour or so we sat on the porch in the sun and learned to slid down the slide. Climbing up wasn't a problem. There was a bit of a problem trying to sit down right once she got up there. That's when the real problem started. She wanted to come down, she knew it was fun, but she didn't want to do it on her own. That first push is hard. She was afraid to do it on her own. After many, many tries, and a few gentle pushes, she decided she could do it on her own. She was so proud of herself.

(Sorry the video is sideways.)

Later that night I was thinking back on my day. I see this in my own life all of the time. I see something new, fun, or intriguing and I really want to do it. Sometimes I don't want to take the time to learn how to do it by myself though. I can see my Father in Heaven taking the time to hold my hand while I learn the new skill. I can see His encouragement in my life and sometimes feel His gentle push. It sometimes takes a long time, but eventually I get it and I am happy He took the time to teach me.

Pay it Forward

I decided to play a Pay it Forward with my friend Michelle. Her blog is here. Michelle sent me to a very talented lady, Diana Hansen, who made my new fun signature. Her blog is here. So here's the scoop:

The premise is the very simple act of just doing someone a favor without expecting anything in return, and if you would just "pay it forward" by returning the act of kindness and generosity, then it might be possible for a global outpouring of decency toward all mankind.

A blogger (A Mother Singing) decided to start her own "pay it forward" project. Now it is my turn to pay it forward. How does it work?

Here are the rules: I will send a gift (of my choosing) to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this "PIF" exchange, and who make the same pledge on their own blog. The only thing you have to do in return is PAY IT FORWARD - on your own blog.

So, if you want to get a goodies from me, and are willing to do the same via your blog, let me know! (Note that you'll need to give me your real (snail mail) address... which you can do by private email.) Just leave a comment and I will get with you.

So, who's up for it? This world does need a little kindness, don't ya think?

**I encourage EVERYONE who reads this to Pay It Forward to someone they encounter today or tomorrow. You might give up your seat on a bus, let a car in line in front of you, or just compliment someone. You never know what your simple act might do!**

What's your Real Age?

33.6

So my birthday is coming up soon, sooner than I would like. (This is not a shameless hint for birthday gifts, really). I am really feeling this one. When I was young and knew everything, about a million years ago, I never dreamed that I would be this age with a baby. I thought I would have 4 or 5 babies by now and they would be ages 8 and up. It's amazing how things change along the path of life.

This post isn't a walk down memory lane. I was surfing around online today and found a site called Real Age. So I wondered what my Real Age really was. After answering some personal questions, I got an answer I didn't expect. I was so excited and it kind of lifted the dark birthday cloud looming over my head. Mine is 33.6. Anything younger than your calendar age is good. What's yours?

A night in the Life of...

I am not sure why exactly I am posting this. Maybe I think you all are way more interested in my life than you are, maybe I am hoping against hope that your night lives are or were similar at one time and there is hope for one day getting a good nights sleep. Maybe I just need to know I am normal.

Here goes...
8:00 pm is bedtime. We got home at 8:15 pm. Change baby, get her to bed, she falls asleep almost right away.
9:00- Still trying to talk Bug into getting into bed. Prayers and tuck in time around 9:20.
9:20-10:00- Dishes and clean up. Look at the pile of unfolded laundry and sigh. Promise myself it will go away in the morning. Beg the cat to come back in, lock up the house and go to bed myself.
11:45- wake up to the cat hissing and screeching at the window. I have this odd phobia of looking out of the window at night for fear I will actually see someone in my yard. Cat's having a hissy fit, for real, so I get brave and peek through the blinds. There's a raccoon in the yard. Probably scavaging my ripe tomatoes. Couldn't they go for the zucchini???
12:15 am- calm back down enough to fall back asleep.
4:20 am- Meg wakes up for the first time. Not bad, she's been asleep since around 8:30. She's mad I won't nurse her anymore and lets me know how upset she is. I rock her and walk her and put her back to bed.
5:40- Meg's up again. Still mad for not getting her comfort nurse. More rocking and explaining that it's still night night time and she needs to go back to sleep.
6:45 am- She's up again. This time I bring her in bed with me, which still doesn't make her happy. She fusses and squirms for 15 minutes and decides she's hungry and wants a banana. She's up for the day. Adam slept through the night and gets up on his own at about 7:40.

I did get a good 4 hour block of sleep. That's good enough, right? Tell me, please, your nights go like this too and there is hope, someday, for a full nights sleep.

10 Things You Should Know About Bug

Bug had an assignment the other day to write a list of 10 things you should know about him for his teacher. Below is his list.

1. That I am elergic to milk.
2. That I like to help.
3. That I have a baby sister.
4. That I play poiano.
5. That I like Monopoly.
6. That I like Amarcin food.
7. That my dad is in the Navy.
8. I like watermelin.
9. I don't finish my homewerk.
10. I like orgnizing.

WHAMO

I guess I am a day late for a wordless Wed. I got WHAMOed today though and thought I would share my lovely pictures with you all. Some really nice young guy was in a really really big hurry and ran through a stop sign at about 20 mph over the speed limit. I didn't have a stop sign, and saw him flying through. I tried to stop in time, I really did. Didn't quite happen though. I caught his rear fender and spun half way around before I got stopped. Lucky for him he a.) had insurance and b.) sustained very little in the way of damage. I had Meg in the car with me, she's fine. I am a little stiff and sore now, but I was fine for a few hours afterwards. I am not quite sure the car is driveable, although I drove it home. The headlight is out, and there's quite a wobble in the tires now. Probably not a good sign. Too bad it wasn't all superficial.

So, I am shopping for a new carseat. Any recommendations?

Cut and Color

I had a great hair cut today. I love my friend and stylist. She's good and finding what works for you. I colored it myself this morning, just to get rid of the gray and for a little lift. So, just in time for another looming birthday... Here's the new look. What do you think?

CTR

This is a long story, as most of my stories are. If you don't have time to read the whole thing, I understand.

This weekend was Labor Day weekend and after church on Sunday we went to Snohomish to visit Grandma Cozette and Aunt Linda and family. We had a great time, but I knew timing would be horrible coming back on the ferry, so we decided to drive around to come back home and stop at Ikea on our way.

Ikea is quite a drive for us, so we don't go very often and when we do we usually eat there too (they have a restaurant). So we shopped for a while, trying to get some fun things for upcoming birthdays and Christmas gifts as well as the last of the back to school stuff. We parked our cart and went to get dinner. Meg was in a bad mood and wanted to feed herself, and made it very clear we were to leave her alone while she ate. Her dinner of choice was, of course, Mac and Cheese. The slimiest thing possible. By the time she was done, she was covered, the floor was covered and the table was covered. Messy, but self confident. Adam and I had dinner too, then shared a wonderful piece of chocolate chocolate cake. Yummy.

We finally make it to the check out desk, and I have to use the self check out counter. One of the things I bought that I thought was $3.99 was $7.99 and I had to have it taken off. So all of this stuff was going back in the cart when I was done scanning. By this time, Meg's mood has not improved and she is in full melt down mode. Holding her isn't working, not holding her isn't working. I actually overheard some guy in the next lane over make some snarky comment about "Some people's kids..." I held my tongue. Our bill comes to about $90.00 and we high tail it out of there.

I schlep my kids across two parking lots, with one screaming and one not paying attention to where he's going and walking into people and finally find my car. She's still screaming, he's tired and his knee hurts. We start unloading stuff into the trunk of the car when we pick up the sling that she wouldn't sit in and find a small glass lamp that hadn't been paid for hiding underneath. {SIGH}

Suddenly he's very concerned about this. He wants to know what we are going to do. We can't take it home, that's not right. He's thinking of solutions, she's still screaming and I am thinking that showing my son the right thing to do is better than explaining it, no matter how hard it can be.

We grab the lamp, the crying baby and the now alert boy and I walk back across two parking lots and back into the store. We again stand in line, wait for the cashier to be available to help us and explain what happened. She says "It's not worth very much. I can't believe you came back." To which my brilliant son responds "We decided to Choose the Right. We believe in being honest."

I hope that he is always able to Choose the Right, even when it is hard. I hope he is able to set a good example for others. I hope he is able to show his integrity always. I hope he can be a good missionary through being a good example. Most of all, I hope he always remember how he felt on the way back to the car when he smiled the whole way back and said "Mom, I like choosing the right."