just your average jo

if tables could talk

2012-01-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

We temporarily return to the present time period for a tribute to a kitchen table.

I mentioned I wasn't particularly sentimental about our tv. But I'm painfully sentimental about this kitchen table. I've eaten meals at this kitchen table for my entire life. This table has been witness two a family of four, then five, six, seven and eight. (Yes, it only seats six, the little boys had to eat at the counter.)

I imagine this table saw Hall family debates, family meals, much laughter, dozens of birthday parties, and I know for a fact that tears were shed over this table. Tears about slimy broccoli. Homework was done at this table, sewing done at this table. Letters written, letters read. Books and newspapers read. Thousands of mugs of ice cream. Delicious meals were eaten, not so delicious meals were reluctantly eaten. Countless bowls of cereal were consumed at this table. Siblings argued at this table, parents paid bills at this table. Imporant decisions were no doubt discussed at this table. Games played at this table. Oh the games played at this table! The alphabet was carved into this table, along with the romantic tribute "Mom + Dad" in a heart.

Then this table once again belonged to a family of two. Then three, four, five and now six. More of everything mentioned above was done at this table. Children spent hours at this table eating and avoiding eating. Little people climbed on this table to retrieve fruit with little hands. Painting and crafting have been done at this table. A chair, that currently resides in Nebraska, is missing from this table.

We ate our last meal at this table on Sunday. I didn't cry. But I still want to.

I couldn't bear to part with this table if it weren't for a new table I received as a gift. The new table isn't "new" but it was a labor of love from a friend who moved away. And it is much nicer looking.

I'm tempted to selfishly hold on to it, keep it in my garage until I have a house big enough for two tables. (HA! I can see Richard cringing as he reads that.) But I am reminded of Buzz & Woody. What good were they packed up in a box in an attic? What kind of life was that for them?

Hopefully my dear table will find renewed functionality meeting the needs of a new family.

So long kitchen table.

********
Does anyone need a kitchen table? Free to a good home.

NOVEMBER

2012-01-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently we didn't do much in November. The only pictures I have are of the t.v. I sold on Craigslist because we finally broke down and bought a flat-screen. What would Hugh Nibley think of me?

The tv was a wedding gift and although I wasn't sentimentally attached to it's hugeness, it was kind of sad to see it go. I was raised with the idea that you don't get rid of something if it still works. But admittedly I love the new tv. And speaking of tv, I love the DVR. I worried that we would watch more tv when we got the DVR, and we probably do. But not significantly more and not enough that I feel guilty about it. And that's saying something because I'm prone to guilt. I love that I can record the few decent shows that are on, for both the adults and the children, and then we can watch them at our leisure. This works out particularly well for Cameron, the shows that are on after school hours are not his cup of tea. Now he can watch his favorite cartoon after everything else is done. And if everything else doesn't get done, he can try again tomorrow. The other thing about DVR that has won me over is watching tv without commercials. Not only is it more time efficient, it spares you from some of the media trash. I was frequently uncomfortable with Cameron and Eli seeing some of the commercials during football games, and now we can safely watch the athletic event without the slightly immoral marketing campaigns.

Wow- apparently I had a lot to say about that!

Oh, and a few pictures of Richard and the kids playing football outside. Seems appropriate, given the hours in our house that were spent in November either watching or playing football. Again, what would Hugh think of us? Thank goodness for a new year and new priorities! Like the Wii Santa brought for Christmas... (SO glad I can blame that one on Santa.)

Those are some soft bowling pins made to look like football pads. Those clever little boys...

Halloween 2011

2012-01-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

(I think Richard might have asked me not to put this picture on the blog- but Halloween was sooooo long ago I don't remember. He was giving the kids fits of laughter as he ate a sour Warhead.)

Halloween falls in a bad time of year for Richard, so sometimes he's around, sometimes he's busy and sometimes he's out of town. This year we were lucky to have him around. And I was lucky to get him to dress up! I made the Flinstone costumes last minute with the help of YouTube.

Miriam was all about satisfying her immediate desires. Candy now.

Simon was as delightful as ever. He stayed home and won admirers at the door handing out candy.

Here is Cameron carefully choosing each piece of candy to fit into his Ziploc baggie.

Eli was not really interested in filling his bag, and made hasty work of it.

We have a tradition at our house where the kids can choose their favorite candies and put them in a sandwich bag. The remaining candy is returned to the trick-or-treat pillowcase and overnight the "Switch Witch" comes and exchanges the candy for a book or game. Richard seems to think this is a big scam, and robs the children of the joys of Halloween candy. Cameron felt that way this year as well. But seeing as how I finally threw away the remaining Halloween candy IN THE ZIPLOC BAGS at Christmas time I'm feeling pretty confident that it is a good system. Besides. The Switch Witch loves candy.

Flag Football

2012-01-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

I entered the world of organized sports very reluctantly. I knew that it would forever change my life and it wasn't a change I eagerly anticipated. But it seems that sports and extracurricular activities are part of raising a well-rounded child and Heaven knows how much we middle-classers want well-rounded children!

I'm still struggling with how to handle said activities and still eat dinner together as a family every night. But for now it's just one child, one sport and I think I handled it okay. We were lucky that Cameron's coach lives down the street and took Cameron to practices twice a week. Richard would meet him there and bring him home. I have no regrets- it was a great chance for fatherly involvement and Cameron thrived in the athletic environment. Take note that I didn't say he excelled. He played well, but he enjoyed every minute.

My only complaint was that even though the season extended into October there was only one game where the temperature was below 88 degrees. In the beginning at the games when we were all perspiring the parents joked about how by the end of the season we'd be in our coats and beanies. Not so. Not in 2011.

Cameron and his buddy Marcello- whose dad was the coach.

Antonia comes to visit

2012-01-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

We brought my niece Antonia back with us. Miriam is cute, yes, but it's good she wasn't old enough to get a complex from all the compliments Antonia received about being adorable. She is. I'm not sure why I took this picture but looking at it now I recall having no idea what to do with her hair. With the help of friends I've made a little progress in the hair department. Girls are so high maintenance.

She stayed mostly with my mom but hung out with us a few days while Baca was at work. She came in very handy pushing Simon in the swing outside.

We wanted to give the city mouse a Kuna-country experience so we took her to the pumpkin patch. All the kids had a great time and the abnormally warm October weather was very accomodating.

Alright- who wants to take one of my kids for a couple weeks?

Ruth Wise

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

I think if I could have her over for dinner, we could talk all night.

travel travel TRAVEL

2012-01-12T12:41:00.002-07:00

The first weekend in October we drove down Utah to see these two darlings get married. Richard had been in Pocatello for work so we met up with him on Wednesday in Twin Falls. We had planned to spend a couple days before the wedding having a family vacation of sorts. Unfortunately a mysterious fever plagued each of the kids and kept us from pursuing the activities we had planned. Such is life with four little germ-carriers.

It is always a pleasure to be gathered with my family. Evan is the youngest of the children in my family, and the last to be married. Jenessa is everything we look for when we choose our siblings partner. Okay okay, we didn't get to choose her, but I am confident we would have, given the chance.

After losing three of my four children in one day, as previously described, we got the heck out of Provo and headed to where the sun always shines in Las Vegas.

The story about the picture above: The kids were watching a "scary" - not really scary at all Wallace & Grommit- movie and Eli and Thea were not interested. A while after they left I went upstairs to make sure they weren't getting into trouble (Eli & Thea? It's laughable) and this is how I discovered them. I needn't have worried.

We had some quality cousin time in Las Vegas, but not-so-quality pictures. They were taken with my phone. I forget to take my camera everywhere and think that my phone will suffice but it's just not so great.

We drove back from Las Vegas with five children (to be explained in the following post). Richard had long since flown off to another city so my mom accompanied me.

For the chance to look back with not-so-fondness; during the two weeks surrounding the wedding Richard slept in five different cities. Boise, Seattle, Pocatello, Provo and Las Vegas. This does not include two trips to Atlanta and two trips to New Jersey in the month prior. Whoa. I'm out of breath just typing it.

rewind to... October!

2012-01-12T12:02:00.003-07:00

Okay! It's time for catch-up! I've always enjoyed blogging so much that I've never had to do the "catch-up" thing before. Sigh. Just one of the great sacrifices I'm making to be a better mother. Gag. Ahem...

Anyway- I'll post the events of the last three months here briefly for those who really care (family members) but then I will change the date of the post so they will fall into the proper chronological order for someday when this blog becomes a book. Which, thanks to Richard, might actually happen.

well that explains so much

2012-01-11T09:23:00.001-07:00

Warning: This post was an exercise for me in finding synonyms for "feces." That may be all you need to know to discontinue reading.

On Monday night, we went to my in-laws to watch the lamest NCAA football championship ever. (For an entertaining commentary on that, go here.) During the game we encountered some digestive trouble with Miriam. She was complaining of a sore bum so I changed her diaper to discover a nightmare of a bowel movement. Sure enough she had a wicked diaper rash from the undetected foul diaper going unchanged for too long. The problem was that the stool had no smell. It went undetected because, validate me here parents, for the most part I only change a stinky diaper when my nose makes me aware that I ought to do so.

Some time went by and poor Miriam continued to complain of her tender tush. There was once again no stench and so I assumed she was just suffering from the existing rash. At last I checked and realized she needed to be changed again. I lathered her up with butt paste and sent her on her way, but I was so confused. Where the heck was all this poop coming from?

Shortly after the second full dump, and not long before the third I received the following text from my mother. She had been caring for the kids while I was at work that day.

"Miriam got into your dad's candy so she might get diarrhea from the maltodextrin."

I couldn't contain my laughter.

Apparently while my mom was watching Simon in one room she heard Eli shout from another room down the hall.

"I want some of that!"

Naturally she responded quickly only to discover Miriam had enjoyed the better part of a sugar-free chocolate bar my mom had bought my diabetic father for Christmas. I guess maltodextrin is an ingredient used in sugar-free treats and I guess eating too much can cause some belly trouble.

(I considered researching this more, but who wants to spend their precious minutes learning about causes of odorless diarrhea?)

Fortunately aside from the diaper rash Miriam had no other symptoms or issues.

The girl just has a nose for chocolate. At one point during the game when she was nowhere to be found, I discovered her diving into a bag of M&M's she'd found in my mother-in-law's office.

Pinterest- a justification post

2012-01-05T14:42:00.001-07:00

My blog has gotten to the point where I am so overwhelmed by all the un-written posts that I've decided to temporarily ignore them. I will return when I finish my annual new-year purging of my home. Another Christmas blessed us but this house ain't gettin' any bigger.

Today, inspired by my friend Krista, I'm writing a tribute to Pinterest.

First I want to say, I pinned before pinning was cool. I am so annoyed by people like me who insist on taking credit for something that was just a matter of chance and was not the result of any effort on my part. But people like that, well we just can't help ourselves.

Today I looked back through months of texts between Krista and I, until I came across the one where she introduced me to Pinterest. Bless you Krista! For those who are unfamiliar with Pinterest, it automatically hooks you up with all your Facebook friends. In May when I began, I had only one friend besides Krista on Pinterest. Today, 130 of my Facebook friends are on Pinterest.

I'll admit, in the beginning I spent excessive amounts of time just perusing and pinning. Pinning and perusing. It wasn't until the last month or two that I've actually used my pins. I made six Christmas gifts from ideas I found on Pinterest. With help I planned a fun New Year's Eve for my kids and nieces and nephews inspired by Pinterest. Yesterday I needed to know how to clean a mattress and I found it on Pinterest. For many things I skip the Google search and go straight to Pinterest. Halloween costumes, recipes, gift ideas.

Pinterest is the most practical and productive of all social networking sites. I don't use this phrase lightly, but I am truly grateful for it.

Gag! I know right? Grateful for Pinterest?

Naturally, with most internet fads it has its drawbacks. It can be a huge black hole for time. And it is not censored so when you are first exploring and if you venture from your trusted follow-ees then you can stumble across crude or offensive pins.

But as with most things, used correctly and with moderation I find it to be my favorite way to either pass time while I eat my sandwich or wait in the Dr. office and my favorite way to efficiently find practical solutions to daily tasks. All right there literally at my fingertips.

I recently read that "Pinterest’s user growth rate is what Facebook’s was five years ago. Earlier in 2011, it was valued through venture financing at $40m and, most recently, just a few months later, at around $200m."

Wow. Thanks Paul, Ben and Evan for your brilliance that has made my life at the very least more convenient, and possibly more fulfilling. I just love it.

Our Ghost Friend

2011-12-14T14:41:00.001-07:00

The day after Halloween Miriam and I were in Albertsons and a store employee gave her this balloon. It is still floating high and we've been too lazy to bring in the ladder to get it down.

I like to think he is watching over us.

Why is it that I don't take time to blog about anything important and then I post about a balloon?

I don't know.

the Griswolds

2011-12-07T10:47:00.001-07:00

per Richard: You have to many kids if you can no longer [legally] take the family to get a Christmas tree in your truck, so you have to tie it to the roof of your mini-van.

On Saturday while we were out and about doing Christmas-ish and birthday-ish things(more on that later) we were listening to Christmas music and the Taylor Swift version of "Last Christmas" came on. Cameron apparently likes T. Swift and objected when Richard changed the tune. Thereafter our annual discussion about this song ensued.

Richard: "That is not a Christmas song. Just because it has the word "Christmas" in it does not make it a Christmas song."

Me: Some pathetic argument.

Richard: "She could just as easily be saying "Last Friday I gave you my heart, and the very next day, you gave it away."

Cameron: "Friday?" pause..."Friday, Friday gotta get down on Friday. Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend..."

I swear, we really haven't watched that video that many times.

Missing football

2011-12-06T22:13:00.001-07:00

Eli and I were searching for his football around the house. Well, mostly I was searching and he was pleading for me to find it.

"Mom- you are not looking in the right places!"

"What are the right places Eli?!"

"I looked in them already and it wasn't there. "

After awhile he went outside to look in the "right" places. I spent another few minutes earnestly endeavoring to find it and then I poked my head out to see if he had any luck. Sure enough he was playing with said football.

"Eli! You didn't tell me you found it. "

"Oops. It was on the slide. I forgot."

Totally innocent smile.

you might have too many

2011-12-02T11:54:00.001-07:00

I think of these all the time, but forget to write them down. So I'm going to post them here, and then start a list on my sidebar.

You might have too many kids if:

You can't use "Your youngest child's middle name" as a security question because the answer changes too frequently.

You carry two insurance cards because your insurance company does not allow more than five names listed on a single card.

please be gentle

2011-11-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

I write about this a lot. I do because it is a struggle for me and when I have these insights I like to dwell on them and express them with the hope that it will somehow change my behavior.

I find myself frequently discussing with my husband the choices of others. Recent experiences in my life have called into question the productivity of these discussion. Often it is harmless, just sharing and expressing of opinions. But many times it becomes judgemental and critical. This is what has been eating at me.

I am constantly observing people in my life and analyzing their choices according to what I would do, or what I think they should do. Sadly more often than not I think that my way is the right way. Even if I could be 100% sure that in the same situation I would do what I deem to be the "right" thing, that doesn't take into account many things. It doesn't consider the gifts of understanding, faith or character that Heavenly Father has blessed me with. Nor does it account for blessings I have been given regarding the way I was raised or experiences in my life that have shaped me. Of course God expects us to make the right choice no matter these other things, but he will extend mercy according to them. Even with my gifts and blessings I still make mistakes, give in to temptation and become frustrated with my weaknesses. I compare myself to others who were given gifts and blessings to be strong in the areas I am weak. I dearly hope that the Lord will show that same mercy unto me.

It is like the quote says, our view of reality is only our view, not reality itself. My perspective of their choice is exactly that, my perspective. Even should I try and view their choice from their perspective I would be unsuccessful because I have little or no knowledge of their desires, feelings and sorrows.

Only we can know when we point out the mistakes and weaknesses of others if we are doing it in a condemning or judgemental way. Perhaps some are capable of doing it with a heart full of love and mercy. But I haven't found this to be the case for me. President Monson teaches that even when someone's weaknesses or errors are clear, "charity impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate and merciful."

So why is it so hard?

UPDATE: I wrote this post a long time ago and never published it. Then I came across this post (go read the inspiring story) recently and was reminded of these thoughts and decided I'd share them.

Deciphering the jabber

2011-11-20T16:39:00.001-07:00

Miriam and I were looking at this book and she kept pointing at this page and saying- what I thought was "pink." I figured she thought it was a pig and so I kept saying "No, that is a bull." Then I realized she was saying "bink" and she thought the bull was soothing with a pacifier. Seems reasonable enough.

Tooth Fairy

2011-11-15T06:38:00.001-07:00

I guess one of the perks to having a dental hygienist for a mom is that you get a little topical anesthetic on your gums while Dad pulls your first tooth.

If Cameron hadn't been so thrilled about the whole experience I might have been a little sad about this milestone.

Not mention there is nothing more esthetically pleasing than the primary dentition. Once the permanent teeth erupt every child must face the awkward years when their teeth are much too big for their body.

Oh well. He sure doesn't care.

win or lose

2011-11-13T09:32:00.001-07:00

This is the morning-after-heart-breaking-loss pep talk I gave myself.

As BSU fans we have set impossible expectations for our team. And they come just close enough to realizing those expectations that we become devastated when they fall short.

In my mind the National Championship was a "pipe dream," as Richard always says. But a BCS bowl was our expectation and anything else was unacceptable.

But there are dozens and dozens of teams in the FBS. And among them are many good teams, with long-time loyal fans. My neighbors are Nebraska fans, rain or shine. Only ten of those many teams are ranked top ten, and only 25 in the top 25. We've been riding a wave of top ten success that leaves us bitter about about ranking anything less.

I have only been a BSU fan for about six years, and I'll admit I'm a band-wagon fan. It's been energizing to see the records set and win after win. I've gotten some of life's biggest thrills from Bronco wins against teams like Oklahoma and Virginia Tech.

But these have been exceptional years. Most teams don't make BCS bowl games. Most teams don't go undefeated. Losing is just part of the game and I refuse to let it get me depressed.

A little slice of humble pie seems to be just the thing in order. (For the fans that is. The team is not known for "trash talk". Jared Zabransky excepted.) Sure our team can beat great teams in hyped-up games, once a year. But it's time to be patient while the Broncos work to prove that they can beat non-ranked teams in their conference each year.

I refuse to be a fair-weather fan. It is a team to be proud of, I've been honored to cheer for a brilliant quarterback like Kellen Moore and have my kids wear his jersey number. And I am proud to support a coach with character. It's a great program, and I'll cheer them on win or lose.

By golly, if I'm going to be a college football fan, and Boise State is my team, I'm going to love it all.

Bird Fam Fans 2010

here they are, one two three four

2011-11-11T14:52:00.001-07:00

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2011-11-04T09:23:00.002-06:00

That phrase seems so insulting to monkeys...

You know how they are always saying that you have to be careful because children are always watching? Apparently Miriam has been watching me give the epi-pen demo to the babysitters.

Don't worry, there is no needle in that one. It is the demo pen. But I know I still need to be careful about letting her get her hands on it, for many reasons not the least of which being that it might go the way of the tv remote...

Richard keeps his wallet, keys, chapstick, etc on a bedside table. Miriam has discovered the chapstick and frequently steals it. The other night Richard noticed it was missing and asked her about it. She then proceeded to lead him around the house in a fruitless search. The whole thing reminded me of Dori on Finding Nemo leading around Marlin in a disappointing search for the boat. Richard would get his hopes up thinking she actually knew where the chapstick was, only to have her periodically look at him like "Can I help you?"

Later that evening the tv remote was missing. We searched high and low. Richard remarked "It's probably with my chapstick." Being DVR converts, the tv is worthless without the remote. We continued to look in every possible toddler hiding place and I finally found it in a basket in Cameron and Eli's room. Sure enough the chapstick was in the same basket. It doesn't seem so funny now, but we had a good laugh that cured us of our building frustration. That little girl has some crazy power over us.

a day of horror, but not Halloween

2011-11-03T13:37:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to write about this forever, because as my sisters pointed out, the silver lining to the dark cloud over the story I'm about to write, is that it was good blog material. So while I hope you enjoy reading, for your sakes I hope you can not relate. If I were a little more clever I could turn it into a very humorous tale, but this will have to do.

At the beginning of October we went down to Provo for my brother Evan's wedding. I'll save the fun and exciting parts of that trip for another post. Maybe, if I ever get around to it.

The day after the wedding my sisters and mother and I decided as our wedding gift we would do a little decorating in the newlyweds' apartment. We sent most of the children with our husbands but I brought Simon along with me. We put Simon (in his carseat) in one cart and grabbed another cart for our merchandise. I can't really say who was pushing which cart when it happened. All I know is that somewhere along the way there was a mix-up, and when I looked in the two carts we were pushing, neither of them contained a baby.

"Where is my baby!?" The three other women, all mothers, looked frantically in the two baby-less carts and then we deserted said carts while we searched the aisles looking for Simon. He was a few aisles down, contentedly looking around as if just waiting for us to return. The entire incident lasted probably less than two minutes, but if you can relate you know what a long two minutes those can be.

A couple hours later, after finishing our task at the apartment, the guys met up with us. Miriam was asleep in her carseat so Richard stayed in the van with her. Cameron and Eli came into the apartment, and thinking Richard and the van were just outside in the parking lot, I sent Cameron back out to retrieve the diaper bag. Cameron didn't return. I went out to the parking lot, and neither Cameron or the van were anywhere to be found. I wasn't worried at this point, mostly just confused. I walked around the side of the apartment complex to the road and saw Richard standing outside the van talking on his phone.

I asked "Where is Cameron?" and he mouthed a reply "I don't know" while giving me an expression that said "I'm trying to have a conversation here." Anxiety was awakening inside me while I walked back to the apartment to see if I had missed him somehow. When I got there and saw that he wasn't there I started to panic and all available adults were dispatched for a search.

I went back to Richard who could see my distress and abruptly finished his phone call. In the stress of the moment neither of us quite had our senses about us and we left Miriam in her seat, in the unlocked car and began searching for our kid.

This incident lasted much longer, or at least it seemed much longer. We had spread in several different directions and my brother in law even took his car to drive around. Richard finally found Cameron, eight blocks away, crossing another street. When I encountered them Cameron had lost his stoic and confident demeanor and melted into a frightened, yet relieved six year old.

Our own relief was quickly obliterated upon returning to our van and discovering that Miriam was no longer inside. I don't need to describe the next few minutes that occurred before we learned that Lori had rescued her from what clearly could have been a worse fate.

I am not the paranoid parent. That would be Richard. I don't worry much at all about my children's safety, in fact it is to a fault. I hope that those who know me, know I am a good mother despite my sometimes lackadaisical parenting. But I was still mortified in those brief moments when I imagined the worst.

Of course, looking back now it is already easy for me to laugh about it all. I hope that doesn't mean I didn't learn anything on that day I lost [nearly] all my children.

Miriam-ese

2011-10-26T09:22:00.002-06:00

I've been wanting to do this forever, so of course now I won't remember all the words I wanted to remember. But here is a little Miriam dictionary.

Dise- Simon
Baps- bath
Cots- Scott
Nacks- Snack
Gocks- Sock (Are you seeing the pattern?)
Gaca- Baca
beh-beh- baby
Yai- Eli
Dosh- a mix of Dog and Misha
Dabba Dabba- Yo Gabba Gabba (I know she's technically not old enough for t.v. but this girl has active ingredients and I just need a few minutes of peace sometimes. This is the first cartoon she has actually sat down and watched, and now she loves it. Nothing ever held her interest before. I've got to say, I love it too for the reasons aforementioned, despite its initial creepiness.)

She also says, of her own accord, Mom, Daddy, milk, go, juice, shoes, hi, bye, house, and more I'm sure. She is also getting pretty good at saying words back to us, parrot style.

Her new favorite activity is feeding "Dosh". Of course now that she wants to do this the boys are fighting over whose turn it is.

She also says "NO!" really well. She still has no name for Cameron that we have identified. I hope it isn't some expression of her subconscious feelings about him. Hopefully it's just a hard name to say.

little Simon

2011-10-25T11:25:00.000-06:00

Si, Si our little fry. He was seven months yesterday. He had/is having a major growth spurt. He practically skipped the 3-6 month clothing category. I finally cut his hair, the comb-over was cute but his little 'do needed a fresh start. His new hair growing in needed a chance to catch-up. It still has a reddish hue, but it's not the same. This is very sad to me.

He's rolling all over the place and loves attention from anyone. Now that he is getting a little more interactive his siblings are getting a little more involved. I'm trying to keep Miriam from feeding him things that might cause him to stop breathing and prevent her from sitting/stepping/pulling on him. He has his first appointment with an allergist today, and I'm hoping the Dr. will tell me I can relax a little. We'll see.

I watched the pilot episode of Wonder Years on Netflix (awesome! right?) and there was a line where Kevin said "This is my friend Paul. He's allergic to practically everything." That's our little Simon. All he needs is some glasses.

Parents in a day

2011-10-24T09:43:00.002-06:00

sharing is nice

2011-10-20T12:17:00.002-06:00

We've had my niece, Antonia visiting since we came back from Las Vegas. She is staying with Baca (Grandma) mostly but spends some time around our house as well. This morning the following episode took place. I love it because, it is hilarious, and it is such a great example of one frustrating aspect of parenting. Eli clearly understands the concept intellectually, but fails at the practical application.

Eli: Antonia! You need to share with her. (Miriam.) Remember that Baca said you have to share? Sharing is nice. Not sharing is bad. Sharing means give it to her, give it to yourself, give it to her, give it to yourself... Hey! I was going to have that pig! Give it to me! It's ours!