Something New: Weeks 32 and 33

It's been more than two weeks since I reported on this little goal, so here's a bunch of days all at once.

August 5 --  Ate the most delicious homemade pizza of my whole life. (Sorry, Dad.) Matt made deep dish pizza (BJ's style) for the first time, with my homemade pesto sauce, a delicious chicken-onion-artichoke mixture, fresh tomatoes and cheese on top. I only wish we could be sure to replicate it exactly as it was, minus some salt. I want to eat it every day. Wish I had taken a picture, but we had friends over that night, so it disappeared fast.

August 6 -- Made kettle corn for the first time. Turns out it's super easy on the stove. Just oil, kernels, sugar and salt. The reason for making this was I had some girls over again to watch the newer 2007 BBC version of Persuasion, since the last one didn't satisfy. Loved this one!

August 7 -- Started reading a book about Ronald Reagan for book group, Peggy Noonan's When Character Was King. It's pretty good so far. And it's good for me to do some smarty-pants biography reading once in a while.

August 8 -- Watched an episode (or two or three) of the first season of Prison Break. Sometimes I hate it and sometimes I'm hooked. I'm sure I'd like it more if they stopped killing people. Not exactly what I like to watch right before bedtime.

August 9 -- Made blueberry cobbler, adapted from a recipe in The Bread Bible. It was seriously amazing. Addicting. Sounds good any time of day. The perfect thing to do with all the blueberries I have in my freezer from over-picking last month. The secret is to squeeze half a lemon over the fruit before baking to make it nice and zesty. Mmm...my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Oh, also that night we cooked purple green beans that I had picked from Dow Gardens. They turn green when you cook them! How cool is that?!

August 10 -- Learned how to sew button holes on my sewing machine. This was for a couple baby gifts I was working on. Here's the dress:

August 11 -- Made donut muffins for a barbecue. They are to die for. I know I'm raving about all these new recipes this week, but seriously, we hit the jackpot! These muffins are easy to make, require just a few ingredients that I always keep on hand, and taste just like cinnamon sugar donut holes. My family would flip!

August 12 -- Got a huge zucchini from a friend at church, so I decided to try to make chocolate zucchini cake. I had heard it keeps cake really moist, but mine didn't turn out exactly as I wanted. It was still moist, but a little crumbly, and I had to whip up some caramel sauce to hold it together. I'll try again someday.

August 13 -- Made a purple baby dress for my new little cousin.

August 14 -- Finished the pink and green baby dress for my other new cousin.

August 15 -- This was the start of a quick little Utah trip. I flew out with just Jude for six days so I could attend a cousin's wedding and see family. This was my first time flying with just Jude and he was actually amazingly well behaved! I could NOT believe it. It put me in a great mood when we arrived. On the plane, I also started reading Northinger Abbey on my Kindle, and am loving it. It makes me laugh inside on every page.

Jude soaking himself at the DTW fountain

August 16 -- Saw my cousin Oakley's beautiful new house. (I have a lot of cousins.) She invited some family over for a barbecue. She is my "twin cousin" and one of my best friends growing up. I miss her like crazy! Also she made me create an Instagram account, so that was new too.

August 17 -- Met more new baby cousins at a family gathering at Brickerhaven. Seriously, all my cousins make the most beautiful babies. On this trip I got to meet so many new family members: Robbie, Doug, Fan, Noah, Paisley, Scarlett, Nico, Regi, Kaya, Christian, and a ton of people from the Clive family. I had been gone too long!

August 18 -- Shared the role of Wedding Planner for a few hours. Scrambled to arrange seating for the wedding luncheon, scrambled to rearrange seating when everything changed, and ran the bouquet to the bride before they made their grand exit from the temple. It was fun and crazy. I also saw part of the new City Creek Mall in Salt Lake.

My awesome cousin Jordan and his babe-a-licious bride Fan

More about that trip coming soon...

"Weird Pictures" (Title by Josh)

Note: This post was accidentally published yesterday before it was finished. Sorry if you've already seen most of it and were completely disappointed with my editing skills!

JOSH

4.1 years old

Josh says funny things. He makes me LOL and ROTFL every day.

He was making squids (yes, squids) out of Legos one day and told me that he built a boy squid and a daddy squid. I thought this was sweet, and very creative. Then he told me that the mommy and the baby squids died. Apparently somebody shot them. Hmm, maybe I should let him play more video games...?

While silently watching me work on the computer, he saw me "cut" a paragraph of text, and before I could find the place I wanted to paste it, he said "Push V now." What?? (In case you don't know, Mom, Ctrl + V is the shortcut to paste text.) How in the world did he know what I was doing? And how did he know about keyboard shortcuts? He watches every detail of what I do, and I'm starting to feel the pressure!

Taking a rest on the walk into Dow Gardens, making Jude laugh

I got a bunch of pregnancy test strips in the mail (because I'm neurotic and think I'm pregnant all the time). Josh saw me open them and asked what they were. I figured I might as well tell him the truth. Later, after putting it together in his head, he came to me and explained, "Mom, when your tummy's really big and you have to go potty, you say 'Let's take a test!'" That's absolutely right, Josh. He's mentioned it a couple more times since then. Now I just hope he doesn't associate the word "test" with pregnant pee for the rest of his life.

Later, still thinking about it, "If you have a baby in your tummy and you put clothes on, it will just POP!...The shirt or the dress will pop, not the tummy."

First time watching Star Wars

He brought a paper airplane home from a babysitter one day and it got smushed in the car. When I fixed it, his eyes got all big and he said, "YOU know how to fold paper airplanes??!" He said this with excited surprise, and maybe a little reproach, as if it was the best skill ever and I was a terrible person for keeping it a secret from him. CoolMom points earned for the day.

I handed Josh a pad of Post-it notes and told him to write a little note to my brother so I could send it with a package. I guess he interpreted my instructions in a different way, because he handed back to me a bunch of music notes he had written. Then he told me to label them with their correct names, like half note and quarter note. Maybe he already understands that music has its own way of communicating! Either that or he's a smart alec....

He was watching a carpentry show on PBS while he was waiting for me to turn on a movie for him. When I tried to, he calmly said "Mom stop, I'm trying to watch this guy build a boat." He will watch anything on TV. Matt: "I don't think it's a boat, buddy." Josh: "Maybe a person?"

"What does this say?" pointing to a heart on the Honey Nut Cheerios box. "Helps Lower Cholesterol" I tell him. "Ohhhh. I wanted it to get rid of the cholesterol!"

JUDE

17 months old

Jude continues to test me. At all times, I find myself either wanting to smother him with smooches, or punt him out the window. There's not much in between. Lukewarm is not my temperature these days.

He emptied four different spice containers onto the floor this week. He's way too good at unscrewing lids. He did the same thing with my make up, mascara, toothpaste, travel shampoo bottles, two cereal boxes, and a big container of buttons this week, as well. Darn your manual dexterity, Jude!

After a scolding, he walked himself to time out. He tried to stick his nose all the way into the corner and was frustrated when it wouldn't touch. What do you do when your child actually likes time out?

Jude has always been a pain to take to the playground. I've had to follow his every step because he is too ambitious for his wobbly little legs. He only wants to go down the highest, longest slide on the playground, and won't go near the little baby ones. He wants to climb all the stairs to the highest point, and then slide down by himself, usually on his stomach. We're finally at the point where my little daredevil can manage alone without falling to his death, but I still have heart palpitations every time.

Speaking of climbing, Jude climbs onto every table he can find. Lately he tries to climb on top of the piano too, which makes me wish I could swear in different languages. He loves to move step stools so he can reach light switches and play with those all day. He rocks back and forth in his high chair so violently that it almost tips over. He has regular tantrums because I am constantly thwarting his will to destroy.

Skyping with grandparents

Stopping to check out the fish at Meijer. Don't let that innocent look fool you.
He's really thinking of what he can use to break that glass!

On the cute side, he's a pretty good little dancer. He shakes his head around and bounces his legs every time he hears music. He tries to sing too, which I need to get on video.

He tries to say everything I say. His baby talk vocab is growing every day and he gets so excited when I understand him.

He copies everything Josh does, even if it's swinging underwear around like a nun-chuck so they can fight.

He thinks he's really funny when he puts underwear on his head. I think it's funny too, but I've been forbidden to post pictures of such nonsense because his father thinks Jude will be embarrassed someday. Of a hot pink underwear hat? I don't get it.

I love my job.

(P.S. Most of these pictures were taken about a month ago.)

Something New: Weeks 30 and 31

July 22 -- Learned and then taught a new song in Primary for Pioneer Day: The Handcart Song.

July 23 -- Took Josh to Vacation Bible School for the first time. This one was at Chapel Lane Presbyterian Church and he absolutely loved it. He came home singing the songs every day. And it was basically fifteen hours of FREE babysitting, so we're all excited to do it again. Here's the port hole picture he came home with, which goes along with the "Dive Deep" theme.

July 24 --  Downloaded a new game on the Kindle. It's called "Flow Free" and Josh is really good at it. It's a puzzle type game with pipes, and I like that it's kind of educational. Thanks, Grandma Cheri, for the idea.

July 25 -- Watched the 1995 BBC version of Jane Austen's Persuasion with some girlfriends. Honestly, I thought the book was much more romantic, but some of the characters were funny, and it's always better to watch a movie with friends so you can make fun of it together. I'm excited to see the newer BBC version of this movie.

July 26 -- Went to my friend Nicol's new house. It's really cool and unique. I can't wait to see what she does with all the space.

July 27 -- Listened to the pastor at Chapel Lane on the last day of Bible School. Heard how they pray, flipped through their hymn book, and met some new people. I'm convinced that our church needs to put "Lift Every Voice and Sing" into the hymnal.

July 28 -- Went to the most extravagant wedding I will ever experience in my life! Our friends from business school, Alexa and Miguel, got married at her family's summer home up in Lake Leelanau, MI. Maybe I will share details in a separate post, but there's just too much for right now. It was crazy fun, and it would blow your mind. This was our first time up in beautiful northern Michigan too. We'll be going back.

July 29 -- Made homemade pickles out of the cucumbers we grew at Dow Gardens. Find a really good recipe here.

July 30 -- Got my piano tuned for the first time. This guy Ed Higgins did a great job, so let me know if you need a reference. It's amazing how much more beautiful my piano sounds when it's freshly tuned! So bright and crisp and perfect! I just want to sit in that room all day and play!

July 31 -- Made chocolate coconut banana mini muffins for a Relief Society activity this week. They are pretty good, my boys will eat them, and I got rid of some brown bananas. Win-win-win.

August 1 -- Took Josh and his friend Luke to open gym at the gymnastics center. They loved it! We'll be doing this again.

August 2 -- Made some delicious new healthy-ish recipes with my friend Sarah. Summer Vegetables with Sausage and Potatoes and Mint Chocolate Fudge Pie. But get this...the pie is made with TOFU instead of heavy cream. And you can't even tell! Seriously, if you know me, you know I love desserts. I wouldn't lead you astray. This is a good one, and really low-calorie. I used to be afraid of tofu, but not anymore. Try it!

August 3 -- Tried Fels Naptha soap on some deep baby clothes stains. Fels Naptha...what a name. I can hardly even say it! It seems to work okay with newer stains, but not with the ones that have been set in for years. I guess I was expecting too much?

August 4 -- Finished reading The Secret Garden for book group. I didn't mention this as a new thing when I started it, so I figure it counts. Also, I started sewing a cute baby dress for my cousin, using a new pattern. There's nothing more fun to sew than a baby dress. Here's a little peek.

Fireworks and Wagons

I can't believe summer is almost over. July flew by, and I'm kind of panicking right now. August will be here in less than two hours! And then comes autumn! I feel like I'm about to be robbed of warmth and sunshine and there's nothing I can do about it! 

Anyway, here's how we celebrated the holidays in July.

For Independence Day, our friends invited us to the Midland Country Club. They had a huge party there with bounce houses and slides, water balloon games, pool games, dance contests, a ton of food, and of course fireworks if you stayed until dark (which means 10:00 pm here). We had a such a great time that we stayed later than planned, and ended up pushing our other plans for the night later and later.

When we got home, we grabbed a plate of s'mores cookies and rushed over to our neighbor's house to catch the end of their barbecue. We met a bunch of interns and Josh learned to play corn hole.

After that, it was getting really dark, so we walked a few houses down to the Smiths' to see if they wanted to light sparklers and glow sticks with us. They had already done fireworks and were in their pajamas, but we dragged all the kids back outside to have some more fun. I have no pictures, but it was a really fun night. Josh's favorite part was the party poppers.

After that super late night, the boys slept in every morning for weeks. There were days when I had to actually walk into their room and get them out of bed after 8:00! It was like magic! 

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A few weeks later, our church had a Pioneer Day picnic. This is a Mormon holiday, when we celebrate the day the pioneers made it to the Salt Lake Valley, after being forced out of their homes in Nauvoo and other places in the east. 

The party was so well organized! We played games like the pioneers, dressed like the pioneers (some of us), and of course, ate a lot of pie. Josh did not want to leave, he was having so much fun.

Josh and Sam played "stick pull" quite a few times. Josh didn't win every time, but I happened to get a picture of him in a victorious moment.

They also played with these little toys made out of jar lids, streamers, and string. After spinning them in circles for a few seconds, the boys quickly figured out how to use them like nun-chucks and start a good old fashioned street fight.

Matt took part in the stick pull tournament, but lost after a couple rounds. I guess the baby sunglasses weren't as intimidating as he thought.

Sorry, Shannon. For the record, Clark beat Matt right after this.

They also had a table to color pictures of covered wagons, or decorate a paper patchwork quilt. They had a button game, a balance scale game, three-way tug of war, a scavenger hunt, dance instruction, and a program that we couldn't stay for. Again, it was so well done! I can't remember the last time I actually had fun at a pioneer day event, but this one was awesome.

There was live pioneer music,

and a children's parade. They got a few young men to play trumpet, saxophone, and drums while the kids (meaning mostly Mimi the primary chorister) sang "I Will Be Valiant".

Matt and Jude bonded over pie on the sidewalk.

And this is what happens when I try to make them sit still for a good picture. One or both boys revolt.

I promise I was there too. I'm just never pictured. Just imagine a giddy, sweaty mom running around with pie in both hands, and that's me.

Juderonomy

My boys are cute. I should just leave it at that, but allow me to elaborate, at least about Jude today.

 Jude is becoming more stubborn and independent all the time. He learns new "words" every day. He's already a very strong personality in our house. 

Let me illustrate with a few examples of some of his favorite things to do lately:

- Piling as many shoes in his arms as possible, standing at the doorway of different rooms, and throwing them with all his strength. Whenever I can't find a pair of shoes, I can usually be sure to find one in the pantry, and its mate in the laundry room.

Helping Daddy and Josh poke holes in a box with screwdrivers. Man stuff.

- Taking all the baby cups and bowls out of his cupboard and throwing them directly into the garbage, which he can now open. He does this quickly and spastically, usually sneaking more cups in even as the garbage drawer is closing.

- Bringing me food from the pantry all day long and begging as if I never ever feed him.

- Opening the Sharp Drawer in the kitchen, reaching his hand up and feeling around in there until someone comes running and screaming to stop him, at which point he either screams back or laughs hysterically.

- Helping me water the plants, pulling up the weeds I point out, and plunging his hands into fresh warm mud at every opportunity.

Pondering how many grains of sand there might be in that vast, open sandbox.

- Bringing me books, one at a time, getting settled on my lap, reading two pages excitedly in baby language, pushing it to the side angrily, and getting up to grab another book. Repeat for twenty minutes. He can never seem to find the one he's looking for.

- Shaking his head "no" to everything, even when it's clearly something he wants, like a fruit snack he thrusts into my face or a remote control.

- Stomping around the house yelling "Daaah-aaaw!!" This is how he says "Josh". I know because whenever I yell for Josh, I use the same intonation, and Jude has got it down. I know I say this about something different pretty much every day, but it is the cutest thing ever.

- Dressing up in little girl clothes! Okay, this one isn't as frequent as the others. I've had some baby girl things around the house lately (giving them away for a friend). He loves all shoes, but pink must have been so new and pretty that he couldn't resist. He cried hard when I took these off his fat little feet and handed them to another mommy.

Sorry Jude, that might be embarrassing later in life. Good thing you're so tough. In a cute way.