Human Tricks and Wickedness

Chloe came into the room with her head bent over sideways, eyes squinched and her mouth all screwed up in deep concentration.

"Look! Mommy, look! I've been working really hard!"

I burst out laughing -- 'cause she was being funny, right? No, she was dead serious. A few more seconds and I figured out what she was doing.

She was winking.

With forced seriousness, I offered to take her picture so that she could see on the viewfinder how well she was doing.

What do you think?

In a wholly unrelated matter (except that it happened the same day) ... I asked the girls what they thought of the movie "James and the Giant Peach." Chloe shrugged and said, "I liked it pretty much. Except for the wickedness." Ellie chimed in, "Yeah, the wickedness was not very good."

Hot Pink Glitter Pants

Ellie loves her short pink shorts. She has a couple of pairs and wears them day and night, until I manage to wash them. Then it starts over again. There is now a dusting of snow on the ground. But Ellie does not want to accept that winter has come. She loves her shorts. She sets off to walk through the field to Aunt Edith's house wearing her winter coat that hangs down lower than her shorts. She insists, so I say, "Okay, just run really fast so your little legs don't freeze!" But she walks so slowly, staring at the ground so much that she ends up heading in the wrong direction. I shelter myself from the cold in the doorway, hoping to see her arrive safely at my sister's home, (because I'm a responsible mother,) as I watch her bare legs saunter back and forth outside. I call out from my warm shelter, "Go fast, Ellie! Turn around! That way, Ellie!" Finally, she's on the path, heading toward the goal. She looks like a flasher, in a pink hooded coat and ladybug rain boots.

While I was gone shopping yesterday, she had a little accident and got her pink shorts wet. (As she explains it, "I didn't have an accident, Mom, it was an accident!") She wouldn't accept a loaner pair of panties and shorts from my sister. Instead, she waited bare-bummed in the bathroom, and took a nap there, while Edith washed and dried her panties and pink shorts.

So I browsed through the toddler clothes section for some pants Ellie might be happy to wear. And I saw them. Yep. She would definitely want to wear those. I picked up the hot pink glittery stretch-knit pants and put them right back down. They offended my (yes, even MY) sense of style. I just couldn't do it. They were too horrible. I handled an indigo pair for a while. They glittered, too. But weren't quite so bad. They didn't shout leg warmers and roller skates. But I doubted Ellie would deem them acceptable. Ellie has pants, after all. She just doesn't think they are beautiful enough to wear. On the other side of the display, I saw the pink glitter pants again. They were labeled 3T. Maybe from a distance they wouldn't look so bad. She's not in public too often, anyway. There is snow on the ground. I do think she would wear them. She's really got to stop wearing those shorts. I bought them.

At bedtime, Mike was telling his 'magination story to the girls. Something about igloos. I stuffed the pants into the back of my jeans and covered them up with my shirt. Then I told a wondrous story about a girl named Chlellie.

Chlellie lived in a land of snow. And she didn't have any warm long pants. And also, none of her pants were magic. But she found a pink sparkly key that went to a pink sparkly treasure box that was buried in the snow. And of course, when she turned the key, pink sparkles flew into the sky, the lid opened all by itself and a beautiful pair of pink glittery pants floated up into the air. Chlellie took the pants and put them on. They were a perfect fit! And they kept her warm all winter long.

And then, magically, I produced a pair of hot pink glitter pants from the back of my shirt. There was a gasp of delight. And Chloe jumped up and tried to put them on. She has been promised a trip to the store.

After prayers, I tucked Ellie in and whispered, "Good night sweetheart, I love you." She responded, "Those pants are so beautiful."

When there was a little accident in the middle of the night, and after I had assured her that 4:30 was not a time for washing pink shorts, she asked for her pink glitter pants. How sweet and sparkly is my success.

Falling for Fall

My Fall Foliage Bouquet that Mike made me to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of our first kiss. October 2nd - you are a beautiful day.

We had a repeat of the preschool field trip to the Black Island Farms pumpkin patch, where we picked plump pumpkins and applauded pink piggies.

Back by popular demand . . . (you know you want it) . . .
THE PIG RACE!

Pre-school was in the afternoon, which has been a little tough on Ellie, since she often takes a nap then and she's the youngest one in the class. I was getting hints that things weren't going well. She cried because someone took her chicken feather . . . she refused to join the rest of class because she was busy working on her starfish . . . and when I asked how she did one day, the response was, "She did a lot better today." Sooo, one day she threw a REAL SCREAMING, KICKING FIT because she didn't want to clean up after snacks. When I picked her up that day, and got the report from her teachers, Ellie fell asleep in my arms.

This is the letter she dictated to me after that day.

We enjoyed preschool this year and will enjoy it again starting next Fall.

and . . . Introducing the 2009
Halloween Malmgoblorgins

BOO

YEEHAW

GOOD GRIEF

Mixed Media

Today Ellie was singing a little song that went like this:

"He will send blessings . . . Pokemon!"

Why, oh why did I let Chloe convince me to get that Pokemon video from the library?

Charlie

My dad always sings, "Charlie is my darlin', my darlin', my darlin'!"
Charlie is a darlin' - a sweet, patient, happy boy.
Oh, we love him to pieces.

Here he is . . .

. . . happy to be sitting in his stroller at Lagoon,

. . . happy sitting up all by himself,

. . . happy waiting for Chloe to get home from Kindergarten,

. . . sooo happy!

. . . happy for cereal,

. . . happy hiking with dad,

. . . happy hangin' around.

We're happy to have you, Charlie.

Old Spice means Quality

Ellie just found Mike's Old Spice deodorant, popped the lid off and brought it over.

"Smell this."

"Okay . . . MMmmm, nice." Then, I asked, "What do you think it smells like?" (Fully expecting a sweet little moment with her saying, "It smells like Daddy.")

But instead she said,

"It smells like mud."

Well, I still think it smells good, Honey. Give a listen to this rousing song about Old Spice.

" . . . Look for the package with the ship that sails the ocean!"

First Day of School

My first child went to her first day of Kindergarten on Monday. She logged a few protests that morning. But when we were all there (the whole family, plus 3 cousins) at the end of the driveway, we saw the bus turn onto our road. We showed Chloe, who, after glancing eastward and seeing the bus, declared, "I'm NOT excited. Well, maybe a little." And I think she really was.


We had a little drama with the buses and their strangely varying schedules this week. (Hour and a half long waits, Chloe put on the wrong bus home, for starters.) But the good news is, this morning (Friday) she got on the bus, and we were there when she got off this afternoon. I think we're getting a hang of this.

Plug for the Post

Okay, c'mon people - did you see the Water Snake?! (Thanks, Katie H, for your lone awesome comment.) Scroll down a couple posts and give it a good look-see. Have you ever seen a regular garden hose act like that? And have you ever seen one cleverly tied to a chair, and by such a good-looking man - to make a London Bridge water attraction for two darling girls? Seriously, it's pretty cool don't you think?

signed,

Desperate for Comments

(OK, I have that water snake on my mind because it is nigh unto 100 degrees out there today!! And my car's air conditioner wasn't working. Bleaaaaaagh. Ellie didn't appreciate the open windows on the freeway and told me, "That wind is blowing our spirits out.")

Some Mormons I Know

I happened upon this video today and really liked it. Maybe you'll like it, too.

Generosity

I had some leftover orange frosting in my fridge from Chloe's birthday. As a rule, one should never have leftover frosting. One should eat it all immediately. I don't know why there was frosting leftover, and for two weeks. I suppose it should be something to be proud of, but then, I'm no skinnier for it. So why not just eat it at once? I suppose I could be fatter for it. However it happened, there was leftover orange frosting in my fridge.

I made graham cracker cookies with it. I started with two for each of the girls and a half for me. But the frosting just kept going and I unfortunately ended up with four square cookies. That meant two for each of the girls, but none for me. I reluctantly divided them, put on my best dejected face, and asked for a bite. Ellie squinched her lips and looked doubtful. Then she scraped a little frosting out with her pinky finger and offered it. I took it. Slurped it right off her finger. Chloe must have thought that was pretty sad, because she then said I could have half of one of hers. ("Because I wouldn't want to give you a whole one.") And I took it gratefully. And with that half cookie, it turned out I got a pinkyful of frosting more than I had planned on.

The whole "everything I have my mother gave me" concept hasn't quite sunk in, but they did share with me. They shared! I'm so proud.

Water Snake

He's mean. He's green. And oh, so refreshing.

She's Five!

Chloe turned five years old! Wahoo! And she's going to Kindergarten in a month. I'm not going to cry... I'm not going to cry...

She had a busy day: Managed a train station, created replica American Indian shields, tended to her princessly duties in her castle tower, counseled President Obama in the white house, played drums in Africa, sailed on the Mayflower, created a dinosaur jungle (on the Mayflower), went fishing in Japan, created a tasty sushi plate, and saved many puppies from burning buildings. Oh, and opened presents and had birthday cupcakes and ice cream. Her favorite present? Her new bike? Nope, her Ariel barbie. And the box it came in.

We love our sweet Chloe! Happy Birthday!

Never Gets Old

This is just the kind of humor we like at our house.

Reality Check

Never Try to Reason with a Tired 3-year-old.

Yesterday I was racing to get all three kids ready and into the car to go meet Mike, and Ellie was just not moving. I had strapped Charlie in his car seat and carried him upstairs. Chloe even had her shoes on (she never has her shoes on) and was meandering slowly in the right direction. And Ellie was still not moving. I put some shorts (back) on her and grabbed her sandals, figuring I could put them on later, and tried again to guide her toward the van. At this point she began to protest:

"No! Tiny Bear needs a drink!"

I told her, "That's fine, give Tiny Bear a drink, and let's go."

"No! Tiny Bear has to have a drink!"

Yes, Tiny Bear is a tiny teddy bear, her favorite toy. I was at a loss and ten minutes late, so I again told her, "Just give him a pretend drink. We've got to go." And I escorted her to the van.

She screamed, really wailed, for the first ten minutes of the drive. At first I just listened, comforting myself with the knowledge that every other mother knows how it is to drive with screaming in her ears.

(Incidentally . . . This, you male chauvinists out there, is where the bad women drivers theory was born. I'd like to see how YOU'd do under the same circumstances. Oh yeah, and the back of my seat was being kicked, too.)

After ten minutes I piped up too, and told her it really needed to stop. I took a deep breath, and in a slightly calmer voice, I tried to help her resolve her concern.

"Ellie, are you still crying because you want to give Tiny Bear a drink?"

"(whimper, whimper) yes (whimper, whimper.)"

"Well, Ellie, he's just pretend so you can give him a pretend drink." And I continued to demonstrate how to give a pretend animal a pretend drink. (Hey, I still had one hand on the wheel.)

"Noooo!" She continued to cry.

"Well then, Ellie, if you can wait a little while we'll be at a house where you can get him a real drink."

The crying stopped. After a short thoughtful pause, Ellie explained, condescendingly, "Mom-my . . . Tiny Bear can't have a real drink."

"Oh," I said. "You're right."

And that's where we left it.

One minute later she was asleep.

The Magoon

We love ourselves some Magoon. (Especially at $5 each! Thanks Sister-in-law's Uncle!)

My Pretty

As I gathered up the last of five (six?) loads of laundry for today, and was heading back toward the laundry room, I heard Chloe yell,

"Ellie! Watch out for mom! She's an evil witch!"

I hollered, "No, I'm not!" over my shoulder, as I continued to lug their dirty clothes away.

"Pre-TEND-ing!" Chloe loudly explained.



Typecasting, do you think? What was that about a thankless job?

Fireworks

It turned out to be a really good day. Though we slept in and only made it to the parade in time to see the remnants of floats driving away - we did get to enjoy a leisurely morning. We got some nice sun, and some nice easy-going rain showers. We got to have lunch with one of our favorite families. They invite us to crash their party year after year. We have perfected our sad, hungry puppy-dog faces. Later we saw another friend win his volleyball tournament. Charlie was patient as always, and napped most of the day. The evening was relaxing watching bits and pieces of Star Wars and X-Men movies, as we waited for the fireworks to start.

Now, I will admit that I have, in years past, been a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to fireworks. But I followed my cute husband and kids, blankets in hand out onto the lawn on the hill to watch the show coming from the stadium below. Despite my reluctance, I was quickly reminded that one of the best things in life is seeing my children happy and excited. And so I jumped into the pile of kids, husband and blankets, even though it wasn't very cold, and watched the fireworks. We cheered for the finale, only to have it start over again. They got us twice.

Chloe kept a careful vigil over her 9-month-old cousin, throwing a fit and pinning his shirt to the lawn every time he tried to crawl away.

As the bombs burst in air, my mother-in-law called out, "Happy Birthday, America!" To which Ellie, in her trademark earnest enthusiasm, responded, "AMERICA, we got you a surprise! IT'S FIREWORKS!!"

We shouted out names for each blast, creative and original names like "Fizzy," "Sparkle" and "Blast-y." Then after a particularly large and bright firework, Ellie declared, "Beautiful of God!"

The real finale was pretty spectacular. I found myself pointing and screaming along with the kids, "Oooh! Did you see that one!?" And I decided I didn't mind the fireworks so much this year. I kinda liked them.

After the lights were gone and the sounds of the explosions had stopped bouncing off the mountains around us, I rolled up in the blanket and wished to camp out there for the night. I felt fourteen again. I would have stayed there, but realized the shrieking beyond my smiled-closed eyes belonged to two little girls playing tug-of-war with one of the blankets, hours after their bed-time, and I was the 33-year-old responsible to restore them to their beds.

The night-time ritual was quickened since the kids were pretty wiped out from the day of celebration, slushies and sugar. And I went to sleep with visions of sparklers dancing in my head. I think it was my favorite fireworks show ever. And I think next year's will be, too. Happy Birthday, America!

Healthy Eats

We're trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, yada yada. Chloe has picked up on our efforts and made her very own batch of split pea soup:


Only four simple ingredients: split peas, whole raw almonds, water and chocolate syrup. Mmmmm. Healthy.

Meanwhile . . .

We invited you! Oh, yes we did. And we've invited you before. Well, we decided to go to the Ranch anyway, all by ourselves. And it was fabulous.

So many "welcome to the Ranch" moments: The smell of the sage as we first opened the van door; the smell of the house as soon as we stepped inside (GOOD smells. Good nostalgic smells); sitting on the porch swing during a rainstorm; jumping on the tramp at Sunset, pointing out all the new stars as they arrived; muddy shoes; the green fields below red cliffs . . . My friends, it was glorious! There is no place like it.

Totally worth the 14 hour round trip drive. I'm serious. And that's really saying something because we really dislike driving. I was a little depressed the day after we got back and finally realized it was because I wasn't at the Ranch anymore. Just five weeks until we get to go back. I can't wait.

Sailing, Sailing

Here's Chloe's art production of the day. She said she wanted to show everyone. Everyone.

So here you are, Everyone! Enjoy!

(click picture to see Chloe's notations, added by mom.)

Don't you just love those cheery one-eyed fishies?

And speaking of pirates, have you seen this jib jab video?

Elephants, I like elephants!

A friend from my mission sent me a link to this cute little Eric Herman music video. My girls watched it over and over. Enjoy!

Baby Jumps

I just thought I would post about my new accomplishment, of which I am oh-so-proud. Yesterday, I took the stairs two at a time.

(Yes, that's it. That's my new accomplishment. I haven't been able to do that since some time last year. )

I got in the habit of jumping up them two at a time when I was little. The stairs leading up from the dark and scary basement were one straight line to the safety of the upstairs kitchen. I'd often imagine that something creepy was going to come up after me, or that the stairs were alligator teeth and if I didn't hurry, the mouth would snap shut on me. So I went up the stairs in a hurry -- two at a time. It stuck. I always had to bound up any staircase quickly so as not to be grabbed or bitten.

Well, it gets a little hard to hop when you're about 6 months pregnant. (Don't ya think?) And it's hard to hop after a c-section. (DON'T YA THINK??!) But yesterday - and today, too! - I took the stairs two at a time. I'm so proud. I'm comin' back!

Just Daal-ing

Just posted a recipe for Dal/Daal/Dahl/Red Lentil Curry over at the Recipe Room. It's one of our faves. Yummy and Healthy and Easy and Inexpensive (if you have a bunch of weird spices already on hand, which we do.)

Try it. Let me know what you think.

Giggle Fit

I know this is a repeat for some of you, but I had to post it anyway! Such a stinkin' cute little stinker cutie.

More Telling It Like It Is

Ellie was throwing a little tantrum the other day that went something like this:

Chloe took Tiny Bear!
I TELL you!
She took away my Tiny Bear and Ariel!
And she won't give them back!
Start the timer! Where's the timer!
Chloe, you are a naughty girl!
Chloe isn't giving me back my Tiny Bear!

(And her parting shot . . .)
HMMPH! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!

To which Chloe responded, "Ellie, you're weird."

Charlie's Blessed Day

We blessed our darling Charlie today. Mike said Charlie was trying to sit up the whole time during the blessing. Mike almost cracked up, but kept it under control and the blessing short. We admit Chuck's a little big for getting his blessing. But due to procrastination, I mean, RSV season, we decided now was the best time. It was a gorgeous day. We so loved having family around and missed those who couldn't be here.

The Results are In!

We conducted our traditional Shake Test at Bear Lake this past weekend. We are fatter. Still. The results are here.

And the winner is . . .

A Decade of Us

On Saturday, Mike and I celebrated ten years from the day we met. My brother said, pointing to a picture of him and his friends, "That's Mike, he's awesome! You should marry him." I trusted Joey's opinion, so I said, "Okay." That night (I think) I went to a fireside with Joey and some friends. I saw Mike and said, "Hi. You're Mike." Then we started talking...

What a good decade. For me, the day started with sleeping in, one of my favorite gifts. For Mike, the day started when the girls got up. He cleaned house, fed kids, and also found time to put together a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers and a poem for me -- which I found when I finally woke up. What a good man. We farmed the kids out to various babysitters and caught a play and dinner. And we played "Remember When" for hours.


Remember when . . .

Ellie Tells It Like It Is

Mom: Ellie! Do you want to come have some sandwiches? Peanut Butter and Honey!

Ellie: Not yet! I'm still making a mess!

Playground Humor

Here's the joke Chloe shared with me the other day:

Chloe: Why did the hippopotamus slide down the slide?

Me: I don't know. Why?

Chloe: To crush the bird. (pause) Because, you see . . .

(And she proceeded to explain what the mass and velocity of a hippo going down a slide would do to a bird perched at the bottom. Such a tender-hearted girl.)

The Bug Refuge

Did I know there was a great big, huge, expansive bird refuge 40 minutes from where I grew up? Well, my in-laws knew and we took a small caravan of 5 adults and 5 children on a drive out and around it last night. It was so beautiful. We saw black ducks with white bills. There were lots of pretty orange-headed birds among the cat-tails. (Ellie: No! Not cattails-- cornfields!) Large pelicans landed and lifted off the water. But most impressive were the oh-so-elegant blue herons! Gorgeous!


And then there were the bugs. Mosquitoes impressive in size and number. Anytime we slowed down they were bumping around our car windows like a field of static electricity. And they were thirsting for my blood. My blood! Mosquitoes seriously love me. But I'm not going to stop eating bananas. I love bananas. But thankfully (and necessarily) this was strictly a driving tour. So I laugh at their futile efforts. Wahaha!

On our last leg we spotted groups of excited gulls swirling and diving en masse. And as we drove into the middle of the party, we realized we had entered the mosquito breeding grounds (of all mosquito breeding grounds.) There were columnar clouds of them on each side of the road for a mile. I think flying through that with your mouth open would be quite an awesome thing for a gull. For me, not so much.

(click on this picture, I dare you.)

So having whetted our appetites, we stopped at a greasy drive-in for some of the best french fries I've ever had. Birdwatching and skipping lunch can sure conjure an appetite. On our drive home in the dark, Ellie kept telling us how much fun it was. "Ducks and Birds and Bugs!" (Oh, my!) Next time your in-laws want to take you on a fieldtrip, I say you should definitely go. And bring your camera. And some deet.

Charlie

Yeah, it's been a while. We've been busy adoring our new family member. Charlie is a month old now. He's sweet, patient, and so lovable. He takes after his dad's side of the family. (That's not to say that his mom's side isn't sweet, patient and lovable. We are those things sometimes.) But looks and size-wise, he's a Malmborg Man. So here are some pics of our charming Charlie:

Suspicious Activities

My favorite thing I gave the girls for Christmas was a set of nice big building blocks. My mom always said she thought blocks were the best toy for kids and their brains.

Well, now I wonder a little about my girls' brains. I can't be sure, but I think they've created some kind of stuffed animal sacrificial altars and burial ground.



Actually, that's probably just me being creepy. They probably just tucked their animals into bed with some nice wooden pillows and blankets, right?

Winter Stuff and Goings On

I finally uploaded some photos from the last couple of months. It's been a good past couple - especially from the pregnant person perspective - they've passed. I did enjoy them, but how I love seeing our baby countdown chain growing shorter day by day! So here's a little more of what we were up to . . .

We've made a few trips up to the beloved Bear Lake cabin. This shot was taken in Logan Canyon.


We had our good friends the Woods, Weavers and the Joey & Katie Hales up for a few days. Here are Jared & Jake showing off their mad karaoke skills:



Chloe, after some good sledding (down our neighbor's driveway.)


Ellie is loving the new playground Grandpa built in the backyard.


A short-lived warm and rainy spell.


The Mad Hatter and Peter Pan enjoying tea in the English room of the Treehouse Museum, on Cousins' Day.


Chloe wishes you all had a happy Valentine's Day . . .

and here's a belated V-Day smooch!

What's in a Name?

I'm down to weekly appointments now. My doctor was out of town this week, so I met with one of the other doctors. Despite the fact that all of my recent appointments have involved just a measuring tape and a stethoscope, it still usually took an hour to an hour and a half. With this substitute doctor, I was done in 25 minutes. His name: Dr. Swift.

So it occurs to me that it can be important what you name your child. Though I think naming ours "Honest" or "Goal-driven" or "Supernice" isn't the solution.

The day is rapidly approaching and we think we have a name chosen. Just the same (and we won't be revealing our ideas - sorry!) we welcome any last-minute boy name suggestions.

(Okay, now it's your turn. Suggest away!)

More Favorites

Maybe Chloe could tell I was feeling a little insecure, so she told me, "Mom, I love you up to the trees." I gave her a big hug and told her, "Thank you sweetheart, I love you, too."

Chloe continued, "And I love dad way up to the sky."

And just in case I didn't get the picture, she added, "The sky is higher than the trees." Thanks for the clarification.

Yeah, well, her dad is pretty lovable. I admit. He offered to be a little meaner to Chloe if it would make me feel better. But I think I'll be okay. After all, up to the trees is still pretty high, right?

What did I do today?

Hey Moms (and Non-Moms),

I loved this little article. (It was linked on one of my favorite blogs: stephmodo.) Makes me laugh, makes me cry.

Just nice to know there really are lots of people that know what's going on in your life.

Favorites

Chloe told us the other day, "I have four favorite things: Dad, sausage, eggs and candy."

I don't feel too bad, because (1) it seems like dad is in a somewhat shady crowd, and (2) if you ask her, Ellie will tell you she likes mom more than dad. So there, we're even.

Mike's convinced our boy will be partial to me, too, just cuz "boys always like their moms more."

2 points mom, 1 point dad.

I guess we'll have to have a fourth child, just to give Mike a fighting chance. But, wow, I really don't want to think about that right now. 30 days and counting.

Resolutions

At first (on the 1st, rather) I thought maybe I wouldn't bother making any New Year's resolutions. Schmesolutions. I'm working hard enough, aren't I? I suppose I could resolve to do less! So anyway, I pushed it to the back of my mind where it continued to percolate until these couple of thoughts emerged:

1) We've been married eight (wonderful) years now, and have lived in 6 different places, and have moved ten times. We anticipate moving again later this year, and then moving once more into our permanent, last, final home. The good that has come of this nomadic lifestyle is that we have learned to be patient, flexible, good at putting off gratification and realizing that some needs are really wants (such as new furniture, large wardrobes and nice home decor.) Thanks to kind, generous, accommodating family allowing us to stay with them as we have hopped from place to place, we have been able to pay off school debt, save a little money, and hopefully have become more humble and grateful as well.

So, no, the resolution is not to continue to roam, though we have learned many positive things. The downside of our temporariness was that I found myself thinking "temporarily" too. My bedroom dressers are piled with papers that need to be filed, children's art supplies, pictures and prints that need to be framed, etc. But, though it bugs me, I found myself thinking: We're not going to be here for long . . . I don't have storage space for that right now . . . I don't have anywhere to hang those . . . When we're in our own home . . . (Enter President Monson's talk - Finding Joy in the Journey. And Pres. Julie Beck's, too, from last Spring.) I began hearing myself and realized I needed to make my home - and my life! - the way I wanted it to be - right now. So there it is. My goal is to suck it up, be a little more creative and resourceful, realize how green my current pastures are, and live right now.

2) My second goal is a little more concrete and completable - yay! I want to work on our personal histories. Starting with all of our family videos, I want to gather, edit and burn them onto DVD. And I want to gather and compile all of Mike's and my correspondence. And that's it. I'll consider that goal completed. (If I'm super ambitious, I'll type out our mission journals. Though that, especially considering Mike's creative handwriting - love you babe! - is probably a goal for another year.)

Okay, there you have it. Now that I've written it here, I have to do it, right?

Happy New Year, everyone!