January 29, 2017

Sometimes I don't know what to write. I feel like my experiences are so routine, sometimes mundane. Occasionally there is a funny comment, or something out of the ordinary, but usually things just keep rolling along and Sunday rolls around and I want to write something down and don't remember a thing out of the ordinary. These would be extremely interesting if I wrote out the menus, scheduling, workouts, after school activities... basically a screen shot of our calendar, right?

Wrong. Those aren't the things I want to remember, nor share.

Dubai is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I love the architecture.

I want to remember that Scout couldn't say kitty-cat, so she would say "puddy-tat". And that she always uses a very high pitched screechy voice when talking for her animals, which she does for hours every day. I had a small victory when I taught her how to play hide-and-seek with her animals and then when she counted I hid all 10 of them! It yielded 5 minutes of peace. She also can't pronounce "crying", so it always come out as "Moooommmm! The baby's dy-ing!"

I also want to remember how heavenly it is to sleep at a hotel sans children. I read and read and read. Dan's race was in Dubai this week and we got babysitters. Uninterrupted sleep and no alarms. I was in bed every night by 8 and awake by 4 (jet-lag). It was also so great to come home to chaos and hugs and pure excitement and drama over everything.

In our absence Moses cut molars and Mary was kissed by a boy, the park near our home finally opened and the children picnicked there every. single. day. They made homemade kites and rescued our new pet grasshopper (named Burt) from drowning in the pool.

And the kites.

 

Dan's race, he did really well. 

It is good to be home. Gong Xi Fa Cai! 

(Happy Chinese New Year!)

January 2, 2017

We had Hungarian Goulash for dinner last night. It was delicious.

Highlights from this week:

Scout's Birthday, Dan is making her pancakes. And her first haircut. I may have cried a little bit, her curls are gone and she looks so grown up now.

Moses has been sick all week. OR at least I thought he was sick until I noticed he was teething. Guess that means it can't lasts much longer. Poor little guy.

I took Scout and Maeser to join Mary and Abe for school lunch. Delicious. Way better than home lunch. Think cheese plates, sushi and chocolate milk.

Scout is really into animals. She plays with these wooden animals for hours. Every. Single. Day.

I love them. She walks around talking in a high pitched voice having conversations about everything. But mostly it is fun hearing how she thinks the home operates. Everything is offered persuasively. A reward is given for every obedient action. And the little animals always want to play.

Scout playing the ipad with Ru.

Oh, the one photo is Maeser getting his hair cut. I catch my knuckles more frequently than his hair.

-isms.

January 15, 2016

Things I want to remember, but probably won't unless I write them down.

Speech Impediments:

Scout, "I have a stash-stash!" (mustache)

Scout, "Can I have a tookie?" (cookie)

"Mango!" (It's adorable that she still calls him Mango.)

Don't we all: 

"On my birthday I want a pink cake and pink flowers. And pink soup." (Scout)

"I don't want to color. I want a ball." (Maeser)

Touché:

Mom to Abe, "What does cheerful mean?"

Abe, "To be happy... or look happy." 

Abe ate 5 bowls of vegetable soup. (In an effort to have the children eat their soup, I promised a peanut butter cookie for each entire bowl they ate. Yeesh.)

Maeser, "Can I play the iPad? Zombie game, it's got prophets in it, good prophets."

Misconceptions:

Mary, "Mom, I almost saw pornography today."

Mom, "Really?"

Mary, "Yeah, a girl fell down the slide and her pants got stuck on the slide."

Mom, "(Face palm.) Huh, well.... that isn't really the same thing."

Mary, "Mom, do you remember that phone you gave me...?" (Yes. I do. And I'm not ready for you to grow up so soon...)

Me, "Uh, yeah. We still need to get a sim card for it." 

Free Puppy, well trained. *expert chewing skills and an escape artist. (Is it a surprise?)

Thunderstorms are scary. Scout hasn't quite gotten used to them.

A quiet moment.

First haircut. A day shy of 3.

January 8th, That means Dan is 37!

We went to the beach (in Indonesian but only a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore) and I can't believe we've never been in the last 2 years. We introduced the children to boogie boarding, released baby turtles into the ocean and the babies are still pooping sand. 

My update is brief. School has been out for Christmas break and the children returned to school this morning. We went to the beach (in Indonesian but only a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore) and I can't believe we've never been in the last 2 years. We introduced the children to boogie boarding, released baby turtles into the ocean and the babies are still pooping sand. 

It was a fantastic end to Christmas vacation. That and preparing a Sunday School lesson. It is an introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants. I was trying to find some way to make it relatable. Some teachers have a million stories to draw from. I don't know how they have a personal experience to share for every gospel principle or church history event but they do. Dan's dad taught the same lesson last week and he had great insight that I wish I'd received prior to my lesson. Next time.

Our area authority was the speaker last week in church and due to some unfortunate planning he had the entire 30 minutes to fill. I was trying to get comfortable in my seat thinking it would be a long meeting and was surprised when it ended. He had story after story which he applied to the doctrine he was covering. I, on the other hand, have maxed out my grandmother's soup story for multiple principles. And not all of the class can relate to sleep training, anxious mothering or sleepless nights with children in which I find my most frequent moments of growth and confirmation. Maybe I've been too focused on myself for the last 13 years... I'm sure as the children get older our experiences will change and eventually I'll be able to captivate my sleepy Sunday school class. I need to pay closer attention to how the gospel can be applied to all experiences. And then I need to record them!

I really am thankful for the opportunity to study and for the desire to understand. I hope your investigators have the same feelings. Desire is a powerful tool. I understand the scripture Alma 32:27 and know that a continued desire to grow is a blessing.

Maeser made the Hungarian flag out of Legos all by himself. Proud kid. (Dallin is serving in Hungary.)

Lower Expectations

It is new years day. Odd how quickly time passes. It  gets faster every year, must mean I'm getting old. I'm watching Scout, she's trying to steal legos from Abraham. She is adorable, but I'm afraid that won't be a help to her. She's learning to get away with everything. She is by far her father's favorite child. 

We had a great New Year and I'm so thankful for the year ahead. I've decided to lower my expectations for the year. Sometimes I get caught up in planning details, I'm going to focus on the moment and chose to simplify. Hopefully this will leave more time to enjoy little people, strengthen my relationship with God and be present. New Years resolutions. 

Merry Merry Christmas!

We have had a wonderful Christmas. The usual sugar comas and bipolar toddlers. The children have been doing a sugar challenge, it starts again tomorrow. I am actually hoping for a lifestyle change eventually. It is just so much better. No argument when considering healthier lifestyle changes.

I finished reading the Book of Mormon this week. It has been a more intense study than I have ever embarked on. When finishing I expected a stronger affirmation of the truthfulness of the gospel and of the book itself. But I didn't feel an extra portion of the spirit. I was almost disappointed. Today, during church I had an inspired thought- you will feel and know when you are willing to testify of the Book of Mormon. Because I already know of its truthfulness and that it testifies of Christ, that is easy to do. But I need to be more willing to share that testimony and I believe that this long focus will be a strength as I do so.
I am determined to follow that promoting and be more bold in declaring my beliefs.
I had a friend in Bangkok who expressed interest in family home evenings. I told her how we used them in our home and she began using the same format in her own home. When she first asked, I told her it was something my parents did and I grew up with family nights every week. It wasn't until months later I told her it was actually a program within the church, and I told her there were resources online or manuals you could use. She looked at me, I thought angrily, but then she said- "You mean hey have a manual for this?!" Instead of me teaching her how to role-play with her children or texting her FHE lessons, I should have given her the resources to find answers for any questions she may have had.
It was Mary's turn to pray in family prayer this morning and she said, "Please help Dallin and Hannah not be homesick away from family today."

Our affectionate two year old.

A hearty morning hello.

Mary.