Happy Birthday Grammy!

Weekend Update

Well, I just wanted to stop by and say hello.  We are all doing fine here and making the necessary adjustments now that we're a family of six.  Ben is adjusting to doing most of the housework and childcare in the evenings while I feed and hold the baby.  I'm adjusting to not getting things done at the pace I used to, particularly not being able to sit down at a computer for days at a time.

I keep having this quote from Pres. Uchtdorf running through my head, "What do you suppose pilots do when they encounter turbulence?  A student pilot may think that increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through the turbulence faster.  But that may be the wrong thing to do.  Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence.  And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed.  The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road.  Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions." {source}

So I've slowed down quite a bit as I've enjoyed having this baby around.  I've also re-evaluated my priorities and accepted that things will just have to wait.  In that spirit, I have a long list of blog posts I'll catch up on at some point.  In the future, you'll be seeing Cat's piano recital, drama performance, final soccer game.  You'll see the end of the school year festivities for Cat and Jack.  You'll see the fun things we did while Ben's parents, affectionately referred to 'round these parts as Mema and Papa, were visiting in April.  You'll see my brother's wedding in California, the Children's Book Festival, our Day Out with Thomas, and some fun Everyday Stuff.  I have a lot of catching up to do, but it will be happening at a pretty slow pace.  Because we're also preparing to move.

No, we don't have a plan of where we'll be going yet.  But in just over a month we'll be moving from this house in Utah and beginning another adventure.  Ben is working full-time to get a job so at this point we can't plan very far in the future.  We know what the next month looks like, and I'm staying focused on that.

I'll leave you with one bit of miscellany that might brighten your day.  Occasionally our kids see a YouTube video that they become somewhat obsessed with and want to watch over and over again.  So what is the video du jour?  I present you with Old Spice's Terry Crews Muscle Music video, which Eliza requests by saying, "I want to watch muscles, muscles, muscles.  What!"

PS> I have renewed my efforts to write down the funny things the kids say.  So there are some updates on Jack's and Eliza's lists.  Check them out.  :-)

The BLFC

Before Luke was born I wasn't sure what to expect from the big kids.  If you'd asked me to predict how they would react to Luke, I would have said the following:

Cat will adore the little guy and want to help take care of him.  Jack will be excited to have a brother but not be so interested in being with the baby all the time.  Eliza will vacillate between adoration and jealousy, probably exhibiting a lot of babyish behaviors and even regressing in some ways.

I would have been right about Cat, but not so much with Jack and Eliza.

Since Luke came home 3 weeks ago, Ben and I have been proud to see the formation of a serious Baby Luke Fan Club, or BLFC for short.

Founders:
Mom & Dad

Responsibilities:

• Provide for the physical and emotional well-being of Baby Luke
• Select members and officers of the BLFC
• Plan BLFC activities and events

President:
Eliza

Responsibilities:

• Provide a warm welcome when Baby Luke arrives home from the hospital

• Rename standard baby items (pacifier becomes fire pass, car seat becomes seat car, etc.)
• Ensure Baby Luke has constant access to his fire pass

• Be ready and waiting when Baby Luke wakes up in the morning

• Take super-up-close pictures of Baby Luke

• Share your gender-specific toys and accessories with Baby Luke

 

• Anticipate Baby Luke's needs before anyone else

• Give everyone within earshot a play-by-play of Baby Luke's every movement.  "The Baby moved his arm!  The Baby touched his face!  The Baby kicked his leg!"
• Attribute actions and intentions to Baby Luke which are far beyond his capacity, such as "The Baby pulled my hair!" "The Baby tried to get my teeth!"  "The Baby took my lip gloss!" "The Baby said I could sit in his chair!"
• Test seat car and bouncy seat safety by fastening the buckles whenever possible.
• Personally supervise diaper changes.
• Tell everyone you meet that you have a baby named Luke.
• Push the limits of Baby Luke's need for personal space by watching him from 3 inches away.  This is particularly useful when on wake-up watch.  If he wakes up when you are nearby (3 inches), alert Mom and Dad immediately by yelling loudly.
• Request that Baby Luke accompany you when you go out.
• Show your affection frequently by giving Baby Luke lots of hugs and kisses, and asking to hold him as often as possible.
• Grow up, and refer to yourself as a grown up.  Occasionally complain about how hard it is to be a grown up.

VP & Historian:
Cat

Responsibilities:

• Assist President with all of her duties, particularly holding Baby Luke as often as possible and giving him lots of hugs and kisses.
• Take lots of pictures of Baby Luke whenever Mom grants access to her camera.  Set up your own photo shoot, if possible.

Member:
Jack

Responsibilities:

• Assist the President and Vice President as needed
• Hold Baby Luke frequently
• Eagerly anticipate the day when he will be able to share a room with you

I am excited to announce that we are currently accepting new members of the BLFC!  This weekend we recruited many new members from the ranks of my extended family and other wedding guests while we attended my brother's wedding in California.  I regret that I don't have photographic evidence of his many fans, but he was quite the celebrity and family, friends, with strangers oohing and ahhing over him and eager for the chance to hold him.  I don't blame them.  I'm quite a fan myself.  Sometimes I even write his name in chalk and decorate it with stars and a spiral.

Our Tinth Anniversary

Yesterday Ben and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary.  Hard to believe it's been that long.  But then again, looking back at the pictures, we do look pretty young...

(When I took this picture yesterday, Eliza asked me, "Did Daddy wore his prince clothes?  And you wore your princess clothes?")

I checked Wikipedia to find out what the traditional gift is for the 10th Anniversary and guess what it is?  Tin or aluminum.  So Ben received breakfast in bed in a foil container.  :-)  Happy Tinth Anniversary, babe!

Ben decided to buck tradition and go with a more modern gift for me: a cool bouquet he arranged himself.  (He's always been much better at flower arranging than I.)

A friend watched Jack and Eliza for us while we went out to lunch (with our adorable little tag-along). Our friend also took a commemorative picture:

One of the things we talked about over lunch was what our fantasy 10-year anniversary celebration could consist of (you know, if Luke was a year older and we had tons of money).  The consensus was that we would love to travel abroad.  One of us suggested Europe.  The other suggested hiking Machu Picchu.  I'll let you guess which was which.

That night we had a celebratory dinner of miscellaneous leftovers from the yummy post-baby meals friends have been bringing over.  It was punctuated by personal-sized bottles of sparkling cider.

I spent the day before our anniversary pondering what our journey thus far has consisted of.

Here is a concise list:

10 mailing addresses

9 seasons of The Office

8 little hands

7 wards

6 jobs

5 camping trips

4 cars

3 college degrees

2 kids hospitalized

1 riding lawn mower

0 regrets

I feel so blessed to have a strong, loving relationship, and I feel like we are getting better and better at this marriage thing.  We've experienced a lot together, and I can't wait to see what adventures our next decade together brings.