It's official

Kira's crawling! She has been on the verge for a month, rocking back and forth on her hands and knees. She finally was moving around, going after toys and getting to them without any help. She's mobile and therefore happy! Adalin crawled just before 8 months, so I expected Kira to crawl then too... she's a little chunkier though, and I think that is why it has taken her a little longer. I am happy. She is growing up, her personality is the sweetest, she has such bright eyes. I love her!

Christmas 2007

We had an amazing Christmas.


My father gave a lesson on Christmas before we opened presents. I know these are always hard for most people. My dad's lesson was great though, very spiritual. We watched Joy to the World, a movie put out by my church. It is a wonderful movie about the birth and life of the Savior. I felt the Spirit here as we watched it and saw just a glimpse of what we thought the Savior's birth was like. My dad then shared his thoughts about Christ and His birth. He mentioned that there were many sacrifices made when the Savior was born. Joseph sacrificed much to take care of Mary and try to find a place for her to give birth in such a crowded city. Imagine the frustration that he must have felt, not being able to find a comfortable place for his wife to have her baby. He must have been patient, humble and a wonderful man. The 3 wise men traveled from afar to see the young baby Jesus. They gave Him gifts that were of great value and made a point to travel to worship him. Mary sacrificed much as well. Her life was forever changed because she was chosen to bear the Son of God. She loved, raised and believed in Christ. Following Christ isn't always the easiest thing to do, but it is always the best. I pray that I will always be willing to follow Him, even when it isn't the easiest thing to do.

The gifts given and received Christmas morning were wonderful. I bought Adam and sport watch that tells time, elevation, direction (compass), barometric pressure, latitude, time zone... who knows what else. He really loves it. It was a wonderful gift to give. He wears it with pride.
Adalin's big gift from Grandpa and Grandma was a Leapster learning hand-held game, uh, thing. She got a lot of wonderful books, clothes, toys... This was the first year that Christmas really meant something to her. She knew about the story of baby Jesus, the 3 wise men, the location of Christ's birth and the star that appeared in the heavens.

And, dun, dun, dun...

The highlight of gift opening ever for me:

Yes, I am a spoiled brat. My Dad and Mom gave me the kitchen appliance of my dreams: the KitchenAid Professional 600 series, 6 quart mixer. WAHOO! I have been wanting this for a long time! It is amazing! I love it! Thank you Dad and Mom!!!!! Awesome. I also received some beautiful sweaters, boots, perfume, the softest bathrobe in the world, and kitchen stuff (a new cheese grater (yay!), cutting boards, serving spoons).

We had a wonderful dinner that night. I will post recipes and pics soon.

Merry Christmas!

Plate Turner

#6 - My Bad Habit

It is time to wrap up my 6 things to share about myself that most of you don't know...

I am a plate turner. I have recently been notified that this is a very bad thing to make a habit of. In etiquette classes, this is advised against. I don't even know why I do this. I just start with one item, finish it, and then go on to the next thing. It is easier for me to just focus on one thing at a time. This is something that I constantly catch myself doing. I am trying to correct it. I am not sure when I started doing this. It has to stop though!

6 people I tag:
1. Kaileen
2. Ruth
3. Stef
4. Pattie
5. Valerie
6. Tiffany

Adalin Says More Funny Things

Adalin in the back seat of the car holding her new "My Pod" up to her ear: "Hi, this is Adalin, sorry I missed your call."

Adalin didn't have a nap today so she was lying on the floor. Adam encouraged her to get up and she said: "Can you help me, I can't get up b/c I just had surgery." (My mom is recovering right now from surgery and she has heard that word a lot around here the past week.)

My sister, Alyse, took Adalin to the potty during church on Sunday and Adalin managed to have a bowel movement. She explained to Alyse: "Jesus helped me get get my poop out."

She also exclaimed loudly during sacrament meeting to my mom: "let me see your surgery!" That turned a few heads.

4 Years Ago Today

Adam and I got married! Happy Anniversary babe.

In some ways it seems like it was longer than 4 years, in some ways shorter. I feel like we have been through a lot together. We have moved a lot, finished undergrad (well, I am almost done), had two kids, are over a year into med school, bought a house... we must have been married more than 4 years ago. But 4 years! That's kind of a long time. I am only 23 and I have been married for 4 years. By the world's average age for marriage, I shouldn't be married yet. I has gone by fast, it feels more like 2 years. I am going to read this 30 years from now and think, "Goodness girl, 4 years was nothin'. No big deal."

Well, anyway, here are a few highlights of what went on these past years:

12/20/03 - We got married in the Manti, UT temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
12/22/03 - Catalina Island for 2 days.
12/25/03 - Christmas in LA with Justin & Julie and Mom & Dad Franson.

4/04 - Moved out of our first basement apartment into our "first place" in Springville, UT. Bought our first car, 1995 Audi Quattro, it turned out to be a lemon.
5/04 - Pregnant!
6/04 - I got bucked off a horse.
10/04 - Got our first pet, Kitty.
12/25/04 - Christmas in Springville with my sister, Lauren.
12/31/04 - New Year's in LA.

2/05 - Adalin was born!
10/05 - Moved to Provo in need of some more square footage. Applied to Med schools.
12/25/05 - Christmas in Provo, just us.

3/06 - Got Isis, our first dog, red & white Basenji. Ran the Moab Half Marathon together.
4/06 - Adam graduated from BYU with a BS in Physiology and Developmental Biology.
7/06 - Moved to Kirksville, MO for med school. Pregnant Again!

4/07 - Kira Elizabeth was born!

I am SO grateful for Adam. This past year has been difficult for us. Med school isn't easy. Adam often wonders if the sacrifice is really worth it. Some weeks are worse than others. Lack of exercise and time with family, not eating very well, impatience, rushing everywhere we go are all side effects of being so crazy busy with school.

I wished Adam a happy anniversary this morning as he was frantically studying for a quiz. I told him I loved him. He said, "There's not much to love." Trust me Ad, there is. Life is hard sometimes, but if it was always easy it wouldn't be rewarding. The past 4 years have been just that. I am so thankful we met when we did, that someone thought to introduce us, and that we gave each other a chance. I have so many fond memories of the past 5 years that we have known each other. It has been purely wonderful. And like I said, if everyday would have been easy and care-free, we wouldn't be where we are today. Our love wouldn't be strong, our characters built or our lives enriched. I am so grateful for you. I love you. I am glad that you are by my side through this journey. I wouldn't have it any other way.

All of our wedding and dating pics are on my other computer, which crashed. When I get the hard drive recovered I will have to post some old school pics of our younger years. :)

Eyebrows

# 5 - I can't handle it

I cannot handle my eyebrows being rubbed the wrong way, the opposite way the hair naturally grows. Just the thought of doing this sends chills down my back. Adam knows this and will occasionally hold me down and mess up my eyebrows. Eeech! I just hate the feeling!

Hammering wakes up child

Adam and I were hanging our curtains back up in the living room after repairing the previous holes in the walls a few minutes ago. Adam had to hammer the plastic re-enforcer things in, waking up Adalin from her nap. We hear her come out of her room and as she is making her way down the stairs...
Adam says: "Adalin, shouldn't you be sleeping?"
Adalin: "Yeah but I heard some hammer and I thought, 'What the heck?'"

Gees, I wonder where she got that from.

Doopa

Adalin was baby-talking to Kira one day and called her Doopa. I think that she meant to say Loopa, because Ad and I often call Kira Loopy-Loo, but Doopa came out. It was sweet. Now that is what Adalin calls Kira all the time.

Here's are some pics of Doopa tonight after we stripped her down after dinner. She is so chunky, it is funny. We love her so much. She is the happiest child in the world. She constantly brings joy to our day and makes us smile. She continues to wave when we say hi to her, clap when we say yay, and play peek-a-boo. She almost crawled tonight too. She moved her knees like 3 or 4 times forward, but then collapsed... she will be crankin' around the house any day!

Adalin with Santa

She didn't cry this year! She was a little hesitant at first, but I bribed her with McDonald's and then she got up the guts to go sit on his lap. Santa gave her a wrapped gift, which she opened right after... a blue fuzzy purse. Oh, to describe the look on her face. Just like it was the only thing she ever dreamed of! It was cute.

A Long Tumble

#4 - Down the Sand Dune

One of the coolest things to see in my home state are the sand dunes of Lake Michigan. We took a family vacation there when I was little, like 5 or 6. We stayed in a cabin, swam, saw lighthouses and such. One day, all of us kids really wanted to take a couple-mile hike to this lighthouse that we hadn't seen before. This was a hike through sand, with a few trees and beach grass mixed in. I don't know what my parents were thinking consenting to take 4 small children on a (2 or 3 mile?) hike through sand. Anyway, we went and I had a little accident. I remember it mostly from watching it replay on our TV screen over and over and over as, you guessed it, we were watching home videos some random Sunday evening.

You see, I was fatigued and weak, from walking that far through sand when I slipped and tumbled down, head over foot, down about a 30 foot hill. After the series of summer-salts down this dune, I was crushed. I had sand in every orifice of my face, in my hair, eyes, ears, teeth, under my fingernails. Sand was in all my clothes, shoes, socks. It was awful. Not to mention the pain from falling, sliding, tumbling, whatever you want to call it, that far. I was embarrassed too. I cried.

To make matters worse, this (and the ice-skating episode, it was a tie) was my families' favorite home video. They would play it in slow motion over and over, watching me roll down this sand dune. They would have tears in their eyes b/c they thought it was so funny. For many years, I would run off to my room and cry b/c I was so embarrassed that I had such a nasty fall. Then, eventually, I began to laugh too. It was pretty funny, I guess.

Fish Stories

#3 - My Water World

I love the water. I always have! I remember being very little, swimming in lake Michigan for hours and hours. Exhausted, my mom and dad would tell me its time to go and I would be so disappointed. I never wanted to get out of the water, lakes, pools, ponds, you name it.

I swam for Edsel Ford HS in Dearborn, MI for 4 years, varsity. Swimming competitively was my "thing." I was decent at some other sports, but swimming was my passion, where I fit in the best, what I was the best at. Almost all of the people that I swam against had been swimming competitively since they were 5. Not me. That's what is a little ironic. My best friend, Kaileen convinced me to join the swim team with her in 7th grade. She knew the strokes b/c she had taken swimming lessons for years. Not me. I wouldn't have drowned in a sticky situation, but I didn't know how to swim correctly. So it started for me there, in the Stout Middle School pool. I am not sure how I learned the strokes. I remember Kaileen and Leslie helping me with technique, and my coach probably did too. I think that I mostly watched other people swimming and then did it myself. Anyway, I learned somehow and found myself to be good at it.
My middle school coach held time trials at practice. He made me do the 100 IM trial and I did not want to do it. (100 IM is 4 laps, one length of each stroke; Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle) Our best IMer was up on the blocks as well and I knew that she would just hate me if I beat her. I didn't pay much attention to her as I swam those 4 laps, I just swam the best I could. I knew I was ahead at the end and remember thinking about slowing down and purposely loosing just so the other swimmers wouldn't hate me. You know how middle school girls are. Nasty! Well, they did hate me after I came in first. In fact, we laugh about it now, but even my best friends, Kaileen and Leslie, joined the other mean girls in a revenge campaign. While swimming laps during practice for days after, they purposely did the Breaststroke (frog) kick when swimming the opposite direction and in the same lane, so that they could kick me in the ribs. Yes, true. They kicked me underneath the lane lines. That was just downright mean.
So anyway, it was there that I found out I could swim, fast.
High school swimming was a blast. I loved it. I loved it b/c I was good at it, it was challenging, ohhh, it was SO HARD sometimes. I worked my tail off. Morning practice 3-4 days/week. We would swim about 2-3,000 yards in the morning and then another 7-8,000 during practice after school, which was everyday, besides meet days. You know how far 10,000 yards is? That's 100 lengths of a football field, 5.68 miles, a long way. It was my passion though, even though it was difficult at times, it was so rewarding. I made varsity all 4 years, was a captain and MVP my senior year, and still hold a swimming record for the 400 IM Medley Relay at my high school. Adam makes fun of me that I still have my varsity jacket. I love that thing! The letter on the front is covered with my swimming medals, one sleeve has 4 chevrons, the other a star for being captain, and the back says "Edsel Ford Varsity Swimming." I felt like I was on top of the world wearing that thing in front of the underclassmen. I was the pimp! He just doesn't understand b/c the people that had varsity jackets in his HS were the nerds. That's Maine for you! :)
Needless to say, I was a lifeguard all through HS for the City of Dearborn. I worked at the indoor pool during the school year and at Dunworth Memorial Pool in the summer. IT WAS THE BEST JOB EVER!!! I went on to get certified as a WSI (water safety instructor) so that I could teach swim lessons, and an LGI (lifeguard instructor) so I could teach lifeguards, certify them, and do recerts for the city. Being an LGI and Head Guard at Dunworth was awesome. It's funny. Some lifeguards move on to bigger and better things and don't even miss the pool. Me, something stuck. I really loved those jobs, I was passionate about them, they were sweet. Kaileen, I know you are laughing, stop! You loved it too!

So there you have it, my fish stories.

Cheesy White Chicken Chili

Many people in Kirksville that read my blog have already sampled or made this soup, but it is blog-worthy and therefore I am posting it. I got this recipe from my mom who got it from someone in her church who made it for a chili cook-off one fall. It won and has since won an SAA cooking club and another chili cook-off in Fenton, MI. It is a great recipe! It is a fairly inexpensive meal too. So for all of you that haven't tried it, here it is:

Cheesy White Chicken Chili

Saute in 5 qt. sauce pan until onions are soft and translucent:
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves (or more) garlic

Add and saute for 1 minute:
2 cans diced green chilies
2 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. red pepper

Then add:
5 c. chicken broth
3 chicken breasts, cooked, chopped
3 cans white beans aka. Great Northern Beans, drained

Simmer for at least 10 minutes on med high heat.

Then add 16 oz. Mexican blend cheese slowly, stirring constantly until all cheese is well incorporated. You can add sour cream and/or cream cheese to soup, but I think that it is good w/o it.
Serve with homemade wheat rolls.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Serves 4-6

Note: For you Kirksville people... don't use regular grated HyVee cheddar cheese in this. It doesn't melt very well and the cheese sticks to the chicken chunks and gets all globby. It was a mess when I used it. Use finely grated Kraft Mexican blend cheese or any combo of cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Cheddar Jack, etc. **Finely grated, and preferably Walmart or Kraft brand. Not mozzarella, too stringy when melted.

The Reindeer Romp and The Aftermath

Last Saturday, December 1st, Adam and I ran the Reindeer Romp here in town. It was miserable. There was an ice storm the night before, so everything was covered in ice. It was still raining, freezing and pretty much just the worst weather you could ask for for a race day. I wasn't planning on running b/c I had a church commitment that morning, but that got cancelled b/c of the bad weather. The race was still on, so I decided to just get out there and run. Adam and I quickly got a babysitter and off we went. I began to have 2nd thoughts as soon as I tried to make it down my porch steps and into the car w/o slipping and falling on the ice. I would have stopped there if it wasn't for my hubby saying, "Common' Meliss, you'll be fine, you won't fall!" He's right, I didn't fall once. We made it to the start and off we went. I only ran the 1 1/2 miler, Ad did the 4 mile race. It actually wasn't all that bad as we were running. My shoes got soaked through. I was running in my own private puddles hidden inside my sneakers. My pants were wet up to the knee. My sweatshirt was wet too, mostly my arms and shoulders, and my mittens were covered in snot. I didn't have the heart to blow a snot rocket or two during the race b/c there were always runners near me and really no where to go off to the side since all but one little path was not icy. So I used my mittens. Yuck. I finished and went inside the venue to the fireplace to wait for Adam. That was actually the only race that I have ever ran besides the Moab half marathon. Adam came in as the overall fastest runner over 200 lbs.! That was exciting. Good job Ad! That night I ran again to kind of punish myself for eating too much for dinner, and b/c DeAnne wanted to get out of the house and go to the TCC. I felt great after my long nap that afternoon, so I went. I ran another mile and a half...
The next day I began to feel a little feverish and my head started to hurt. Monday, I was just plain sick. Fever, sore throat, headache. Miserable. It took a week to get over too. Then Adam got the exact same thing. We don't know if we got sick from running in the freezing rain or not, but my guess is that that had something to do with it. Eh, it was a good little workout anyway.

Swedish Pancakes

Adam grew up on them. My sweet mother-in-law would make pancake after pancake some mornings for Adam and his brother Nathan. 30 Swedish Pancakes later, they would finally be full and probably a little sick too.
Swedish pancakes are very thin and crepe-like. Batter is mixed in a blender and poured into a hot skillet, swirled around until the pancake is large and thin, cooked to a light brown. Then you butter them, sprinkle powdered or granulated sugar, roll them up, and cut into bites. When Adam was little, he would butter and sugar the inside then sprinkle more sugar on top. Not healthy! They are so much of a tradition in the Franson family that they are made for breakfast at least once whenever any of the Fransons get together.
Adam has been sick the last few days and didn't feel his stomach could handle Fajitas, so he requested Swedish pancakes. OK... I always feel a little bit inadequate when I make these b/c I don't make them enough, so every time I do it again, the first one sticks to the pan & the batter is a little too thin. So I have to add more four, and I don't swirl them quite fast enough. By #2 or #3 I get the hang of it. I have to say I don't really enjoy making them sometimes b/c Adam has eaten thousands of these and I never feel like mine are quite the same as his mother's were. I am sure they are, but you know, Jeanine is the best at them.
Adalin LOVED them! Anything with straight sugar on it Adalin loves. She was acting like a sour puss when Ad first rolled her mini Swedish pancake up. She said she wanted something on it. Little did she know of the sweetness contained therein. They do look plain from the outside... but once she took the first bite, she was hooked! She ate 3.
I had mine with cinnamon and sugar inside. I tried to get Adam to try one like this. OK, so he is oneof the most stubborn people I know. He would not hear of preparing one any other way than the way he has for the last 20 years, butter and powdered sugar. I did get him to take one bite of mine, he said it was good, but just not the way they should be. I guess tradition is tradition.

Here's the recipe:

Swedish Pancakes

Heat your best non-stick skillet on stovetop on med-high heat.

Put in Blender:
2 1/2 c. milk
5 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour ( the recipe calls for 2 c. but I think I added about 1/4 c. extra tonight, so try this, maybe a little more?)
1/4 t. salt
2 T. butter

You may use cooking spray, but they are better if you don't and just use a good non-stick pan.
Pour enough batter to cover a little less than 1/2 of the pan, immediately tip the pan to swirl batter around to make a round, even pancake (good luck), until pancake is thin. Flip. Allow to slightly brown. Serve hot with butter and powdered sugar or any other toppings/fillings you would like (but sugar is the proper way ;) ). Roll up and cut into slices.

Fries and Chocolate

#2 - My Childhood Food Habits

When I was little I HATED french fries. I wouldn't touch them. It was something about the mushy, greasy potato on the inside of the crispy "crust." What kid doesn't like fries? Adalin loves them and would eat them with every meal of she had the choice. She doesn't get that from me. I like them now and even crave them every once and a while.
I have had a "sweet tooth" ever since I was a small child. I have always loved sugar, particularly chocolate. Adam is more the fruity sugar type, but me, ooh, the way to my heart is through that sweet creamy goodness. I love it, still. I used to eat myself sick with sweets when I was a child. Some things never change.

I've been tagged...

Which means that I have to share 6 things that you all probably don't know about me already. Sorry to my Mom, Dad, my sisters, Kaileen & Les, you may have already heard these!

#1 - "Blubber Buns"

My older sister, Lauren, and I took ice skating lessons when we were younger. My dad would often video-tape us during our class. My family has a tradition of watching these home videos when we are all at home, bored and need something to occupy our minds. Unfortunately, I fell during my lessons, a lot. I was like 6; do you blame me? I think that my fam and I have watched some of these movies a few too many times. I somehow acquired the nickname "Blubber Buns" because, watching one of these home videos in slow-mo, my sweet family noticed that I would bounce after each fall on the cold, hard ice. Kind of like when you drop a medicine ball, it bounces just a little, well so did I! So there you have it, interesting fact #1.

Thanks Rebecca for the tag!

ATSU Winter Formal

Adam and I went to the ATSU Winter Formal last night! It was fun to get all dressed up and get out with just him, no kids.

I have to admit that I felt a little out of my element walking into the TCC with my hair done up and wearing my old homecoming dress. Adam and I haven't dressed up like this in 4 years. The last time was to go to a dance in the Salt Lake Capitol Bldg. That was an amazing night. It was one of those monumental nights that I remember feeling so in love with Adam, I will never forget. Last night, being in the same dress with the same man, years later, made me remember past years with him and how much I truly love him and want my life no other way. I included a pic of my hair, done by the Franson Hair Institute. :)

Single, wild people always rip in married people like us because we seem not to know how to have fun anymore... well, this is what I have to say about that:

The wild and crazy life gets old eventually, maybe when you're 60, maybe 20 (like me). Seeing people make absolute fools of themselves for whatever reason last night confirmed in my mind that this kind of behavior is ridiculous and something I will never resort to. I had fun last night, but it was a different kind of fun than those who were plastering their faces to their beer cup... Dancing with Adam, arms around each other, was all I needed to consider the night a wonderful, fun, romantic one. We have so much together: a marriage, kids, our love, trials, a house, a great life. That's all I want. My life isn't boring. It's filled with more joy than I had ever hoped for back in my crazy days. Changing diapers? Not fun, but seeing my girls grow, learn, and express their love to me is more than I have dreamed of and worth every smelly diaper changed. My life has an undeniable purpose. I don't ever wonder what my purpose here is, I know that it's caring for these precious souls that have been entrusted to my care. Service, in my family and to others, is what brings me true happiness. The "fun" party life never did that for me. Nope, no true joy coming from that neck of the woods... There is just more to life than that.

My Girls' Update

Kira:
She has two new tricks that she has learned in the past week. They are SO cute b/c they are interactive and, of course, coming from such a chunky cutie-pie!
1. Peek-a-boo! If she has a blanket in her lap she will grab on to it with both hands and lift her hands above her head, wait a few seconds and put her hands back down. We say, "peek-a-boo." Then she will repeat it for quite a while.
2. Yay! She was clapping a lot today as she was sitting on my lap while I was doing some stuff on the computer. Every time she clapped, I would say "Yay!" to try to get her to associate clapping with us saying it and it worked! Now she claps when we say "Yay!" (if she's fed and not cranky and tired). It is so amazing how quickly she learned it and so fun to watch! She is growing up! It is so fun to watch her grow.

Kira is getting close to crawling! She is getting pretty comfortable on her hands and knees, lifting up one hand or one knee at a time and also getting on her hands, one knee, and one foot sometimes. She can go from these positions back to sitting. It will be any day! Adalin was crawling about now, but Kira has a few extra pounds to bear, so she's doing well!

Adalin:
Just a few funny things she said today...
We were walking into the TCC to bring Adam dinner and I said to Adam who came out to help me bring the food in, "Wow, why are there so many people here?" Adalin says, "Because they don't want to get fat." Yup, that's basically the gist of it!
I put Adalin's pointy hood to her jacket on as we were getting out of the car and she says to me, "I look like a cowgirl!" Ok, so this one isn't as funny as the first quote, but I have no idea where she got this from. I asked her where she heard that and she said that she made it up. Yeah right.

My Birthday

My day was wonderful! So many people called, emailed, wrote on my wall... it was wonderful to hear from all those that love me and/or call me their good friend.
This morning I decorated our Christmas tree. It was such a joy to string the lights and hang the ornaments. That is one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season. I love having a lit tree in my living room. Love it, love it, love it. They are so beautiful. The tree this year is small and fake, opposed to every other year when they have been large and real ones, smelling good furs and pines... I just don't trust Yukon at all (do you blame me?), so we borrowed a mini one and put it on top of our black chest in the living room so it doesn't get knocked over and dragged throughout the house. This one is still beautiful with all its gold and silver ornaments and many, many lights.
As I mentioned before, I bought myself some clothes for my birthday last week... so I officially get to wear them starting tomorrow! I am excited! Adam came home from class at 10 this morning and took Adalin out to Walmart and the dollar store to buy me a few things. He didn't only want me to open things that I had already seen and picked out myself. He is so sweet and always full of creative ideas and surprises. They came trotting in the house over an hour later very excited about their b-day finds.
Adalin first hands me a vase with 3 pink roses in it and says, "These are as pretty as you are." So sweet. Equally charming is that her daddy told her to say that.
Then they go into my bedroom to wrap the other presents in the pink princess paper Adalin was sure was just what I would have picked out myself. They come out, Adalin bursting at the seams, trying her hardest not to divulge what was underneath the beautiful wrapping jobs...
First, the biggest one, an oddly shaped object, looks like an article of clothing or throw blanket rolled up and wrapped w/o a proper garment box... it crinkles when handled... what do you know, a family size bag of Doritos! Hilarious! Adam and I cracked up, Adalin was so proud of her idea to get these for me, "Because they are Mommy's favorite."
Second, new measuring cups and teaspoons. Thank you, I love getting kitchen stuff anytime!
Third, a Butterfinger bar. Just what my thighs needed! I did enjoy every bite though!
Adam and I got a babysitter, Elina (thanks you're awesome!), and went to Il Spazio for a little dinner. It was great to sit and eat and just be with Adam for a little while.
Adam made me a cake too. He picked up a box cake at walmart and whipped it up last night at 9pm. It was so cute. He didn't want me to not have a cake this year. He is so sweet.
It was a great day, thanks to so many people! Thank you.

St. Louis

We got back last night from a wonderful trip to St. Louis. We left Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and came back Saturday night. We had such a good time. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to get out of Kirksville for a few days and take a little family vacation. We went with our good friends, the Goughs, who were so fun.
We stopped in Columbia on the way there at Hobby Lobby. Holy cow. I have never been there before; talk about a craft superstore. My mission was to get a few pages of scrapbook paper for my clock that I am decorating. I found some that I think will look fabulous. When I actually get it done, I can put a pic on here and tell you a little about the history of the clock (basically that I have had it for 3 years and still haven't finished it...)
We got lunch and headed to St Louis. When we got there we checked into our hotel first. Ruth got the hotel rooms on Priceline for $40 each! When we looked on the back of the hotel room door the listed price per room was $279 for 2 people and up to three hundred something for 4 or more people. Talk about a deal! We were on the 15th floor and had a great view of the city and the Cardinals Stadium. Didn't get a pic of it though.



We headed to dinner at Macaroni Grill. Oh so good. I crave good restaurant food after living in Kirksville for this long. There isn't much of a selection here besides hit-and-miss Il Spazio and Ruby Tuesdays. I tries their Penne Rustica only because I recently acquired and awesome Penne Rustica recipe from Katherine's blog that I absolutely LOVE. I actually think that I prefer this version to Macaroni Grill's. It was way good though there too. It was amazing to taste the Rosemary bread there again too.

Then we were off to the St. Louis Galleria (mall)... it was nice to step foot in a mall again. I'm telling you, Kirksville has done something to me. Some of my friends, like Ruth, get out of here a lot, but I haven't. I haven't been to a mall since our summer break, what like 4 months ago. When I say mall, I mean like any store that sells things not of Walmart-like quality usually located near or in malls. That is one great and exciting thing about moving next summer, we will be close to shopping again. Here are Noah and Adalin massaging each other in Bath & Body Works... so cute.

Adalin putting Emma in a head-lock, which was meant to be a hug. They are such beautiful girls.

All 5 stinkers. They were all such troopers being carted around town to dinner and shopping. They actually really enjoyed themselves and were great for not having their regular naps. Kira and Ben are the chunkiest babies ever.

Saturday we woke up, got breakfast at the St. Louis Bread Co., otherwise known as Panera Bread. This is one place that I really miss eating at. I love it. Then, off to the zoo we went! This was the bast zoo trip I have ever had. It was so fun going with friends, taking our time looking at animals, talking, watching the kids play. It was so fun. Notice Adalin's pant didn't want to stay up. She was showing crack all day. It was cute, actually.

We didn't quite know what this camel was doing.. maybe getting ready to, you know?? He (or she) stood there for a few minutes in this position. Funny. I love the foam at the mouth.

Adalin was terrified of this snake and would not touch it. We tried to convince her to touch it by telling her that Kira would. No success. If Kira only knew what it actually was... She might like this picture when she is older.

Fox's ears... I thought that they were funny.

Butterfly house, so peaceful, beautiful.

And a little family pic. Great day. Oh, and notice Adalin's coat... steal of the day Friday! From Gap, on clearance... $12.97. NO LIE! How cool is that!

Lunch at Steak & Shake after the Zoo... Adalin and Noah sat on the end of the table and played with the sugar packets for a half and hour.

Adalin was SO tired by the end of the day. She and Kira fell asleep 5 minutes after we headed out of St. Louis.

We hit the outlet mall outside of St. Louis where I unloaded my Birthday money at the Gap outlet. All sweaters were 50% off, I got 3 and also some brown wide leg cords that are SO cute. Adam won't let me have them until my b-day Wednesday though. NO FAIR! Everything at the Carter's outlet was 50% off too, so we got a few things for the girls there. Such good deals, we couldn't pass them up!

Overall, WONDERFUL TRIP! I am SO glad we went. It was just what I needed!

Adam is back. I didn't even realize that he was gone until Saturday was here, finals had been over for about 24 hours and after he got a good night's sleep. Adam was cracking jokes again, smiling, teasing us all a little bit, imitating W. C. Fields, quoting Lord of the Rings and other movies. He was happy, very different than he has been the last few months. He slowly lost his livelihood as this past quarter progressed.

I have never seen him that stressed and overwhelmed. But its over! I could never be more thankful that we actually made it through somehow. It's funny to think about, but I look at his school and test schedule for the last two weeks of the quarter and all the things I had going on on top of that, and I really don't know how I lived through it. I know that w/o the help of the Lord, we would have failed, miserably. If I had those two weeks immediately ahead of me right now, I couldn't do it again. I couldn't handle it emotionally or physically. We were all at the end of our ropes in a serious way.

But we did it. It was hard, but we did it. I am so thankful for this break. We need the time to chill and do some things together. We have painted together, replaced outlets, cleaned our garage, organized closets, watched movies, ate together. It has been wonderful. We are going to St. Louis, shopping and to the Zoo the weekend after Thanksgiving. I am SO excited for that!

So, here's a shout out to all my fellow 2nd year spouses... we survived!

Snorenelle

My sister Lauren decided to visit us this weekend from Michigan. She saw that she had 5 days off from her 2 jobs, so thought that she would take a trip to the big MO and see us. I love having company! I appreciate so much when our family comes and visits. I know it isn't easy, but it makes us feel special and loved. She leaves tomorrow. :( So, yes, it is a short visit, but Lauren and Adalin have gotten some wonderful bonding time in. They watched movies, put makeup and perfume on each other, help each other get dressed and ready for the days, played in nursery on Sunday together and ate every meal hip to hip.
"The milk chugger": that's what I have named Lauren. I have NEVER seen so much milk be consumed from my refrigerator ever. We had 1 1/2 gallons in our fridge Saturday afternoon. I went to the store for a few things and picked up another gallon just so I wouldn't have to go get more milk before Lauren left Wednesday. We ran out Monday morning. 2 1/2 gallons in 2 days. That's sad. Lauren LOVES to drink milk, obviously. I ran this morning for more, bought 2 gallons, and one is already 1/3 full. Now she isn't the only one drinking it, but it is being consumed at about twice the regular rate. I never really understood the magnitude of this milk obsession until her visit this time. She says that she usually buys herself 2-3 gallons a week. Hmm, at $2.50 per gallon, that's $25 per month for milk. Not ideal for a poor college student. The verdict... milk rehab. She needs to learn to drink water.

The Kirksville Fire Station

We had a fun time at the Kirksville fire station Friday. The medical school student spouse organization puts together children's socials every month and it was the fir station this time. It was really cool to look into the life of a firefighter. They have an entire "house" on the second floor of the station complete with a large living room with 6 or 8 lazy boys, a big screen TV, a kitchen with 3 different pantries (with locks) and refrigerators for the 3 different shifts, a laundry room, and a bunch of little bedrooms with beds, nightstands and dressers. Adalin was a little afraid of the firefighter when he put on all of his gear. She warmed up a little by the end though. A friend of mine took the picture of us on the fire truck... sorry it's absent.

Habits

There are a lot of things about myself that I would like to change. Things that range from how I interact with people to very personal things such as where my thoughts are directed and how intent my prayers are. To try to change all of these (many) things at once would only result in failure. I'll take it one at a time. Prayer is first.

I feel like I am in a spiritual slump as of late. For some, they wouldn't know what I mean b/c they have never had a spiritual high. Well, let me honestly tell you, when I am in tuned with what my Heavenly Father wants for me and can feel his love, and am living like I should, doing all that I have been asked to do, I am happy. Nothing made on this earth by man can bring this happiness. It is when I concentrate on the spiritual that I feel good, motivated, happy, healthy, focused.

Why is it so hard to change? We are creatures of habit. Unfortunately, this means that when we develop bad habits they stick, just like the good ones.

So here goes my Better Prayer Campaign. I need to put forth more effort into my prayers. This is more important than I realize, I think. All that I have, all that brings me joy in my life, has been given to me by God. Why don't I sincerely thank Him more? Why, at the end of the night, can I not remember all the things that I was blessed with that day?

Some of my favorite words on the subject of prayer are written in the Bible Dictionary, at the back of the Bible published by my church. It reads:

"As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7: 7-11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."

I forget this relationship. God is our father. He wants me to be happy, just as I want my own children to be happy. He would do anything for me, he has done so much for me already. He knows me so well, but do I know Him? This paragraph reminds me of some fundamental things that I am failing to remember. It was a good reminder for me today.

"When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece."

John Ruskin said that. It has provoked thought today as I have read it over and over on my google sidebar. I have thought all day about my grandparents in Georgia. Well, my Grandma passed away just days after Kira was born, my grandpa lives on. They were/are both skilled people. My grandfather is a woodworker. He has made many great pieces for me and my family. His love and skill have combined to make true masterpieces. They mean the world to me. My grandma was a wonderful woman who gave of all that she had to those she loved until the day she died. She helped me make my scripture bag. It a simple bag, but to me it is one of the things I have that mean the most to me. Her hands touched it, her voice instructed me how to stitch it. She laughed a lot that day it was made. My mom, both sisters and I were all down in her sewing room making the bags of our dreams and my Grandie was in heaven with us all there. When Adalin was born, she made at least 15 custom burp cloths, 2 silkie blankets, 5 flannel blankets and many more items and sent them all in a box for us to use and enjoy. An ordinary burp rag isn't anything special, but she made these using her talents and with SO much love. They mean a lot to me. They are masterpieces.
She was so happy when Kira was born. My girls were her only great grandchildren. She was so proud to be a great grandmother, SO PROUD. In just the few days before she died, she carried a picture of my two girls around in her work apron, showing everyone that would look and telling everyone who would listen about her new g-baby. I wish that she could have been able to hold Kira and see Adalin again. She only saw Adalin once when she was 4 months old. It had been too long. Why didn't we come from Utah to see her again? I wish we would have. She had a 11x14 picture of Adalin in her "happy room," a room where she would go and watch TV, write emails or read. We visited Georgia after her death and seeing that picture and others of my girls and our little family really touched my heart. She loved us so much. How grateful I am to know that I will see her again.

"Closed book, closed notes, open revelation."

2nd quarter was bad, 5th is worse. The past 3 months have been lonely, tiring and, at times, depressing. We are hanging in there though. Adam has 3 tests left this week and then its PARTY TIME!

Adam told me the other day that he doesn't know if the price he is paying to become a doctor is worth it to him. He isn't dropping out, but he didn't know that it was going to be this hard. He eats lunch and dinner with us and some days that's it. He thinks that he could have been happy doing a lot of things for work, but he decided medicine b/c it is fulfilling, pays well and is what he has always wanted to do. It's what a lot of his family members do. Is it worth the sacrifice though? Does he want to be a doc that bad? I think in the middle of all the stress of a million tests per week, he thinks not, but in retrospect, this will seem but a small moment and not as hard as it once was.

I am proud of him. I wouldn't trade my life for his for a million dollars, well.... haha. A million dollars would help out a lot right now. His life is stressful. He feels like a failure sometimes b/c everything he is involved in he needs to do better at or spend more time with.

I can't even describe how wonderful Sundays are. After this last week, we had Sunday, always a day of spiritual and physical rejuvenation. Adam decided not to study on Sunday back at BYU and has stuck to that through the years, at all costs. He promised the Lord, and himself, that Sunday would be a day for us and him. It has been VERY hard for him to keep that promise, though I know that blessings have flown and he has been looked after as he takes those Monday morning tests on 4 hours of sleep, not having studied at all the day before. I am grateful for a husband who is committed to everything he does.

I remember at BYU a professor was discussing a test coming up and said, "closed book, closed notes, open revelation." People laughed, myself included, but I know that Adam has been assisted with his studying and tests and that the Lord has helped him make it this far b/c he he has kept this promise.

Of course, he would no longer have a sane wife if I didn't see him on Sundays either... maybe that's his motivation. :)

Cinderella Days

OK, so Adalin wants to watch Cinderella everyday. I didn't let her watch TV at all before she was 2 and after that she didn't really know how to focus on any movie. She wasn't all that interested. Things have changed! She was once scared of the stepmother in Cinderella but her bravery has now increased and the wicked lady doesn't even phase her. I always give in and let her watch Cindersmelly (as Adam calls her) while I shower and get ready. It's a little too easy.

What motivated this Cinderella post? I have been thinking a lot about how I used to watch this same movie and many other Disney classics when I was a child (Dumbo, Lady & The Tramp, Sleeping Beauty were a few of our all-time favs). That is cool stuff, that these movies are so timeless and last through generations and are as magical to her as they were to me.

Adalin said to Adam one day while watching Cinderella and her prince dance in love, "Daddy, when will I get to dance with my prince?" How cute. It made me think that someday Adalin will grow up and find the man of her dreams. How I hope for all the happiness in the world for her and for a wonderful, righteous man to take her to the temple and marry her. I am sure her future hubby will like that line of hers when she was 2.

I have my favorite parts of Cinderella now too, different from my favorite bits as a child.

OK, so next time you watch Cindersmelly, when Jaq comes into Cinderella's room to tell her that there is a new mouse in the house, Gus Gus, C. gets out a dress and says, "Oh, well she'll need a dress" and, here it is, Jaq's laugh. This giggle is my favorite part of the movie and I don't think that it even made me laugh at all as a child.

I know, this is pathetic! Getting ready in the morning, I listen to this movie at least 3 times per week. I just had to share my thoughts about this little giggle. I love it, it makes me laugh every time. Go ahead, turn your C. movie on and find that part, it will be fun!

It was SO funny, when C. is mopping the floor and when you can see her reflection in all the bubbles while she is singing "Sing, sing nightingale" Adalin says the other day, "Mom, how is she going to get out of those bubbles?" I love little brains.

Kira the Muffin

I can't even describe how much of a joy this little girl is. She makes my heart swell with an immense love. She is so sweet and so smiley and wonderful. So fat too! It cracks me up that her waist won't fit into 12 month sizes anymore and that I am putting 18 month jeans on my 7 month old. I love her bald head. I like to just rub it sometimes and feel the fuzziness on my fingers. Her smile is immaculate and brings such happiness to my soul.




This quarter is only a week and a half from ending and has been the worst yet. Adam has been amazingly upbeat and positive through it all. He ALWAYS has to study, but we have managed to have some moments full of laughter in the last few days. Adam got our cowboy hat and afro wig out of our coat closet last night and put them on Kira. We laughed, smiled and were able to charge up for another night of studying.

My mom started the muffin thing. That's Kira's nickname, "muffin girl," "muffin top," "top top," the list goes on. Silly, I know, but what is sweeter than a sweet, soft muffin? Nothing.

The Rose

This is the best rose that we have grown so far this year! It is in a vase in our house now, and is just so pretty. Looking at it as I pass by, I have been reminded often over the last few days how beautiful God's creations are. I just love having fresh flowers in the house. It humbles me somehow and reminds me to take pleasure in simple, naturally beautiful things.

The TP Saga Continues

I felt like I was ran over by a bus this afternoon, so I decided to nap... Ahhhh, I love taking naps. Anyway, I awoke from the sound of 13 year-old voices in my front yard, cleaning up the Toilet paper! They are sweet kids and I am SO thankful that they have good parents who made them come back and clean up the mess they made!

Halloween!

Baby Kira with daddy on Halloween night. I thought that she was a pretty cute frog!


Adam coaches basketball for the Mary Immaculate 7th & 8th grade team... they said a few weeks ago, "Hey coach, would your wife care if we toilet papered your house on Halloween?" Adam: "Uh, I don't think so." So here you have it... The sad part is that I got back home from trick-or-treating at like 8:15 pm and they had already TPed. Who TPs someone house before 8PM at night? 8th graders.

I have some better pics of our little Tink, but here's one to start. Some friends took pictures for me, so I need to get them still. Adalin loved going trick-or-treating with all of her little buddies, esp. Jocelyn. They were so cute!

Genesys, here we come!

Genesys Hospital, Grand Blanc, MI

Since there is a lack of opportunity for medical experience in the 'ville, we have decided to complete Adam's 3rd and 4th years at a different hospital. Most of the medical students here opt to move out of Kirksville for their rotations unlike many medical schools that are located in bigger cities, like where John and Justin went. There are a lot of hospitals in Ohio and Michigan that are affiliated with KCOM, so we thought that there would be plenty of opportunity there to get a foot or two in the door for residency.

So, dun, dun, dun... We got matched to go to Genesys hospital in Grand Blanc, MI! Genesys was our first choice and we got it! It was a very competitive spot, so we feel very lucky that we get to go there. So next summer, about the time of the reunion we will be moving. We are excited for something new and also very excited to finally be in a place where we will most likely stay for more than 2 years. Grand Blanc is about 1 1/2 hours, or less, from my family, which is an very nice perk. Genesys is a very good hospital and offers a plethora of residency programs. We would really like to not move again, so we researched carefully what residencies each hospital offered so that there would be a good chance that we could stay in the area for residency after Adam graduates. The specialties that he is currently interested in are: general surgery, family practice, ENT (ear, nose and throat), emergency medicine and orthopedic surgery. So wahoo for us! Of course, we still have about 9 months until we move, but it will give us something to think about.

Pull to Michigan

There are few people in my life that really mean the world to me, or more. Kaileen is one of them.
We have known each other since middle school. Kaileen's little brother, Kyle, died of Rhabdomyosarcoma, a very vigorous form of cancer just 2 months ago. How difficult would it be to loose a sibling, especially your only one at age 23? Kyle was only 2 years younger. What a short life, so incomplete. I don't know how Kaileen got through those first days after Kyle died. I don't know what I would have done, if I could have handled it.
Kaileen's father died just this past Friday.
It is just too early in our lives to be losing parents, siblings. These things aren't supposed to happen for another 30, 50 years, or more.
I feel so bad for Kaileen. I don't know how she is coping, or if she really is. I wish that I was closer so that I could be there for her. I have been gone ever since the fall after high school graduation. Its been too long. I feel like my family needs me, like my friends need me. They are so far away. I just can't be the friend, sister, daughter, niece that I should be if I am this far away.
Any words of encouragement for Kaileen?
I am so grateful for my knowledge that there is life after this. I know that we will see our loved ones again someday. I know with all my heart that our trials "shall give [us] experience, and shall be for [our] good" and that they will seem but a moment in time someday. But still, this is tough stuff. Some things in life just don't seem fair. We won't ever be given more than Heavenly Father knows we can handle, but my goodness, how hard will it get for her? She must be strong.
I love you Kaileen. I would do anything for you girl. Hang in there.

Rain, Relaxation and Oreos

I have pulled out of my week-long angry/down/feeling sorry for myself period and am back in gear. I am sorry to those who read my last post and thought, "Whoa, she needs...something!"
I enjoyed the rainy day that we have had here. I took a nap and enjoyed the smell of rain that was in my house. It was a day to sit around and read a good book and drink hot cocoa. When the heat of the summer was beginning to tire me out I wished for cooler weather and I have been thankful for the change. I love wearing sweatshirts and jeans and socks and being cozy. I love sleeping under our down comforter when, outside the sheets and blankets, its cold in our room. I was a lifeguard for a long time and was outside in the blazing sun for at least 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. I loved that, and still love the warm summer sun and all the fun activities that accompany it. I love the cool air too, though. I love listening to the thunder roll as I lay in my bed or sit on my porch to watch the storm.
I tried to not be in a hurry today. I am so impatient when I am in a rush, trying to get Adalin to move as quick as she can, which isn't very fast. I am always telling her to hurry and I just get frustrated b/c she must not know how to move fast. I don't think that she understands the concept. I have realized that being rushed isn't worth the stress. Being tired stresses me out too but lack of sleep is not even close to being as bad as rushing here and there, constantly in a hurry without time to think, be patient or be nice and thoughtful to anyone.
The ink pretty much all came out. There are still some light spots on it, but if I didn't point them out, you wouldn't see them. Yukon's stunt for today: he pulled a half eaten pkg. of Oreos off my counter and ate them all outside. He has diarrhea (luckily he is taking care of that outside too)... This, I have convinced myself, is a wonderful thing. Then they aren't there for me to eat (yes, I ate the first half of the pkg.). I don't know why I bought them in the first place. I really try not to buy junk at all. I have been binge-eating though... I bought them on Saturday, which is when the pen got chewed on my couch. I eat when under a lot of stress, I guess. Not good.
I ran at the TCC this morning. After I had Kira I tried to run to get back in shape and loose some weight, but it was too discouraging b/c I could only run just over a mile and I got sooooo tired. So I took up Tiffin's classes, which are very awesome. Participating in the classes there (spinning, kickboxing and quad-step) has proven very to be successful at whipping me back into shape. I ran 2 1/2 miles this morning and didn't feel that tired. I think I am ready for a 5K. I was happy that I went that far b/c I haven't ran for a few months. I contribute some of the recognition to my new iPod too, it got me pumped and gave me more energy.
Kira sat on her own for over 20 minutes yesterday morning. So I guess I can say that she is officially sitting on her own. I am so grateful for this. It makes my life easier since I can just plop her down on the floor to get something done. When I put her in position, she can hang out on her hands and knees for about 10 seconds too. I am trying to prep her to crawl. I am really excited for her to be mobile and be able to get around by herself. This means playing with Adalin and hopefully a little less of me holding her and carrying her around. I love her with all my heart, but do run out of hands often.
See, life is great, even though I don't always see light at the end of my tunnel. It is there, we just need to remember to look!

At the end of my rope

That's where I have been today. It all started today when, as I was getting the girls dressed upstairs to go to The Red Barn Festival, Yukon found an ink pen. I come downstairs and found him ON MY NEW COUCH chewing it to pieces. I spent the next hour cleaning the ink off my couch cushion. First I used soap and water, a joke. The furniture people said to always start with soap and water on microfiber... Ok, so then I did the aerosol hairspray thing. Some came out. Because of this stunt, I now have a crunchy couch cushion. Then I got out the denatured alcohol. (This is supposed to be the best stuff to get junk out of microfiber.) Well, most of the ink came out. But most isn't good enough. You can still see spots where the ink was really concentrated. I am not a violent person but I really wanted to hurt that dog. So I go to Red Barn, walk around the square twice because I don't want to come home to my ruined couch... I bought a few things to calm my anger. That felt good. I come home to a shredded blanket and batting all over the living room rug. OK, calmness is the key here. So it was just my old comforter from high school, but I DON"T CARE! Unless its a dog toy, don't chew it you idiots! I get Kira's pringle-looking can of baby cereal out of my purse and the lid had fallen off and they spill all over the place. I go through the trouble of making fresh tomatillo salsa for dinner and it's too spicy. I guess I added a few too many peppers. It's still edible over things, I guess. I go to Walmart to get a few food items and A LOT of dog bones, come home and the inner seal on the gallon of OJ that I bought is broken. Now I have to take that back. Who wants to take back orange juice to the store? I did try it anyway thinking maybe I won't have to return it... it tastes funny. I probably would have decided not to take it back if it didn't taste weird. Waiting in their customer service line will be fun. It has just been an Alexander day, I guess. Now the things I have learned from today... Some days are just terrible, horrible, no good, very bad. Every once and a while days like these are OK. Days like these teach me patience. I have analyzed myself multiple times today and have realized that I have progressed from being very angry to quite humbled. At first, I was just livid. My blood was close to boiling temperature. I wanted to get rid of Yukon. I kept thinking that he is just more trouble than he's worth. Then I was just mad. I was mad at him more than anything and no longer angry at everything around me. Then I went into quiet mode. The anger departed and I felt like just being alone. This finally led to a self-realization that I handled things very poorly. I wasn't patient at all. I didn't act like Christ would have acted. I was rude to Adam and Adalin as I was sponging off the cpuch cushion. I almost didn't want all of it to come out just so that I would be justified for being so angry, ornery and rude. By the end of the day I felt very humbled and realized that I have a lot of work to do. I think of how Adam's mom (who I really admire for her sweet tone of voice and patience) would have handled it. She would have just sternly told Yukon that that was bad, and would have gotten to work without the anger. She would have just realized that some things are just out of her control and that she needs to just take what has been handed to her. Why, in the heat of the moment, can't I be level-headed? Sometimes I do wonderfully. Most of the time I don't. This is something that I have been really trying to work on. I have plenty of opportunities to do so too. I was almost brought to tears many times throughout the day. This series incidents were really just the icing on the cake. The past two weeks have been a nightmare. I have hardly seen Adam at all. We both rush in and out of the house so quickly that we don't even know what to do with ourselves. I am failing at my calling in Young Women's. I am in charge of our ward's portion of the stake relief society enrichment thing this Saturday and have tons to do with that (on gardening). I don't prepare as much as I should for my primary calling. I have 2 positions in SAA, two dogs, a cat, a medical student as a husband, two kids, weight to loose, muddy floors, a backyard FULL of acorns and leaves, dirty dishes in my sink, ink on my couch cushion, laundry to fold... I could go on and on. But is it really all that bad? I need to just make it through the next week and it will be much better.

Since I am trying to look on the bright side of things, at least they have learned to share the purple chair.

Adalin's life goal

We bring dinner to Adam every Tuesday night at work, the TCC. As we were leaving the TCC tonight she says, "When I grew up I want to work at the TCC." I guess she wants to do everything her daddy does. I don't know if that should be her goal in life, hopefully her dreams branch out a little.

Wait, how old is Kira?

So, as always, my mom brought a laundry basket full of the cutest girl clothes for the girls. I told her a few weeks ago to buy 12 month outfits for Kira, please take note, who is 6 months old. They don't fit her. Her waist is way too big for these 12 month pants! They really aren't all that too long for her either. So all day today, I had her in these cute khaki pants from Target, unsnapped. Should I take them back? I am thinking no because hopefully she will thin out once she starts crawling, which may be never b/c she is so fat, and the 12 monthers will fit her then. Hmmm... what to do. I wonder how large 18 month pants would be on her.

Pictures from Mom's visit