Celebees

Clark's favorite conversation topic of late is the celebee, an animal that he has invented.  He likes to interrupt others who are talking with the proclamation, "I would like to ask a question", and then, once he has every one's attention, start talking about celebees.  According to Clark, celebees have the following characteristics:

1. They live in the mountains.
2. They don't have arms or legs, so they get around by rolling.
3. They eat french fries that have been grown on french fry bushes.
4. They don't have eyes or ears, so they can't see or hear.
5. They make a sound like an elephant.
6. They are "zero" big.
7. The are soft and furry like a chinchilla.

Hopefully we will run into a real life celebee soon, so we can post a picture for our loyal readers.

A Christmas Wish

Having found the source of our cricket invasion (inside the frame of our sliding glass door in our bedroom) I wish for them to magically disappear.

Avoidance

Reading blogs about cooking dinner will not get dinner on the table.
Reading blogs about household tips will not get the laundry done.
Reading blogs about home decor will not spruce up the bedroom.
Reading blogs about cute kids will not make your own any cuter.

Unfortunately.

Some Stuff

 We went camping in our backyard one night.

 I think we've pretty much talked ourselves out of real camping with our kids.  It was that awesome.

 Grace and Camille one day looking all cute and twinlike.

 Clark has a cookbook with Thanksgiving turkey gobblers.  He and Brooklyn were excited to make these- and eat the treats immediately afterward.

 We got to visit my grandpa.  He's always nice to visit with!

 The girl's school had a Halloween parade this year.  Grace is the cute little bird behind the present and in front of the deflated stay-puft marshmallow woman.  (sailor girl?)

 Camille was too cool for school and wouldn't wear her costume, opting instead to wear Halloween colors.  Her teacher is some sort of cheerleader cat.

 Scared and scary Clark crossing the spooky threshold.  

 In front of the pumpkin house on our block.

Camille and Grace are in the chorus at their school.  I love this song that they sing for every concert.  It's so joyful, and actually brings me to tears every time, seeing all of those cute kids just singing about being happy.

What a Cutie

So I thought I'd try to update the blog.  Do you like this series of shots of Clark?  What a heartbreaker.

TP

I feel like I've written about this before, but I can't find the post.  Forgive me if you've heard this before- those of you who know me well know that I can tell the same story over and over again (while you patiently listen...)

When I was young my aunt and uncle lived in our town.  They had a lot of kids, both older and younger than me.  It was always fun to go to their house because it felt so different from our house and there was always a lot going on.  One time when I was probably 5 or 6 I got stuck in the bathroom with no toilet paper.  I yelled and yelled for someone to bring me more "TP" (our family word for toilet paper).  Finally my cousin Jared came running to see what I needed.  When I told him he went off and didn't come back for a long time.  When he finally returned, he was dragging a play Indian teepee tent behind him.  "That's not what I need!  Toilet paper!  To wipe!" 

It still cracks me up every time I write "TP" on my shopping list to remember my earnest cousin dragging that huge tent behind him. 

And, one more toilet paper story for you, because the young me was quite embarrasing, and the old me doesn't mind sharing these stories- now that I'm a mom it's nice to see the humor in things...

Our family used to go on vacation every year to this mountain resort town.  We stayed in this huge house, and all of my dad's sisters and their families would stay there too.  Those are some of my happiest memories.  Except for this embarrassing one: being shamed in front of all those people!  You see, I was using the bathroom, and there was no toilet paper.  Perhaps remembering the tent mishap of years ago, I didn't call for help.  Instead, I somehow tore off the cardboard roll and used that to wipe.  Needless to say, that didn't flush down the toilet.  My dad wasn't very happy about having to fish it out, and he let everyone know it.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

This is Now

  Being pregnant is usually not very fun for me. The sickness coupled with the later largeness don't make for a very happy Sarah. This time around, though, I've been lucky to be able to see things through a different lens than previous pregnancies. I feel more aware of myself and my baby, certainly. There is nothing better than pregnancy to make one more self-aware (and dare I say, conceited?). But, I feel more aware of changes around me, big and small in a way that seems particularly timely. The two front teeth coming in on both of my girls seem to mean a lot as I watch them squeeze into their tiny spaces a little more each day. Is it because I'm remembering their baby teeth making the same progress? These same girls learning to ride their bikes without training wheels overnight, making smart choices at school and in their interactions with others, showing amazing kindness to younger children- each little word or observance feels so big to me, and I can't help feeling immensely proud of them.

  Changes in season, tastes, smells. The way the I spend my day, interactions with others. Each thing feels big, but not in an overwhelming way. Meaningful, I should say.

  My prayers have different meaning too: "Thank you for sending that person to talk with me. It was nice being able to smile, and I was grateful that he expressed gratitude for his children. Thank you for helping me not to be sick after eating. I'm thankful that I can feel a little better today. Please help the kids to be safe at school and help us to be happy." I am far from perfection, but I am thankful for time to reflect. I'm thankful for a watchful and generous Father in Heaven. Even though I wouldn't choose to feel ill or unwieldy, I'm more thankful now for the times that I feel well- and I'm obviously thankful for the blessing of another child in our lives. And I'm thankful for you, dear friends, who help me in temporal and spiritual ways. You truly are angels on earth.

For those of you who haven't heard, our baby is due in early March.  We're excited!