Before and After

Saturday was a big day for us. It was one of those days when everything is planned down to the second. We had a thousand things going on and I had no time for anything extra. In an effort to help me, Craig and Ethan decided the rearrange the closet. Here's what is looked like before they started:

Here's the "after" picture:

This happened at about 8:30am. I think I handled it well. I didn't blow up or get angry. The pile sat there until this afternoon (Monday). As the french say, c'est la vie.

The other big event happening on Saturday was the trading in of Robert's beloved Jeep. We got this Jeep back when we had one car and were living in Montana. We needed something big enough for the family and all wheel drive. Now, however, we need something small and economical for Robert to commute in since we have the van for the family car. We were also wanting to lower our payments by $100 a month. The babysitter came over at noon and we headed out. We spent all day going to dealerships in Phoenix. Just as I was getting hungry and thought we were going to head home, Robert found IT. We debated and decided it met all of our needs and even still had some warranty left. And he loves it. Since he loved that Jeep so much, and he loved the Mustang we had to get rid of when we had Craig, we decided to go for it.

Sayonara, Jeep. It's been fun. (This picture was taken the day after we bought it.)

Helllloooo Eclipse. We're looking forward to this.

It does fit the two car seats in the back, by the way. We went for a drive yesterday with the boys. They love it, too. It looks like the same color as the Jeep, but it's actually kind of orangey.

Fancy Food Show

Early last week, Robert went on his first business trip for his job at Lehi Valley Trading Company. He spent two days walking around, sampling, and discovering all the fun things at the annual Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. He said it was absolutely enormous. Lehi Valley had a booth there, too. They even had samples of some of Robert's most recent creations, including his fried peanuts (salted and cajun flavored). I guess you eat them shell and all. I haven't tried them yet, but I hear they're really popular among the show-goers. He and his supervisor did so much walking, his feet were bruised, blistered and swollen for days afterward. He had fun, though. He learned a lot and ate some good stuff.

Did he meet anybody famous, you ask? Why yes...yes he did. On the first day, he met this Guy:

If you're not into the whole Food Network thing or if you don't watch much T.V., I'll tell you who he is. His name is Guy Fieri. He got his start with the Food Network when he won the show The Next Food Network Star several years ago. Since then, he's had several shows on Food Network, he owns a few restaurants, he does commercials for T.J. I. Fridays, and recently started hosting a new game show called "Minute to Win It" on NBC (I think). Robert talked to him for a minute and got a picture with him, but I don't have that picture yet. I will post it when I get it.

The next person he met was this gentleman:

Except he wasn't much of a gentleman when Robert talked to him, unfortunately. It sounds to me like he was stressed out and over worked that day. Robert did get a picture with him, too. It was just a bit more awkward. If you don't know him his name is Duff Goldman. He is a trained pastry chef who, while going to the Culinary Institute of America in San Francisco, worked at The French Laundry (the premier restaurant of Robert's idol-chef Thomas Keller), and later started his own extreme cake-making business. His show is called "Ace of Cakes." The day Robert met him, he was making cake pops for a demonstration and giving them out. Robert got two and brought them home for Craig and Ethan. By the time I could get a picture of them, nothing was left but the sticks. So, that's what the picture is of: Craig and Ethan licking the last of the icing off the stick. They look very determined.

Yep, those cake pops were made by Duff himself! Apparently they were yummy. :)

As I said, when/if I get those pictures of Robert with Guy and Duff, I will post them. I'm glad he had a chance to go. This is a whole new world for him--business stuff, travel, desks, computers, memos, etc. All mixed with food, cooking, and recipe development. He's really loving it, though. And I couldn't happier for him (or for the kids and me). :)

Nap time

Jade's favorite nap spot. She just loves sleeping under our bed.

Haircuts

I gave Craig and Ethan hair cuts the other day. I've been getting a lot better with them but still struggle with the blending. Everyone says, "Just keep the clippers going straight up and it will blend itself." I guess I don't understand because that's what I think I'm doing but it always turns out with a really obvious ridge. It's not so bad with Ethan because his hair is still so fine and it lays down pretty well. Craig, however, has this hair that sticks up and out, unless it's several inches long but I'm not into that new long look for boys. This must be how my hair would be if it were short because Craig's hair reminds me a lot of brother's because of this. Since it's like this, it makes a bad fading job more obvious (Lani, have you found this to be true?) I did really well this time, though. I almost got it right and I would have had it perfect if Craig weren't a squirmy 2 year old. I finally gave up (like I always do) and declared it good enough. Robert, however, who has this ability to access a reservoir of patience somewhere deep inside him when it comes to the boys, sat Craig down and managed to finish it, doing an awesome job. Here's side one:

I was gone to the temple at the time (my first trip in a LONG time and it was such a treat) so I wasn't there to help keep an eye on the stinker. Twenty minutes later, Robert realized everything was awfully quiet. He finds Craig upstairs with the clippers. He had managed to get a guard on, thank goodness, but this is what I found on the other side of his head when I came home:

It's much more obvious in person, plus this was several days ago on Saturday. There are two distinct chunks gone, one right above the fade and one right below. So for church on Sunday we did the best we could to spike the top. That made it much less noticeable. I'm just grateful he's a boy and it grows out quickly. I've heard horror stories of girls cutting their own hair. I don't think I ever did that one, but I do remember shaving my legs when I was about four or five. And by "legs" I mean hair AND skin. Yeah, it wasn't a pretty sight. My dad found me and, being a former EMT and a career 911 dispatcher, was more than capable of handling the situation. I remember it vividly, though. What will these kids do next? I'm kind of afraid to find out.

(Mental image that flashed across my mind when I typed that last sentence: my brother falling several feet out of an apple tree at the age of about 10 and my mom having him lay face down on his bed while she cleaned up his back and him crying.)

aaaaaaahhhhhh

I began the remodeling of my attitude and therefore the attitude of the household on Tuesday night. I snuck into my bedroom after I put the boys to bed and before Robert knew I was gone for some quiet reflection and scripture reading. I looked up "anger" in the topical guide and came across some very interesting things in Psalms and Proverbs. That quiet time alone was refreshing. Then, on Wednesday morning, I restructured our morning routine. Instead of cartoons and T.V. while I made breakfast, the boys simply played. The most amazing thing was that they didn't even seem to notice! It was hours later before Craig even mentioned the T.V. I turned on some church music, did the dishes, got us all ready for the day, and we went to the park. It made such a difference in the day and in myself, I can't even thoroughly describe it. We did the same thing today and I am looking forward so much to canceling our T.V. altogether. It's set to go off on Feb. 7, after the Super Bowl. :) The only T.V. we watched yesterday was during Ethan's nap when Craig and I sat and watched Ponyo. It was so cute and he really liked it. Today we went to the store, the bank, took the dog for a walk, and went to the Farmer's Market. How did I ever get anything done before with our old routine? I feel so much better and the boys are doing much better, too.

It's amazing what no T.V. and a little music can do.

I ain't gonna lie

Someone please tell me they can relate to this.

For the past few weeks I have been feeling awful. Not just nauseous and sick. But angry, mean, moody, and everyone (especially Robert) annoys the heck out of me. I keep waiting for this to pass, but it just keeps lingering! Maybe our family blog isn't the best place to post something like this, but I just need to know I'm not alone here. What do I do? I've said it before--I feel the old saying is completely true, "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." That's how it is here. So now that I'm going through all this, everyone else is crankier and moodier, too, which (of course) makes it harder for me to cope. I feel like every last ounce of inner peace I've stored up through life has drained from me and I'm constantly in turmoil. I was moody with Craig and Ethan, but nothing like this. Maybe this one is a girl and she will be the biggest drama queen on the planet. Or maybe she'll get it all out of her system now through me and will be a little Jane Bennett. (You know, from Pride and Prejudice?) Or maybe it's just a baby causing all these raging hormones and the best we can do is hold on until it's over.

Any other tips or suggestions?

Reverie

I go through my days noticing things happening here and there and think to myself, "That would be a great blog post. You wouldn't even need pictures." Sometimes I even formulate clever phrases in my head. Later, I get some time to sit at the computer and...nothing. I can't remember a darn thing. Right now is one of those times. So, instead I'm going to write whatever comes to mind.

I've been thinking a lot lately about where I imagine us settling someday. I hate moving, especially long moves, so I've resisted the idea of leaving Arizona. Or Fountain Hills, for that matter. However, I've come to realize that I expect certain things in life in order to have a fulfilling experience. I can be happy anywhere that I have my family, so where ever the Lord takes (or keeps) us is where I can make a home. But if I could choose where we'd end up, it would have to meet these requirements.

1. Some semblance of different seasons other than just different temperatures.
2. In the country, but near enough to a city and airport.
3. Within an hour or two of a temple.
4. Small town, summer festivals, close knit community.
5. Average-sized ward, not the kind where you're lost in a sea of faces.
6. Farm land nearby to get fresh produce for canning.

That's all I can think of right now. Is that asking too much? Does everyone want the same thing--the "good old days?" Do you think it's possible? We used to live in a place that very nearly met all of these requirements. The only exception was it was three and a half hours from the temple, but all the other parts were so thoroughly met, it made up for the longer drive. That place was Stevensville, MT. I have felt home sick for that place for the entire year and a half since we left. When the decision came to leave Montana, I was so excited to come to Arizona. It has been everything I imagined it would be and I have thoroughly enjoyed all the benefits of living here: the zoo, the children's museum, the awesome libraries, the conveniences of living in a city, the restaurants. If nothing else, the job opportunities. Which brings me to the clincher. Places that I dream of living, places like Stevensville, Montana, are out there. The problem is not finding them or even moving to them, it's finding jobs in them. Where does a chef find work in a town with a diner that is only open for lunch and a family run burger joint? "Open your own place," people have said, but that takes $$ and there is a small chance of success in a place where the population of horses is higher than people.

I keep the faith that somehow, someday it will work out and we can go back to our life and our friends in Montana. That once we do, our sojourn here in the wilderness of the big city will have been something we "got out of our systems" and we'll raise our children in that beautiful place with the house, the land, the animals, and the small town life we dream about. Of course, I don't expect there to be no complications and problems once we reach our Eden, but I like to think their stings will be lessened by the healing powers of the Bitterroot Mountains.

Ah, well, now to reality. Off to get dressed, go to the library, and buy some diapers and dog food!