Noah's Turn

Noah loves art time (even though that smile above is the fakest smile in the world). His favorite colors are black, brown, and white. We have been working on drawing and writing stories together. He is quite creative and most of his stories revolve around dinosaurs or dragons. Here's an example: "Once upon a time there was a lizard. He said, 'Stay away, I'm angry.' He said: 'Go away. You are not in our town.' Then the lion got died, because the lizard cut him with his tail. He put the scissors on his tail, and they opened and closed. Then he cut the lion's sharp teeth. Then the dragon ate him up. (The lion up). Then the lizard was safe." Another page from his journal:

He is becoming more aware of emotions and appropriate ways to handle them. The other day after waking up from his nap, he walked up to me with the saddest Noah face I've ever seen. Holding back tears, trying to control his shaky voice, he stammered: "Mama....I am....kind of.......upset." I asked him why (his box full of dinosaur treasures wasn't where he left it). I helped him find the box I had relocated, and all was well again. I was so proud of him for using words instead of having a meltdown.

Noah is quite the little conversationalist. He interacts in such a grown up way. When we stayed over at Grammy's house for a few days while Uncle Derek and family were visiting, he would start up conversations with the adults in the house. He used the most pleasant tone of voice (use your imagination...reading it just won't do it justice): "Hello, Derek. How was your sleep?" or "So, Grammy, how is your day?" Last Sunday after going to church and playing in the snow, we sat down for hot cocoa and Noah sighed contentedly and said: "What a nice day with the family."

His vocabulary is growing. Lately he has been working on differentiating between comments and questions. He will say: "I have a comment for you. I love you..." and then "Mom, was that a comment? What is a question and what is a comment again?" Or this: "Daddy, I have a question for you. Do you love dinosaurs?...That is a question, right?" Along the same lines, his dinosaur vocabulary is one fit for a paleontologist. Using words such as species, carnivore/ herbivore/ omnivore, Cretaceous Time Period, sail, spine, bony frill, wingspan, etc.

The child is obsessed. I gave him a present for Valentine's Day, the cutest book ever about a little boy who does art. But when he opened it, he started crying and choked out: "But this isn't a dinosaur book!" Since then, I decided to give in to the obsession and not bother him with presents or books or activities that involve subjects other than dinosaurs. And we started Dinosaur School. (This gets a post of its own another day.)

The other day, Papa asked Noah what he wanted to be when he grew up. His answer doesn't really make sense, but it was funny: "When I was a big boy, I was a paleontologist. And all the kids came to my dinosaur town and said 'Noah you are so cool!'"

Noah, you are so cool!!

Jake at 22 months

I have been thinking much lately about this particular stage of Jake's life--specifically the personality traits that are emerging and his current interests and preferences. Sum it all up in a sentence: Jake is a sweet boy with a tender heart and a very strong attachment to certain people and things. A few of his preferences:

* "Me Me" is the name for his beloved blankie. He still carries it around for much of the day and sleeps with it every night.

(No, he is not potty trained...he just likes to wear Diego underwear over his diaper. Thanks, Grandma for the idea.)

Whatever the sleeping position, the blankie must always be touching his face.

Yes, he fell asleep in that position. Don't ask me how he sleeps in the middle of that mess.

* Mama. He is still a little mama's boy. He cries most times when I leave in the mornings to go running or to a meeting of some kind...but I hear that he is getting better, and that the tears only last a few seconds. Nursery is another story. It's amazing that his 6 months of nursery visits have not diminished the Sunday tantrums. A friend of mine told me one Sunday she heard blood curdling screams from the nursery, and ran down the hall to investigate, expecting to see carnage of some kind. But after peeking in the window, she saw which child it was (mine, obviously) and said to herself: "Oh it's just the usual." Sometimes when I talk to people about Jake's continued aversion to nursery, I give the expected exasperated what-is-a-mother-to-do!? reaction, but really the most part of me just feels tenderness towards sweet Jake. His tantrums are more a hatred for nursery than love for his mother, but it tells me he still prefers me and our home!

* And of course the rest of the family. When Jake hears the garage door open, he perks up immediately. His eyes go wide and his smile spreads from ear to ear and he yells giddily: "DADDDDEEEE!!!" Without exception he drops whatever he is doing at the moment and runs full speed to the back door to welcome Daddy. Jake gives a similar reaction every morning. Always the first one up, Jake busies himself with television or food until hearing the first stirring noises from Noah in the bedroom. Jake gasps and his eyes light up while whispers almost reverently: "Owahhhhhhh!" (translation: "Noah"). As much as he enjoys being around mom all day, he definitely appreciates the company of Big Brother and Dad.

* Horses. This boy loves himself some horses. Although his vocabulary is growing slowly but steadily, "Horsie" is still the most frequently used word. It is also the answer to most questions. How are you, Jake? "Horsie." What do you want for lunch? "Horsie" Where did Daddy go? "Horsie." I will point out that he is perfectly capable of pronouncing the words "good" "cookies" and "work"...but even so, he defaults to "horsie".

* Athletic apparel. This is the main source of tantrum throwing. He thrashes his little body around when I try to clothe him in anything that does not include a football or basketball or team name. I've gotten smart and convinced him that clothes with numbers or words are also football clothes. This trick has significantly expanded his wardrobe and cut back on the fashionista

tantrums.

And so, little Jake seems to be developing a strong personality, but also a tender heart with a lot of love to give. What a good combination.

somersaults

love month activities on the cheap

My friend Kim and I gave a short Relief Society workshop on budget-friendly ways to celebrate Valentine's Day. I had the best time brainstorming ideas and searching online for good Valentine's ideas. The best and easiest I found: roses made from egg cartons. Here is a link. They are so simple and if you do them just right, they look identical to dried roses! The Relief Society sisters were very impressed, mostly because they were made from garbage. I wanted to make a wreath out of them, but I already had an awesome wreath that my sister and I made last month (similar to elisa burke's) Here's a picture:

Lauren, that is dedicated to you. Thanks for the good wreath making times.

We're getting the boys in the valentine's mood too. I wrote scriptures about love on cardstock hearts. The boys pick out a couple every day, we read them and then hang them on the wall next to a picture of Jesus. The other day Noah said, "Mom, I have a new scripture that I want to tell you." He proceeded to dictate this "scripture" to me: "If you're big, you've gotta be happy. Don't cry. Don't get mad. Be happy. And be nice to your brother named Jake. This is for Noah and Jake. I'm happy that I said that Jesus could come to Noah's house."

Very inspiring scripture, don't you think?

And all you people on a budget, remember this oscar wilde quote: "who being loved, is poor?"

Sunday thoughts

This weekend Kyle organized a mini-MTC experience for the young men and women in the stake. Kyle and I were on a panel to talk to the youth about our missionary experiences. One of the girls asked me how I decided to serve a mission. I had to laugh remembering how many times I decided and undecided to go on a mission, and all the agonizing that went with the process. My BYU roommates probably remember all that decision-making drama, mostly because they were making the same decision for themselves. I remember one fireside in particular that came in the prime time of our mission decisions. Sheri Dew spoke at the Provo Tabernacle, and her point was that God had a place for each of us, certain responsibilities for each of us to fulfill, and that no one could take our place. During that fireside my roommate Megan had her decision to serve a mission confirmed, my roommate Laura felt that a mission wasn't for her, and as for me, I just felt more confused than ever! My poor Dad, I must have driven him crazy during those 2 years with phone calls soliciting fatherly advice. I can't tell you how many times he tried to reassure me with these instructions: "sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride." I'm sure everyone I wearied during the decision making process were relieved when I finally settled on a course of action and turned in my mission papers. Looking back, I feel grateful that I didn't have an easy decision, and that it took me so long. Because ultimately that was the perfect timing. I loved my mission, and I loved that a few weeks after it was over I met Kyle. It's funny how everyone has to find their own way in life, and everyone has a different story. You just never know what God has in store for you when you are in the middle of it. Even though that sort of ambiguity can be maddening, when it's far enough behind you, it is easy to see God's hand in it all.

and a quote by President Hinckley, that I heard him say in General Conference (April 2006) after I came home from my mission: "We are all totally in the hands of the Lord...We all face choices in the course of our lives...Somehow the Lord has watched over and guided my choices, although it was not always evident at the time."

I agree.