Happy Father's day to my wonderful hubby Mark. He is definitely the kind of man whose love of parenting make me fall in love all over again. He is a family man through and through. Right now my favorite thing he does with Mac is the "man talk", which consists of a whole lot of grunts, growls, and head butts.
This Saturday, I discovered a Clean House yard sale! One of my favorite t.v. shows ever. Jake was asked to pretend to buy a soccer ball (breaks my heart ... you mean it's not all real??), and did a great job, even though he was annoyed to pieces by Matt. You can see him on the style network in October.
Neecy Nash just hung out in her trailer all morning. The crew kept rolling their eyes when I would ask about her. Kinda funny.
One of those days that I just love living in California.
Ah, my family came to visit this week. For the entire week! It was so very nice to have them here. Our adventures included:
Sunday dinner ... in a crock pot ... and adding a side of broccoli. It is a big deal to break out of that mold, but I think my dad handled it pretty well.
Toby Tyler! Have you seen that movie? So cute. I loved it as a kid, and watching it now only makes me love it even more.
Being at church and having seven people to entertain Mac ... wow what a difference.
Disneyland with RideMax ... the only way to go if you are only there for one day. Dad downloaded it to my computer, so now I have yet another reason to tempt you to come stay with me. (Holly, I wish we would've had it when you were here! Danika ... it's a sign ... you need to come back.)
I think Mac has an allergy. Or a spider bite. Either way, his lip swelled up enormously, and if I hadn't had a blossoming chiropractor (Mark), a physical therapist (Dad), and two nurses (Mom and Jamie ... she passed her boards!) telling me he would be fine, I think I would've slightly melted down. The only scary thing is I have no idea what caused it.
Beaches, beaches, beaches! We did the favorites; Corona del Mar, Newport, and Laguna. Mac really seemed to enjoy the sand this time, his limited attention span was stretched farther than I've seen it in quite a while.
Shopping. I love having mom around.
Also, I think I hit a big "growing up" moment this trip ... it was one of those times when I started to see everything my mom has done over the years. I'm finally getting to the point where I can know what needs to be done without having to be asked (Mom, sorry I never perfected that while I lived at home!), and nearly every time I have gone to do the dishes, put things away, throw in a load, fold something, or wipe something off, it has already been done. My mom was one step ahead of me all week long. It was like that mysterious cleaning fairy that lived in my parent's house had decided to visit ... and oooo was it nice.
Jake has become quite the musician. We listened to his songs, he is writing now too!
Mark adjusted everyone! First adjustment for my entire family ... except Jamie. Mark's brother Josh got to her first. He did great, especially with the pressure of being the first to adjust my father, the formerly-anti-chiropractic physical therapist. And he made it through Jamie's giggling fits. Good work Marcus.
Went yard saleing ... and that will have to have it's own post.
Mac is now 9 months old! Good grief that is crazy. I went to visit a gal from church who just had this sweet baby girl. She was six pounds seven ounces, and tiny. Mac was even one ounce smaller ... what happened to my baby??
Well he is a real gem these days. He's getting quite the personality; outgoing, bashful, entertainer, and whiner all seem to describe him at one point or another. Gone are the days when he would just sit serenely in my lap. I do miss those, but he's quite a bit more fun now. He:
Talks to you. Sort of. He grunts or makes a hawking sound in his throat (yeah, like a loogie) and then waits for you to respond. He could do that all day.
Is moving ... with help. He attempts some sort of rolling/army crawl if you get set his binky just out of reach. (Which, by the way, I consider that a great benefit of his binky addiction; I don't think he would ever be on his belly longer than a second if he didn't have obtaining that darn binky blotting out every other thought.)
He loves to bounce and walk, though he's definitely working on building his confidence. He'll stand on his own for about two seconds until he realizes you aren't holding him, and then promptly sits down.
He loves any real food; the mashed-up baby jars are getting more and more difficult to feed him. I probably wouldn't bother with them at all if we didn't get so many for free from our blessed WIC checks.
He falls asleep on his own! I wrap him up, rock him for a bit, and then lay him down. Sometimes he squeals, sometimes he doesn't ... but he's usually fast asleep within about five minutes. That makes me excited.
He is very very ticklish.
He loves baths. Recently he has discovered the magic of the drips coming out of the faucet. He stared at them and tried to touch them for a solid five minutes. Very precious.
He still thumbs everything, but now he rotates with his pointer a bit. One of his favorite toys is a wiffle ball; it rolls so he can go after it, and best of all, there are probably twenty little holes that perfectly fit his little fingers.
His favorite book is "Caps for Sale". Every time I read what the monkeys say ("tsk, tsk, tsk"), he giggles and giggles. It's quite precious.
He is beginning to really love other little kids. Church is a riot.
The ten cent books I bought at the library have sucked me in to reading again. I've realized there are a lot of good books I have yet to read, and my list has grown quite a bit, starting with some important classics. I have discovered that classics are classics for a very good reason. They make you think! That's all well and good, but now I need to find people to talk to them about. Hence my intense desire to join a book club.
I don't know of any around here.
I'd like to start my own.
But how would we get books? I'm pretty cheap and could not justify purchasing a book every month, though that does sound tempting ...
Well, if you have any suggestions or experiences, I would love to hear them.
(I finally read Fahrenheit 451, which was a great perspective-builder. Then also read Gap Creek, which was actually quite scandalous and depressing, but a true story, and one that made me incredibly grateful for my own life and marriage. If you're married you should read it ... and then call me. I'd LOVE to dissect this book!)
Free subway. In my rush to get all my errands done between Mac's two naps, I forgot to put my wallet back in my purse. Didn't discover it until my sandwich had been made, of course. Prepping myself to slink away in a cloud of embarrassment, I was shocked when he handed the sandwich to me and said, "Don't worry about it."
I like the people here.
My second adventure? Case of the missing shopping list. All I could find were two tiny scraps mashed tightly in little Mac's fists ... and a wad stuck to the roof of his mouth. And the rest of it? I'm thinking I will find out soon enough ...
I have felt like a rain cloud the last few days. Coming home from vacation sick, having lost quite a bit of sleep, and fighting general feelings of annoyance. I suppose I am a moody person. It isn't fun to be ornery. When I'm ornery, I think it makes Mark ornery. I know it makes Mac ornery. I end up living in a world of orneryness and hrmphs and bahs, created quite meticulously by my own self.
We all have those days, right? Knowing that seems to make my days of frustration less dire and occasionally comical. I must say these days most definitely have a place; ying and yang; all things have their opposites and whatnot, but it sure is nicer to just be happy.
And I think I'm making myself finally come around again. I bought 9 books for me and 5 books for Mac from the Library book store. My total? $3.75 It is always good enough weather for a walk. My neighbor Gary is starting to show some real interest in the church, perhaps healing is coming for him. Mark is getting quite good at adjusting. No more bruises. My neighbors were quiet last night. 3 babies were born in our ward this week, and I get to bring meals and see their tiny sweet selves. Yard sales. Free groceries become tasty meals. Babybel cheese. Netflix. Huggable, kissable, loveable boys. I have two of them, and I can hug and kiss them whenever I want. Crawling, schmaling. I will likely worry about Mac the rest of his life, but why make him miserable over it? He seems to be doing quite well to me. He loves baths.
Nothing like a good bath to shew away those silly rain clouds.
Crawling is what Mac is not doing. Crawling is what every other baby I know does. Crawling is supposedly a very important step for brain development. Crawling seems impossible when rolling is much easier. Crawling is stressing me out.
I don't think it bothered me too much till we went to St. George; there are four other cousins within a couple months of him: Brooke, Olive, Eva, and Seth. All of them are either walking or quite close to crawling. Seth is four months old. I know I shouldn't compare, but that's crazy to me!
I feel like somehow I've messed him up, like I didn't put him on his belly enough when he was too little to do anything about it. I really thought I did though! It was just that he figured out how to roll pretty quickly, and once he did that, I couldn't get him to stay on his belly for longer than three seconds. So now he scoots and wiggles and rolls ... and mostly hollers at me till I pick him up. I think I will try to not pick him up so quickly. Get ready Mac, here comes crawling boot camp!
However, he's a lot closer to walking than he is to crawling. Perhaps I'll just say he's far too advanced to be bothered with the silly idea of crawling. He'll be fine ... right? I haven't ruined him, have I? I think I'm just being dramatic. There's nothing wrong with a non-conformist baby. Right?
Mac and Mark are sick. I'm worried we might have become allergic to Utah. They are on the mend now, thankfully. The positive side to all this? Mac is snuggly. Mark sounds like Russell Crowe. The negative side? Mmmm ... let's stick with the positive. I'm attempting to ditch that little black raincloud that's been hovering over me lately.
Santa Clara, actually. Is that Spanish? It can't be, the town was settled by the Swiss ... is "santa" a Swiss word as well? It must be; I'm pretty sure Santa Clause is not from Mexico.
Anyway.
I love St. George. If you live/lived in Utah, you love St. George. I don't know why, it must be one of those unwritten Mormon rules, like funeral potatoes or something like that. To me getting off that exit and driving down the boulevard brings back hoards of memories of softball, stained socks, a competitive drive (don't know where it disappeared to), late nights, crazy girls, and of course, hot baseball players. Luckily I married one of them so I get to go back quite regularly.
This time, Zack was good enough to chauffeur Mac and I down, Mark met us there the next day after school. My favorites from this 6-day adventure:
Six-hour talks with Zack. Mostly about love, my favorite subject. Here's the thing about Zack; he's pretty oblivious to things that don't directly effect him, but if he's involved, you can bet that kid knows every tiny detail you could possibly imagine. It was kind of fun to attempt to piece together a more detailed time-line of my "happily ever after" story ... first date, first kiss, first "I love you", joking about marriage, serious about marriage, proposal, the works. Thanks Zack for reminding me what an awesome life I have.
Katie's "labor" sandwiches. Yes I'm referring to giving birth. I may not need them now, but someday. And they were soooo tasty.
Taking over Sarah's bedroom ... again. Sarah, you are too good to me. (Please don't be angry ...)
Rachelle. I just really enjoy Rachelle. Why don't we talk more often?
Mac and Seth have FINALLY met! Best cousins for life! I get giddy thinking about the future sleepovers and fights and superheros ... little boys are so very fun.
Veggie Sandwiches. Recipe?
Sarah's graduation happened to be the second one I'd been to in as many days ... and it was significantly shorter. THANK YOU Snow Canyon.
Grad Night ... have you heard of it? Snow Canyon's is ridiculous. All the moms get together (headed by Chris most years) and throw a party of epic proportions. It puts Sky View's wimpy Sports Academy night to shame. Only bummer is that Chris was non-existent most of the time. I suppose I could try not to be selfish though.
Seeing Mark again! The best part about leaving him for a week? The reunion. Yesssss. There was some mad snuggling going on.
This one is actually a low-light: Mac got ridiculously sick. I felt quite sure he might die a couple nights. Up every hour with a barking cough all night long ... and me in another state where my insurance won't really work ... good thing there were so many experienced parents around me to put me at ease. Or make me feel ridiculous, really. Goll being a first timer is so stressful. Mac has made quite the recovery, but it definitely transformed me into quite the raincloud the last few days. Why am I so inwardly dramatic? At least put it out there so I can work through it with everyone! Something I am working on....
Getting to know Rand. I am really glad he is around to take care of Chris. She really really needs him. And I think the kids do too. They love him to pieces, he is a very good grandpa.
The Miata. If Rand was a jerk, this little car would be enough to make me hope he stuck around. Luckily he's quite wonderful.
(Great) Grandma Smith. She is the perfect grandma, no contest.
(Great) Grandpa Smith, a.k.a. the Duke. Toughest man alive (though I think he's kind of a softie inside ... somewhere ...), Mark looks just like him, and Mac is his namesake. Grandma Smith once told me, "Isn't he handsome? Well, you can't have him. He's mine. But don't worry, Mark will look just like this when he's old enough."
Cousin Baptisms! Abers and Emily were so very precious. After they were dunked, little two-year old Grace hollered, "I don't want to get wet!" Six more years, Gracie. Prep yourself.
Mac discovered the joy of dogs. Well, of Molly anyway. She is literally the best dog I have ever seen. Sarah will you please chose and train a dog for our family?
Swimming at a dream house. Everyone should have rich friends!
Cousins everywhere! 17 and counting ...
Biiiig discussions on life, health, vaccines, food, etc. It is always so enlightening to hang with the Gunns.
Chris's yard. A little bit of heaven.
Memorial Day was the most memorable one I've had ... probably ever. We went to Spencer's grave with everyone who was still in town Sunday evening, and sat there for probably a good hour and half, reminiscing. Everyone went around and said one thing they really missed about him, and it was very touching. As the only one there who never met him, it was really neat for me to learn more about him. It became quite emotional, and I loved it. Spencer was quite the man, and he raised quite the family. I am blessed to be a part of it!
How can you not love Logan? The wide open spaces, rolling farmlands, old homes, protective mountains, and plenty of good, simple people. Oh there is just nothing like coming around that last corner in Sardine Canyon. I couldn't believe how far I could see; clear to Idaho! And the air ... gads how I missed it. Mama came and picked me up from the airport, which really hadn't been too stressful. The airplane was hardly even full (and NOBODY sat anywhere near me, except one lady who was on her way home to her ten month old), and I brought just enough tricks to keep Mac's attention. He grinned and flapped his arms at anyone who happened by, and only screamed once ... he had grabbed an ice cube out of my drink and stuffed it in his mouth.
I'm tempted to blab on and on about everything we did in my lovely little hometown, but I would most likely lose my steam about halfway through, and you even earlier. Therefore I will stick to summing up a few of my favorites:
An evening jog with Jamie along the Bonneville Shoreline trail. The sun was setting, birds were chirping, and I couldn't hear a single siren or even a trumpet. Plus the conversation was quite substantial between my weezing. (Higher elevation ... ahem ahem.)
Trent and Rachel squealing as we drove in ... and still squealing as they threw open the doors to see Mac. Poor kid ...
Jamie happens to look/sound just enough like me to calm Mac down quite nicely.
Mac has Dad wrapped around his little finger. Or is it the other way around?
Dolling up my little Rach.
Sleepovers with Jam ... every night!
Enjoying Trent; he's just so enjoyable. What else can I say?
A bit of a low-light: apparently sirens, trumpets, cars, etc. have no effect on Mac's sleeping capabilities. But one squeaky little voice ... bam. Mac is wide awake, wanting in on the action. Big sigh. First child syndrome, I guess.
Hiking and dissecting life with a couple of my oldest friends, Jessi and Ericca. Beautiful scenery, good company, enlightening thoughts -- we need to make that a tradition, ladies.
Surprise visits from Liz, Brittney, Brittany, Mandaran, Mary, and Tiera. Thanks for squeezing me in, ladies. I wish I had more time to sit and talk to you all!
Aunt Jen. Ooo she is amazing, and always makes you feel like a million bucks. And she probably deserves the mom of the year ... or the last 5 years award.
Brielle misses Mark. I told her he said hi, but only to her, nobody else. Perhaps that was true, and perhaps it wasn't.
Luke loves bulldozers, loaders, semis, tractors, and any other heavy equipment you can think of. His voice is to die for. I hope Mac talks like he does.
Great-Aunt Dee and Great-Uncle Spence. So cultured and precious, they seem to be amused by about everything, especially our silly little Mormon ways. If you're in the right mood, it's pretty cute.
Uncle Spence's traditional performance on his harmonica at the end of our fancy Hamilton's meal. It never fails to amaze.
Seeing Zack in Olive Garden gear. Seeing the look of joy on his face as he held Mac. I think Mac's got a pretty good chance of scoring high on Zack's list of favorite nieces and nephews ...yes.
Curry twice. They still know my family by name. Costa Vida twice. Oh sweet pork salad, how I have missed you!
Wonderful Danika and Matt ... made sure I knew there would be no skipping them. I was told I would be forced to fit them in. They sure make me feel important. Even when I'm minorly flustered with Mac's refusal to sleep ... they still are fabulous to be with and Danika always goes out of her way to have a good deep conversation. PLEASE don't leave us!
I met Zack's woman!!! (And interrupted the Lost finale.) This is a big deal. I feel privileged. I think I like her, but I'm scared to commit to this until Zack does. After all, what if I get hurt?? :) She'd be a pretty good addition, I think.
Mark asking to Skype repeatedly so he could stare at Mac. Pretty precious.
Daddy Daughter Dates. They might be more enjoyable now than when I was younger. A good talk, free food, and a movie! We watched Robin Hood, and at one point I started to get a little teary and attempted to hide it like usual (Mark doesn't understand how I can relate to movies), but I happened to glance over and see Dad brush away a couple tears of his own. Oh Daddy. Sure love you. I'm starting to realize more and more why I am the way that I am ...
Jake is a real live graduate! He is now done with high school ... next is a mission ... oh my that will be crazy. The call will be coming around the first week of July!
I still know Sky View's theme song. "Where the mountain peaks meet the starry sky..." What's even more impressive? Dad still knows it.
