Merry Christmas!

All ready for Christmas morning

Christmas Day

Starting to open presents

Elizabeth in her new owl hat and new coat

We're a bit behind in sending Christmas greetings, but I may just give up and wait until we actually have news. April sounds like a good time for a friendly spring hello and we should have baby news and graduation news by then (fingers crossed).

We had a lovely weekend with the M family here in town. On Christmas Eve, everyone gathered at our house for our traditional lasagne (French traditional meal representing the swaddling clothes) and reading of the nativity. I stayed up way too late after everyone left, wrapping gifts, stuffing the stockings, and making a few gift coupons for the kids. Christmas morning I was up at 5:30 am to preheat the oven and take the cinnamon rolls out of the fridge to finish rising. The kids woke up at 7 am, looked at their stockings, and by 8:20 am, we were out the door to church.

The whole family participated in the meeting. I was part of violin, flute, piano prelude music and directed the ward choir. Craig and Jessica both sang in the choir AND spoke. All the kids sang with the Primary, which Jessica directed. Mr. M, Grandma M and Grandpa M watched kids in the pews. Mr M had to chase Elizabeth in the choir loft when she escaped in the middle of one of the talks. It was a lovely meeting.

After church, we came home to open gifts and get ready for dinner at the cousins' house with some honorary M family members.  We spent the day together, eating, eating, eating, and watching the cousins open their gifts. I was so tired that I went to bed as soon as we got home and I was asleep at 8:15 pm.

Tonight, we gathered again (!) for more gift-giving, leftovers, and general mayhem. When the kids were upstairs playing, Grandma M pointed out that we were all staring at our portable technology (smart phones and ipods). Ah, family togetherness:)

Happy birthday, Ethan!

Ethan turned 9 a few days ago! For his birthday dinner, he requested tacos, and rather than cake, he chose fruit platter pie. The cousins and grandparents came to celebrate with us. He received a magic kit and a $25 gift card to Target.

Blowing out his candle

We hosted a birthday party for friends (Ethan's first) in November to avoid holiday madness. It was a Harry Potter theme and involved wand-making, dueling, muggle Quidditch, potions, and hamburgers. Everyone had a fabulous time, and Mr. M did an amazing job of finding just the right dowels for wands and keeping things going smoothly.

Happy birthday, Mr. Schmeath!

December update

This is what happens at our kitchen table most days after the boys get home from school. Our favorite snack is popcorn - it's inexpensive and high fiber!

Elizabeth has amazed us by being self-potty-training. She is wearing pull ups and insists on doing just about everything herself. When Mr. M goes in to the bathroom to help her, she points to the door and says, "OUT!"  I'm glad we started with boys because they were much more difficult.

Scott is maintaining a steady campaign in favor of homeschool for the rest of first grade. We will be attempting a 2 week trial during our Christmas break. I was really excited about it before our Thanksgiving 1 week trial; now I am apprehensive. Am I ready to embrace this major lifestyle change? Homeschool friends, I need your support. I am nervous about planning (and implementing) the curriculum.

Ethan continues to be ultra-responsible. He gets himself up every morning at 6 am, gets his own breakfast, gets dressed, and usually reads for a few minutes before getting himself on the bus at 6:45 am. He is a role model for me:)

Mr. M is finishing grades for the semester and then working like a madman on his dissertation. We got a lovely desk off craigslist for $25 and put it up in our spare bedroom/office (the Room of Requirement). He has made good progress, but still has a long ways to go. Those of you who are praying folks, please pray for him that he will have clarity of mind and purpose. You can pray for me, too, that I can be a support rather than a distraction.

As for me, I am feeling enormous. 4 months to go in this pregnancy, and I have gained 20 lbs.  Mr. M reminds me that I am still about 10 lbs lighter than what I was at the beginning of the year before I started living the life.  I need to pull out my old pregnancy dvd workout, walk around the block, and break out my new Christmas hand weights. I know that will make a huge difference in the way I feel.

Child's play and political speeches

You may remember Harvey and Snortey, our resident super pigs. Evidently, there was a recently-held election. I found these speeches (written by Ethan) on a sheet of crumpled notebook paper upstairs in the playroom. Transcribed as written (spelling and punctuation).

Snortey:

It is an honor to be before you today. I will be honored if you pick me for President. I say that I should be president of the small club that we have formed and these are the reasons why. I am an expert in leading, I protect pigs, and I would like it if someone would get me a popsicle.

Harvey:

Hello pigs and piglets. It is a pleasant day to vote. Please pick me for president. And not because I want a popsicle. (pause for laughter) This is the real reason why. I am a good worker and I clean more than Snorty (blow raspbery at Snorty) and I am older and more mature. Please vote for me, Harvey.

I've got so much honey, the bees envy me...

19w2d

If you live far away, you haven't seen my burgeoning belly. Be excited with me that my hair is in a bun. A BUN!
 
Today was the exciting day when Mr. M met my o.b. and we had the big ultrasound that is supposed to reveal whether our growing baby is a boy or girl. It seemed at first that "the lemon baby" as it has been called by the boys was not going to cooperate; those legs were really close together! Eventually, though, our tech was able to determine that we are having a GIRL! We're thrilled! The boys are thrilled! Elizabeth is thrilled, although I'm not sure how much she really understands. We have been considering names, too.

Mr. M asked, when we were driving home, "Who wants to call the baby Emily Carmen?"

"MEEE!" called Elizabeth, raising her hand high.

"Who wants to call the baby Carmen Chantal?" was his next question.

"MEEEE!" was her answer.

"Who wants to call the baby Sasquatch?" was his final question.

Enthusiasm not diminishing one bit, her hand shot into the air. "MEEE!"

Trunk or treat

Here's a little Halloween madness for you from a strawberry, static cling, and an x-ray:

We took the kids to the church Trunk or Treat tonight. Everyone had a good time. There was a chili competition, and I was truly impressed by a number of good chilies (chilis?). Ethan says he is not trick-or-treating on Monday because he doesn't need any more candy to trade to the Great Pumpkin. Scott says he is going even though he only gets to keep 15 pieces and will trade in the rest to the Great Pumpkin.

The Velveteen Rabbit

As a child, I loved listening to George Winston and Meryl Streep's recording of The Velveteen Rabbit. As a jilted college freshman, I saw myself in the rabbit, cast aside to be burned while the boy snuggled with a new bunny. Today, I heard Nana's voice as our pediatrician diagnosed Elizabeth with scarlet fever.

Once a dangerous childhood disease, scarlet fever is now easily treatable with antibiotics. In our case, it began with an ingrown toenail that got infected.  For several nights, Elizabeth has been waking up a lot, and the last few days and nights she has complained of pain in her toe. Yesterday we saw how awful it looked and on my dad's recommendation, we started soaking it in hot water for 10-15 minutes at a time.

When Elizabeth woke up last night at 9:30 pm, complaining that her foot hurt, her whole toe was red, tight, and throbbing. She had a fever, and she was shaking. The top of her foot was also red and hot. We soaked her toe again, gave her some Tylenol, and distracted her with her current favorite song while Mr. M lanced the infected area and released a goopy glob of white pus. Fever and chills, a pus-filled toe and what looked like a spreading infection were setting off my alarm bells. I really wanted to call my dad, but it was too late. Somehow he knew to call me. (My mom told me that he was lying in bed and jumped up and said, "I've got to call Erin!") When I told him about Elizabeth, he urged me to take her to the ER. We were both concerned about the dangerous possibility of sepsis.

Symphony tickets!!!

Sometimes everything feels right and good in the world. A few weeks ago, I got an email from Ethan's choir, offering me the chance for 4 free tickets on Saturday night to the symphony. What could be better? We arranged for a babysitter, and I called up my Messiah stand partner and friend. It was a double-date!

When we arrived at the theatre downtown and picked up our tickets, I was delighted to discover that we had front row tickets directly in front of the first violin section.  The seats were perfect for studying all the bow holds. I am amazed at the diversity of styles among professionals. One violinist had such a high elbow that he seemed to be playing on the G string all the time. It was also fun being able to hear the conductor sniff and snort and to observe his facial expressions.

There happened to be a Liszt piano concerto on the program, and we were well positioned to watch the soloists hands jumping all over the keyboard. He was amazing, although his choice of encores were, to quote my mother, "bombastic": all 10 fingers, all the time, making me want to bang my head against the wall, but in the best way possible, of course.

All told, it was a delightful evening.

Ethan at school

Ran into Ethan in the hall on the way back from parent teacher conference with Scott's teacher. Ethan was in a paper airplane contest with GT and looked pretty happy about it. He's heading to join the rest of his class.

Motherhood and a change of heart

 
Something is making my heart change. It's softer. I think it's bigger. It has to do with being a mom. While I have usually been happy that I have children, I have felt something different in the last few weeks. I feel greater joy in motherhood. I feel more commitment to mothering. It's something that I want do, not just something I should do. I feel more connected to my kids. I'm enjoying the time we spend together. My temper is not as close to the surface as it sometimes has been.

When I started blogging 6 years ago, I had a baby and a 2 year old. I found some online friends or to be more accurate, I found some mommy bloggers who probably have no idea that I exist, or if I do exist, they know very little about me. Despite never having met, I feel like I know them. I think of them as friends. I tell my husband about them. I've enjoyed reading their struggles and triumphs in mothering, the funny stories about things their children do. I've cried as I learned of the sorrows in their lives - divorce, serious illness, job loss, financial need. I have prayed for them. Their stories have helped me to navigate my own mothering.

Along the way, my family has grown. Now I have an 8 year old, a 6 year old, a 1 year old, and a tiny unborn child who we affectionately call "the lemon baby" right now (approximate size as of a few weeks ago). 

We had a hard time getting pregnant between #2 and #3. For a long time, I thought I would be happy with just two. Life was good, after all. Having 3 has been such a joy. I have loved seeing my boys love their baby sister. They are amazing helpers. When we were trying to get pregnant, we prayed daily as a family that another baby would join our family. 3 years later, the boys still thank God every day, multiple times a day in prayer, that Elizabeth is part of our family. Now they also thank Him for "the lemon baby". Perhaps it is the sincerity of their prayers and the mightiness of their affection for her that has helped change my heart.

I have found two amazing and faithful women who have significantly impacted my thoughts and feeling on motherhood. They are role models for me.  One is homeschooling mom of 10 and author Mary Ostyn of the blog owlhaven.net . You can read an interview with her HERE. I have read both of her books and absolutely loved every single word of A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family. Every woman even contemplating having children should read it. It debunks the myth that 10 kids is 5x harder and 5x more expensive than 2 kids. Beyond that, it was just pure pleasure to read. It really resonated with me. It also opened my heart to the possibility of adoption. (I'm not saying that I'm going to end up with 10 kids. I'm also not saying that I'm not.)

The other is Tsh, writer at SimpleMom.net and founder of Simple Media, which included 4 other blogs: Simple Kids, Simple Homeschool, Simple Bites, and Simple Organic. Tsh is the author of Organized Simplicity, which I have checked out multiple times from the library already. She has given me so many great tips and ways to organize my time, my home, my life. She is the one who taught me to begin my day by eating a frog (which basically means doing the worst thing first. I'm still working on that). More than anything, she is a great model of intentional living: thinking about what you want out of life and then living to make it happen. Tsh is also the one who introduced me to Pinterest. I had heard of it, but avoided it for a long time, but she showed me how to use it as a meal-planning tool in her e-book One Bite at a Time. (Only $5 and so worth it.) She is also a homeschooling mom, has lived abroad, and is an all around great person in my estimation.

I just remembered one other thing that my boys have been praying for on a daily basis, as I re-read this post to edit it. They have prayed daily that "mom can control her temper".  Yet another example of prayers being answered. (Not that I'm perfect yet. There is always progress to be made.)

God is good.  "...and if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them..."

Who inspires you?

Wild and wonderful

First, the wonderful: I just can't get enough of the Mormon Messages and I LOVE all the profile videos of different people. Here's the most recent that I've watched. Have you seen these? When I'm feeling glum, I like to sit down and watch one. When I'm feeling happy, I like to watch them, too:) These people are so amazing! What I love to consider is how many faithful church members are out there, whether they have a profile video or not, living the Gospel and letting God work through them. THAT is amazing.


And, now the wild: Tonight, 3 generations of men gathered for treats (and skipped the stake Father/son campout). Here is a photo of some of the wildness that ensued with the youngest generation:

I've been featured!

I've been featured on the Live the Life blog! If you recall, I used to be a couch potato and now I am not. Check it out here. WARNING: you will see before and after shots of me in a bathing suit. These are the same ones you've seen before, but there's a lovely little testimonial that goes with them.

Dolled up and fighting back!

Obviously, this is not me, but it was the best image I found to capture how I feel right now.

To bring you up to speed on some of the Moos' news, allow me to first tell you some of the things I've been doing lately:

• napping every single day for an hour or two. I'm so grateful that Elizabeth is a consistent napper.
• going to bed around 10 pm and being exhausted
• reading food blogs instead of opening my fridge
• buying anything that sounds good at the grocery store, including chicken noodle soup at the deli and eating it RIGHT THERE
• keeping lemon drops and cinnamon drops in my mouth as much as possible to deal with excess saliva
• vomiting (4x since yesterday morning is my record so far). Favorite place to do it - kitchen sink. Least favorite place to do it (and where it often happens) - shower

If you haven't figured it out yet, Elizabeth walks around patting her tummy and saying, "Baby! Baby!" And when I told Scott a few weeks ago that our baby was about the size of a blueberry, his eyes got big and he exclaimed, "MMMMM! I'm hungry for a blueberry smoothy!"

Yes, we are having a baby! Do not ask me for the official due date. I do not believe in due dates anymore. This baby will likely come sometime between the 7th and 15th of April. That is what I tell people. Sometimes I am more vague. "April-ish."

I've been doing a lot of lying around, moaning internally and wishing my house would get clean. My wonderful husband has been keeping himself and the kids alive on mac & cheese, frozen pizza, and instant mashed potatoes, frozen meatballs, and green beans.

Last night, I decided this was it. I was done being grossed out by my house, I was done lying around, and I was done feeling like a slug. This morning, I got up, ate, vomited, took the boys to school, took hubby to school, and went to the YMCA. I did my resistance workout (shoulders) and spent 20 minutes on the elliptical machine. Took my list to the grocery store, came home and unpacked, had a snack, vomited, put Elizabeth to bed, put myself to bed. Slept for an hour and showered. And now I'm dolled up and fighting back!

My plan for the rest of the day: make chicken noodle soup, get a snack ready for the boys (umbrella cheese, salami, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes), mop the floor, throw in a load of laundry, teach one violin lesson, and work on finding the carpet in my bedroom. I'm sipping cran-raspberry juice spiked with ginger ale to keep the bubbles out of my tummy. I have 2 hours before the boys get home from school.

Every time my stomach clenches, every time I throw up, I just think, "Oh, yeah?! OH, YEAH?! You wanna piece of me?! I'm BIGGER than YOU! I'm STRONGER than YOU! You are NOT running MY life!!! So take that, nausea!"

Who's with me?

Update (the next morning): I did make the soup, get the snack ready, and teach the lesson. I also threw up one more time before bed. For today's fighting back, I already mowed the back lawn and am now attacking the disgusting kitchen. So far, no vomiting! Yay!

Last days of summer

We did some fun things together the last weeks of summer, but have hardly any pictures to show for it. Jessica and I took all the kids bowling one afternoon. Scott was our best bowler; I think he scored 88.

We went out to eat one day when I didn't want to cook. Here are the boys being themselves.

Last, but not least, we started school this morning. Here are the boys waiting for the bus. It is a beautiful day:)

Family reunion

I am a bit behind on my blogging, but it has been a lovely summer. Every two years, my parents gather their children's families together in a different place. Some of our previous gathering places have been my childhood home in southeast Minnesota, Cancun, and Dana Point.  This year, we spent two weeks together in South Carolina on Hiltonhead Island and in Charleston.

All 4 of my brothers and their families were able to attend. We had a total of 11 adults and 7 grandkids.

Some of my favorite things on this vacation were

-getting a new wardrobe, thanks to my thrift-shopping mom and my hard-working dad

-running with my superstar sister-in-law, Christy

-surprising all my siblings by being capable of real pushups

-roasting smores

-movie dates with Ethan to see Megamind (which I loved) and KungFu Panda 2 (which I also liked)

-kayaking with dolphins and the grown-ups of my generation while my parents watched the grandkids

-staying in a beautiful hotel in Charleston with amazing service and equally amazing views

-eating at some upscale restaurants, including a very fun late night dinner at McCrady's

The only downside to our family gathering was that an uninvited GI-super-bicho showed up to wreak GI chaos and make everyone sick for at least a day. Here's my s-i-l's perspective on The Plague.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our reunion:

Grandpa, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Christy watching kids in the pool

Uncle Hugh and my kids

Elizabeth at the playground on Hiltonhead Island

The Great Dalmuti

Lovebirds on the boat to Ft. Sumter

Mr. M and Elizabeth

 

Uncle Tal and Simon, waiting for our buggy ride in Charleston

Buggy ride

 

Scott in the fountain across from our hotel in Charleston

Ethan on the water taxi to the aircraft carrier

Aunt Kristi and the boys in Charleston

We are already looking forward to our next gathering in Mountain View, Alberta, next to the beautiful Canadian Rockies of Waterton.

Last day of swimming for the summer

Pinewood derby

Thanks to uncle C's expert wood work, we had an entry into last night's cub scout pinewood derby. Behold the  "Blue Comet"!
Unfortunately, because of Mr. M 's wheel job, the car did not make it all the way down the track. Oh well. Better luck next year.

Elizabeth having second thoughts about eating mango habanero salsa

She asked for it and apparently the first serving wasn't enough to dissuade her from trying it again. She asked for thirds but we drew the line.

First day of summer! Hooray!

It was a terrific day! All yesterday I was dreading the end of school, but I have two amazing weapons in my arsenal against boredom, messes, and fights: the YMCA and MyJobChart.com. I know it has only been one day, but I think I could successfully homeschool with those two things on my team, plus my amazing husband.

We "slept in" meaning my alarm didn't go off until 6:50 am, although honestly, I turned it off and rolled over and slept until 8. I made an apple puff pancake for breakfast to celebrate the summer holiday, but no one liked it, not even me. It looked pretty though:

Garden!

Without further ado, I present to you the beginnings of our square foot garden. El Guapo did most of the work, but he also took the pictures, which is why you see me and not him.

Our favorite little helper in her full-body sun protection.

We are all about eye protection and safety here.

I feel empowered when I use power tools.

Ta-da! Why, yes, I HAVE lost over 20 lbs and yes, those ARE new jeans;)

Coming soon, fabric anti-weed and Mel's Mix in our own raised garden bed!

Mr. Toothy

This happened while he was eating a popsicle. Tooth #6!

Computer day in kindergarten

Scott invited us to watch the video that he made and he showed us how to make a digital scrapbook using powerpoint.

Shout out to my amazing husband

In the last week, El Guapo has disassembled and scrubbed our refrigerator, unjammed our freezer drawer, eliminated all the houseflies, and fixed the spray faucet on the kitchen sink. He soaked, disinfected, and cleaned piles of poopy underwear, as well as doing about 8 loads of laundry (including folding and putting away!) He helped me revise our family purpose statement (without any eye rolling!), fed and amused our children while I taught violin lessons, and he offers me leg massages every night. We've worked out together, gone to the temple together, and I'm still basking in the post-concert glow of Josh's music. Thank you, Guapo!

P.S. He has also worked on his dissertation.

P.P.S. Since posting this originally, he has thoroughly transformed our gross garbage can, which was infested with flies and maggots, to a clean and fresh-smelling waste receptacle!

Living the Life, Phase 1: RESULTS!!!

I'm a girl who loves a new beginning. My journal and this blog are full of entries about how "now, I am going to start exercising, eating right, and getting on top of my to do list." Unfortunately, I've lacked the follow-through to make new beginnings become lasting habits. I was a tired couch potato with good intentions and poor follow-through. I couldn't do a single push-up. My baby was over a year old, and I was still in my maternity jeans.

My husband is a sneak (I love that!)

Yesterday, my husband did a wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL thing. All on his own, and as a surprise to me, he arranged babysitting for us to eat dinner at a nice restaurant and attend the Josh Groban concert. He didn't just buy any seats, though. FLOOR SEATS IN THE ELEVENTH ROW!!!!

Life is better with a piano

This is the piano that I grew up with. Last Saturday, it arrived at my house after a journey of 1200 miles. I did not expect the overwhelming happiness and feeling of finally being at home that came with the piano. We are all enjoying it!

The end of an era

Well, my husband and I have come to a turning point, and things will never be the same again. (Dramatic pause here.)

Yesterday, I bought a minivan. Yes, after a decade of being a 1 car family (except for a year right at the beginning of our marriage), and 18 months of squishing our 3 kids, baby seat, and booster seat into the back of our '97 Toyota Corolla, we broke down and did it. We are practically giddy with excitement, except for the part about actually spending money. Here she is:

We didn't tell the boys where we were going last night after I picked them up from swimming, which is why they are not wearing more. When we got to our destination, we told them that someone in our ward had bid on a car at the auction and we were picking it up. This was technically true, thanks to our friend, Randy, who did the bidding on my behalf. When I drove out in the minivan and parked next to the Corolla, Scott looked at it longingly and said, "Mom, we should buy this car."

"Well, someone already bought it," I told him. I paused. "IT WAS ME!!!!" Behold, the gleeful ones:

This morning as I lay in bed at 6:15 am, not wanting to get up yet, I heard Ethan open up the door from the laundry room into the garage and turn on the light. (Our garage light beeps when you turn it on; I don't have superhero ears.) I wondered aloud what he was doing out there. Michael got up to check it out and came back with this photo of Ethan and his selected homework location.

This car has so many features that I'm thrilled about. Nothing fancy, mind you. But who wouldn't appreciate power locks, an adjustable steering wheel, power windows, cruise control, a CD player, and a back seat that folds right into the floor?