HAPPY HALLOWEEN - Part 1

Way too much candy from the ward Trunk-or-Treat

Milo would pretty happy just smelling the candy.

For Mimaw...

You ask...

I deliver...

Better late than never, right?

This is the face that gets me through the hard moment!

Random Evening Thoughts

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite people, my fabulous friend Kristen. I love this girl!! This evening as I made icing for some sugar cookies I debated if I wanted to go thick butter cream, or a thin icing like the yummy ones Kristen makes. For some reason this brought on a flood of random thoughts about my cooking & how it has evolved & how hopefully it has improved. I began to wonder why & how...

I realized that I have changed & evolved as a person. And hopefully I too have improved. I began thinking about the friends & family I get different recipes & ideas from. Kristen is among the list of those people. I have new recipes from her, & ideas about mothering (oh, the hours we have spent sharing stories, thoughts, & frustrations of motherhood.) Kristen is one of those genuine & kind people. She is an amazing woman, mother, & friend. She is also a great photographer. (I've learned a little more about taking pictures thanks to her.) She has this sweet spirit about her & it radiates in her home. (This is sounding a lot like a eulogy, isn't it? HA!) This is Kristen's last birthday in Oklahoma. Her husband will finish his residency next June & they will be moving... that will be a very sad day!,

So I sit here nibbling on sugar cookies (I ended up doing cream cheese frosting) hoping Kristen had a great birthday!

Hallelujah

Viv has been on the verge of her first laugh from sometime now. No matter the efforts I put into it I can only get lots of smiles, a tongue hanging out & even something that looks like a silent laugh. But tonight my efforts were rewarded with a giggle and a half!

I loved it!

A Good Idea...

Am I the only one that gets lost in blog world? I always get lost when I start clicking on linkyloos. I tend to make lots of "turns" & find all kinds of things, or blogs. Some of these blogs are forgettable & others are very enjoyable. I find myself continually scrolling down those blogs & reading old posts. I have added many a blogs to my reader that are complete strangers, but I love them.

Back to the point...
Today I was reading a friend's blog & I started clicking on linkyloos again, and got lost. I came across a post with a great idea, (but I can't give credit where credit is due, because I was in to deep. Some friend of a friend, or something, not really sure.) Anyway... they had committed to commenting on every blog post they read, I am so guilty of not commenting it's embarrassing! I do read all ya'lls blog posts, but just move along without commenting (I'm blaming it on Google Reader... & perhaps my laziness!)

While I can't commit to commenting on EVERY SINGLE ONE (it goes back to that whole thing of me reading strangers blogs... and while I do occasionally comment on them, I don't want to freak people out.) I will comment on the blogs of people I do know, because I actually always have a thought or something to add/say.

So here goes something!


Post Edit:
Jeff pointed out that I made a number of grammar errors, so I went back & did a quick proof read... I'm sure I still forgot some.

12 Week Chunk

I LOVE this face!!

Our little Vivie is 12 weeks & is such a delight.
I can't get enough of her cheeks & double chin.

Although, today during sacrament meeting I noticed some milk or spit-up that collected in the delicious rolls of her neck...

I went to wipe it & was about knocked out by the terrible stench of curdled milk!
YUM YUM!

Happy Birthday Bryson

Today is my nephew Bryson's 6th birthday. Bryson is another of my handsome nephews (it's amazing how good looking they all are!) he has the best blue eyes!

He has quite the love of being in charge... perhaps it's a good thing he is the little brother.

Bryson is full of life & is one funny kid, oh the things he says.

There is rarely a dull moment with that kid!
He is a great cousin & we love seeing him when we can!

Happy Birthday Dude, we hope you have a great day!!

Birthday Mama

Today marks the birth of the world's most amazing women... My Mom!
My mom had this poem floating about our home growing up... perhaps in a frame? I don't know, but I do know that I have it now (not sure my mom knows this.) It's called My Mom by Finley Bayles. Here are just a few of my favorite stanzas.
When I was born, I couldn't see,
And gettin' born can scary be,
But who was there in bed with me?
My Mom.

Who wipes my nose and calms my fears,
And wipes up all my snot and tears,
And save me when nightmares appears?
My Mom.

(Unless the fears are from that scary stare you used to do to us without blinking & make me cry. Do you remember? I do it to my kids now, but it doesn't have the same impact yet.)

And when I'm bad and I've broke a cup,
And I've shared my dinner with my pup,
Who still loves me when I throw up?
My Mom.

But when I'm big, things clear I'll see,
And I will always grateful be,
Because the Lord gave her to me.
My Mom.

(Oh do I see clearly now, & a lifetime of apologies would never be enough to make up for putting up with me!)

Happy Birthday Mom! I love ya more than my luggage!
You are a great mom & I hope to be as great as you.

Love,
Mugs

Ramblings....

**Disclaimer: This post is long & I do ramble... I don't need people convincing me of things, I just wanted to document my random thoughts.**

This post is about me! How self absorbed am I to post about myself?
I know all family will be less than thrilled, because they come here for posts about my little people.

Moving on...

This evening Jeff was at a meeting, the house was quiet, & I stood over the sink washing dishes... by hand! It started out just washing the things that don't go in the dishwasher, but I was deep in thought & got carried away (hahaha... carried away doing dishes, sorry that's funny.) I was thinking about my love of cooking & wondering if it's cooking I love or just using my hands. I mean, here I was washing dishes & I think I might have been enjoying it. (No, I will not come over & do your dishes!)

I feel as though I am coming out of this fog, a pregnancy/post postpartum fog. This fog seems to take over & throw me into auto pilot for about a year. It's an okay thing, well I can say that now that I'm here... but don't ask Jeff's opinion. I digress. I am back in manual mode & I feel like me again.

Over the last few days I have spent all of my quiet moments (nap times, evening) thinking, no pondering, about myself (I know, more of that self absorbed stuff.) Wondering what I am to do with myself. I often wonder about my talents, I know that I was given talents just like everyone else (or perhaps I was sick on that day in the pre-existence) but I am just not sure of what those talents are. I tend to get frustrated with myself & my lack of talents (or knowledge of them.) I have amazing friends, who also happen to be amazingly talented. I would tell you all about them & their creativity, but this post is about me. So here I am surrounded by amazingly talented women that I look up to & turn to for advice & support, & I wonder... I hope that I offer something to them. I want to offer more, but what?

I've always loved to cook/bake. You wouldn't know it if you were here at dinner time. Getting dinner on the table with little people under foot is like a mad dash for a finish line. Dinner prep usually starts with excitement & ends with a little chaos. Often times I sit at the table at the end of dinner a bit frustrated, because despite all the thought, recipe hunting, prep, love, time & hope for a success that went into the recipe, the delivery wasn't quite right. Or as often times, it was a little under appreciated.

A few weeks ago I realized WHY I loved it. I noticed this intense desire to get into the kitchen at the end of a long/hard day, when my kiddos are asleep I long to go into the kitchen & create! Cooking is my therapy! Often times it is just baking something simple & classic like cookies. But going through the motions, alone with my thoughts, baking/cooking... it's wonderful. There is a finished product, sometimes better than others. Cooking brings me joy & a bit of peace... is that strange?! The problem this poses is the baked goods will sit & go bad if no one consumes them. Hot out of the oven is always best, but can I knock on doors at 9 or 10 to give these goods away? So these evening therapy sessions aren't helping me shed my postpartum poundage.

I want a hobby... something I enjoy, but I don't want it to ever feel like work or a job. I want to do it as much or as little as I desire. I used to think owning a restaurant or bakery would be fun, but I fear it would eventually feel like a job & I have a job! Mother to Hannah, Milo & Vivien... and it's a great gig!

Halfway through the dishes my thoughts reminded of this place in SLC I have always wanted to go to... One World Cafe. I remember when I heard about it, I was fascinated. A cafe where the menu changes daily, based on what they felt like cooking. That is something I would do... very non-committal, go with how you feel!

As I finished up the dishes I wondered if it is cooking I love or just the idea of accomplishing something while I am in this somewhat peaceful state of mind. Perhaps these thoughts are just the result of the fog having lifted. I need to take advantage & find myself a hobby & perhaps find my talent in the process.

I wanted to document these strange thoughts into equally strange ramblings. If to do nothing more than to say I feel like me again, I am back... and the dishes are done! My thoughts brought me no clarity, I am off to bed... but not before taking a delicious glance around my clean kitchen before turning out the lights.

Sick & Tired...

Milo woke up with a fever (I'm pretty sure due to teething) & was feeling extra needy & just wanted to cuddle. I had to put him down to get a drink & use the restroom around 10 this morning, & this is what I returned to...

Poor little dude!

He lasted like this for about 30 minutes, & still went down for a 2 hour nap.

Tennessee Tongue - Picture Edition

Nashville, a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there

Comments posted later by Megan in RED.

Megan has been hounding me to write this for about 1 week now. So, since I have some time, I'm going to. (Hounding? It seemed more like a suggestion, since you he wakes up at 4 AM)

My parents came from California to visit during the second week of September. We blessed Vivian (see the post here), and then planned to drive to Nashville (not sure how far it is, check out this map) to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and their new baby, Mason.

The drive to Nashville went particularly well, considering that Milo and Viv were strapped into their seats for 10 hours.

We took the standard I-40 route through lovely (I think) Little Rock, Memphis, and Nashville, stopping at several fun attractions along the way.

We even got to see this: (This may have been the best part of the trip for Jeff)

(Look really close)

Nashville is a really cool city. One of the things that got me was the amount of traffic. For some stats, see this Wikipedia page. Notice that Nashville is the 2nd most populous state in Tennessee, but the largest metro population (1.5 million; FYI, OKC Metro is 1.2 million). That's an impressive statistic.

Rob & Katie's baby, Mason is just adorable, although he's nowhere near as cute as Viv (sorry guys, it's true): (I may have to agree with Jeff here!)

In Nashville, we visited The Grand Ole Opry:

And a Civil War battlefield, where the North and South fought The Battle of Franklin (see this link too), and plantation called Carnton (see this link too) that acted as the hospital following the battle:

We took an interesting (that's saying it nicely) drive to Hohenwald, TN (here's the driving directions) to visit a historical sign. Since I had to go, without much knowledge of the person (William S. Berry), I think you should visit this site to get the facts. P.S., if you're ever going to go to visit the marker, first know that there's an elephant sanctuary outside the town, and that Meriwether Lewis died and is buried 7 miles east of the town in Grider's Stand (we didn't see any of that, but I'm over it). Here's the picture and the GPS coordinates:

Unfortunately, there was non-stop rain for our entire trip. The rain began at the Arkansas border, and didn't stop until we'd entered Oklahoma again. We didn't get to see as much as we would have liked, but there was a refreshing feeling from the trip.

Our small family drove back to OK, while my parents flew in comfort (if Southwest is comfort with a layover & 8 hours of flight time).

We stopped in Memphis and found a cool museum called The Fire Museum of Memphis. It's a little pricey ($6 for adults, $5 for kids, OUCH), but Milo and Hannah both loved it:

I've learned (or confirmed) a couple things after this trip:

1. Rain is a good way to ruin any great vacation (we spent our 1st trip to Hawaii in the rain, and our last trip to California) (Why do we have that kind of luck?)
   
2. Kids do best on long road trips if you turn up the radio really loud (it drowns out the noise)
3. Milo will (reluctantly) get into his car seat the day after you return from the long road trip
4. A stop at a good burger joint, after an unexpectedly long drive, is a great way to change anyone's mood
5. At 12:30 a.m., and only 30 minutes from home, that "2nd wind" of driving and the desire to finish never comes. It's only will power that will keep the car from careening into the concrete barriers or off of some cliff.

We had a fantastic trip, and are very thankful to my parents for letting us tag along, and tolerating the responsibility of "chief entertainer" while we ignored our children.

I love Jeff's posts, he manages to make me laugh. Now if I could just "hound" him into posting about his parent's visit here in OKC.