Yep that's me, the lamest blogger ever

Once upon a time I went on a vacation and didn't blog about it--like two months ago! Once again I can assure you that I write excellent blog postings in my head in the morning when I'm getting ready for work. Somehow they just never make it to the screen. And may I also say that I love and appreciate so much all my fellow blogger peeps, and yes I do blog-stalk your blogs without commenting because I'm too lazy to actually log in. Pathetic. Perhaps a shorter username is in order. Anyhoo, thanks for anyone who actually checks this darn thing and anyone who chooses to comment, even when I fail to reciprocate. Really, I'm just intimated by all of you and your wit and on-top-of-it-ness. I am somewhat underwhelming.

But--now for the update. Warning, this blog is semi-boring, but I feel the need to at least give a highlights update of sorts before moving on to more scintillating blog subjects.

Yes, all the way back in May, Lil and I took a trip up to Utah to see the family. It was oh so lovely. True to form, I took hardly any pictures to document the trip. We stayed with Jess and she was a wonderful hostess. She kept us fed and comfortable. Even with all the chaos those cute boys can create, I never fail to feel safe, comfortable, and at peace in her home and in her company. Oh how lucky I am to have such a sister. I shudder to think what life would be like without her, but I digress. Her boys of course couldn't get enough of Lil. She was the perfect toy--could keep them entertained for hours. I think she was quite fascinated with all the activity going on around her. It's a bit quieter at our house.

One highlight of the trip was taking Lil for her first swim. They have an awesome community pool right near their house that we all went to one evening. Of course, I don't have any pictures of Lil and I together, but with four busy boys and a baby to keep track of in the water, the three adults in attendance did not have enough hands to spare an extra set for much picture taking. Lil squealed with delight the whole time.


Jess and I also got to spend some time with by brothers. We had dinner a couple of times and had a big family dinner at Dad's one evening as well. I cherish the time we get to have all four of us together as, unfortunately, it doesn't happen all that often. We always have so much fun together. This was Jason and Matthew's first opportunity to meet Lil too.

(No picture, sheesh!)

We met up with our buddies Johnny and Randi and had lunch one rainy afternoon.


One night I also got to go to dinner with several old friends from high school, including my best bud Alicia. Here's me with Alicia and her cute baby bump. It turned out to be lucky timing because Alicia was in her last week in the U.S. before she and her husband left to move to Australia. It was fun to see everyone in their grownup lives and to hear all the old gossip from the Kaysville scene.


The week of course went by too fast and before we knew it we were back in the swing of things in Dallas.

As for the rest of the update, um, well I work. A lot. And Ian, he works too. A lot. We are never together enough, in fact we mostly see each other in passing, and we definitely don't get enough time with Lil. She is a true joy and I miss her every day I have to be away from her.

Oh the cuteness!
Our best news in recent weeks is that Lil is finally in the daycare at SMU. BIG YAY! She is now just a hop, skip and a jump away from Ian all day and the daycare is so good, it's almost as good as having a nanny. Big sigh of relief there for the next two years or so.

And last but not least Lil is starting to walk this week. Aaagh, we have a toddler on our hands! We've had a lot of laughs watching her try to keep her balance, and she laughs right along with us. Sigh, like I said, just not enough time with my favorite kid in the whole world.

Well enough of updates. Perhaps there will be something more interesting soon.

Happy 4th of July, Dudes

This is the sort of stuff that goes on when Mom has to go to work and Dad is in charge. Rockin the Red, White and Blue. Party on ya'll.

You'll just have to take our word for it

Yes, we did have a new dress for Lil this easter. But you'll just have to believe me that she looked really cute. There's just no sittin' still for this kid. I give you--action easter shots.

(Insert quippy title here)

Wow, I am so very tired. So tired, in fact, that I'm just going to do the Reader's Digest version. No, scratch that, just headlines and pictures.

Husband hurts back. A week of no improvement but economic research continues.



(sorry, no picture)




Wife tired. Work blah--misses baby.



(definitely no picture)

7-month old eats, crawls, and stands unassisted. And spits up. And poops a lot. And is really busy. Oh, and is the cutest thing ever.

Irish babe

First crawl at 6-months. Yikes! She lives now in constant mortal peril.




Hi




Don't worry, Mom. I got this.





You were done, right?

My Angel

I was looking back at some old posts and read the one about how I was waiting for the Lil' Pill to become my little angel. Well--the angel has arrived. Complete with wings.

"I will never do that when I have kids"

Tonight I was one of those people. I went to do my grocery shopping, unshowered and unmakuped with my baby in tow. She was in a mismatched outfit, with a crusty nose, spit-up on her shirt and carrots in her eyebrows. At least she was wearing socks. And pants.

At the store I was carrying her around in my baby carrier so she could look around at what's going on and babble at passers-by. And you know, she's starting to get kind of heavy. While I was going around a corner, I noticed some pretzels that I liked better than the bag I already had in my cart. And do you know what I did? I traded them, right then and there and put the other bag where it doesn't belong. I never do that! I hate being responsible for putting things where they don't belong. So sorry shelf-stocker people, the baby was heavy and it was getting very close to bed time.

I will add that the trip to the store actually ended very pleasantly. I never accept help from the baggers to take stuff to my car. I always feel so awkward and I have no talent for small talk. But while I was muscling stuff into my car, baby still on chest, some boys walked by and offered to put the heavy stuff in the car for me. How nice! I love nice people. And on the ride home Beethoven's 9th was on the radio. That put me in such a good mood that the impatient Dallas drivers only made me a little bit annoyed.

And now I'm home, the baby is carrot free and sleeping and my fridge is full. Happy day!

(Doesn't she look happy to be home? Just promise me you won't look too long or closely at this picture.)

Legacy

I miss my Mom. Pretty much every day. It's usually something a little different every day that I miss her for. Like yesterday for instance--it was one of those days when I feel like I'm lousy at pretty much everything and most people I know are really just pretending to actually like me (why do we tell ourselves such things anyway?). I really could have used a phone call to Mom so she could remind me how wonderful she thinks I am. Self-deprecations aside, however, I have been thinking a lot about Mom and the legacy she left us, her children. I told Mom before she passed away (perhaps a little selfishly) that I was terrified at the thought of raising children without her around. But though she's gone, she did leave us with a lifetime of lessons I can share with my own children.

One thing I have of hers that helps me keep her close and reminds me of the person she was is her silver ring.

Many of you may recognize it. She got it in Denmark when my oldest brother was just a baby. I never knew her to be without this ring. When I was younger I used to like to study Mom's hands. I remember sitting in church and I would look at her hands and rub my finger on the smooth surface of the silver. Her hands represented to me much of what she was. They were soft, gentle, and calming, and yet there was plain evidence on them that they worked hard. A callus here and there, or a little left over stain from working in the yard the day before. I love to look at the ring and think of what it's accomplished on those hands. The bottom of it is worn very smooth, and there are little scratches all over it. Each scratch gained individually over a lifetime of wearing it everywhere. Even the sound of the ring hitting a counter triggers a memory of Mom for me. Sometimes now, especially when I'm doing something for Lil, I see it through the corner of my eye and I like to think of Mom's hands doing something similar for me when I was a baby. It's a small token, but it helps me feel like she's close by and it helps me remember that what I know of love, patience, endurance, and tenacity, I learned first from her. Thank you, Mom, for the life and legacy you lived for your children. I love you.