February Family Day 2010

Ok, here goes... I will do my best to catch up my family's happenings for 2010.

So in February for our family day, we took Bryce and Paige on the Light Rail (city train system set up recently in Phoenix). We took them down to the arts district and then went to the Japanese Friendship Garden. Then we went to get lunch at an artsy-fartsy cafe (why I love cities!)

...And NOW I remember why I got behind on blogging. We forgot our camera that day, so we took all the pics on Scott's phone, in which it is just shy of brain surgery to get these pics off. Well... not quite brain surgery, but it's a pain, no less. The stars have to align for it to work out - Scott has to be home (and in the mood to help me blog) and this little cord has to be around to help transfer the pics to the computer (and it never was around), AND the computer has to be in a good mood to transfer the files. I kept putting it off, and then I was so far behind, it overwhelmed me to catch up. Hence, two weeks after I committed to returning to the blogging world and 3+ hours of trying to sync it to the computer, I finally have my pictures. (and there weren't many anyway, I don't know what my hold-up was.



The Japanese Friendship Garden was this beautiful oasis set on top of the "stack" on I-10 and 7th street in Phoenix. Those of you Phoenicians know the "stack" and would be surprised to know that a Japanese garden is built on top! Anyway, they had this mosaic quilt-art exhibit going on and we loved it. The art went really well with the garden and the kids really loved the plants, waterfalls and creek, as well as the art. It was a little chilly, but a really nice day to be out.

Then we walked a bit until we found this cute cafe to have lunch. It reminded me a lot of Houston, where I used to drive my '73 VW orange bug downtown at least once a month to hang out at a cafe just like this one. An old brick building with pastries, drinks, and lunch. I could stay in a cafe like this all day and that's no joke. Something about the atmosphere speaks to me and makes me introspective and creative and really appreciate life. It's one of the reasons I always like to live in cities.



Here's a pic of riding the train - a light rail, but still Bryce's first train ride and he loved it! He's a little tired and serious as he's looking out the window, but he really did enjoy the ride. Honestly, if I realized I only had 2 blog-worthy pics on my phone, I would not have postponed all of my blogging just for this. I had this new years resolution to blog about every family day and every event this year. Well, it stressed me out so much that I did nothing. Note to self: drop that goal for 2011!

Long time no see...

For the record, I know I am way behind in updating this blog... 8 months to be exact. I have so many family days, weekends, and vacations and family reunion to record and I've missed recording other cute and memorable occurences. But I did promise myself this year to be a better mother...to be more 'present' with my kids and not think about blogging all the time. (Not that I've ever been that stellar at this). Also, I have been reading a lot this year. That has taken me away from blogging.

Last weekend, I was determined to blog. It was general conference, and I promised I would sort through my pics and make some awesome posts. Then I got mastitis (Paige is weaning and my body is having a hard time with it) and that wiped me out! It was the second time in 2 weeks. Any worries I had about hurting Paige's feelings by weaning her are out the window now. I'm ready to be done. Paige, I've given you 15 months of good nutrition and lots of nurturing mommy time. It's time to move on, girl :) Besides, she actually initiated this last weaning this weekend, which is why I got an infection to begin with, so I know she's ready. I am so relieved!

I will update this as soon as I get back from my 2nd family reunion this weekend
p.s. for a little teaser, here's a cute, yet candid shot of us on vacation at a beachhouse in California. More to come at a later post!

Family Day January: Botanical Gardens

As our family (and business) continues to grow, I am busier and busier than I used to be. Where is the time to blog? I love blogging (our own family and reading on our friends' too), and have no really good excuse not too, but at the end of the day, I often choose something easier and less time-consuming than blogging to wind down.

About 6 months ago, after Scott received a busier church calling on top of our already busy lives, we decided to make our family more of a priority. So, once a month, we have a family day. We do something fun just the four of us. January, we went to the Botanical Gardens and had a really great time. Bryce loved seeing all the desert plants and playing in the kid stations with crafts and games. Paige loved the views and being outside (really the only thing that calms her down when she's upset).





The weather was perfect (60's) and we went early enough to avoid most of the crowds. We had so much fun we almost forgot to take any pics! Then as we were leaving we took a few of our fam. I'm so happy we do this once a month. Now if I can only remember to take more pictures and post them on time :)

Bryce's First Joke

We've always known Bryce to be a ham, and it was really cute when he started purposely making us laugh! These are the things I'll forget when he's older, and I want to document it.

One Saturday morning a few months ago, Scott was working in the yard early and was already pretty dirty and needing a shower by breakfast (sorry honey, but it's true). So I was teasing him at breakfast saying, you really need a shower, Daddy, in front of Bryce and Paige. So Bryce then says, with a huge grin on his face "Take a Shower Daddy!" and we all started to laugh. Bryce, of course, laughed the hardest :) So he kept repeating this that day and we laughed (after a while though, I laughed just to make him feel good). Now, anytime he wants to entertain us or feels like we need to liven up the dinner table, Bryce shouts at the top of his lungs "Take a shower Daddy!" and proceeds to giggle himself silly. I still think it's funny, and now Paige does too.

She, by the way, already idolizes her big brother and laughs at him every chance she gets. He likes the attention, and has become a really caring big brother, bringing her a sippy cup or toy or stroking her saying "it's ok Paige" when she's upset. I'm so happy they love each other :)

Positively Politics

Here I am, back in the game of politics. I have a new blog because I realized that my old blog was too negative for me, and I don't want my life to focus on negativity. (A reminder thanks to the wonderful book, Left to Tell). You may ask, isn't politics pretty negative right now? Most people would say yes, and most things you read aren't both truthful and positive. So, I would like to have a place, when I find something positive, whether it suggests positive change or makes me smile because someone in Washington said something I liked, I will post it here. I may not have very many readers, but I don't care. If it makes me feel better to have it on paper/screen, I'll be happier...especially when our country's future is at stake. If you are interested, check it out at www.positivelypolitic.blogspot.com

Adoption Request from our best friends

Our best "couple" friends, Mary and Merrill are trying to adopt. They are so awesome, that I want to help them spread the word. Here is their letter and link to their website:

After four difficult years of trying to conceive, Merrill and I have decided to adopt. We feel that this is the path God has intended for us and are very excited about the prospect of being parents.

We are currently working with the LDS Adoption Agency. This is not a typical adoption where we go to an agency and get a child. Instead, the birth parents actually choose us and for this reason, we have created an adoption website to provide more information to the birth parents.

Here is where you all come in. We are asking for your help. You can do this by spreading the word and sharing our website with all your contacts, especially schools (ie school counselors) and doctors. Feel free to facebook, blog, twitter, but especially email our information out to them, as you never know who might be able to help us find our child.

Thank you for your love and support,

Merrill and Mary Jordan

http://www.merrillandmary.com

Avatar

Wow. I have never blogged about a movie, and I may never again. This movie is so amazing, I was speechless at the end. It has revolutionized movies the way Star Wars did in the 70's-80's, only this time I am old enough to really appreciate it! It has all the elements of a remarkable movie, in my mind - a social statement and showing our spiritual link to nature.

The first of which, in my opinion is much more a statement about humanity as a whole, than about a politics. It's not so much about the "white man vs. the American Indian" or the democrat vs. the republican, but about humanity in general - striving to destroy another group in one way or another for political or economic gain. I've read about it in England, Rwanda, South Africa, Israel-Palestine, Ancient Rome, and on and on. It's also about the corruption of money, and how greed can destroy civilization. I know that many of the left and the right have used corruption to gain money and power, even in times of supposed "peace." C.S. Lewis said it best when he said "Let's pray the human race never escapes Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere."

Second, I LOVED the association with nature and their interconnectedness to each other and to all the living things in their world. I truly believe that all living things have a spirit, and relate back to God. I believe we could have such associations if we used our full God-given intelligences and spiritual capacities to do so. However, our world is so corrupted in so many aspects that it is inconceivable that it would happen in my lifetime, without a major global change.

Sure, it's predictable and simplified in it's plot, but I've never seen this kind of story told so very well. It makes it's beautiful statements as simply as possible, and leaves the viewer to ponder the rest. It is a truly beautiful movie and has quickly become my favorite science fiction movie of all time.

Christmas Vacation

We had a great time in southern Utah for Christmas this year. Most of the time was spent at Scott's parents house, Gary and Fatha in Hurricane (yes that's a town, not a storm, and it is pronounced like you would talk about the storm if you lived in Kentucky)


Bryce and his cousin Garrison playing in fake snow in the kitchen. They are only 5 weeks apart in age and they both love the move Cars! (surprise, surprise) They had so much fun together!


Cousins Paige and Jonah, who are three weeks apart in age eating their fingers :)


Santa paying a visit to the grandparents' house on the 23rd.



Bryce kissing Paige on Santa's lap and a last ditch effort to show how good he is!


Taking a pose in the snow when we went sledding near Todd and Jenna's house in Cedar City! It was Bryce's first time really in snow. He looks grumpy, but he's quite pensive and observant about the whole snow experience.


A family shot from Fatha's photographer friend (don't worry Mary, she holds no candle to you :)


Our big family shot (ignore the homeless man sitting off to the right. He's not part of our immediate family!)

The funnest part of the trip was playing games with the brothers and sisters and going to see Avatar in 3D twice! All in all, it was a very fun trip!

Fabulous, Dahling

One of my best friends, Mary, is a amazingly fabulous photographer. I can't believe she just barely started taking pictures a year and a half ago. If you want to see the first shoot she did of our fam, check it out here.

This is our fall-holiday shoot. I didn't feel good about the pics when we were there because something was always going on or someone wasn't happy (Bryce or Paige) or the sun was acting up, or the plants around us were stubborn or dying, but low and behold, Mary still made amazing pictures. I don't know how she does it, but she makes it look easy.

Gosh, there are so many great pics, but I had to narrow it down to a few. So here are the best of the best, in no particular order...

Thanksgiving 09

Disclaimer: I look up to the people who can blog about an experience within 24 hours of the event. I, unfortunately, am almost 3 weeks late. Better late than never...

My parents were in town for a week over Thanksgiving and we had such a great time! Nothing fancy, just hanging out and making fun memories with Papa Rice and Grandma Rice. FYI, she insists on going by Mama-roo, but it's too confusing for Bryce - I think it sounds too much like "Mommy" to him. He doesn't like it. We'll see what permanent grandma name she ends up with :)

Great-grandma Brokaw (Scott's grandma) joined us on Thanksgiving day, so it was a really fun time! For all of you with big families, this is actually a big celebration in ours!



Bryce, Paige and Kim


Kim and Paige (almost smiling - she was SO ready for bed)


Question: why must Bryce have that mischievous grin on his face in over half his pictures? I'd pay good money to know what he is thinking...

Left to Tell

I am so inspired, I have to blog about this amazing book, Left To Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza. It is an inspiring story of a woman who survives the Rwandan holocaust in the 1990's and finds God, faith, and forgiveness while hiding with 7 other women in a cramped bathroom for 3 months. It is a true story as a woman finds her spiritual purpose in life while at death's door. I was so amazed and truly uplifted by this story.


Without sounding overly prideful, I can strongly relate to her because I survived a near-fatal car accident/head injury in '98 and found my spiritual purpose as a result. I wish I had as memorable a story as she does, but just as she did, I prayed about why I was left when my friend died, and I knew that God had more for me to do in this life than what I had done to that point. I was also kinda lost spiritually, and it helped me get back on track...with God's help, of course. I still have more to do, and this book reminded me that life is really beautiful, that God does help us discover ourselves through difficult times, and he wants us to be the best we can be.

Here is my favorite quote from this book:

"I was living proof of the power of prayer and positive thinking, which really are almost the same thing. God is the source of all positive energy, and prayer is the best way to tap into His power."

For more info or to buy her book, visit: http://www.lefttotell.com/

Music of the Night

The last month has been a great musical experience for us. Scott treated out me to the U2 concert, which is my ultimate favorite band of all time. They are truly amazing performers every time I see them, and they use their talents to lift people of darkness, including myself. I can personally attest that they inspired me throughout several difficult times in my life as well as energize me during the fun times. It was the best delayed mother's day gift I could ever imagine!

Second, Scott and I celebrated 5 years of marriage a couple weeks ago. I got him Phantom of the Opera tickets (his favorite play). I tried to surprise him, but I was just sooo excited that I got good tickets that I couldn't contain myself. It's really pathetic because I used to be SO good at surprises!




Mushy alert: I am so grateful for Scott. He is truly the best husband for me: inspiring me, motivating me, and encouraging me. I know that I am a better person as a result of him in my life, and I hope I can become a better person, because he deserves it!

My political blog

Hey friends! I started a political blog this year, and I was on a hiatus for a while, but I'm back. I just wanted to let you know that I posted something, and plan on posting again later this week. I will totally respect it if you don't want to read it. However, while I still have the freedom to express my opinions, I will continue to exercize my right to do so...

http://mypoliticalangst.blogspot.com/

Gratitude in the present

A wise person recently told me something I already knew, but in a different perspective. "Nothing stays the same. The grief will pass, the pain will pass, the trials will pass, and the bliss will pass!" I'm actually in a state of bliss right now. Everything seems to be in a harmony with one another. But it will eventually pass and the next trial will eventually come along.

Life is so dynamic. It is always changing, and nothing will ever stay the same. The hard trials we go through will eventually change, and the wonderful peaceful times will change too. Life is a journey, and we are here to learn from every station, and move on to the next stage without looking back on the easy times or looking back in regret on what we've done. We should also not look forward to the future and wonder what life will be like when ______ happens to us. The only place to be is the present, to be thankful for it, learn a lesson from it, and to have joy in it. That is a challenge, but I am grateful for it, and hope that someday I will master this challenge, and truly find joy in every moment, every day.

My one and only Halloween pic

Yay! I have one Halloween pic to post. Scott and I went to our friend Heather's annual Halloween Party and had a blast. I usually dress as a rockstar/singer...Bono twice (with the band), Village People - I was the sailor, Cindy Lauper (I had backup singers too!), Baby Spice, and the bad-girl Sandra D from Grease. This year, I wanted to do something with a current event. I always thought those were the funniest costumes.

So on a whim, we decided to dress up as the balloon-boy's parents. You know, the lunatics who staged their son getting lost in a homemade flying saucer, and were on the news every single day for at least 2 weeks. I can't believe people like that can make the headlines every day, when real news that is important doesn't. Actually, I do know why, but don't get me started on my conspiracy theories :)

Anyway, we won "best couples costume" for this endeavor, which surprised me because there are always really great costumes at their party. It was a really, really fun party, with my favorite part - karaoke! You can look on my facebook page if you want to see my competition :)

More pics of my kiddos

So you could also judge me because I have no Halloween pics. Why, you say, when you know it's one of my favorite days of the year? First of all, we went to the Prescott Pumpkin Patch Festival a couple weeks ago, and after weeks of searching for an Elmo costume, Bryce wore it for a total of 3 seconds and then threw an absolute fit until we let him take it off. Then it got stolen at the festival, so no more Elmo :( Here's a pic of him with Mr. Whataburger...




I don't have any pics of Paige, even though she was dressed cute that day,because Scott only took video, and that takes foreeeever to upload onto blogs. I don't have that kind of free time. Plus we have no pics of ourselves yet, even though we won a costume contest at our friend's Halloween party for dressing up as the balloon-boy's parents (the crazy people who were on the news for 2 straight weeks). I promise as soon as my friend posts her pics on her blog/Facebook, I will snag them and post them here!

So to compensate for the guilt I feel for being a Halloween-mom failure, I took some pics yesterday of my kids just being themselves outside. It was a cute moment in what seems to be the whirlwinds of life.





I know parents are biased, but my kids really are cute! FYI, I think yours are cute too!



Check out those rolls! She's a whopping 16 pounds at 4 months.



Bryce deep in thought with his trucks.



How can you resist a smile like this?



or a laugh/squeal like this?

Don't judge me, but...

I am waaaaay behind on posting pictures of my kiddos! With my postpartum and Paige's colic/reflux, and Bryce's terrible twos, and the business...well it's not a great excuse, but it kept me away from pics. It is easier for me, I guess to write about my life than to dig out my camera, remember how to download pics, and post them!

Anyway, I'm going to play catch up here, mostly for the sake of the grandparents, and the thought that one day, I'll have this blog printed onto a book for our family. So here goes the last 4 months of our life in fast forward!


Bryce at his 2nd birthday with the ragtop hair do - I miss his cute long hair!





Paige at one-week-old with her great-grandmother, Mary Jarvis. And yes, she is smiling :)







Bryce's first day of montessori preschool, August 17, 2009



Paige's baby blessing day - September 6, 2009






Our little outing to the temple on general conference weekend. Yeah, I know it's crooked. We didn't take the picture, can't you tell? :)

I promise I will do better! Well, I can't guarantee it, but I know I'll try :)

Albert Eistein once said...

“I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent; curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my ideas.”

So most of you who know me well know that I am an all-or-nothing person. I am always 100-110% about anything I do...nutrition/health, joining the LDS church, running (when I wasn't injured), yoga, babies (the science of breastfeeding specifically), and U2 (mostly a teen/early adulthood obsession, but I am going to their concert!), and other naturalistic granola-child things. Whatever it is that I'm obsessed about, I learn everything I can about it and make it a big part of my life!

My newest obsession: reading fiction. I've always been a reader, but I have been on a break from it. I've always enjoyed it, but with my head injury from my car accident in college, I had a really hard time reading and learning, so it was everything I could do to simply get by in college. Incidentally, recovering from my head injury/accident in itself was an obsession to prove to people and myself that I could do it. I was also looking for my religion, so all of my free reading time went to spiritual non-fiction, which ultimately and gratefully led me to the LDS church. Soon after joining the church, I met and married my awesome husband, Scott, started a business (another successful obsession) and now have 2 beautiful children.

So, I'm nursing again, and I thought it would be a great time to pick up reading fiction again. Boy, I should've seen this coming, but I have really enjoyed this journey. I've joined a book club and have read some amazing books. I am officially addicted. I have read a lot of great books (see my book area on the right) BUT the best book I have read in a REALLY long time is (drum roll, please) The Hunger Games and it's sequel, Catching Fire. I couldn't put it down, nor could I stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading. I had to force myself to go to bed, and sometimes couldn't even sleep because I had to know what happened next. Now I'm dying because the 3rd book isn't out yet, and won't be for about a year. (If you haven't gotten the hint already, READ IT...I promise you will love it). Fortunately I am reading another good book now, and I know that there are many other great books out there waiting to be read.

I used to be embarrased/apologetic for being this intense, because I have been told that some people are/were a little intimidated by me and my intense-ness (is that a word?) but I have since accepted that this is who I am. Afterall, life is short. I was born this way, and all my obsessions have led to new knowledge or understandings about myself and life. It has truly made my life and my family's life a fun adventure!

p.s. read the books and tell me what you think! :)

If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

I never knew this phrase to be true until I became a mother. As much as I wish it weren't true, I know that if I keep myself in order and happy, the rest of my family is happy too. I also know that if I'm in a bad mood, so is everyone in my house. So fortunately and unfortunately, (depending on how you look at it) I have a large affect on my family.

I have gained a deeper understanding of this truth over the past few months. I haven't blogged about it, because I felt like if you don't have anything good to write, don't write anything at all. But the truth is, we all have trials. I want my kids to know that they happen to all of us, we can learn a lot from them, and they can make us stronger, better people if we let them. Also, if I can help another woman who is struggling too, all the better.

Some women have a hard time with pregnancy, others have a hard time getting pregnant, and others have a hard time with newborns. I am in the last group. I don't know if it's genetics, or bad luck, or if I'm supposed to learn a lesson, but both of my children have had moderate-severe acid reflux. The first few months are the worst, and fortunately, this time, I knew what the problem was and sought medical treatment instead of letting it go and thinking "it will get better on its own." Anyway, this time, I also came down with postpartum depression and I have never dealt with this before. I was afraid to share this because it is such a private thing for many women, but I felt I should share it. I have always been a happy person, upbeat, and optimistic, sometimes to a fault :) I very rarely cry (only 2-3 times in each pregnancy) and I consider myself pretty stable emotionally. Lately, I have been crying almost every day, feeling hopeless, and quite grumpy to be around. Needless to say my house was not a happy house for a couple months. The worst part is that I felt out of control, and I couldn't think postive thoughts and snap out of it. No gratitude lists or happy songs or massages could break this pattern. So, I came to the unpleasant reality that I had postpartum depression.

The truth is it's very common for women because birth hormones, breastfeeding hormones, the lack of sleep, caring for a newborn, and no alone time with your spouse is very taxing on a woman...not to mention the guilt associated with not spending much time with your older kid(s). It's a real problem that affects women, no matter what their background.

All of my friends know I am a gung-ho naturalistic kind of person (some would say "part-granola" :) and always look for the natural solution to problems. I started with taking herbs, but that didn't seem to be enough. So I went to my naturopath and chiropractor about it, and they both said I might have some mineral deficiencies after the birth and possibly due to nursing. The minerals mentioned were iron and vitamin D as the main ones, and others too. I was taking a good mineral supplement before, but I switched to a new mineral supplement specifically for moods from my chiropractor, and voilà! I was back to myself in less than 8 hours! I am so glad I didn't go to a "regular" dr. who would put me on anti-depressants. Who knows what future problems that would bring...

So now I am officially back to myself! And wouldn't you know it, but everyone in my family became simultaneously happy again too...

Bryce's First Prayer!

Today was so cute at our house! We were sitting down for Sunday breakfast this morning, and Bryce wanted to say the prayer. Usually, one of us says a simple prayer and he repeats us. We start out saying what we're grateful for, and then ask for blessing on the food/day/etc. Today, Scott started it by saying "Heavenly Father" and then Bryce said, "Father...Mommy, Daddy, Grandmas, Grandpas (yes, he used plural), Hannah (his cousin)...Amen." It was so cute and it made my day!