Ginuinelyme's Xanga

A Visit to the Farm

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:48:45 GMT

"I thought we might get together for your birthday and go visit the farms", said Aunt Marilee. So we did.

C'mon, it'll be fun!

First, we check out all the nice, fresh produce for sale. Somebody didn't eat a very good breakfast, and Aunt Marilee said she'd treat us to ice cream, so we snacked on a nectarine and a banana.

This afforded an opportunity to look around at all the attractions the farm had to offer. Incidentally, it also afforded the opportunity for me to unintentionally stand on the pumpkin scale while taking many photos of my son cause, well, that was the best angle. I obliviously snapped away til a woman walked by and said, "I don't know that I'd just be standing there on the pumpkin scale..." I said, "Ha, ha, yeah... oh. Right". And got off. Heh, heh. At least I'm not sensitive about my weight. Then...

What's that? 54 lbs, you say? More than twice my weight, you say? See if that stops me!

Cookies'n'cream in a cone! Thanks, Aunt Marilee!

Wait a minute... something's wrong here...

Hey, look!

More fun stuff over here!

Here's a tractor!

Can I drive it?

Yes! It's a special tractor just for kids like me!

But look over there! Even more fun things to see!

Like this delightful bucket of water!

And a merry-go-round!

And another machine to ride on!

What do you mean, this one's not a toy?

Hey look, Mom! I'm a pumpkin!

Now I'm an apple!

What fun! Thanks, Aunt Marilee and Sarah, for visiting the farm with us! Next time, we'll take Daddy along!

How WILL they torture me next?

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:37:21 GMT

We've been having so many great adventures this summer! August was "Date month", without even being planned that way, and September brought more opportunities to make fun family memories.

Last week, we headed to the pool one evening when rain canceled the hiking trip we had planned for the day. Logan hadn't been there since he was 6 weeks old and we were so excited to let him experience it all.

We started out in the wave pool, and he pretty much freaked out.

We took him to a stiller, shallower pool and tried to get him to stand in it, but he wouldn't put his feet down.

Morgan took him down the water slide.

Nope, nope, nope, he would have none of it.

He just clung to us, shaking and making noises anywhere from a whimper to a scream. So we spent the rest of the time in the kiddie pool, where he finally got brave enough to walk around a bit and even let go of our hands. I didn't get any pictures there since I was playing in the water too.

Morgan and I have talked before about wishing there was some machine that we could plug Logan's brain into at the end of the day that would transcribe for us a little journal of his thoughts and impressions of the things he experiences throughout the day. Most recently, we're guessing that he wonders why we're so bent on torturing and terrifying him and what form it will take next.

On Sunday, we went mini-golfing with the Aussies and Kiwis group here in town.

He was evidently not impressed and threw the screaming fit of his life for the first 16 holes.

Later, as we ate a pizza place with the group, I saw the old fashioned carousel they had.

I thought, "Hey, wouldn't Logan love to ride that!"

No, evidently he wouldn't.

So, what will we come up with next...?

My Scrapbook

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:47:26 GMT

While we hung out in the girls' cabin before Sarah's wedding, my aunt Angela talked to us about a 24-hour scrapbooking event she has attended in the past there at the camp. They set up tables end to end throughout the gym and other rooms, some covered with scrapbooking supplies and others with snacks. The women have the option to sleep during the night in the cabins, but many just take advantage of the uninterrupted, kid-free time and have a scrapbooking blitz. Sometimes Aunt Angela goes with friends and sometimes she goes alone - which is much more productive. It kind of sounds like fun.
I'm not the scrapbooking type though - not at all. This here, my blog, with what I hope to be clever little comments inserted between darling photographs - no frills, no cute stickers, or fancy-edge-cutting scissors - this is as close as I get to a scrapbook.

We already save all our pictures on our computer and both Morgan and I put the each month's pictures up on facebook, but here I can put in a little more creativity, a few more thoughts, preserve a little more of the memory. Then, when Logan asks, "When did you cut my hair the first time?" or "Did I ever go to the coast when I was a baby?" or "Was I always this smart and strong and handsome?", I'll "turn" to that "page" in my "scrapbook" and let the old pictures and words tell him the stories.

With that, here's our Independence Day 2009!

Arriving early at our church camp, Morgan and Logan visit with our family and friends.

Here is Logan with cousin Roman and Nana.

Meanwhile, I ate a quick bbq lunch and then joined the other musicians in the traditional "4th of July Stationary Marching Band". We played patriotic music while everyone else ate their bbq.
Steve is our faithful, fearless leader.

Here's me with the tuba (I'm the one without the beard). Abigail is behind me, evidently confused about something.

Dad almost didn't come to play trombone this year. He said he'd leave it to the younger guys. When we had 0 trombones at the rehearsal though, he gave in and played with us. He's such a good sport and it's really fun to play in a band with your dad!

Here's the whole group. As our concert when on, the sun slowly moved across the band - those still in the shade wondering why those to their right were getting all squirmy and out of tune. Boy, it sure makes a difference when the sun shines down right on you! Anyway, as you can see, part of the band enjoyed shade all the way through!

After the concert, we took Logan over to the kiddie pool. I hadn't grabbed my swimsuit before we left, so I just spectated and photographed my guys enjoying the water.

Logan took a bit to warm up to the idea. Morgan tried to encourage him to be a little more adventurous.

Then they moved to the big pool and Logan started really getting into it.

Yep, he was having a real good time by the end!

I think he just loves to do whatever Dad's doing. It makes him feel so special and grown up.

After leaving the camp, we enjoyed naps (yay!). Then Nana and Mitchell came by and we played some Wii tennis. Later, my parents and Daniel came over and we played more Wii and ate sandwiches and chips while playing Settlers of Catan.

When our guests left and it got dark, we walked down to our nearby park to enjoy big fireworks from several nearby shows. Logan was pretty petrified by the private fireworks from the neighbors nearby, while those from the big shows were apparently not even interesting enough to distract him from playing with a cell phone.

Independence Day has been my favorite holiday since high school - maybe even middle school. I used to think it was because of the specific traditions we held: morning road race, picnic and band at the church camp, rodeo with friends in the evening. Since getting married, and especially since Logan was born, we've stopped participating in some of those traditions. But you know what? The July 4ths of these recent years have been still so fun, so full - highlights of my month and my summer!

Vacation

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:40:33 GMT

Ahhh, vacation! We've just enjoyed 9 days off together! We've had lots of fun adventures - lots of games, lots of relaxing, not so much sleeping, a fun day trip, and extra time for playing on the playgrounds, taking walks, and playing in the river.
Learning to balance motherhood and vacation is something I'm still struggling with. Vacation no longer means doing only what I want to do - there's some responsibility that remains constant. I find the balance a little quicker with each vacation so soon I think it will just be natural. At any rate, I really love the extra time to play, snuggle, laugh, and relax with my guys!

But enough talk - here are some of our pictures.
On Wednesday we went for a hike.

This is how Dad gets in his cardio and weight training at once.

After a long, hard ride, Logan needs a break!

Resting at the summit, enjoying nature... aaaand technology.

On Saturday we enjoyed the Highland Games. How do I explain it... It's like a fair but everything is Scottish. Probably 40% of the people there were wearing kilts. There were pipe bands, Highland dancing competitions, sheepdog demonstrations, traditional foods for sale, competitions where large stones, logs, and hammers were thrown by even larger men. We were close to the airport, so jets were flying over every 5 minutes or so. I think that was probably Logan's favorite part.

Here we are as the day starts out. We sat in the open, grassy area for about 30 minutes during the opening ceremonies. Evidently, that was too long for me because oh! I had a good sunburn after that! I paid for it for the next 3 days. Thankfully, Morgan and Logan only got slight burns on their faces.

So then we moved into the shaded stands, which were much cooler.

Preparing to start the parade. All the Scottish clans represented there lined up in alphabetical order, wearing their family tartan.

Parading.

I know there's a lot in this picture but look at the stage and you'll see three competitors doing Highland dancing.

This is an amazing show of precision, strength, and grace. They hop around on tiptoes to the accompaniment of bagpipes. Even more impressive is that they're doing all this in woolen jackets, kilts, and kneesocks in the bright sun and 90+ degree weather!

There were - I don't know, 10, 12, more? of these pipe bands there. They were so fun to listen to! I think the drummers are my favorite. They make up most of the show, twirling their sticks in between beats all synchronized together. You can see it a little in the second picture below. So impressive!

More bands marching and playing.

Okay, so these pictures are really busy too, but do you see the big ol' pole standing vertically in the first picture? It's a 120 lb (I think) caber. That man at the bottom of it picks it up, gets it balanced, then starts running while slowly letting it fall forward. As it falls, he tosses the bottom end up, hoping to make the caber flip completely so bottom end is up and top end is down, and the whole pole lands at 12 o'clock from where he is standing. Crazy, huh? I think 7 or 8 men were competing here. Each man gets three tries and from that, I think we only saw 2 successful throws (where the caber actually flipped, though neither landed at 12 o'clock). There are many guesses as to the origin of this sport, but the one we heard was that the skill was developed to form makeshift bridges over rivers. Hence the motivation for getting the caber to land at 12 o'clock.
The second picture is of all the contestants being recognized on the stage. You can't really tell from the picture, but these are BIG men!

After the games, we headed to visit relatives nearby. We had a wonderful visit, a tasty dinner, and a relaxing evening until much later than we should've considering the 2 hour drive home. We see them rarely though, so it was completely worth it.

Much of the rest of vacation was spent relaxing at home, and Dad and Logan got in some good play time together.

Today we return to regular life. We are so thankful to God for blessing us so richly and providing for us so abundantly that we are able to take time off together as a family like this.

A Day Off

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:43:16 GMT

While Dad washes his bike...

Logan and I walk down to the playground.

The playground closest to our home only has big kid swings which Logan rides on with a mixture of joy and trepidation. These baby swings erase the fear of falling off and he smiles and laughs non-stop.

He will try to climb anything!

Enjoying independence and wide open spaces.

He's standing!

My Redeemer is Faithful and True

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:30:56 GMT

My thoughts and reflections from today's quiet time caused me to look back to a difficult time in my life. As I thought about it, I realized it happened exactly 4 years ago today - June 30th, 2005.

While living what I thought to be God's will, gloriously content and immersed in my dream work, my life was suddenly and painfully disrupted. I left my work, friends, and the area where I was living in a cloud of disgrace without the freedom to clear my name.

I don't think about it much anymore - the memories still bring pain, confusion, and regret. Yet, today they were also accompanied by the proof in my life of my Redeemer's goodness and faithfulness to me. He pulled me out of what I thought was excellent, and brought me into something better. You've heard the expression "When God closes a door, He always opens a window". I felt then that God had closed my door. But now I see that He drew me away from the window through which I was observing abundant life and showed me the door through which to live it.

A woman involved in that painful time told me that she knew God has a reason for all that He allows. She asked me to let her know if I ever learned what His reason was for this situation - even if it was 10 years later. Oh, I wish I could know the reason, but I still don't. But here's what I know: God loves me and He wants to give me life- fuller, richer, and more abundant than what I can imagine.

I want to learn to trust Him more. I want my first reaction to be trust in Him. I hope that, next time He closes my window, I can follow Him out the door with joy and thankfulness, knowing He's bringing me to something better.

Happy Birthday Logan!

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:37:07 GMT

My baby boy turns one today! There is no way I could summarize the thoughts and feelings of this day - and the past year. Let me just say that it's been the most fulfilling, most joyous year of my life so far. Challenging, at times, but those times were a drop in the bucket of the laughs, fun, pure pride and joy of this first year with Logan!

Then and now: Logan napping


Then and now: Logan in his "elephant chair"



Then and now: our happy little family

Then and now: playtime with Dad

Then and now: playtime on the floor

Then and now: in the river

Then and now: in Mama's chair

Oh, how you've grown and oh, how I look forward to what your next year holds.

Two poems for Mother's Day

Sun, 10 May 2009 20:01:36 GMT

Just a quick Mother's Day post: two poems I thought were sweet and a few pictures. I'm supposed to be heading over to the family gathering but Logan is still sleeping so I'm celebrating Mother's Day by being a good mother and making him a priority.

Song for a Fifth Child.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

-Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

(This, incidentally, is the reason I don't post on here quite so much anymore. New priorities - and I love them!)

BEFORE I WAS A MOM:

Author Unknown

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom,
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words of lullabies.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers

Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of:
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
Could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonder
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

That line about having your heart outside your body put into words what I had not previously been able to express. It's a vulnerable feeling - having so much of your life wrapped up in a completely separate body, and one with it's own free will! I think God looks at us the same way - "I love you so much! Please be careful. Please make wise choices. Because when you suffer, I suffer and when you get hurt, it hurts me."

Grandmas Part 1

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:49:59 GMT

So you know how grandma-types are just crazy about babies and little kids? And not just their own either, it extends to everyone's little ones. Now that I'm a mom, that makes more sense to me. No matter how much work, how little sleep, how "inconvenient" kids are - it's worth being able to pick up a little body for a snuggle whenever you want it. There's something so comfortable, so comforting, so right about holding a tiny person in your arms. It's kind of addicting. So then the sweet little bundles grow up, get too big or too heavy or too old for your lap, and eventually move away. I imagine that creates a terrible withdrawal. Hence, the grandma-types. I'm sure I'll be one eventually too.

My own grandma has been going through papers, trying to clean out her files. She's passed on to me lots of things to read about children and parenting. Some I've kept, some I've thrown away, and some I'm going to share with you. There are about 863 cool things, but I won't write them all down - at least not in this post. That's why I called this one part one.

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Think, Love, Act, Trust
"Four things a man must learn to do if he would make his record true;
To think without confusion clearly; To love his fellowmen sincerely;
To act from honest motives purely; To trust in God and heaven securely."
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A Boy to His Dad
To get his goodnight kiss he stood beside my chair one night
And raised an eager face to me, a face with love alight.
And as I gathered in my arms the son God gave to me,
I thanked the lad for being good, and hoped he'd always be.
His little arms crept 'round my neck and then I heard him say
Four simple words I can't forget - four words that made me pray.
They turned a mirror on my soul, on secrets no one knew.
They startled me, I hear them yet; he said, "I'll be like you."
               -Herbert Parker from Farmers' Almanac
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If You Will Not Teach Your Children
If you neglect to instruct your children in the way of holiness, will the devil neglect to instruct them in the way of wickedness? No; if you will not teach them to pray, he will teach them to curse and lie. If ground be uncultivated, weeds will spring.                -John Flavel

We flatter those we scarcely know, We please the fleeting guest;
Yet oft we deal a thoughtless blow to those we love the best.
                                               -Riverside Reflections

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This next one left me amazed at how the world has changed and wondering what would happen if such a publication were circulated today. This was an insert, probably with a bank statement or something, from Coast Federal Savings and Loan Association - "If it's safety you want most, open your savings account at Coast." Yes, I am going to type out every word on this paper because I can hardly believe it's real.

Twelve Rules For Raising Delinquent Children - Issued by the Police Department of Houston, Texas
1. Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.
2. When he picks up bad words, laugh at him, This will make him think he's cute. It will also encourage him to pick up "cuter" phrases that will blow off the top of your head later.
3. Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is 21 and then let him "decide for himself."
4. Avoid use of the word "wrong." It may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested for stealing a car, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.
5. Pick up everything he leaves lying around - books, shoes, and clothes. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced in throwing all responsibilities on others.
6. Let him read any printed matter he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silver-ware and drinking glasses are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.
7. Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way they will not be too shocked when the home is broken up later.
8. Give a child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have things as tough as you had them?
9. Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, and comfort. See that every sensual desire is gratified. Denial may lead to harmful frustration.
10. Take his part against neighbors, teachers, policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.
11. When he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, "I never could do anything for him."
12. Prepare for a life of grief. You will be likely to have it.
(***allow me a brief editorial note - I doubt whoever wrote this up had any idea how many people would adopt his set of rules. Did he know these children would soon be called "normal", as "delinquent" is not a very flattering term? Also note that he uses 'he' and 'him', not feeling the need to alternate genders with each rule as we commonly see now. end editorial note***)
This is a reprint from "Economic Intelligence", August 1959, published by Chamber of Commerce of the United States.
Other inserts in this series available free upon request:
12 Rules for Raising Responsible Children
12 Legal Duties and Rights of Parents to Their Children
A Way to Earn More Is to Learn More
M/T? The Focus of the Juvenile Court...
M/T? There Is Such a Thing As a Bad Boy
Economics for Boys and Girls
To The Future Leaders of Our Country
Child Labor Laws Prevent Children From Working Legally

Distributed as a public service by
Additional copies available from
Coast Federal Savings' Free Enterprise Department
9th & Hill, Los Angeles, CA 90014 623-1351

(***wow! The public service papers I receive sure don't cover topics like that!***)
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More later, along with some pictures.

We're Fortunate

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:39:07 GMT

Fortunes from our last dinner at the Mongolian Grill:

Morgan: "You have executive ability. Apply this in the future!"
               (We already knew that. He's applied it in the past.)

Me: "Listen these next few days to your friends to get answers you seek."
           (If I could remember now when it was that we went out, I could remember whether this came true...)

Logan: "Now is the time for peace in your life. Go along with other's ideas."
           (Someone has been listening in on our nap and bedtime training sessions )

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Thanks to everyone who encouraged or prayed for me after reading my last post. I had some serious, deep conversing with God and Morgan and feel like my priorities have been realigned in such a way that I won't always feel behind. The last weeks have been more relaxed and happy. I've been able to really drink in my rich abundant life.

I always have a list of things to write about, but I'm feeling like a fresh slate, so I'm not going to write about any of them. I'll just leave you with a few recent pictures.

Here we are at an Australia Days party.

Morgan and me playing foosball with another couple. We had already played 3 games against each other, 1-on-1, all of which Morgan won.

There was a woman there who is getting into photography. Naturally, she noticed the extraordinary good looks and charm of our son and gave him a little photo shoot. I really enjoyed the shots she got.

This is from his spot on the floor, watching Mom and Dad play foosball.

And this is the classic "ooh, is that a camera? Can I have it?" look.

How can you resist a face like this?