Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

It is so hard for me to catch Megan doing something cute on video. Most of the time she stops the moment she sees the camera. So, this time, I tried to hide as I videoed her dancing, but it didn't work out too well. She still saw me, and I made a fuzzy video.

Ah well. Enjoy a cutie Christmas Dance.



Merry Christmas, ya'll!

because I can't resist

My good friend Tami snapped a few pictures at a church party this weekend and kindly sent them my way. I just can't resist posting them.

No smiles, but Evie & Megan are just the cutest little buggers:

Again, no smile, but who can resist that beautiful face?

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deep conversation

A couple days ago I took a walk with Megan and bumped into one of my old piano students. She walked with us, and in her 9-year-old concern, we had the following conversation:
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9er: I feel so sad for Megan's real mom

Me: you mean her birthmom?

9er: yeah, her birthmom. I just feel sad cause she had Megan and now you have her. I bet she misses Megan and she's really sad.

Me: Yep, I'm sure she does miss Megan.

9er: Why isn't she with her birthmom?

Megan's birthmom couldn't take care of her. She had no home, no money, no job, and she didn't want to have Megan living in poverty. So, she gave Megan to us because we could take care of her.

Does Megan have brothers or sisters? I bet they miss her too.

Yep, she does. And they probably do.

And I feel so sad for you, too. I feel so sad for you that you didn't grow Megan in your tummy. I bet you're really sad.

But I'm not sad! I'm so happy because I get to still be a mommy!

but still... my mom must be happier than you because she grew us her her own tummy.

well, I am just as happy as your mom. I love Megan just as much as your mommy loves you. Megan grew in my heart instead of my tummy.

but I grew in my mommy's tummy AND in her heart

yep, you're right. you did.

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So... I always thought that one of the things I'd say to Megan was that she grew in my heart instead of in my tummy. But, according to a 9-yr-old's logic, that just isn't good enough. I guess I'll have to come up with something else.

bathroom breakthrough

This morning we had a breakthrough.

It wasn't really that big a deal, but it's something.

The breakthrough? Megan didn't scream her head off while I was taking a shower! She went and got some toys from her bedroom, sat in the bathroom, and just played!

I was so proud.

This picture has nothing to do with the bathroom, but it's cute:

That is all.

Chicken Yummy inMaTummy

So, I could not decide what I wanted to eat for my birthday dinner. One of my favorite restaurants in the whole world is this place called Bombay House. Mmmmmm. The Indian food there makes me so happy. However, when weighing my decision of where to go out for my birthday, I decided against going to Bombay House. The reason? I can make it myself (kinda).

I decided to make this scrum-diddly-umptious dish the night before my birthday (Wednesday). I have made Chicken Tikka Masala a few times before. Each time, I have had to tweak the recipe. I still don't have it perfect, but it's pretty dang good.

Here's my recipe, in case you're drooling after looking at that picture.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

Marinade
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce
2 tablespoon butter
2 clove garlic, minced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala spice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Marinade: In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side. (or broil on broil pan in oven... about 4-5 minutes)
4. Sauce: Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, garam masala, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Notes:

1.) I used to cook this meal with Basmati Rice. However, I decided that it's too much work to do it this way. Now I just do regular white rice, and, honestly, I can't tell that much of a difference.

2.) Next time I make this I will double the sauce.

3.) This recipe is very non-spicy. If you want it spicier, you can sautee a bit of jalapeno with the garlic, or just add more paprika.

4.) In the picture, I forgot to add cilantro. The cilantro adds a lot of flavor.

5.) The naan you see in the picture is naan that I bought (from Wal-mart)! I then added olive oil and Za'-atar (which my sister brought me from her home in Bahrain) and warmed it in the oven. Holy Yummsters.

6.) I realize this is the second post in a row about food. Let's just be honest. I like food.

Best thing of all: I got to eat one of my favorite meals for a fraction of the price! Yippeeee!

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The Great Food Search

Around 8 1/2 years ago, my husband Jared returned from a church mission to Ecuador. While there, his taste buds grew accustomed to new foods which he loved. Since then, we have tried to find restaurants which serve Ecuadorian food.

We have lived in Utah for all 7 years (this month) of marriage. Unfortuantely, we have no knowledge of any Ecuadorian restaurants in the state. Back in 2004 we went to New York City. We were sure that, of all the cities in the United States, there would surely be an Ecuadorian restaurant there. We were were shocked when we found nothing.

Finally, a couple weeks ago, we decided to take the problem on ourselves. Jared found a recipe online, the key ingredient at a nearby ethnic food store, and we went to work. We had fun cooking together, and even more fun enjoying the grub.

Here is the finished dish: Arroz con Menestra de lentejas y carne asada. The lentils (menestra) have yummy ingredients like red onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic cloves, cumin, achiote (the special ingredient), and cilantro. The rice was cooked with onions & garlic.

Was it good? You be the judge.

Jared said that he still wants to try another recipe of menestra (this one was good, but a little less flavorful than for what he was hoping). We also have plans to try another different Ecuadorian dish.

The best thing of all? The whole meal was healthy. I felt so good after eating something in which ALL the ingredients were fresh & healthy. If only I could make food like this every day...

... maybe we should just move to Ecuador.

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Foster Care

As you may remember, I mentioned that we're doing Foster Care. We started the process in early July and finally were approved at the beginning of November. Luckily, it wasn't as invasive as adoption is, though it took just as much time for them to tell us we're good enough to be parents. Gosh, I'm so releived. Now I have two different groups of people who agree that we're not criminals.

Since we first discussed adoption years ago, we felt prompted to do Foster Care at some time in the future. The time has not been right until now. One reason we waited was that we felt we needed a permanent child before we could endure the heartache of giving back child after child after child. Now that we have Megan, we feel we can handle it.

Honestly, the only thing I worry about (besides the inital shock of having more children in an instant) is that I won't love them the same as I love Megan. I know how much I love her, and I don't see how I could possibly love somebody else's child the same way. And, these children in Foster Care need the same love as any other child. That scares me just a little. But, I have to remember that this is the Lord's plan for us right now. He will 'qualify us' for the work. I guess I shouldn't worry.

So, maybe you're a bit curious as to how Foster Care will work? I'll break it down for you.

1.) We told Foster Care that we only want children ages 0-2ish (we might have said 3... I don't remember). Let's be honest, we wouldn't know what to do with a 7-year-old! Plus, the younger they are, the less problems they typically come to us with.

2.) Foster Care may call us at any time with a placement. We are approved to have 3 more children in our home. We are hoping for a sibling group. Interestingly, sibling groups tend to be adopted more often than single children.

3.) The whole purpose of Foster Care is to reunite children with their birthfamilies. So, we will work with the birthparents in a plan for their children to return home. This is where the emotions get involved, because I'm sure we will love many of these children who will end up leaving us after several months.

4). After about 8 months or a year (depending upon the age of the child) plans will be be made for adoption if the birthparents haven't stepped up to the plate and done the things they needed to do to get their children back. If nobody from the birthparents' extended family wants to adopt the child(ren), then we are next in line to adopt them.

That's pretty much it: get a placement, work with birthparents toward reunification, and if reunification doesn't happen, we're second in line to adopt the kids. I'm sure it will take quite some time before we adopt any children through Foster Care, but that just comes with the territory. Right now we wait. But, luckily, we know how to wait. That's pretty much been our lives, so we're ready for it.

Now, please don't go on telling me how wonderful we are for taking in Foster children. I don't need to hear that we are saints or whatever for doing this. People always would say those things to us about adoption, but that's not how we felt. We need more children and this is just a way to do that.

Random interesting factoid: In the past, pictures of foster children could not be posted on the internet at all (meaning, you couldn't put pictures of them on your blog). Now you can have their pictures on the blog, but you can't state on the blog that they are foster children. So, if you ever randomly see pictures of other kids on this blog, and they live with us- those will probably be the foster kids. Just a heads up.

Have a great day, everyone.

Just a couple videos

To all family and friends who live too far away to enjoy the hilarious-ness of our daughter, these videos are for you. Nothing too special, but just a little cuteness to get you through the day. Enjoy!

11/10/10


11/10/10

Sweet Baby Mine

I always treasure the moments when I can sing my daughter to sleep. Tonight, after dropping my sister off at the airport, Megan was not a happy baby on the ride home. She was very tired and sick of being in the car seat. Of course, she was crying her little heart out. I tried ignoring it: didn't work. I tried talking to her: didn't work.

Moments later, I began singing a hymn, "I am a Child of God." Instantly, she stopped. I continued singing to her for about 40 minutes, nonstop, until we got home. I sang every primary song I could think of. There was just something about being able to sing to her for so long; something about her quiet response. There were even a few moments when I heard her "singing," too.

I love these moments, when I realize what motherhood is really about. I love my sweet baby mine.
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Introduction

My name is Megan. I am 13 months old and I am a proficient multitasker. I can read a book, suck on a toy (the metal part, of course), be cute, and poop- all at the same time.

Courtesy, Please.

I get so frustrated sometimes.

One thing that always aggravates me is when I see a car... or truck... or SUV... or any vehicle... taking up two spaces in the parking lot. In fact, I get so worked up about it that I want to find that person and punch them.

I know it sounds harsh, but it's true. I really have the urge to yell at them and punch them in the face.

I will attempt to take out my frustration on this blog, and maybe it will help me to vent and not have the urge to give people black eyes.
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Dear person-who-takes-up-two-parking-spots-with-one-vehicle,

Who do you think you are? Do you really think that you deserve two parking spaces? Even if your car was expensive, or if your car is big, does that give you the right to take a parking spot away from someone else? If you're going to be so rude, please at least park at the BACK of the lot. If you park in the back you are not a nuisance, and in fact, I would applaud you. You would be taking care of your own needs without bothering someone else.

But, you see, person-who-takes-up-two-parking-spots-with-one-vehicle, it makes me really upset when I see you take up two parking spots at the front of the lot. What about the lady with 5 kids in her van who has to park another 25 spots away and lug her kids all the way to the store? What about the person who has a bum knee but can't get a handicapped sticker? You're just going to be so rude as to prove you are better than them, and that you deserve more because your car is better? That's what you're saying by your actions.

Chances are you owe a smackload of money on that car, while some of us are more frugal and bought a vehicle we could afford. Do you think you are better than me because you're in debt with that gorgeous vehicle? Sure, my car is nothing to brag about, but I would have appreciated that spot, too.

I can't believe what a jerk you are. I am trying to be nice, but I'm growling at everyone in the store because I'm so frustrated by you. I'm looking at everyone because I want to find your nincompoop face and punch it. Lucky for you, you're probably wearing a smile and I'll never detect it's you who's the parking lot fiend. You'll never get the punch in the face you deserve.

And, yes, I realize I'm in the wrong for being so upset about this. I realize I may have some repenting to do. But that doesn't mean you can't have a little courtesy. All I ask is that you park at the back. That's all. Park at the back. Then I won't have to get so worked up all the time.

Okay, that's enough.

Harmony

No snazzy title: just Halloween

Jared & I are not Halloween-ers. It's a fact and it's not going to change. We're not the type to dress up all cutsie, or do a family theme. In fact, I tried this year. I really tried. At the beginning of the month I said to my husband, "Megan's going to be a lamb and we're going to be shepherds." Nice idea, right?

That's all it turned out to be: an idea. I had every intention of coming up with a costume for Jared & I, but then life happened. I got busy, and my intentions went out the window. (Besides, we all know that the road made with good intentions never got paved, right?)

Okay, on with the pictures.

On Friday, Jared took Megan to his dad's work to go trick-or-treating (which was really just an excuse to show off the grandkids). Megan's cousin Kienan went, too. Here is a picture of Nana & Papa with their lamb & tiger.

Here's a close-up of our m&m-eating-lamb.

Friday night was our ward Halloween Carnival. Here are Megan & Evie. I can never resist taking pictures of these two at every opportunity. (side note: I can't help but notice how HUGE Megan's cheeks look in these pictures. Just call her Queen Chubbacheeks.)

Then on Saturday, we went over to Nana & Papa's house. We didn't plan on taking Megan trick-or-treating at all (I know, we're so lame! But she's ONE and it's COLD!). But, Nana & I did end up taking her out trick-or-treating to about 20 houses. She was a tired, tired baby when we got home.

Then on Sunday, on the real Halloween, we went to church.

Happiness is...

...two beautiful baby girls.

...two beautiful baby girls together.

...two beautiful baby girls together laughing.

...two beautiful baby girls together laughing- and catching 7 seconds of it on video.

Learning to Walk

I always thought walking everywhere was kind of boring. Boy, was I wrong! Megan thinks walking is hilarious. She talks and laughs the whole time she's walking. She thinks she's pretty hot stuff.

So far, she can walk across the room before she gives up. She still walks on her tippy-toes half the time, but when she starts off flat-footed, she can walk pretty well. She's also starting to walk on her own, without us asking her to do so.

Here are a few seconds of footage for your enjoyment:





And she's off!

Bad stuff & Blessings

So.

Jared's brother is getting a liver transplant. Right now. (I think). Random call yesterday that there was a liver for him. Didn't even know he was #1 on the list. Yeah, guess he's gotten that sick. But you'd never know. He's a trooper.

So.

I'm sure he'll be fine, albeit in a lot of pain for a while. But, I think now of the reason he is receiving a liver. Someone must have died so he could have that liver.

(I don't know for sure that someone died, because I didn't ask, but I don't think someone just came to the hospital and said they'd donate part of their liver. So, yeah. I think someone passed away and that's how he got it). The rest of this post is based on this very fact, so if I find out later that nobody died to give him this liver, this post will be... inapplicable.

So, I've been thinking. But only just a little.

Matt needed a new liver. He got a new liver because somebody died.

Jared and I needed Megan once-upon-a-time. We received Megan, only because her birthmom gave her to us, which was really hard for her to do.

We're doing Foster Care now (maybe you didn't know that... I'll blog more about it later). We'll only get foster kids if they've been abused or neglected by their parents.

All these horrible things that turn into blessings. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Horrible things are allowed to happen, but glorious things can happen as a result.

I mean, Megan's birthmom was pregnant anyway, right? So the Lord placed the right spirit in her body and sent her to us (dang it! why am i tearing up?!).

Unfortunately, these foster children are going to be abused no matter what we do, so they'll be sent to our loving home, and eventually we'll adopt some. Again, the Lord's hand.

It was someone's time to die, and luckily that person was an organ donor. Now Matt gets a new liver and hopefully can be a much healthier man.

Though all these bad things happen, I look for the blessings. I am so grateful.

That is all.

Photo Star

In honor of Megan's first birthday, my friend Tami gave me a FREE photo shoot! This is the second time she has taken pictures for me (see the other shoot here) and I think she is amazing! Her pictures always turn out so darling. Feel free to check out Tami's blog.

We went to a nearby park and the grass was still wet. Megan insisted on getting her pants soiled with water & mud, but, luckily, it didn't show up in the pictures. All that showed up in the pictures was pure cuteness. Pure. Cuteness.

Tangent: Sometimes I honestly think Megan should be a child model, because she's way cuter than all the other African-American babies I see in advertisements. But, alas, I don't want that kind of life for her (or her mother!).

See her cuteness for yourself.

Check out the cute banner that Tami made for the photo shoot:

I'm thinkin' this is one of my favorites:

A close-up of our brown sugar baby.

You might have noticed that in every picture Megan is holding something. Until this point, she was holding & eating a leaf (yum!) and got very upset if we tried to take it away. Tami then had the genius idea to give her a pink ribbon instead.

Megan played in this dead grass forever. She was eating it like there's no tomorrow. There was no keeping it out of her mouth.

Well, there you go. Like I said. Pure. Cuteness.

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When You Were Born

Our Dear, Sweet Megan,

Your daddy and I can't believe it has been an entire year since you were born! It seems like only last week we brought you home from the hospital!

Though this isn't the entire story, I just want to let you know what was happening in our life when you were born, and how excited we were to get you.

Day 1- October 8, 2009

On October 8, 2009, you were born, as expected (because it was the date your birthmom, Catherine, would be induced). Your daddy and I were getting very apprehensive and nervous. When we received the call that you had been born, we prayed very hard. We prayed very hard that we would get to keep you. We hadn't met you, and we didn't even know how beautiful you were. But, we loved you in our hearts and we needed you. We prayed very hard that Catherine would sign the documents that would give you to us. We prayed very hard that she would do the right thing and know that we could take better care of you than she could.

Your daddy was at work and I was teaching piano lessons while you were being born. When the agency called me, I called daddy. We called Nana & Papa, and Grandma & Grandpa and told them you had been born. Then, they started praying, too.

Day 2- Friday, October 9, 2009

You had been born yesterday, and today, we were waiting for the agency to call again. This time, they would be calling to tell us if your birthmom signed those papers. Catherine had to wait 24 hours to sign the papers, and we knew that in those 24 hours, she would fall in love with you and might not want to let you go. So, we waited. We were very hopeful. In anticipation that she would sign those papers, I wanted to find a cute outfit in which to bring you home from the hospital. So, Aunt Lacey and I went shopping and I bought you a cute dress. Aunt Lacey bought you the cute headband & bow that you'll see in the pictures.

While Aunt Lacey & I were shopping, your daddy called me. He said that the agency had called him to say that Catherine signed the papers! That meant you would be ours!!! I was so happy that I made a fool out of myself. I was going around the mall telling everyone that I was going to be a mommy! I was running and jumping and making a lot of noise, right there in the mall. I think I embarrased your Aunt Lacey, but I didn't even care what anyone thought.

I dropped Lacey off back home and your daddy and I went out to dinner that night to celebrate you, our new daughter. We hadn't told anyone except our parents about you. So when we got home that night, we called our families to let them know the good news. The agency said we could pick you up from the hospital the next day, on Saturday, October 10.

Day 3- Saturday, October 10, 2009

This day seemed like the longest day of our lives. Your daddy & I knew the agency was going to call us to tell us what time to pick you up. We kept waiting and waiting for the call, and we were so scared that something would go wrong and that we wouldn't have you any more.

Instead of waiting around the house, we decided to get in the car and run some errands. While we were waiting at Jiffy Lube to get an oil change on the car, the agency called us and told us to be at Pioneer Valley Hospital in West Valley City at 11:00. We hurried and got the car, and drove to the hospital really fast.

We waited in the parking lot until the agency called for us to go in and get you. We waited in the car for almost 4 hours! While we waited, we went to the store to get you a cute blanket to come home in. When we finally went inside the hospital, we waited in the waiting room upstairs. A lady from the agency dressed you up in your cute outfit and brought you to us. We fell in love with you instantly. You were so adorable, and we were so happy to finally have you! On the way home, I sat in the back seat with you so I could touch you and look at you. I couldn't take my eyes off of you. We stopped at Nana & Papa's house on the way home, but we only let them see you for a minute before we drove home. That night, Nana & Papa, Aunt Andrea & Uncle Jeff, cousin Kienan, Uncle Tyler, and Uncle Mark came over to see you. They all held you and loved you and thought you were beautiful.

You ARE beautiful. You are the most adorable child we have even known. You have such a cute personality, and so much spunk! You make us laugh every day, and we love you more than anything in the whole world. You have made us happier than we could ever imagine. Megan, sweet Megan, we hope you always know how much we love you and how much we need you. You grew in our hearts for 6 years before you came to us, and we know you were always supposed to be our daughter. You will always be our special little angel baby, and we will love you forever.

Happy First Birthday, Megan!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

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Little Lady Lickit's latest love

A few posts ago I blogged about Little Lady Lickit. What I failed to mention is that Megan has always had a peculiar obsession with licking metal. She has been this way since she was a wee little one.

If it's metal, her tongue is on it. I don't know why she is so fascinated with metal. Maybe it's the taste? The color? Maybe she was fed metal in the womb? It's a mystery to me.

But, whatever the reason, it's funny. In the video below, Megan is licking our tv console, which has a metal surface running down the glass. She was licking it for probably 3 minutes straight before I ever started videotaping.

Enjoy!



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garden specialty

My garden recently withered away, and as I was removing dead plants, I found a couple cross-breeds. I always find it interesting which vegetables decide to create a new species (well, at least new to MY garden). I'm sure it's nothing special, but I think it's funny.

Here are a few pictures of our funky little cucumpkins (cucumber + pumpkin). And, no, we didn't eat them. They're probably sitting in the middle of some trashdump right now. Poor little cucumpkins.

Videos Galore

Hey Grandparents (especially those in MICHIGAN who never get to see their favorite granddaughter), this is for you.

Seriously, I posted these just for you. So, you had better watch every one at least 4 times or I'm telling on you.


Here is Megan in her her ballerina pj's. Apparently, turning around in circles is something ballerinas do. (9/14/10)



This is the Megster getting creative with a chair. (9/16/10)



Jared taught Megan how to do "patty cake." We love how she anticipates every move. (9/21/10)



Lastly, this is Megan blowing kisses. I know you'll smile when you see this one! (9/24/10)



We love you!! (and that's for all grandparents, near and far!)
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News of the Kingdom

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

The young Princess Megan has earned herself a new title in Roberts Kingdom. This delightful child has been consistent in her efforts to help keep the cookery clean. As a contributing member of the kindgom, she shall henceforth be known as

Little Lady Lickit.

Little Lady Lickit helps the maid with chores, as evidenced in the sketches below:

Cleaning the storage chamber:

Washing the light aperture:

Polishing the dish-washing mechanism:

It is rumored that Little Lady Lickit also cleans the floor, but that is yet to be proven by photograph.

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I Remember Virginia

September 18th, 2009 was arguably one of the worst days of my life. On this day, exactly one year ago, I remember the events that happened.

I remember taking that last-minte, overnight flight to Virginia that landed us in a hospital in a small town. I remember being eager to meet baby Jack, as we would name him. I remember crying for hours in the hotel room when she changed her mind. I remember the excitement of maybe getting him again, and the pain and ultimate heartache that followed after a week of chasing that little dream.

But, I also remember the good. I remember, while in Virginia, getting a call about a little girl who would be born in 3 weeks. I remember being so tired and worn from the loss of Jack, but the glimmer of hope we had for this baby girl.

So, Virginia, I remember you for bad and for good. I know, without a doubt, that you were part of the Plan from the beginning. You are where we felt a lot of pain, and you were where we first heard of the beginning of our joy.

But also, Virginia, I have no intention of ever seeing you again.

why bein' a crybaby ain't always so bad

Today at church, Megan was a horrible-no-good-very-bad baby. She played well for about 45 minutes and then decided she was going to drive her daddy crazy. He promptly took her into the hallway.

She screamed so loudly in the hallway that Jared had to take her outside, as in, outside the building. As Jared put it, she was crying so loudly that it sounded like someone was "cutting off her foot" or "throwing her into a brick wall." If this is how she is when she's a bit overtired, I'd hate to see how she cries when someone really does cut off her foot.... (gross. that's never gonna happen. and, if it does, i'm gonna beat the snot out of the sorry bottom-dweller that does it to her.)

Anyway, while Jared was outside with Megan he took these adorable pictures with his camera:

Thanks, Jared, for watching our little angel (or, not-so-angelic angel) during church every Sunday. You're the best!

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Our little BFFs

This post is dedicated to the wonderful Denise, Jane & Morgan...

Our little girls don't know it yet, but they're best friends. At first, they stared at each other, as best friends do. Then, they graduated to poking each other, as best friends do. From there, they moved on to grabbing clothes, hitting, screaming, crying, and pulling hair. If that's not enough to convince you they're best friends, they even crawl together, as seen in the footage below:



Was that cute or WHAT???

Here are some pictures to show you the elaborate and sophisticated way in which these two girls share their best-friend-ship status.

Here they are on a playdate, playing side by side:

They read books together (you can't see the book, but I promise it's there!):

They play together on monster bouncers at the park:

And, they ask us to take cute pictures of them with their daddies!

Way to go, girls! Your friendship is blooming. Now all we have to do is keep telling each of you that you're the other's best friend, and it will honestly happen. Right?
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The Government should do something about this

I do not claim to be very political in any way. In fact, if politics come up in a conversation, I try to not say anything because I really don't keep up on things enough to have a valid point of view. I'm a single-issue voter (ok, two issues) and that's that.

However, I have found something which needs immediate attention from the government. Seriously, if they can bail out the bank business and car business, then they can certainly bail out something small, like- my vacuum. I think my vacuum is silly and I need a new one. But, I don't want to buy one myself.

What is wrong with my vacuum, you may ask?

I'll show you:

It's that instruction on front of the vacuum:

"Change bag when red."

Do you see that picture? At the moment I took the picture, the vacuum bag was overflowing. The instruction should have read:

"Change bag when red, but make sure you view the color window only while vacuum is on. This means that you have to bend down and look at it while you are vacuuming, which makes no sense. This will probably take you 3 years to figure out. Meanwhile, you will have a vacuum that doesn't work half the time, because, unknown to you, the vacuum bag will be full, even though every time you turn off the vacuum to look, it says it's empty."

Obviously, the government should have been overseeing the Vacuum business, making sure the instructions on vacuums make sense. This has not been happening. So, this post is my not-so-official plea to my lawmakers to send me a check so I can get a new vacuum.

Sincerely,

Me.

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6 weeks and 45 minutes of hair

You may have read posts about Megan's hair before. In fact, I think I've been blogging about it since she was born.

Well, turns out, her hair is AWESOME. It's crazy, but I love it. No other race can get away with having adorable little puffs all over their heads. And, frankly, I don't think any other child with puffs all over her head is as adorable as our Megan. Our girl was born with a bushel of hair and it's only grown bushier since. I was scared it would be too hard to manage, but, luckily, with a little help, it's kinda fun and quite rewarding. One of those things that makes me feel like a real mommy.

My friend, Monica, over at In Plain English, graciously offered to let me watch her do her daughter's hair. If it weren't for Monica, our Megan would still be donning a matted fro. You should check out Monica's blog. She's an amazing woman, fabulous mom, & great writer! Thanks again for all the tips!

Step One: Give the Megster a bath, washing her hair with Olive Oil Shampoo & Conditioner (which actually smells surprisingly yummy!):

Step Two: Bring all necessities downstairs for hair-making session. This includes her hair-accessories-bin, hairclips, boar bristle brush, fine-toothed comb, virgin coconut oil & hair creme, among other things.

Step Three: Put baby in exersaucer & turn on Baby Einstein. Go ahead and judge me for allowing my child to watch the big black box.

Step Four: Wet her head with water & coconut oil, water & creme, or all three!

Step Five: Spend about 45 minutes brushing, wetting, parting, puffing (clarification: puffing, as in, making-puffs-out-of-hair-on-a-baby's-head; not as in huffing-and-puffing-and-blowing-the-house-down... in case you were wondering), and parting, combing, wetting and brushing each section, and again and again.

I can't wait until she is older and is able to sit still for more than 30 seconds at a time. It's hard to make straight lines in her hair with her bouncing up & down, moving around the exersaucer, & trying to grab the comb out of my hands. Also, her curls are so tight that it's hard to split the curls in half when needed. And through all of this, I have to make sure not to make her puffs too tight, pull on her hair, or break her brittle curls.

Unfortunately, her hair gets ridiculously messed up almost minutes after it is done. Megan tugs on her hair when she's sleepy and loves to decorate her hair with food. Also, she ruins it when she sleeps (for obvious reasons). It usually looks horrid by Thursday night, so it all comes out & she goes fro-style until Saturday morning.

This was the first week of hair-do (from this angle you can't see how bad it actually was)

Week 2 (the parts were not very crisp)

Week 3 (Q: does it even look any different than the other weeks?)
Week 4 (A: yes, each week the parts are in a different place, to prevent her hair from growing in a certain direction)

Week 5 (Q: is that a pizza hairstyle?)

(A: It used to be a pizza hairstyle, but Megan likes to "style" her hair with bits of tomato, strawberries, pickles, mac & cheese, and anything else she's eating. I guess you could still call it pizza; just not any type of pizza I'd like to eat.)

Week 6 (one of my favorites, and the parts are finally crisp!):

You might have noticed that all of these styles are mostly on top of her head. This is for two reasons: 1) She doesn't have much hair on the back of her head (from rubbing it off while sleeping), and 2) If I put the puffs on the sides of her head then it might hurt her while she sleeps. When she grow out of naps-- or at least uses a pillow-- I won't have to worry about that so much. Also, when she's older, I can take her hair out every night and fix it up all nice-n-purdy every morning. Right now I just don't think all that work would be worth it.

And, it's a good thing Megan's hair gets the Princess Treatment, because otherwise she'd be sportin' this crazy fro every day:

p.s.- For any of you out there with Princess Treatment experience, I'm happily taking suggestions.
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Mommy Soapbox

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while now.

I sometimes feel like being "just a mom" (and I hate that phrase) is not enough. I don't know if it's just the area I live in, or if it's the people I know, or if it's society creeping this thought into my life. Maybe it's a combination of all.

As you may know, I quit my teaching job well before we ever received Megan (but that's another story), in anticipation of being a parent. Then, when we didn't receive a baby right away I started teaching piano lessons. I continued to teach piano lessons until this past May, when Megan was 7 months old. I feel like other people think I should still be teaching. And maybe I feel a little bit of guilt because of it.

My reasons for quitting? Well, the reason I told everyone is that Megan was just getting too hard to manage. She had previously slept through almost all lessons, but, in April, started to change her schedule on me, making it difficult for me to teach. In addition, when she was awake she was a major distraction to my students. All of this is true.

But, the main reason I quit? I wanted to be "just a mom." Sure, I could have paid a babysitter. Sure, I could have arranged to have her Nana watch her every day. Sure, I could have kept teaching (I really liked it) and contributed money to our family. But, I didn't want to do that kind of work. I wanted to be something else. I wanted to give all my time to Megan, and to being a good wife.

Now, here's where the conflict sets in. Since my youth, I have always seen myself being a certain kind of mom. The kind of mom that stays home with her kids, the kind of mom that runs the kiddos to piano lessons and sports and picks them up from after-school activities. I always figured I'd have a bunch of kids together and, naturally, they would need me every moment of every day.

Now that I just have ONE (for now), part of me says, "you're not a full-time mom. Megan sleeps 3-4 hours a day, so you're really only a part-time mom." And then I feel GUILTY. I feel guilty that I'm not still working, and I feel guilty that I'm not contributing money to our home, when, maybe, I could. I feel guilty that I'm not doing-it-all. I feel guilty that I'm not one of those mommies out there who holds a full or part-time job and still manages to not send her kids to day care. I feel guilty when I see all the working moms out there and feel like they look down on me because I don't "do" anything. Not that I care what they think. Or maybe I do.

The thing that began my head spinning about this was actually a church event this summer. My stake puts on this thing called "Women's Retreat," which is this really wonderful experience with motivating speakers and uplifting messages and beautiful music, located in the mountains close by. As I went to these classes, and listened to these speakers, I noticed something. I noticed that, with only two exceptions (one class hosted by two ladies from my ward) that all the speakers were women with careers. These women were phenomenal. They were amazing. They had kids AND a career. They had a loving marriage AND a career. They had time to prepare a 1 1/2-hour class, AND they had a career. As uplifting as the experience was, it made me think that I should.... have a job. If I had a job, then I would have something to offer. And, when people ask me "what I do" I can say I "do" something, and they'll respect me for it.

Since when did being "just a mom" become less-than-best? Our church teaches that women belong in the home, rearing the children, and that the man is to provide for the family (see it here). Our church teaches the beauty of motherhood, and stresses how important it is to nurture our sweet little children. We are reminded again and again of our role in the Gospel and on the earth. We are told of the noble calling of being a mother. We are encouraged to stay home if we can. Why, then, do I feel pressure to DO more? Why do I feel like being a stay-at-home-mother isn't good enough? Why do I feel this way, even within the church, when I know being at home is noble and wonderful and it is what I should be doing?

It's easy to say that it's a sacrifice to be a working mother, for obvious reasons. But, I ask this: isn't it yet a sacrifice not to work, and not to make more money, when you could easily do so? Is it not a sacrifice to give that up? I have my dream job. I dreamt about being a mother since I was young, and now that I am finally living my dream, why do I feel pressure to give up on my dream? Why do I feel like I should have a career?

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle from our Church, said it best when he gave a talk called Good, Better, Best. I feel that, for me, working would be good, but staying home is best. Ah. I guess I'm attempting to validate myself.

I want being-a-stay-at-home-mom to be good enough. I don't want to work. I want to be home. I want my work to be my home. I want my work to be my kids. I want my work to only be bringing up my children to know their Savior and to raise them to love the Gospel.

Why is that not enough?
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The cutest girl doing the cutest things in the cutest videos

(You may have already seen these on Facebook...)

In this video, Megan shows her tongue skills. This all came to be when she started getting in her top teeth, and she would move her tongue back and forth to feel them. Then, we helped her add sound to the movement. And, wha-la! Megan Tongue Trick!

(You may need to make this video full-screen to see all the action)



This next video was taken in Michigan when we went to a restaurant and didn't have much to feed her... enjoy!

A Bedtime Story

Once upon a time, in a land not-so-far-away, there lived a handsome prince. This handsome prince had a beautiful princess daughter. One night, while the prince was putting his sweet little princess to sleep, he was singing to her, her head resting upon his shoulder.

While he sang to her, he patted her little princess bottom. For a moment, he stopped patting her little bottom. In his abscence, Little Princess took her own little hand and patted her own little bottom. Handsome Prince patted again, then stopped, and Little Princess took over.

This switch-back patting continued until Little Princess fell alseep happily ever after... or, until morning, that is.

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A trek into the unknown

When we adopted Megan I knew that eventually the day would come that I would have to invest in her hair. Honestly, I was hoping the day would never come because I was scared. Scared that I wouldn't know how to do it; scared that I would pull out her hair; scared that I wouldn't have the time; scared that I wouldn't enjoy it; scared that I would offend all African Americans by doing something hideous to Megan's cute little head.

However, I do have the resources to help me figure it out, I haven't pulled out her hair (yet), I have plenty of time, and I thought it was exciting and rewarding! As for whether I have offended anyone by adorning Megan's head, I know not. Only time will tell.

Here are some views of Megan's new head. I really don't know what to think of it; I don't know if it's cute or ridiculous. There wasn't really much else I could do with her hair because it's only long on the top. It will be nice when her hair starts growing in on the sides and back (but it could still be a few years). I've been looking on a zillion sites and blogs, and asking my friends-who've-done-this-before for advice. We don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on salons, so Meg will be going to Salon D'Harmony as long as possible.

So, what do you think? (Please, be honest. You're not going to hurt my feelings if you tell me you think it makes her look like Frankenstein, or that I'm totally incapable and should just shave it off.)

No matter what you think, I refuse to quit.

I refuse to be one of those white moms who can't do her daughter's hair.

I refuse to be one of those white moms whose girl has second-best hair.

I refuse to let her lose her identity because of my inability.

I will keep learning.

I will keep trying.

I will keep becoming the stylist she needs me to be.

We love you, Princess Megan!

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Delicious

My garden this year is seriously ridiculous. But, I'm not complaining. I just wish I had more room for it all.

Question: How does a garden grow from this:

To this?

Answer: sunshine, water, and a couple bags of turkey poo.

Vegetables, anyone?