Thanks 2013

Today is Thanksgiving.  Time to count all you have to be thankful for this year.  Here's my list.

1. Being a mom.  It's life changing and the coolest thing I've ever done.  It's not always easy, even with my easy peasy kid.  It's so worth it though!  And this year, we've been baking kid #2.  So count that as a thankful too: getting pregnant with another, and an easier pregnancy than the first.  (Minus that month of back pain, over all it's been pretty good.)

2. Baby kicks.  To go with #1, and because she's been practically summersaulting while I'm typing this.  Though my pregnancies haven't been bad as far as sickness, etc. goes, I'll never claim to love pregnancy.  Baby kicks are a saving grace.  I try to enjoy them for the little time I can.  With Mal I had an anterior placenta, so it seems like this one is moving so much more than he did.  I think I can just feel them better.

3. Ryan. Life would be 10 times not as awesome if it weren't for him.  He's my companion, my best friend, my partner.  I'd be very lost without him being as great as he is.  I made a good choice in a spouse, and I'll always be grateful.

4. Our livelihood.  We're not rich, and never will be, but we have what we need, plus extra.  We get to take the occasional vacation, we get to live comfortably.  Thanksgiving is a good time to remind myself how much we have.  Also how far we've come.  This is probably the first year we have been really good about accounting for every penny spent and kept to our budgets.  Though tracking every cent makes me feel poor sometimes.  Suddenly, things seem to cost so much more because I can say that it's ____ % of the budget all in one item, etc.

5. Our Health.  Aside from a few colds, and my back injury in September, we've been mostly healthy and happy.  If you're sick, everything else is so much harder.  So I'm especially grateful to be healthy and strong.

6. Family.  Yet again, this year Malcolm was babysat on the days I work by family and all for free!  I'm so grateful to my mom, Laura, and  Brenna for being willing to take care of Malcolm while I worked or slept off night shifts. I'm grateful for fun Sunday dinners and that my siblings are some of my best friends. I'm grateful for family close, and family far away.  It was nice to see Ryan's family this past year.  Fun to have the Hibberts stay with us for a while, and a fun family reunion last summer.  We miss them so much.  I'm grateful to have such great in-laws.  Some people have some stories of crazy in-laws and I do not envy them.  I wish my in-laws lived closer!

7. Our home.  Even though caring for our own home can be challenging, I really like it.  I love having a place all our own.  I especially love being able to share it, whether it's with just my visiting teachers or the Young Women.  Or these last almost 6 months that we've shared it with the Titensors.  It's nice to be able to open my home to others.  I'll add to that that I've been grateful for the time we've spent with the Titensors.  It's been fun to spend so much time with Laura and for Malcolm and Denali to play.  I think I will miss them when they leave.

8. The gospel.  Can't count my blessings without counting that one!  It's a wonderful anchor and blessing in our home.  It hasn't always been the easiest year of going to church with a toddler.  I haven't been very good at keeping up with my spiritual feeding either.  I still believe it though, and I know I'm happiest when living the teachings of Jesus Christ.  I'm grateful for my calling in the Young Women's presidency.  Though I claim to be getting burnt out after 4 years in 3 wards' Young Women's presidencies, I know that without the weekly reminders of how I should be living I wouldn't be doing well today.

That's my list, not very long, not at all comprehensive.  It's a good one though.  I hope your thanksgiving is a good one and you remember all that you have to be thankful for.

C'mon Ride The Train

One day I got a brilliant idea that I'd take Malcolm downtown via the Trax train and we'd visit the library, have some lunch, and go to Trader Joes.  There was a book I had on hold at the Downtown library, and some things I wanted at Trader Joes.  Since they're both right on the Trax route, I thought it would make a fun trip of it.
Oh boy... it happened, but took 10 times as long and was 10 times as frustrating as I wanted it to be.  Malcolm still talks about riding the train, and the "elegator" at the library, so it must have been somewhat successful.
We got to the park and ride lot and walked to the station only to discover they don't take credit cards.  So back in the car we go to the bank that is several blocks away.  I didn't want tons of change from the machine, so I used the teller window.  Thanks to my bad driving skills and my giant belly, I couldn't reach the tube and had to keep opening and shutting my door.  Then on to another park and ride lot near the bank that Oh!  low and behold... takes credit cards. Though it takes credit cards, the machine lacked explanations of what ticket means what, so as I'm deciding and trying to get information, our train comes and goes.  Luckily it's only 15 minutes until the next one, but the minutes keep adding up...
We rode to the library without much of a hitch.  I wanted to look for other books besides the one I had on hold, and while he was waiting, Malcolm got out one of his own books to look at while I searched.  Which we ended up leaving in the stacks but remembering just as we were checking out.  So we took about 4 rides on the elevator up and down and up and down.  They're glass elevators though, so it's fun.  Malcolm insisted I hold him after the first ride.  It's scary being able to see the ground beneath fall away!
Then on to lunch, where hungry Mal was starting to show.  Through some tears, we finally got settled.
The rest of the trip wasn't too eventful, though it was lengthened even more after going to Trader Joes because I had to keep prompting Malcolm to walk.  I couldn't carry him with all those bags plus baby!

We got home just a little after nap time, and crashed! I think next time we take the train, I'll be sure to make it only one stop, and quadruple the time I plan on it taking.

Waiting for the train.  At least the trip to the bank provided us with a sucker to keep him occupied!

Lunch!

Grandma Irene

I've always jokingly bragged that I have extra grandmothers.  My dad's dad was married 3 times so I had a total of 4 grandma's from both sides.  I'm now down to the normal two.  Though I only mean here on earth am I missing them.  My Grandma Irene, my dad's stepmom, passed away after battling ovarian cancer for a while.  She had undergone a couple chemo treatments, but got really ill and was in a lot of pain after the second one.  I actually didn't go to see her during her illness because, believe it or not with all the sick people I see all the time, I preferred to remember her healthy.  She was drugged up and not awake, so I couldn't have talked to her anyway.  I know for other people this wouldn't have been the way to go, but for me, it worked.  

She was a great lady, and I really loved being able to hear about her life from her two daughters and my uncle.  I always remember how funny and full of laughter and smiles she was.  She was an excellent story teller, and I'll miss seeing her these holidays.  I still remember going to her house every New Years Eve and eating fondue and playing games.  Strangely, the smell of Pepsi mixed with ice from a home freezer still reminds me of Hibby.  Because I never drank caffeine as a kid except on New Years eve and it seemed to always be Pepsi with ice.  

Ryan was able to take the day of her funeral off, which was a huge blessing to me.  I had to work the night before, so I was very sleep deprived.  He managed Malcolm during the services so my frazzled brain could participate on only one thing: Grandma Hibby.  

The pallbearers

The cemetery provided a golf cart for those that had a harder time walking.  Malcolm thought it was pretty awesome.

Her casket was really pretty.  

Irene's plot wasn't very far from where my Dad's mom is buried, so we went and visited her grave site after Hibby's services.

First Haircut

Most kids, I'm sure, get a haircut before they are over 2 years old.  My poor bald child
(and likely the next won't have much hair either) had his first haircut this week!  It was long and short in crazy silly ways.  Though I loved his little curls, they just turned into wacky fuzz after one time sleeping on them.  So I took him to a Cookie Cutters where they specialize in cutting kids hair.  I was nervous because I had attempted to cut his hair multiple times before with no cooperation (make that lots of fighting).  But he did great!  Whether it was the stranger factor, or the sitting in the car watching Mickey Mouse, I don't know, but he sat real still and did awesome!

He looks good with it all trimmed up too.

 You know those days when you really should have just stayed home?  This was one of those days.  Our little outings turn into quite the adventures sometimes.  We went to Kneaders for lunch before his haircut, mostly because I wanted to buy rolls.  They were out of the rolls I wanted.  Then as we were eating I realized I didn't have my phone, or a camera of any kind.  I know I'm a little crazy, but I wasn't going to cut Malcolm's hair without at least one picture of the first haircut.  I mean, people save baby hair for crying out loud!  It's a milestone!  :)
I thought to myself, "Did I seriously just drive to Bountiful so I could eat at Kneaders and that's it?!  There's a Kneaders closer to my house and less expensive places to eat! (Although Kneaders is delicious!)"
Luckily, I found a random camera at my mom's house, and absconded it for the afternoon.  So it wasn't all a loss.

I know, third world problems.  Crazy middle class white lady whining.  Sometimes stupid things are frustrating.

More Malcolmisms

I keep a running note in my iPhone of all the silly things Malcolm does or says.  Well, most of them.  He cracks me up more and more as he's able to talk more and more.

Leaving the house with a two year old is... well, those of you who know, know.  So we're in the car leaving for lunch and Malcolm is crying and crying because Ryan had carried him to the car instead of letting him walk.  "Macom walk!"  We ask him if he wants some fries.  He immediatly perks up and smiles and says cheerily, "Yeah!"  then giggles and proclaims, "Macom happy now!"

We were at the luncheon after my Grandma's funeral (post later), Malcolm says to Bridget across the way, "Bridget, a eating a yummy?"
She replies, "Yeah, I like it with butter" (eating a roll)
Malcolm: "Yeah?"
Bridget: "I like butter."
Malcolm: "Yeah?"
It was adorable that he just started up a conversation with his cousin.

After Malcolm picked out cocoa crispies for breakfast, which I called the "Chocolate kind", he started saying "Chocate kind" down low, then "Chocate kind" up really high pitched, then low again, and high again  He told me, "Macom a sing a Chocate kind song!"

(This morning he seemed to be chanting about his stuffed dog "Scout"'s blanket.  He told me he was singing the "Scout's Blanket Song" afterward.)

Once I heard Denali and Malcolm playing in the living room.  Malcolm said, "Hey Denali!  a play peekaboo?"  She said "Yeah!"  and off they ran down the hall to Malcolm's room where they play peekaboo in and out of his tent.

Mal and I were headed to grandma's house.  We had this conversation:
M: See gamma?  See gampa?
A: Yep!
M:  Gampa a loud.
A:  (Laughing) Why do you say Grandpa is loud?
M: Gampa a loud say 'Hi Malcolm!'
(If you've talked to my dad, you'll likely have noticed his normal decibels are adequate for basketball arenas.  Okay, that's an exaggeration, but only a small one.  I come from a family of loud talkers.  I don't dis-include myself from that group either.)

Halloween and other fun stuff

Halloween was lots of fun.  I luckily had a nice co-worker stay an extra hour for me so I could be a part of Malcolm's first time trick-or-treating. I went out with him and the Titensors while Ryan stayed home and gave out treats to the whole 3 groups of trick-or-treaters we had.  Malcolm and Denali didn't waste any time learning how to trick or treat.  It took one experience at one house and they had it down!  Denali was hilarious knocking on the door.  When they opened it, she would just say "nany nany!" (candy).  Every time we left one house, Malcolm would ask, "More candy?  Another house?"  We went around one block of the neighborhood and they had a ton of candy for toddlers to be consuming. 

Our jack-o-lanterns

Denali was a monster, so Laura and Andrew dressed as monsters too.  They were a cute family.

The successful candy collectors.

Malcolm and Denali started swimming lessons this last week.  They're swim lessons that include parents.  Pretty much they're swim lessons that are given by parents.  The instructor gives us something to get them to do, like blowing bubbles, or kicking, and the parents do the rest.  After the first lesson, I was left thinking that I could have done this without paying $35.  But I also would have to pay entrance fees, and wouldn't have the incentive to go twice a week to get Malcolm in the water.  So it really works out.

Malcolm refuses to put his face in the water, but he's pretty good at kicking.  He hates trying to float on his back too.  But he talks about swimming lessons all the time, and I think he has a good time.

The day after Halloween we went to a Murder Mystery dinner put on by VeNicia and Spencer.  It was a lot of fun!  I'd only done one before, but this one was way funny!  Anytime you want someone in Ryan's family to imitate any accent it's pretty funny.  In my experience anyway.  The only picture I took was this next one, of the centerpiece.

 

Ryan had raked a giant pile of leaves  in the back yard and Malcolm and I had some fun burying each other in them.

  

Bank sucker!  Eaten at Lowe's.  It was a Saturday, obviously.  We go to that store every Saturday, it seems.  Ryan fixed our washer, though the part wasn't at Lowe's.

Malcolm took over cleaning the baseboards with a toothbrush for me.  It's funny what chores I'm doing that he'll find appealing to participate in.  

Fall Walk

Malcolm and I go on a lot of walks.  It keeps us both sane and in shape.  We went on a really nice one the other day among the changing leaves on the parkway.  The day started rainy and then cleared up just in time for a walk.  I took way too many pictures.