Thoughts on Motherhood

I recently finished the book "The Mother in Me," a collection of short essays and poems on being the mother of babies and young children. It is an honest, touching, and humorous look at the challenges of being a mom, and I couldn't put it down. It's a read worth sacrificing what little free time we mothers have.

Here are a few thoughts from the book that I loved:

"My days were colored by the paradoxical perspective of not wanting life to change, yet wondering if I could bear its chaos a second longer. I'd wonder how I would make it through the next twelve hours before bedtime arrived, while worrying that those hours would never be enough to harvest all the possible joy. How could I want to fast-forward, pause, and rewind all in the same breath?" --Emily Halverson

"I want to spend my life doing something that really helps people, something meaningful, like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or Martin Luther King, Jr. did. I can't believe my best intellect and creativity are needed to find socks." --Ailene Long

"Propped,
bottom wedged firmly in the corner of the couch,
he sits with a blanket-wrapped bundle
posed precariously across his arms.
Mommy has so carefully coached him
he dare not move.
Muscles frozen lest he drop her precious package.

Mommy is home now
and she calls him her big boy
but he is still so small

so small" --Darlene Young

St. George

My best friend Kelli and her adorable son Grant were up from Brazil, so we decided to take a weekend trip to see them where they were staying in St. George--a much easier place to meet than Brazil :) And, as luck would have it, Kristina and Kenz, two of our college roommates, were able to meet with us too. It was such a fun (and too short) trip!

We ate delicious food, visited Tuacahn, went swimming at the world's coolest indoor pool, got spoiled by Kelli's in-laws, had a terrible waitress at the Brick Oven, and had plenty of girl talk (much to Jay's dismay). We also got in a quick visit to my dad and his family, who were in town for Dyana's basketball tournament.

One highlight of the trip was visiting the Red Rock formations just outside the city. Isn't it beautiful?!
The girls. This photo totally looks staged with our coordinating shirts and it harkens back to our photo shoots of freshman year. Good times.

Silly boys at the foot of the dinosaur-shaped tree
What little boy doesn't love climbing rocks?Thanks again to Kelli, Grant, Kristina, Kenz, Dad and the Allens.

Halloween Bliss

We had the perfect Halloween, and it was made even better because we got to watch Hayden enjoying the ultimate kids' holiday.

Hayden was Superwhy for Halloween (for those unfamiliar with this PBS show superhero, you can learn about him here). Look closely at his costume. Yep, I made it. I feel like I should be awarded a Nobel Prize or Medal of Freedom or something for sewing it--I don't mean to pat my own back, but I feel like this was a major accomplishment. Hayden LOVES his costume, and he's worn it for pretty much 72 hours straight (even to bed and to Costco, though I did draw the line at church).Jonah was Darth Vader, but he slept through the trick-or-treating, so we never actually put him in his costume. He did get to wear it for our church party, which was the day before, but we didn't get any pictures--I'm a bad mom. Jay was a karate guy (complete with missing tooth), and I went as a chef.Some dear friends, the Bangs, invited us to their new house for a Halloween party. Several of our closest friends from our old neighborhood were there. We had the greatest time eating yummy food, watching the kids play, and taking them trick-or-treating. Here are all the kids (minus two babies), and then the mommies. So fun (and a bit crazy too)!

Hayden was a professional trick-or-treater. Once he figured out the drill, he went from house to house in record time, even out-pacing the older kids in our group. And he loved every minute of it. Dogs and mummies barely phased him. He proclaimed "I love my candy!" However, he went a little too fast at one point and took a spill on the sidewalk. It must have shaken him up a little because at the next house, he said "Merry Christmas!" instead of "trick or treat." Ah, what a cutie.

Fun at the Fair

We discovered a magical place (at least it is magical for 2 year old boys)--the Arizona State Fair. The fair has several of Hayden's favorite things in one place: farm animals, rides, bad-for-you-but-oh-so-yummy food, bright lights, race cars smashing into each other, and a big crowd for people-watching. We went during "happy hour," so all rides and several food items were $1 each. We ate corn dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, cotton candy, and chocolate-dipped ice cream. I was very tempted by the deep-fried Snickers bar, but in the end I resisted only because I was so full on other fair food. We watched the figure 8 races, where cars race and smash into each other around a muddy figure 8. It was little boy heaven.

Hayden and Jay in front of the bunnies (this one looked like his favorite stuffed "bunny rabbap" at home)
At the Lego exhibit.
Jonah was so good and smiley the whole time.
Hayden's favorite ride was the pirate ship. He asked to go on almost every adult ride we passed, including some that were so high and fast that even I wouldn't dare go on them. So, when he asked to go on the pirate ride one last time before we left, and he said "please" in his sweetest, most convincing voice, how could we say no?